Author: sandcastle

As I said in my last post, tornado season is coming and I am preparing for that. One of the things I needed to think about was where I would go if I needed to bug out.

Having lived most of my life in Minnesota I know how to watch weather reports and analyze my risk. I have never yet been in the direct path of a tornado so I have always been able to stay at home or take shelter locally–such as in the bathroom building of a local campground since staying in a vehicle is NOT recommended. So, most likely I will simply be able to stay in our apartment. If the apartment appears to be in a direct path, I will simply take my bugout bag and move to a lower level, interior part of the building.

All of that should be fine for the time until a tornado actually hits. But, what then?

If our power is out and our building is not safe then it is likely the trees around us are also down making it impossible for me to drive away.

In that case I could put my pack on my back and start walking. Probably south. About 1/2 mile south of us is a Crown Plaza hotel. It probably has generators to provide emergency power. And rooms with beds to rent. I’m not sure their restaurant would be serving food but I have three days worth of food with me, right?

If that doesn’t work, about 1/2 mile south of the hotel is a small hospital with an emergency room. I’m sure it has generators but if I can walk that far I am not likely to qualify for a bed there. Still, it would be a place to shelter until I can arrange something more.

Once the trees are cleared from the roads, assuming our car survived the damage, I have lots of options. I can go the the extended stay motel about 5 miles north of here where we have lived  before thus have cooking capabilities once again. Or I can go stay with friends or family about an hour northeast of here. Except most tornadoes in this area travel northeast so they might not be available to take me in. I know the friends have a generator but I don’t know if family does.

But, whatever happens, I will deal with it.

And the odds are I will not have to go any of those places since I have never had to do so before.

But, as a child I was a scout. Be prepared.

TTYL,

Linda

Tornado season is approaching. Bug out bags are being checked and updated.

For many years I have not worried too much about my ability to bug out because I have had Dave around to help me do it. Then I went south for the winter without him, returning north during tornado season. But I had my van and that increased my bug out capabilities enormously.

But this year? I may be in trouble.

You see my van is going south during tornado season and I may not be going with it. Dave may be going to drive it to Texas to get my shower fixed while I stay in Minnesota. So I need to be able to bug out on my own in just our car.

So I’m thinking about what I would do if the worst case scenario arrived–meaning our apartment building took a direct hit. Power would be out. I might not have safe shelter. I might not be able to cook. I might have to live in my car for a few days but with trees down I might not be able to drive it anywhere. What would that look like?

So, among other things, I’ve been thinking about my requirements for food. Easy to eat. Doesn’t require cooking nor refrigeration. Preferably stuff I would be willing to eat in a non-emergency situation. Here’s what I’m thinking.

Meat: Jack Link’s Original Beef Steak Tender Bites.

I do not ordinarily like jerky-type meats but these are bite-sized pieces of real steak and I like them. Since I am usually eating these for a snack I only eat five pieces at a time but I’m sure in an emergency situation I could eat a meal’s worth of these. Each package contains about 270 calories. And with 15-18 chewy pieces per package I think I would feel like I actually ate something. You can get these at big box stores like Target and Walmart but the teriyaki flavor is more commonly available. If you want the original flavor your best bet may be Amazon.

Fruits/Vegetables: Puffed mixtures from the baby food section of the grocery store.

These are sort of the size and texture of Cheerios but are fruit and vegetable mixes. You get lots of pieces so, again, you feel like you actually ate something. For instance the Plum Organics brand shown is a spinach/apple mix in a  1 1/2 oz container that contains 150 calories if you eat the entire container at one sitting. There are several brands and flavors of these available and I have bought them at both Target and Walmart.

So now we have 420 calories of easy to eat food for any meal that doesn’t require any preparation or cleanup. If you only ate one container each of these two items for three meals you would have 1260 calories per day. That is enough to keep any of us going until we figure out what else we need to do to survive.

But, for me at least, there is one more category of food I need.

Stress foods: We all need foods that comfort us in times of stress and I can think of few things more stressful that the need to bug out. For me that means salty, crunchy food. Like Pringles.

Pringles are far from being a healthful food. They are more that 50% fat. But we need fat to keep our bodies healthy and this is the tastiest, portable form of fat I know. Eating fat helps my body use the nutrients I get from taking a daily vitamin (which is already in my bug out bag with three days worth of my daily medicines and copies of my prescriptions). And that, in turn, helps reduce stress.

Plus, we are only talking three days, right? By then I will know what my next plan is.

Now to pack some toilet paper.

TTYL,

Linda

Sunday, March 30th, noon, 51 degrees with a forecast high of 60. We all know what that means.

Road trip!

Only a half hour drive south but a much needed trip for many reasons. One is just to get outside. One is to get the winter kinks out of my RV.  And one is to go here.

The Sandcastle took a shower today.

Dakotah Meadows at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake is one of the few RV parks in Minnesota that stays open year around. And this self-serve RV wash is one of the amenities available there.

Oh, it is so nice to get rid of all that winter grunge.

Of course, tomorrow’s forecast is for rain and snow.

TTYL,

Linda

Have you ever been to the ocean and written something in the sand? I have. When I wrote in the hard packed sand, the waves came and washed my words away. When I wrote in the soft sand, the winds came and blew my words away. I did not care because none of those words were significant. They did not have value.

I want the words I send out into the world to have value. I want them to touch your heart so you feel what I am saying. Or to touch your mind so you think you’d like to remember them. Or to make you laugh so you feel less stress and more joy.

As a minimalist, I try to get rid of the excess in my life to make room for those things and experiences that are important to me. To put words out here just to say anything adds to the clutter of the world. Not much in my life recently has given me the type of words I prefer to write as I simply focus on rest and recovery. I will write more when words worth sharing come to me. Even if it is just to make you laugh.

TTYL,

Linda

The more you wash your hair the oilier it gets. I know that sounds wrong but it is apparently true. So, if you have oily hair you should wash it less often.

But, how do you get through the transition time until your scalp learns it no longer needs to produce so much oil now that you are not washing it away all the time? Dry shampoo to the rescue!

The best dry shampoo is corn starch. You just brush it onto your roots then brush it out of your hair.  Easy, right?

Not so much if you have dark hair. You can brush forever without feeling like you are getting all that white power out. And if you brush the roots too much you may stimulate those oil glands again.

So what is a brunette to do?

Cocoa powder.

Stir about 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder into 1/4 cup of corn starch and the powder you don’t brush out will not be so noticeable. Adjust the amount of cocoa powder you use according to how dark your hair is.

Now that is easy.

TTYL,

Linda Sand