Suggested preparations for possible emergencies

I don't care which political party you belong to...Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, or whatever...you still need a good 72-hour "grab & go" kits for emergency, disaster & survival situations.  It doesn't matter where you live...a little bit of emergency preparedness can go a long way, if you do it in advance.

We don't sell 72-hour kits, but you can make up a very simple one with lists readily available online.  eBay won't allow us to provide direct links to other sites within these blogs, but you can easily find a number of good checklists with a simple search engine search on terms like "72-hour kit emergency checklist."  The Red Cross is always a good source for such instructions and checklists. 

• You can also check your local County Government website...most have an emergency preparedness or services department or division, and most include suggestions for tailoring 72-hour kits to your local region/climate/geography/likely needs.
• You can build/tailor your own 72-hour kit for not a whole lot of money...you just have to invest a little time.
• Don't forget...whether you "buy or build" your kit...if you include food products, or other items with a definite "shelf life" period, you'll have to get back into your kit occasionally to remove/replace outdated items.  Consider placing a reminder on your computer calendar program.

We do sell a great line of high-quality water filters and tablets by Katadyn, the famous Swiss water filter-manufacturer since 1928.  These folks make great water filters for a variety of situations and budgets.  They even sell a few desalinization filters...of great use if you live near coastal areas. 

We also sell a limited, high-quality selection of Gerber & Ka-Bar Knives, Eureka Tents, GunVault home safes, and SteriPen UV Water Purification Systems. 

Please visit our eBay Store, and think about your vulnerabilities to earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, even terrorism--no matter which political party you belong to, natural and man-made emergencies are equal opportunity threats. 

Prepare yourself, prepare your family.  Do the right thing.

RMHS

To the folks in the path of Hurricane Gustav...especially those in Louisiana, Alabama & Missippi that were hit so hard during Katrina:

Best of wishes and best of luck.  Heed the evacuation warnings.  If you don't already have a "72-hour Kit," Go Bag, Grab & Go Bag, Bug-out Bag, or whatever you want to call it...make sure you load the essential survival items into your car and/or carry bag FIRST.  Here's some other quick tips:

• If you don't have a battery-powered radio with at least AM/FM, get one quickly. 
• Better is solar-powered and/or hand-crank powered.
• Better would include NOAA weather channels and/or Shortwave radio.
• Remember how hard it was to find pure water last time???  Fill some food-grade, clean containers with water.
• Make sure you take your water filter, water purifier, and/or water purification tablets.
• Get some cash in your hands now, before the ATMs lose power and/or run out of money.
• But don't carry it all on one person.  Spread it around among travellers, and hide some in/on the car and/or other gear.
• Use judiciously to buy provisions and/or safe passage, should that be necessary.
• If you have time to pack some food...pick wrapped/sealed foods that won't be spoiled by rainwater/flood waters.
• Get to safe, high locations.
• Follow emergency evacuation orders/routes directed by your state and local authorities (get that from the radio).
• Back roads can help you avoid traffic...but that back roads can also be a dangerous route if malcreants set up their own private "checkpoints." 
• Should that happen...buy your way through with some of that money you stashed away.  Since you're only carrying a small amount on your person, you can make a big deal about that being the only money you have in the world. 
• Don't try a shootout. 
• Before you pull away from home...take a look around.   Does someone around you need helpevacuating??? Elderly, ill or disabled folks??? 
• If you're being evacuated on public transportation...think hard and don't take too much with you...follow the announced guidelines.
• Try to travel with a group of family and/or friends...there is strength in numbers. 
• If you must evacuate by yourself...make a key friend or two, fast.  Look out for each other.
• Remember to take crucial legal and financial documents paperwork with you.  Double-enclose in a couple of the larger Zip-Loc bags, and then maybe a couple more.
• Bank & credit card statements & numbers.
• Summary of financial accounts & passwords (probably want these in a separate enclosure, and not identified as such.  Try to make it look like a list of friends in other states or whatever.)
• Will, mortgage, etc.

Best of luck, best wishes...take care...

Hurtin' Jim

Folks:

If you read this blog regularly, you know we occasionally incorporate news items/reports/events related to emergency situations and natural disasters, in order to draw "lessons learned" for all the rest of us folks. 

• We do wait till after the first wave of impacts to an area before we say anything...we don't want to be accused of "scaring" people into buying our products because a flood, storm, tornado or whatever might be heading for them. 
  • Yes, we've actually received email hate-mail for pointing out how folks can be better prepared for the next natural disaster in their own area. 
• Thus, we've waited until Tropical Storm "Fay" finally finished with Florida before commenting on it.  Wow, what a drenching for those folks!
  • TS Fay is especially poigniant for us, since we lived in the Melbourne, Florida area for two years, 1993-95.  We walked and drove on all those now-flooded streets along the Space Coast!

So, what are the lessons learned from TS Fay?  Nothing new, of course...the principles we follow and share are pretty timeless.  But here are some top-level thoughts for you:

• Choose where you live very carefully.  Don't live in places like Florida (hurricanes and tornados) or California (earthquakes, wildfires, mudslides) at extremely high risk of fairly frequent emergency situations, unless you're willing to take the steps necessary to allow for your family's safe and rapid evacuation on a timely basis, and at least some chance for survival if evacuation becomes impossible.
  • It's really none of my business where anyone decides to live...even if it is a Florida beach, a California hillside or a flood-prone area in New Orleans...but we hope they'll be adult enough to prepare their homes, emergency supplies and evacuation mechanisms accordingly.   
  • We all should exercise compassion towards everyone impacted by a disaster...but it can be difficult to be sympathetic towards those who knowingly live in high-risk areas/situations, and don't take care of their own business prepping for emergencies.  
• Safe, Pure Water is Always Needed  If you're on a limited budget and can only buy a few emergency preparedness items/gear...FIND AND BUY THE BEST WATER FILTER AND/OR PURIFIER YOU CAN AFFORD!!!!!  Plus, get a few extra filter cardtridges, ceramic filters, and/or activated carbon granules, for replacement purposes.  And if you live on a sea coast liable to flooding (low-lying areas like Florida), you probably want to think about a desalination (salt-removing) filter, as well.
  • Think about the TS Fay video footage you've been seeing on cable TV or via Satellite...all those streets and houses with several feet of water on them.
  • What do you think has happened to their municipal water treatment plants?  With all that contaminated, salty water pouring into the local waterworks?   Probably nothing you'd want to be drinking.
  • Make sure your water filter/purifier is positioned where you can quickly grab it and go, if you get a short-notice evacuation order.
• Tailor Food Storage Techniques to your Region, Climate & Threats  Yes, we all should try to store a reasonable amount--up to a year's worth, if feasible--of emergency food supplies & related emergency gear...but if you live in a flood-prone area, you need to ensure stored food isn't ruined by flood waters, go floating away with high tides or, for that matter, high temperatures and humidity!!
  • Cans of food or barrels of water that have been flushed away by flood waters, or ruined by water exposure/leakage, is worthless...especially if it was sea water or highly contaminated water (e.g., immediately downstream from agricultural areas that are applying heavy fertilizers and pesticides).
• Medical Conditions, Age or Disability Should Heavily Influence Emergency Planning & Evacuation Decisions  TS Fay wasn't an evacuation event for most folks...the storm's intensity didn't quite warrant full-scale evacuations. 
  • But some folks with severe medical/health/disabililty conditions probably should have self-evacuated...and gone up to Atlanta to visit relatives or see the sites for a few days, or something similar.
  • You need to recognize what your own situation truly is...with all honesty and integrity. 
  • Those of us with severe medical/disability/health problems, in my humble opinion, and budgets permitting, should do as much as we can to ensure that we don't become the disaster victim that the emergency services folks have to risk their lives to save.
    • We all realize there are exceptions to this approach...some folks are so severely sick or constrained or just too poor, so they're simply not going to be able to move out / be moved out..
    • But, you might want to check with your local hospital...some hospitals in natural disaster-prone areas will allow local residents with health concerns to ride out the event within the hospital.  Check with your local hospital for their own rules and regulations on such access.

Remember...YOU have to decide HOW ready "ready" is...."HOW prepared "prepared" is, and what you're willing to do/spend to achieve it.  It really can be more about investing your time than it is about investing your money, though some money is needed.  Folks can offer you advice and suggestions...but ultimately, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.  

• May I suggest you make it a personal life goal, to NEVER be the guy/gal in the CNN video being rescued by the government/emergency services folks???? 
• I love the Red Cross, local emergency responders, the National guard, and even FEMA, for all they do for our great country and its citizens.
• I just plain don't want to ever be responsible for making their jobs harder, bigger or more dangerous....if it was in my power to avoid or mitigate the situation in the first place.

Folks, that's all the writing I can do for today--even this modest entry took me three days to complete, and I need to back away and let the pain subside.

• I do hope this blog entry encouraged you to think a bit, and perhaps inspire you a bit.  Do what you can, within reason, to improve your emergency / disaster preparedness readiness levels.  Do it over time, with an eye towards keeping the expenses reasonable.  You'll get there, just keep to it!!

Many thanks to you all, best of wishes, and may you never have to evacuate or survive an emergency or disaster. 

Hurtin' Jim

p.s.:  Our next blog entry:  the tornado threat got a little more personal for us this last week...more coming soon, I hope.

[Note to readers: this was posted a couple of days ago under a different title...but I've tweaked it quite a bit and the topic deserves consideration with a more pertinent title.  Apologies to those who end up reading it again, don't mean to waste your time--it just deserved additional consideration with the different title.]

Folks: 

This has been a tough day for me medically/physically, and I'm in a whole bunch of pain.  But, rather than dwell on the negatives, let's use that as a springboard regarding an important emergency preparedness / food storage topic--how a chronic medical, disability or age-related condition can affect your decisions to "stay" or leave" during an emergency / disaster.

You already know that you need a good first aid kit in your home storage.  You've probably also stored some reasonable medications for simple first aid use:  headaches, aches & sprains, bumps & bruises, diarrhea, upset stomach, mild pain, calming, etc.

But if you or a loved one have some type of chronic medical condition...you need to consider those additional and often unique needs.  Perhaps there is a disability of some type, as well...or just simple limitations caused by old age or other physical conditions; perhaps it's something as simple as severe arthritis.

As you plan, consider such needs directly.  The more severe the medical condition or disability, the more it needs to impact your plans.  Home Emergency/Disasters Plans that include leaving (evacuating) with a chronic medical condition may well be possible only in the very early stages of a disaster....probably even just the warning, pre-event stage...especially if you've got someone unable to walk only short distance, or confined to a wheelchair.

Perhaps the best/easiest example of this was Hurricane Katrina.  If you got on the road early (leaving), you were ahead of the massive traffic jams, which led to some folks having to arrive the Hurricanes landfall while stuck in their cars.

Another parallel might be living just downstream from a moderate or major-sized dam.  If you're young, mobile and fast, that's probably not too big a risk.  If you have household member who is extremely limited physically...well, that's a lot more risk than I would want to take with my family.

Folks with severe medical conditions requiring highly-controlled medications (e.g., narcotics) to control pain also are going to be in a real pickle during major disaster events.  Since you can't really store any amounts beyond your lawfully obtained prescriptions, you'll have a tough call to make if you have to make a stay/leave situation just a few days before your narcotic prescription runs out.

• Now, I've heard folks talk about how THEY would go about building up controlled prescriptions in reserve.  But, I find it slightly odd that one would risk a felony drug charge to try to build up an emergency reserve.  Obviously, we don't countenance that approach.
• So...if you're going to be stuck in-place....you might want to ensure you live close to a place where they have these types of meds stored.  (To that end, I can look out my bedroom window and see a hospital, about 1.5 miles away. It would take a lot to make us evacuate, just because of my medical condition.)

Do some thinking about it.  You should definitely build your EP/FS plan such that you have the capacity to execute either a "stay" or "leave" decision.  But if your particular situation makes if much more likely that you're going to do one or the other, you can and should plan accordingly. 

If your goal is to get home to help Mom & Dad, no matter what...well, storing food and water is always a good idea.  But you'll need to focus much more on your backpacking/mobile survival gear...because you need to get from "here" to wherever "there" is. 

Best wishes to all...plan smart to stay alive....and may you never have to face a true emergency.  But, if you do...we pray that you'll be prepared to execute the right strategy and plan for YOU.

Hurtin' Jim

Folks: 

This has been a tough day for me medically/physically, and I'm in a whole bunch of pain.  But, rather than dwell on that, let me share a thought with you regarding emergency preparedness / food storage.

You already know that you need a good first aid kit in your home storage.  You've probably also stored some reasonable medications for simple first aid use:  headaches, aches & sprains, bumps & bruises, diarrhea, upset stomach, mild pain, calming, etc.

But if you or a loved one have some type of chronic medical condition...you need to consider those additional and often unique needs.  Perhaps there is a disability of some type, as well...or just simple limitations caused by old age or other physical conditions; perhaps it's something as simple as severe arthritis.

As you plan, consider such needs directly.  The more severe the medical condition or disability, the more it needs to impact your plans.  Home Emergency/Disasters Plans that include leaving (evacuating) with a chronic medical condition may well be possible only in the very early stages of a disaster....probably even just the warning, pre-event stage...especially if you've got someone unable to walk only short distance, or confined to a wheelchair.

• So, if you're going to evacuate with folks in that condition, you have be willing to evacuate relatively early during a disaster.  That needs to be a conscious part of your planning, and you'll need the mental discipline to keep to that. 
• Otherwise, those with disabilities or severely ill might be put even more at risk by evacuation than by staying (surviving in-place).

Perhaps the best/easiest example of this was Hurricane Katrina.  If you got on the road early (leaving), you were ahead of the massive traffic jams, which led to some folks having to arrive the Hurricanes landfall while stuck in their cars.

• If you were going to be forced by circumstances to stay (survive in-place)...you needed to have given considerable advance thought to where you were going to be riding out the situation. 
• You needed to be sure your home was on high enough ground to be above flooding levels when the levees/dikes were breached by wind/water/waves. 
• If you didn't consider that simple, fundamental planing factor years before Katrina ever showed up, you were going to be in a world of hurt. 

Another parallel might be living just downstream from a moderate or major-sized dam.  If you're young, mobile and fast, that's probably not too big a risk.  If you have household member who is extremely limited physically...well, that's a lot more risk than I would want to take with my family.

Folks with severe medical conditions requiring highly-controlled medications (e.g., narcotics) to control pain also are going to be in a real pickle during major disaster events.  Since you can't really store any amounts beyond your lawfully obtained prescriptions, you'll have a tough call to make if you have to make a stay/leave situation just a few days before your narcotic prescription runs out.

• Now, I've heard folks talk about how THEY would go about building up controlled prescriptions in reserve.  But, I find it slightly odd that one would risk a felony drug charge to try to build up an emergency reserve.  Obviously, we don't countenance that approach.
• So...if you're going to be stuck in-place....you might want to ensure you live close to a place where they have these types of meds stored.  (To that end, I can look out my bedroom window and see a hospital, about 1.5 miles away. It would take a lot to make us evacuate, just because of my medical condition.)

Do some thinking about it.  You should definitely build your EP/FS plan such that you have the capacity to execute either a "stay" or "leave" decision.  But if your particular situation makes if much more likely that you're going to do one or the other, you can and should plan accordingly. 

If your goal is to get home to help Mom & Dad, no matter what...well, storing food and water is always a good idea.  But you'll need to focus much more on your backpacking/mobile survival gear...because you need to get from "here" to wherever "there" is. 

Best wishes to all...plan smart to stay alive....and may you never have to face a true emergency.  But, if you do...we pray that you'll be prepared to execute the right strategy and plan for YOU.

Hurtin' Jim

As regular readers/subscribers know, we're focused on emergency & disaster preparedness/survival, which includes a strong dose of water filtering/purification and food storage shelving solutionsl.  Our ebay Store and other RockyMtnHome sales channels carry a fairly small line of products...because we're reluctant to just throw up three or four thousand items (as some do) that we really can't vouch for.  We like to sell items that we have personally used and evaluated. 

• We've had a few exceptions, but only for items that come from well-known manufacturers with known/high quality standards. 
• We've been slowly working our way through many other potential products...and most of them you'll never hear about, because they fail our evaluation. 

Recently, we've started evaluating emergency sanitation products.  Yes, it's kind of icky to think about.  Still, you really can't avoid it for too long if you're planning a long-term emergency preparedness/food storage program. 

• Please forgive the pun...but all of those emergency food supplies WILL go somewhere after they are eaten.
• Probably better to think about those problems, and potential solutions, in advance.

There are numerous potential solutions to this, including:

• Plan on your toilet & sewer system always working perfectly, forever
• Next Simplest:  just take it outside, or perhaps to a designated indoor area.
• Dig an outdoor latrine into the ground.
• Just use an empty bucket.
• Use some sort of plastic bag; most folks will do this in conjunction with the empty bucket concept.
• Use some sort of specialized/optimized emergency sanitation system.   Of course, these can become very, very expensive, if you aren't careful. 
• Use some of the above, with some type of biological agent to control/reduce odors and minimize disease.
• Just rely on the government

So, what are the "measures of merit" factors that you/we might use to evaluate an emergency sanitation system???  Here are the factors we're considering for our evaluation of potential solutions, but not necessarily in this order of priority:

• Effectiveness
• Cost (initial acquisition AND long-term use) and Value
• Odor Controls
• Storage space required
• Disease prevention
• Ease and convenience of use
• Adaptability to different emergency situations
• Portability (in case of evacuation)
• Availabililty (in terms of can you get it here??  Great systemssold only in Europe don't help those of us in the U.S., and vice versa)

The purpose of talking about all of this here is two-fold:

• Get you, the folks that are interested in emergency preparedness / food storage / disaster survival solutions and products, thinking about this somewhat distateful, but very necessary, subject in terms of what you need to do to prepare (if you haven't already).
• If you've already considered these subjects and think you have some solutions that work well...could you please share them with us???  Please advise either via reply to this blog, or via an email direct to us (use eBay contacts).

  Many thanks,

RMHS

Have you been following the various California and other Western US wildfires?  One article (the exact reference is unimportant) that caught my eye concerned the preparedness level of a family in Santa Barbara who had lost their home once before about 18 years prior.  Then, they were pretty unprepared and got totaled out on their home and possessions within a matter of minutes. 

Today, they are much better prepared.  Although the article focused on the unpleasantness and uncertainties of living on the edge of a perpetual wildfire zone...it was also obvious that the family had learned from their previous experience.  They keep crucial documents in fire-proof safes or safe deposit boxes, crucial supplies are pre-positioned, they have family evacuation plans and pre-designated safe meeting points, etc.

But, let's run a quick exercise here...WHAT IF the Fire Department, Sheriff or Forest Service firefighters showed up at your door, and shouted at you:

"There has been a major wildfire breakout, and it is heading straight at YOUR home.  An emergency evacuation order has been issued, YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR HOME WITHIN TEN MINUTES MAXIMUM, OR WE WILL COME BACK AND CARRY YOU OUT!!!"    

Let's assume that you previously put together an emergency evacuation/72-hour kit, as counseled by FEMA. the RED CROSS and every State, County & Local government that I'm aware of.  So you're not starting out completely in the lurch.  But, what concerns should you be having/addressing, right now, as that Sheriff finishes getting you out.

FIRST PRIORITY:  getting yourself and/or your family out safely...so think about the following:

• Do I actually have TEN MINUES???  What if I have less?  Do I have time to gather anything, or should I be running out the door with the clothes on my back??
• Where is the threat coming from?  In which direction lies safety???  Did the law enforcement (LE) official tell me which route to take to safety???  If not (or even if he/she did), quickly turn on your home / auto radios to determine if that route is still safe, and/or find another one.  Has the wind shifted suddenly?
• Remember:  ultimately, most important paperwork can be replaced, even if it's a pain in the neck.  Mementos may seem irreplaceable...but compared to the lives of your loved ones, they're not.  Jewelry, other valuable or cash are important...but not at all important if you're dead. 
• YOUR FIRST RESPONSIBILITY IS TO LEAD YOUR LOVED ONES TO SAFETY....never, ever forget that.  Don't let someone die because of a photograph, no matter how irreplaceable.

SECOND PRIORIY:  Once you've double-checked that you actually do have ten minutes (or whatever time-frame given by emergency responders...it could be fifteen, 30 or even 60 minutes) to evacuate safely, you can turn your attention to the "stuff" you want/need to take with you.  Here are some general suggestions:

• Your first priority for "stuff" is whatever will be needed to KEEP you alive over the next several days. 
• The particulars will vary depending on whether you reside in New York City; Las Vegas Nevada, the Colorado High Country (ever been to Alma, Colorado??), Oregon, Arkansas, Florida....or wherever. The answer also changes with the seasons. 
  • Water is far more important in summer than winter, for most locations. 
  • Water & food are far more important if you're in an isolated rural region than in an urban area with lots of alternative supplies & shelter. 
  • Warm clothing & heating capabilities will be hypercritical if you're high in the mountains, any time of year; not so important if you're in Florida in May. 
  • Cooling capabilities are critical anywhere if temperatures are going over 100 degrees Fahrenheit; probably not so important if you're evacuating a cabin at 11,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains.
  • These days, grabbing your cell phone and/or laptop computer is becoming an important item to grab as you evacuate, because of the universal communications/information capabilities they give you....email, web cams, Skype, VOIP phone communications, direct access to emergency responder websites, etc. 
    • A simple email to all of your relatives letting them know you're okay but out of touch while you're at the county shelter, will save you dozens of hours on your cell phone, and your relatives/friends days of worry.
• Once personal safety is assured, here are the priorities we'd suggest:
  • Survival supplies FIRST;
  • Crucial financial documents & paperwork SECOND;
  • Things you need to continue earning a livelihood THIRD;
  • Important family mementos & heirlooms FOURTH, and comfort items FIFTH (dead last). 
• Don't die because your ten-year old simply must have their "pookie bear" to sleep at night; they won't be sleeping very well, anyway, if they (or you) get third-degree burns on their body as a result.
• Be prepared emotionally to say NO to your kids, your spouse...and even yourself.  This isn't a feel-good Hollywood movie, and there won't be a dramatic musical score playing as you run through the flames to get good old "pookie bear" or your high School Letter Jacket. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IN ADVANCE, TO MAKE THIS MOMENT EASIER AND MORE SURVIVABLE:

• Have, maintain & update a REAL 72-hour emergency evacuation kit that is easily transportable. 
  • For most folks this should be in a backpack, or several backpacks, depending on the size, ages and capabilities of your family unit.  If your pet is a good-sized dog, you should expect them to carry at least some of their own pet food; pet-appropriate backpacks are available online or at many pet specialty stores.
  • If you're disabled (like me), older or simply not in good physical condition, a wheeled duffle storage bag probably would be a better choice..
• Scan into well-organized files, copies of all your valuable documents, paperwork, deeds, mortgages, and valuable photos.
  • Make a family party of it...your kids will love the chance to go through the old family photos & souvenirs, especially. 
  • Perhaps you have a computer-savvy teen...HIRE THEM to do it for you (just make sure specify the organization pattern YOU want, and then double-check the work).
  • Many experts advocate making copies of these and including them in your evacuation pack/kit...I advise against it. 
    • During an evacuation, these can be left behind & burned, misplaced in a shelter, stolen by someone else in the shelter, etc.
    • You have more important things to worry about.  Get those records stored electronically and offsite!!!!!  Keep the originals in a bank's safety deposit box--truthfully, you rarely need originals. 
    • They'll be there when you're ready to start picking up the pieces; until then, they'll only be in the way.
  • However, you probably WILL need a list of key phone numbers and account numbers for your credit cards, mortgage accounts, car loans, etc.  You can quickly enter this into a Word document and print it out, then toss it into a larger zip-loc type baggie for protection.  Toss THAT into your pack.
• DO make backup copies of ALL your computer files (including multiple computers, if you have them).  DON'T just rely on your onsite backups...you may not have time to save them.  DO invest in any of the dozens of offsite, online computer backup options that are now available at extremely reasonable prices.
  • The importance of going this in advance, PARTICULARLY if you operate a home-owned business out of your home, CANNOT be overstated.
  • I've seen prices of as little as $49.99 a year to back up your home computer on a daily basis.  Heck, you probably spend quadruple that amount going to movies every year...make some hard choices!

There's a lot more that can be said on this subject, so we'll update and expand this blog entry over the coming weeks.  In the meantime, this is more than enough to get your started thinking.

• Better yet...get started DOING.  Dedicate ten minutes a day scanning your key documents & photos, starting today. 
• Rent that safety deposit box and store some key papers in it.
• Buy some backup hard drives for home use.
• Set up that off-site, online computer backup capability

Let's recall some advice you're heard here before:

"Slow & Steady"

Adds Up To 

"Sure and Ready"

So, get to it!!!

We haven't been able to post here for almost five weeks...and it comes down to a simple reason:  been having physical problems.  I apologize to everyone who reads this blog and hasn't seen any updates...it's just been a not great month or so.

We'll try to do better...I'll have another post on in a few hours, hopefuly.

Rocky