Inch By Inch Preparedness

When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power. Ezra Taft Benson

Storage Notes For A Rainy Day – by Phyllis Hooker

My children woke the other morn, “Dad! Mom! There’s something wrong! There’s no heat in the heaters and the TV won’t go on. The bathroom light won’t function. Is it just the bulb that’s old? Nothing in this whole house works. It’s drafty and it’s cold!”

I rose in semi-stupor. Stubbed my toe against a chair. “I ought to have a candle. I know there’s one somewhere.” “Fear not,” I told my children. “We’ll weather out the storm. Because we have a fireplace to keep us somewhat warm.”

“We’re hungry, Mom. Where’s breakfast? Could you make something hot?”

We piled logs in the fireplace, and then a sudden thought: When cooking in a fireplace, what things should I acquire? Just how long would my frypans last atop an open fire? Within the house a fired glowed, outside was cold and bleak. Our meager wood and coal supplies would last about a week.

“Hooray! Hooray!” the children cried. “Oh, this is really neat!”

I thought, “It’s good we have our food. For a year, at least, we’ll eat.”

The baby needed to be changed, and then the thought did strike: However would I launder clothes, to keep them clean and bright?

Assuming I had water, a fire and a pan… I’d hate to have to wash and wring those diapers out by hand.

We’ve always stored some water in an emptied-out bleach jug. We opened up a gallon, poured it out to drink and … ugh!!

I’d also filled some fruit jars with the water from the sink. It was processed in my canner and was easier to drink.

“My mittens need repairing.”

“There’s a button off this dress.”

I’ve stored buttons, thread and needles, extra fabric, and I guess I could darn most things quite handily, from socks right up to suits. But suppose the broken item, was a pair of leather boots?

I have lots of baking soda, for all it’s many uses. From toothpaste and a cleaner, to the cookies it produces.

I’ve string and twine and medicines, and ammonia to help me cope with cleaning up the dirt and germs. But how did the pioneers make soap?

I must save my old newspapers. Might there be a paper ration? They’re used for wrapping garbage and making good insulation. Soak the papers in detergent, roll them into logs, then dry. They will give a bright, warm fire, and almost free supply.

I must have thought of everything. Oh, no. One thing can spoil it. I have the toilet paper, but about the toilet?

That night we piled into our beds. “It’s cold! The wind! It blows! How nice hot water bottles would feel against our frozen toes.”

Next day I woke up early, and the crisis was long gone. Everything was back to normal, even the TV set was on.

Water dripped into the sinks, the downstairs lights all burned. it was nice to have them on again after the lessons we’d learned. Thought yesterday was trying, it’s troubles had been shared. Our family had decided that we’d better get prepared. Some folks might think we’re silly, like whistling in the dark. Still, we know it wasn’t raining when Noah built his ark.

Happy and Healthy Prepping

Davilyn