Our advisory is to be prepared for two weeks of self care for all family members and 2-4 neighbors.
Water, food, medications, camping gear, $ in small bills.
Also cars with never under 1/2 full ( in Last ice storm people ran out of gas and made more problems)
We also keep cars with a few things like $ small bills water walking shoes protein bars
ER cell phone charges in cars ER radios in house
It seems like a lit but you no doubt have more around than it looks at first glance
Thanks. I’m thinking something more than a tornado (that is what we have to be prepared for down here) but something less than nuclear war. Possibly a human-created catastrophe. Possibly a longer term situation where there is little use for people who do what I do for a living, leading to severe unemployment and privation for an extended period of time.
Here is something I’ve pondered for a while. The mainstream emergency preparedness advice typically says to have on hand several months of essential medications. How does one obtain several extra months of essential medications? It is difficult to even get a prescription filled “early” when going on a trip.
Not to play into fear-mongering scenarios, Missy, but have you read the new (fiction) novel The Mandibles?
By the time I was finished that book, I was asking McH how much liquidity we could put into gold…offshore 
The author, a former reporter, spun an alternate future storyline wherein American isolationist policies and debt-reneging spawned a global currency that rendered American dollars useless and ergo inflationary, with associated food shortages, hoarding, scarcity and economic plummeting etc. The book focuses on a formerly wealthy family and their ensuing survival over the next generation, but the dystopian scenario is strongly a background element. The book is recent, but not subsequent to the election It felt very viable as a plot line because like the frog in the proverbial pot of hot water, the shifts were incremental and people were slow to react in coherent ways.
The eerie part for me was before hearing of the book, I’d given a little alcohol-fueled economics 101 riff at a party about what happens when certain individuals in power posture in a way that predicates default and tandem trade deficits together with isolationist policy…and the impact on interest rates and the housing market (I was with a mortgage lender and a realtor and lets just say it was a lively debate among dear friends with whom one can openly debate such things without harm ; )
When I later read the book (after interest rates nudged up) there were chilling elements for me. So I too have pondered future-proofing…and determined my strategy might involve floating away in a miasma of Margarita OR alternately hunkering down on my few acres and hoarding heirloom seed varieties for sustenance while rigging up wind or solar generation to power the Salt Water Pool chlorine generator in order to create potable water or operate the well pump
Ha! I have also contemplated how to survive different catastrophes. My thoughts go that way when I read different survival novels like One Second After. We keep extra water at our lake home even though we have a well in case electric goes out. I jokingly told our kids to make their way 79 miles to the lake if some castastrophe should ever strike. At least there we would have fresh water, fish and lots of farmland. 
NM, maybe you’ll have to give me the GPS to the lakehouse…I’ll bring my heirloom seeds and promise to compost my own waste Of course, GPS might be useless, so an astronomy map might be in order…
My kids tease me that I have “prepper” tendencies! I also know the location of a fresh spring for clean water and a neighbor who still has an old fashioned hand pump for their well!
Where is everyone???
I’m here - nothing much to report on, though!
Went to the show On Your Feet last week, and attending the ballet this Friday.
S came over for the Super Bowl. He likes his law classes this semester so far.
I am here looking out the window and it is snowing. Again.
Since my last post about the terrible weather we have had
another ice storm that only lasted 48 hours. We have not been
able to leave our house about 10 or more days this winter. I am pretty
ok but H is just a nut case! He has even resorted to cooking!
Only news here is that I woke up a few weeks before Christmas and
my foot was painful and swollen on the top. Dr. Google and I diagnosed
a stress fracture. Dr. H did not believe me. Nothing showed up on the
xray. Podiatry was cancelled due to weather. I finally got in yesterday and
it is a stress fracture. Healing fine. I think H should have to tell me “you were
right” 5 times with flowers. :x. He never believes me but I am usually right
with medical and car problems.
MIL is offering tickets to attend Nephew1’s wedding in India this Nov.
H’s family lived in Pakistan for years. She cannot travel.
However, she is not offering tickets to N2’s July wedding.
N1 is the “chosen one” in this family and the fact that it is in India
makes it more important to her. But I am bothered. So we are going
back and forth on whether we will go to India and I have added that
if we do we absolutely will go to N2’s in July. Basically we had not yet given
any serious thought to attending either. We will have just been in MA. for an
extended visit at the end of May and have spent time with everyone.
This comes just after a trip to MA in March and a week in Nola in May.
Just a lot all at once.
Then, if S and his family are the only relatives on H’s side not to be able
to attend due to $ H and I will need to come forward on that.
Sometimes I wish I could just go with the program and not see so many different
angles to everything. But I do think there are some ethical issues here
about fairness and celebrating others equally.
Waving hello from under the beach umbrella … Our time in paradise is up on Saturday. According to people in our complex, we’ve had incredible weather, even for FL. I’ve been trying the “bank” the memories of sun and warmth since when we get back to New England, anything is possible.
We leave first thing Saturday morning to drive up to the FL Panhandle to spend 2 nights. We’ll visit S and see his newly purchased townhouse. We’re trying to figure out a way to see Monticello on our way north since we missed it due to weather on our way here. The issue, of course, is the dog – what to do with her while we’re touring. H thinks we can just drop her off at a doggie daycare, but experience tells me many of these places want the dog to have a “get acquainted” session first. We’ll see if we can talk our way in, I guess. H absolutely has to be back in MA by a week from tomorrow.
D and her fiancé just adopted a rescue dog from down south. H was upset by this since now they can’t take care of OUR dog when we travel. Really? Our pup is ours and our responsibility; we got her after D & S were well out of the house. I’ve learned to bite my tongue over things like this; he’ll get over it.
@college_query - How is your D doing?
Edited to add: As a tried and true Patriots fan, I have to say it was a stellar Super Bowl!
@CBBBlinker Monticello is wonderful to visit. I’ve been there a couple of times, most recently when we toured when we knew older son was going to UVa. There is info on their website that might be helpful to you. They allow dogs on a leash on the grounds, but not on the shuttles or inside the house. But there is a 1/2 mile trail from the Visitor Center that goes to the house. You need a ticket from the Visitor Center to do that. They recommend that parents consider touring the house at different times if they have very young children. Same could be done with a dog. Tour the actual house at different times, one after the other or something like that-taking turns watching the dog. I would call them and ask for their recommendation about this, 434-984-9800. Some of this depends on the weather but it has been fairly mild recently.
@CBBBlinker - D is doing okay, I think. I think it’s been helpful for her to be here and not have to cope with daily stuff she’d have to worry about on her own. She’s been working remotely.
Last weekend her former college roommate came and visited for a day.
For any of you wondering what we’re referring to, I shared in the private FB group that D’s long-term relationship recently ended.
Hope she is doing ok cq
So sorry @college_query That is tough. S1 had a long relationship that ended after 4 plus years and I felt very badly for both of them. Thought it might end in marriage but just wasn’t meant to be. All the best to you and your daughter.
I’m glad your D is able to stay with you for awhile, c_q.
I’m here, not much going on. Enjoyed the time in Florida seeing my parents. We didn’t do anything exciting, but I got a lot of time walking (and a little running) outside in the sunshine. Came down with a bad cold as soon as I got back and still don’t feel 100%. The cough is lingering
Since I haven’t been able to do much except go to work I find myself very unsettled these days. Current events are a big part of it as well as some major changes at work. And my folks are at the stage where one or both seem to always be sick. My dog is struggling (she is close to 16). I foresee major changes ahead and not good ones. It has not helped my frame of mind that I haven’t been able to workout either.
Right there with ya, but without the dog.
What an experience I had at lunch today. Our company has hired an out of town consulting group to help us with a big project. Three men from the group were in town to meet us; we met for lunch. The senior man was probably around 60. The two others probably mid 30s. The other representative from our company besides myself was a beautiful blonde, 30 years old.
I was very close to invisible in the eyes of the guys. The three guys wanted to know everything about the young blonde…her work history, how far away she lives from the office, the ages of her kids, etc etc etc etc. The older guy and I finally talked business for a while but I would say that 90% of the conversation centered around the young blonde. They weren’t vulgar or anything - very congenial and professional; they just showed absolutely zero interest in me.
I am totally aware that older women become invisible. I have experienced it in a social context. But it surprised me in a professional context, because I am senior to just about everyone.
The silver lining is that, when a small tomato squirted juice all over my sleeve, I’m positive that no one noticed.
Yes, the silver lining is that no one notices any more what you wear or even what you say.
Guessing it was still a shock as you are not THAT old <:-P.
Still remember the first time I was called “mam”.
Guess I am at least glad they seemed to talk with her respectfully.
Still, I have an issue with leaving others out of conversations. Guess I am old fashioned that way.
Sadly, I think that’s very common MP. I have all but given up on ever being even considered for any type of promotion at my job, even though the work I do is exactly the same as that of a prior employee who was one level up from me. My silver lining is that I have basically ditched the dress code and just show up in jeans.
A few years ago we had a department lunch so a new executive could “get to know us” (his term). He sat down and talked about sports, Sharknado (not kidding) and a few other topics that interested the 5 men in the room. None of the 4 women said one word and I don’t think he even noticed.
MP, FallGirl…that is why I marched. Hugs to you both!!