Wake Up Call

Last Sunday’s wind storm was a wake up call. Hurricane force winds of 70 mph or more wreaked havoc on many Ohioans who found themselves without power for a day or more. Some are still waiting to have their electric restored. We were some of the extremely fortunate ones. Our power was restored within 20 hours. Fortunately for all Ohioans this storm occurred in warm weather. The last time I can recall winds close to the magnitude we experienced last Sunday was during the blizzard of 78.

Sunday started out warm and breezy. As the afternoon wore on the gusts increased in strength and duration. Around 4:30 we had to close up the house. The gusts were strong enough by then that the houseplants sitting in my south window literally blew off the table. It was then I questioned how much longer we would have power. An hour later we didn’t.

Throughout the evening high winds continued with gusts reaching hurricane force. The sound of their approach was pretty scary. We watched as trees fell in the woods across the field south of our house. Crack after crack came from the woods just behind our home. We watched as not only limbs but entire trees came down, some that had stood for more years than we have been.

On Monday with daylight having returned, damages were assessed. Trees and large limbs down behind the house, but elsewhere only the littering of smaller limbs and twigs and a few shingles. We faired well. At the kitchen table it was time to assess our preparedness, or perhaps the lack of it.

Our major concern at the time was the freezer and not losing the produce and fruit inside. Of course generators were nowhere to be had. If the electric came back on in a reasonably short time everything would be ok. If not, we made plans to move the contents and the freezer into my sister’s house to plug in…a lot of hassle but one we considered worth the effort to save the food inside. Luckily it didn’t come down to that. Other than that, this is where we stood on the basics.

• Food on hand - very good
• Food prep capabilities - good. Propane stove with a full tank of propane, along with the outdoor charcoal grill. Not much charcoal on hand but plenty of limb wood! We also have an outdoor camp fire ring.
• Water - good for short term as I always have several gallons of tap water on hand plus the 50 gallon hot water tank can be easily drained. Long term water storage is not good. In searching the internet for water storage solutions I came across Water Preserver™. It doesn’t clean water, but preserves tap water for up to 5 years. One bottle, depending on size, treats 30 to 55 gallon of tap water. Verde over at Justice Desserts just blogged about clean water solutions and after researching I agree that the Berkey Water Filtration System is the way to go.
• Heat – We don’t do so well here. Because we rent we aren’t allowed to install a wood burner for insurance reasons. This is a real shame as we have loads of downed wood. Instead we have a kerosene heater and a small propane heater. But do we have an adequate supply of fuel on hand for these? Short term only. Luckily this power outage occurred in warm weather.
• Back Up Power – no, a generator is in order. (wake up!) A good thing to remember here is that one doesn’t need to run a generator continuously. Operating one 2-3 hours at a time may be sufficient and would save on fuel usage and cost of operation.
• Communication – we faired ok here because our landline stayed in effect and fortunately we still own a land phone. The cordless phone was of no use because the base is electric and with no power there is no function. We also have a cell phone but no car charger, so once the battery went on that it was useless, too. A car charger is in order. Also, we have a portable radio with batteries we keep for emergencies. However I think we may invest in a crank radio. Ironically, despite listening to the radio during the storm, no news on the storm was to be heard from any of our local stations, even the major stations in Cleveland. A weather radio would be a plus.
• Light - good, we have kerosene lamps and lanterns, several flashlights and lot of candles.


Like many, we tend to be somewhat complacent until shit hits the fan. In ending this post all I can say is I’m glad for this wake up call. We definitely have things to work on and this situation brought those things to our attention. How about you? How prepared are you?

It's Just How I Am

a poem by yours truly for your reading pleasure...you might resonate with it...or not. :)


It really doesn't matter much
what others think of me,
I live by my own standards
since they suit me to a T.

I pin the laundry on the line
to dry by sun and breeze,
my underwear is hanging there
(and I don't care)
for all the world to see!

In the mornings in the garden,
in my nightie I'll be found.
Passers by should close their eyes
if I am bending down.

The things I do are mine to do
the way that I see fit,
and if they seem inappropriate,
it doesn't bother me one bit!

©sallie cooper 2008

Ahoy me buckos!

Avast all you lubbers out there, be warned as ye go about yer business this fair day, today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrr! Thanks be that me very own daughter in law reminded me!

And just so ye know, the storm that blundered our way last weekend caused no serious damages. Arrrr! 'Tis one lucky lad and lassie we were. I be catchin' up with ye soon me hearties. Until then, fair winds!

My pirate name is:

Captain Anne Vane

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You tend to blend into the background occasionally, but that's okay, because it's much easier to sneak up on people and disembowel them that way. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

harvest moon

While browsing moon lore I came across this lovely blog post which gives an efficient and timely summery of this time of the season.

Crane's Nest Creations: The Full Harvest Moon , Fall Equinox and Mabon

I QUIT…sort of

Four and half more pints of ketchup, seven more quarts of tomato juice and seven quarts of pickled Hungarian peppers are canned…and I quit! Oh wait, I forgot about that basket of small pears Coop picked. Well, looks like I’ll be making pear butter tomorrow…just when I thought I was done. Weeeell, I’m very close to being done. Then I quit! But I hear this little voice inside whispering, “Yeah, but what about those Hungarians and Amish Paste still out there?”

Yeah, what about them? I’ll tell you what about them…they can stay there, they can lay there and rot. I am tired of canning! My shelves are full, my freezer is full and I’m tired.”

“Now you know you won’t let them go to waste. You live by the rule of waste not want not.”

You’re right, you’re right, OKAY!?…you know me too well…*sigh*…I will do my best to make sure they are put to use, if not by me then by someone.

Here’s the thing; I always plan for and plant more than we can use because one never knows when one type of produce or one section of the garden might fail. That was pretty much the case with the sweet peppers, but boy those Hungarians took off and all the tomatoes did exceptionally well this year. A variety of winter squash didn’t do so well due to vine borers, but we got a little of this and a little of that and we had plenty of zucchini! All I know is that I have enough veggies preserved for the winter and then some and I am tired of standing at the sink and stove, tired of finding tomato splatter on things it should not be on, tired of washing jars and kettles and kitchen towels and chopping veggies and peeling tomatoes, I’m tired of my kitchen table looking like a produce stand at the farmers market and tired of hauling dishpans full of tomato skins out to the compost bin, tired of the spills and the clutter piling up, and, and…

(catches her breath) I am so very, very grateful that through all the planning and hard work, our joint effort with nature has given us such beautiful, bounteous and tasty results. It has all been so very much worth it so…um…er..if you will please, uh…just disregard my rant, ok? : )

The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can't Have

From Business Week

Ford's Fiesta ECOnetic gets an astonishing 65 mpg, but the carmaker can't afford to sell it in the U.S.

the dangers of multi-tasking

Late last night a storm moved in from the south bringing with it the dankness of autumn and the hint of winter not too far off. This afternoon the sun has finally made its presence known and there’s hope of it turning into a pleasant fall day after all.

Today I am puttering about, doing my best to catch up on household chores and re-establish a routine. Things got out of whack the past two months with the garden taking priority. Coop promises to get those Amish paste tomatoes picked today, (providing the ground dries up a bit more) as well as hot peppers while I continue to do some household catching up. I had seriously good intentions yesterday. That was until I took a dive across the kitchen floor and landed full force on my knees. I ended up doing a lot less than initially planned…even had to lie down for awhile with an ice pack. My left knee is still giving me grief today despite icing it down and using arnica cream and homeopathic meds. I can however at least get around better today than yesterday.

It wasn’t funny when it happened but looking back it must have been a site. I was heading towards the microwave when I tripped over a box on the floor. Yeah, I put the box there. I had been taking the rings off my canned tomatoes, preparing them to take to the basement later. The box was out because as I was removing the rings I had been dropping them into that box that I keep slid under my utility table during canning season. Uh…I forgot to put the box back into its proper place you see…while multi-tasking. That’s a subject for another day and another blog post I am sure. Anyhoo, on my way to the microwave I was talking on the phone, too. Most likely the reason I didn’t notice the box. I flew, the phone flew, and the cup of water in my hand flew. As I lay moaning on the floor I noticed the phone in three pieces, battery dangling out the back of it. I yelled “I’m ok, I’m ok” to my daughter who might still be on the line. Finally I got hold of the phone and she was still there. So there I am, spread out on the floor with a third of the phone in my hand, battery dangling by a thin wire, reassuring my girl that hr mom was ok…even though I wasn’t real sure whether that was true. We hung up and somewhat afraid to move, I decided to put the phone back together. It wasn’t broken broken, just everything had snapped apart from the impact with the floor. Coop was out mowing when all this happened so I continued to sit there. I was really quite afraid I had busted my knee cap and that an attempt to get up to a standing position might result in another fall. What was a girl to do? Well this girl decided to scooch across the floor to the back door and although not intentionally, in the process I managed to soak up most of the spilled water with the back of my jeans. So, not only was I on the floor, now I was wet as well! Luckily the main door was open and I could reach the storm door handle. I opened it and adjusted the plunger to keep it open and was able to get my butt to the edge of the doorway where the step down into the garage was. There I could at least sit semi-comfortably until I got up the nerve to try standing. After a few more moans and groans and a couple of tears I decided to give it a shot. Mind you, Coop is driving back and forth mowing, right past the overhead garage door and he doesn’t see me. I am waving, banging my hand against the storm door making as much noise as I can to get his attention, hoping for a little help to no avail. I did manage to get up and the knee worked. It was painful, but it worked and that was all that mattered. From there my day was pretty well shot. But today is a new day and although I am not progressing as well as I’d like it’s better than yesterday. I have managed to do dishes, sort and at least start the laundry, shake a couple rugs, sort the closet a bit and straighten the house. My goals for the rest of today are to take a broom to the bare floors and the vacuum to the living room rug, get a comforting warm shower and then ice and wrap the knee. Not lofty goals but if I accomplish them I will be happy to have done so! Oh yeah…and fix dinner, tonight. With this fall weather a pot of pork and sauerkraut with a side of smashed taters sounds so good, don’t you think? I better get started on that! I wanted to make homemade bread, but I don’t think that’s going to happen…not today anyhow.

Hope your week is good and no accidents befall you and yours! : ) I’m telling you, forget multitasking, it’s far too dangerous I say!