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2018-01-07 Home Front: Culture Wars

This Week in Books, January 7, 2018

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Posted by swksvolFF 2018-01-07 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 Santa brought me a copy too!

Posted by Glenmore 2018-01-07 01:17|| 2018-01-07 01:17|| Front Page Top

#2 Emergency prep is - should be - shaped by your specific personal, household and business situation and your specific goals.

This book shows you how to evaluate them.

Posted by Snoluting Phomoth8901 2018-01-07 09:08|| 2018-01-07 09:08|| Front Page Top

#3 I grew up in Buffalo, NY, and had a newspaper route during the Blizzard of ‘77. I fully stock my pantry before Thanksgiving* with unconcentrated soups, noodles and jarred sauces, packets of tunafish, salmon, and tea, Nestle chocolate Quick and tins of evaporated milk for hot chocolate, and chocolate chips — we ran out of chocolate in ‘77 after the first week, which was decidedly uncomfortable. If we are without power we can cook on the gas fireplace or the propane grill, or draw warm water from the 30gallon water heater** in the basement for a while if necessary — it is important to have hot food and drink. I also have enough ThermaCares set aside to keep us warm should we be without power and unable to drive out of our hilly neighbourhood for some days — that was never an issue in Buffalo, but in Cincinnati icy roads are more of a concern than snow. Medicines, of course, both Rx and over the counter. Snow shovels. I should keep a bag of coarse sand and a shovel in the trunk of each car, but we are fortunate that we can just stay home if it looks like the weather will be that bad. Everyone has a spare battery for their phone, and I have extras, charged, in the gift closet. I like this one. Warm clothes, warm ski outerwear, gloves and boots for all, though we are behind on stocking newest daughter in this direction — she came to us with very little and is a size 3X.

* In Buffalo we have had several major snow storms at Thanksgiving, so that is my target. There was the October ice storm in about 2005 thwt left my parents without power for ten days, but that only happened once in my lifetime.

** Because hot water tanks take a long time to cool down, and because hot water bottles and pans of water in which to heat unopened cans of soup can be filled directly from the drain tap, I will never replace mine with an instant hot water device.

Posted by trailing wife 2018-01-07 11:23|| 2018-01-07 11:23|| Front Page Top

#4 Ten days? Did they do anything to keep the pipes from freezing?

Posted by swksvolFF 2018-01-07 13:21|| 2018-01-07 13:21|| Front Page Top

#5 It seems to me that 10 days without power during a major winter snowstorm, for some situations, could be an end-of-life event. I know of a farm woman in Jan 1978 who had a healthy baby born in those circumstances, far from town in a house with no power or heat beyond a wood stove. Baby did well, mother got a fever, someone crawled miles across the frozen tundra to get a message out, weather improved enough for chopper flights, and she was whisked out by Air National Guard to a hospital for a life-saving hysterectomy. From that point onward, she did well. Baby was her first & last child.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2018-01-07 15:51|| 2018-01-07 15:51|| Front Page Top

#6 Michigan drivers have a quick solution for white out conditions on their interstates. They all seem to drive 85 mph until they hit a white out zone (always "unexpectedly"), then several dozen vehicles in the column of vehicles come to various sorts pf abrupt stops in few seconds or so.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2018-01-07 15:56|| 2018-01-07 15:56|| Front Page Top

#7 My theory on the freezing pipes is to have a bit of water on at every faucet but I have only theory and I see some potential problems there, like water freezer in the sink trap.

I have one of those fumeless heaters which runs off a propane tank, but it will be the last act of Henry the VIII before I use it in my house. It isn't that I don't trust the fumeless claim - I don't, drafty or ventilated shop, sure, not crazy about a well sealed structure with no air movement - but the radiant heat would concern me. It wouldn't necessarily need to start a fire, just start smoldering something plastic and now we have bad air.
***
We get dust storms out here if upwind has been dry and a big front comes through, or downwind of a newly plowed field. Maybe just me, but I think they gobble up headlights. Worst one I was in the dust storm, an eh kinda dark strength, hit a stationary moisture line and suddenly it was raining mud. Not like a bad scene from a Volcano flick, but like that scene in Jurassic Park where the critter spits on the big dude. But constant. Smells like it too. Oh, that is wife as calmly as an air raid siren informing me it is time for a diaper change, the variety which can't be put off. Pull off the interstate and find a defilade so Christine doesn't murder me with her car doors - you big wind country people know what I'm talking about. That ain't happening, wind is 50-60mph at this point and everything bouncing off of my 'cover' hits the vehicle too. Wife performs a front seat over the arm rest back passenger poop step maneuver which had me in awe.

Get back onto the interstate, starting to improve but deciding to take the next turn with the wind instead of across it when we come up to a checkpoint. We were front seat after the fire department closed the interstate and got to work on the car which was passing me before our exit.

Someone too fast met someone too slow. Some didn't see the pileup until they were in it, some chose the shoulder and ditch. Watched helplessly as some of my Brothers were carrying people bags over to an upside down SUV. It was around the holidays, trunk busted open, presents everywhere.

Posted by swksvolFF 2018-01-07 18:33|| 2018-01-07 18:33|| Front Page Top

#8 Ten days? Did they do anything to keep the pipes from freezing?

Presumably they let all the taps drip, swksvlFF, so there was always water flowing. At any rate, they did not have to repair plumbing afterward that I recall, though they did have to replace part of the roof including the plywood substrate after some major limbs from one of the maples fell on it. The trees were still in full leaf, so the ice build up was worse than it would have been later in the season. They used hot water from the water heater for hot water bottles and to fill a pot holding soup cans or coffee mugs.

Posted by trailing wife 2018-01-07 19:39|| 2018-01-07 19:39|| Front Page Top

#9 The Water Drip was a suggestion to me by Guy-Whose-Mountain-Home-Loses-Power. Never had the luck to try it.

Other advice given. "swks, you have a gas stove, right?" Right. "Fill a pot of water and boil it. You will have warm moist air and it will feel good."

So, that opportunity finally presents itself one glorious ice storm. I come back in from removing Ymir's siege palisade and think what a great idea. After a brief quest for fire, see the igniters are electric har har, and some impromptu tortillion stumps got the gas going, water on, pokemon go!

And it worked. Ice crystals on the windows were pretty, and eventually thick enough to help with the insulations. I think Hannibal Smith is on our power crew, because heat was back in about two hours. Then I notice the floor is wet. Looking about the window seams for the leak it occurred to me that my wet foot is standing on the carcass of the beautiful ice angel who was living on the window. One on every single window. Good thing the dryer was back on-line.

Posted by swksvolFF 2018-01-07 20:43|| 2018-01-07 20:43|| Front Page Top

23:16 Alaska Paul
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