Hubby's dr added a new prescription, but it was in the middle of hubby's other prescriptions' refill time. We couldn't order refills via our pharmacy's website for all his drugs because it wouldn't let us, due to insurance restrictions.
So Tiffani from Walgreens on Fuqua set me up so that next month all hubby's prescriptions would be ready on the same day:
1. Optional, but recommended: Use a search engine with these keywords: "prescription discount card". There's more than a dozen. Just print out one of the cards and carry it with you to the pharmacy. Here's one that doesn't require your address or phone number: The Prescription Discount Card, and here's one I found for pet meds: Pet Medication Card.
3. Have pharmacy tech figure out how many pills are needed on new script/s so that their refill falls on same day as the rest, then pay cash for just those pills, using the prescription discount card you printed to reduce the price.
Luckily, hubby's new drug wasn't so expensive that we couldn't afford to pay cash (minus discount) for the luxury of having all his refills falling on the same day.
But maybe the next new prescription might be an expensive one, so on hubby's next visit, I'm going to figure out how many days remain in his current refill-cycle, then if dr orders a new script, I'll have hubby request enough samples to carry him through to the next refill cycle. They might not have samples, but it doesn't hurt to ask, or they might not give away enough to carry us completely through to the next refill day, but any samples at all is less to buy at the pharmacy.
Now that all his drugs will be ready on the same day, Tiffani set us up for auto-refills. I feel better that someone that's experienced with the system set that up for us - as we're still learning how to manage numerous prescriptions by ordering them through the pharmacy website.
Next step will be asking insurance for 3 month deliveries, once I get my single prescription synced with my hubby's. Since hubby's monthly cycle begins on the 3rd day of the month, I'll aiming to receive our first 3-month supply on November 3rd, because on that 3-month cycle, we'll receive a 3-month supply on July 3rd, to carry us through hurricane season without worrying about interruption.
Showing posts with label preparedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparedness. Show all posts
Corn Meal vs Polenta; Cornbread Leavened without Gums
Self-Reliant Living's Preparedness Radio had an awesome podcast interviewing Carol Deppe, author of The Resilient Gardener, and boy does this lady know a lot about corn! All this time I thought the biggest difference between cornmeal and polenta was that I thought polenta was nixtamalized. But after listening to this podcast, I've learned there's SO much more to learn about corn.
Carol explained why she was so driven to learn about corn is that she suffers from Celiac disease, and that because of all the sweetening, alternative baking mixes were acceptable, but she couldn't stand the taste of bread baked from alternative Gluten-Free flour, but did enjoy the taste of cornbread. She even stumbled on an older way of making cornbread that doesn't require adding gums to the cornflour and baking powder, yet is still leavened, which she explains in pretty good detail for a podcast.
She explained the corn anatomy (I'm not sure I'm using the correct term haha), so learning what she explained would help us to make better tasting polenta, as well as baked goods. So whether you're a foodie, gardener, or prepper, I think you'd really enjoy this podcast (first link above has the downloadable MP3).
Not only will I be listening to this long podcast again (it went overtime), but I'm also going to buy her book. The podcast host announced he'll be interviewing her again soon about potatoes, so I'll be waiting eagerly for that, since instead of a bumper crop of blue potatoes, I grew a handful of blue marbles. But at least that one meal of blue potatoes tasted pretty good ^_^
PS: I caught one of the neighbor's bunnies finally! I almost had another one, but he wiggled out of the cage bottom before I could close it and I was afraid of hurting him.
The bunny I caught today ate from my hand yesterday - she was still in the old neighbor's backyard (they travel back and forth between the yards through the dug up tree root along the fence - they know morning feed time too LOL!)
UPDATE: I went to check on her and bring her some lettuce and carrot, and she was running around the yard - I think she blew me a bunny-raspberry as she hopped past me.
Carol explained why she was so driven to learn about corn is that she suffers from Celiac disease, and that because of all the sweetening, alternative baking mixes were acceptable, but she couldn't stand the taste of bread baked from alternative Gluten-Free flour, but did enjoy the taste of cornbread. She even stumbled on an older way of making cornbread that doesn't require adding gums to the cornflour and baking powder, yet is still leavened, which she explains in pretty good detail for a podcast.
She explained the corn anatomy (I'm not sure I'm using the correct term haha), so learning what she explained would help us to make better tasting polenta, as well as baked goods. So whether you're a foodie, gardener, or prepper, I think you'd really enjoy this podcast (first link above has the downloadable MP3).
Not only will I be listening to this long podcast again (it went overtime), but I'm also going to buy her book. The podcast host announced he'll be interviewing her again soon about potatoes, so I'll be waiting eagerly for that, since instead of a bumper crop of blue potatoes, I grew a handful of blue marbles. But at least that one meal of blue potatoes tasted pretty good ^_^
PS: I caught one of the neighbor's bunnies finally! I almost had another one, but he wiggled out of the cage bottom before I could close it and I was afraid of hurting him. The bunny I caught today ate from my hand yesterday - she was still in the old neighbor's backyard (they travel back and forth between the yards through the dug up tree root along the fence - they know morning feed time too LOL!)
UPDATE: I went to check on her and bring her some lettuce and carrot, and she was running around the yard - I think she blew me a bunny-raspberry as she hopped past me.
Preparedness Podcasts - a first time listener's thoughts
I found quite a few preparedness type podcasts at Blog Talk Radio, so I signed up with BTR so I could sub to their preparedness talk shows:
I'm listening to my 4th preparedness show right now, having skipped* a show I just plain grew tired of listening to. Right now I'm listening to an Emergency expert talking about the wildfires in Texas, which of course interests me, since I live in Houston and have family near Waco (SW of Dallas), and many of my high schoolmates have moved to different parts of Texas and are posting their Texas Wildfire experiences on Facebook.
Another preparedness type show I enjoyed (and can't figure out which "feed" it came from) was about learning how to navigate with compass and maps, and talked a bit about how people have become too dependent on GPS, which isn't always accurate. IMO the show was very interesting, even though I didn't understand all the terms at first, they explained enough about the terms for me to have a general understanding, and inspire me to learn more about how to navigate with a compass and a map. IMO, if a show inspires me to want to learn, it was a good show.
I'll wait until I've listened to the rest of the shows before blogging about my thoughts on preparedness podcasts, even though the last two "networks" put out a LOT of shows (too many?) compared to the other networks.
- Chicken Whisperer
- Prepper Broadcasting Network
- SHTF Radio
- Preparedness Radio Network (PRN)
- Preparedness Radio Channel 2 (PRN) (I'm guessing these last two shows are somehow related)
I'm listening to my 4th preparedness show right now, having skipped* a show I just plain grew tired of listening to. Right now I'm listening to an Emergency expert talking about the wildfires in Texas, which of course interests me, since I live in Houston and have family near Waco (SW of Dallas), and many of my high schoolmates have moved to different parts of Texas and are posting their Texas Wildfire experiences on Facebook.
*At this time, I don't feel comfortable blogging about the show I skipped, because I used to enjoy their blog a great deal. But, like many preparedness blogs of late, have - IMO - changed their focus to selling books they and their friends have written, or promoting $tuff they've partnered (commissions) with, or other kinds of self-promotion (some is ok, just be balanced).
While I enjoy unbiased product reviews, and understand to a certain degree about making money to offset the time they blog (to teach others about how to prep), there's a balance. And unfortunately IMO, a few of my former favorite preparedness blogs haven't been as balanced lately - meaning they're promoting books and products much more than they're inspiring and teaching.
So that's the reason I'm hesitant about blogging why I skipped that second show - the blogger USED to be such an awesome source of valuable educational posts, but recently has turned their focus to self-promotion IMO. Of course I have hopes they'll return to their roots, so I won't blog negative feelings and just keep my fingers crossed for them.
Another preparedness type show I enjoyed (and can't figure out which "feed" it came from) was about learning how to navigate with compass and maps, and talked a bit about how people have become too dependent on GPS, which isn't always accurate. IMO the show was very interesting, even though I didn't understand all the terms at first, they explained enough about the terms for me to have a general understanding, and inspire me to learn more about how to navigate with a compass and a map. IMO, if a show inspires me to want to learn, it was a good show.
I'll wait until I've listened to the rest of the shows before blogging about my thoughts on preparedness podcasts, even though the last two "networks" put out a LOT of shows (too many?) compared to the other networks.
Ready to Survive a 90-day Quarantine?
Preparedness Pro blogged: Ready to Survive a 90-day Quarantine? It was quite an eye-opening article about the many ways people would need to be prepared in case of a 90 day quarantine, including scenarios we might not think of.
While I agree that everyone should try to be prepared for most foreseeable disasters, I had some questions and comments for her that ended up being too long. So Here's my long comment (and I'll link this blog post in her comments as a manual "trackback"):
Are there any recent or proposed protocols for quarantining various types of locations (big cities, ports, less-populated areas)? If so, are there different levels of whichever protocol might apply, such as: very contagious, but only lethal to young/old/immuno-suppressed; or mildy contagious, but more lethal across the board; or very contagious, and highly lethal D/T cytokine storm? <-I just made those up, perhaps there's already different levels with better names.
Anyway, hopefully there's some kind of realistic protocol based on our current population that considers the different levels of threats. The swine-flu threat took a bit too long before they tried to contain it IMO, even though it turned out not to be as lethal as it was first thought (like it was in Mexico). But once they actually closed some schools, some were closed for quite a while even after they realized the threat wasn't as bad as we feared (although I don't know each locations death rates, so the amount of time might have been justified).
Even if they just "wing it", making protocols up in real time, I'm guessing only certain areas of the country might be looking at the possibility of a full-blown quarantine lasting a full 90 days. Look at China during SARS -- it had a fairly high death rate, yet people still ventured out, albeit with masks and gloves.
But! Even if a partial quarantine happens in your area, don't be too lulled into thinking gloves and a mask will give 100% protection, even if it's an N95. When I first trained at the hospital, they spent extra time on new healthcare workers on wearing TB masks properly. She had a spray that smelled very sweet that she'd spray near the edges of our mask. If we could smell sweet, then we would have been exposed to TB. None of us new healthcare workers in our group got it right the first time!
Also, I'm pretty sure I caught rotovirus from a pedi patient! I had cared for, or assisted with IV, for many roto pedis, so it wasn't like I was inexperienced. But even though we tried very hard to always glove and wash our hands very good with roto patients, I had diarrhea the next morning. I helped hold the pedi during IV insertion, and it was difficult just like it always was with stout toddlers or kids. And I was gloved, but I got sick anyway. So despite training, certain situations will put people at risk (fighting, or not wearing masks properly), even with gloves or masks.
While I agree that everyone should try to be prepared for most foreseeable disasters, I had some questions and comments for her that ended up being too long. So Here's my long comment (and I'll link this blog post in her comments as a manual "trackback"):
Are there any recent or proposed protocols for quarantining various types of locations (big cities, ports, less-populated areas)? If so, are there different levels of whichever protocol might apply, such as: very contagious, but only lethal to young/old/immuno-suppressed; or mildy contagious, but more lethal across the board; or very contagious, and highly lethal D/T cytokine storm? <-I just made those up, perhaps there's already different levels with better names.
Anyway, hopefully there's some kind of realistic protocol based on our current population that considers the different levels of threats. The swine-flu threat took a bit too long before they tried to contain it IMO, even though it turned out not to be as lethal as it was first thought (like it was in Mexico). But once they actually closed some schools, some were closed for quite a while even after they realized the threat wasn't as bad as we feared (although I don't know each locations death rates, so the amount of time might have been justified).
Even if they just "wing it", making protocols up in real time, I'm guessing only certain areas of the country might be looking at the possibility of a full-blown quarantine lasting a full 90 days. Look at China during SARS -- it had a fairly high death rate, yet people still ventured out, albeit with masks and gloves.
But! Even if a partial quarantine happens in your area, don't be too lulled into thinking gloves and a mask will give 100% protection, even if it's an N95. When I first trained at the hospital, they spent extra time on new healthcare workers on wearing TB masks properly. She had a spray that smelled very sweet that she'd spray near the edges of our mask. If we could smell sweet, then we would have been exposed to TB. None of us new healthcare workers in our group got it right the first time!
Also, I'm pretty sure I caught rotovirus from a pedi patient! I had cared for, or assisted with IV, for many roto pedis, so it wasn't like I was inexperienced. But even though we tried very hard to always glove and wash our hands very good with roto patients, I had diarrhea the next morning. I helped hold the pedi during IV insertion, and it was difficult just like it always was with stout toddlers or kids. And I was gloved, but I got sick anyway. So despite training, certain situations will put people at risk (fighting, or not wearing masks properly), even with gloves or masks.
Hamburger Pemmican Experiment - 1
I've read a few articles about how to make pemmican, and it seems like rendering the fat and grinding the dehydrated meat make it difficult. I remember reading on some OAMC sites that some people boil their hamburger, then pour off the water and fat so they can use just the hamburger in their bulk recipes.
So I'm thinking that if I boiled hamburger, drained the water and fat into a container that was put into the fridge, that I could easily scrape off the fat once it had risen, then have leftover broth for soup or beans.
Meanwhile I could dehydrate the hamburger, and since it was pre-ground, it might be easier to grind once dehydrated.
I used a five pound tube of 73/27 hamburger that hubby bought from Walmart -- minus two medium sized burgers. I think that's their fattest hamburger blend, which is good, since I hope to have as much fat as dehydrated hamburger.
I put the hamburger into my electric skillet along with about 1/4 cup of soy sauce, then broke it up with a wooden spoon (skillet is non-stick). I then topped it with water I had boiled in the kettle, to within 1/2 inch of the top. I set the temperature as high as it would go -- 400F -- covered it, and stayed nearby until it boiled. I washed breakfast dishes, and the wooden spoon I had used to break up the hamburger while waiting.
It didn't take very long to boil since I had added boiling water; it boiled over a little, and I had to be quick with the paper towels to clean up the boiled over mess. I uncovered it and lowered the temperature to simmer, and broke up the meat again, since it had big chunks in it that had pink in the middle.
I let it simmer longer at around 220F to get rid of the pink, and washed the wooden spoon and plastic slotted spoon I used to break up the bigger chunks. I'm guessing it simmered for about 20 minutes longer.
I used a plastic spoon to remove the bigger chunks (not as big as the first group I had broken up, but about meatball sized), and place them into a colander draining over a large glass bowl. Once I removed most of the hamburger chunks I could easily get to, I put the colander and drain bowl into the fridge. Then I covered the broth and fat with the smaller bits of hamburger to let it cool down before I do a pour-strain, since I usually burn myself if I don't let the liquid cool down a bit first.
So I'm thinking that if I boiled hamburger, drained the water and fat into a container that was put into the fridge, that I could easily scrape off the fat once it had risen, then have leftover broth for soup or beans.
Meanwhile I could dehydrate the hamburger, and since it was pre-ground, it might be easier to grind once dehydrated.
I used a five pound tube of 73/27 hamburger that hubby bought from Walmart -- minus two medium sized burgers. I think that's their fattest hamburger blend, which is good, since I hope to have as much fat as dehydrated hamburger.
I put the hamburger into my electric skillet along with about 1/4 cup of soy sauce, then broke it up with a wooden spoon (skillet is non-stick). I then topped it with water I had boiled in the kettle, to within 1/2 inch of the top. I set the temperature as high as it would go -- 400F -- covered it, and stayed nearby until it boiled. I washed breakfast dishes, and the wooden spoon I had used to break up the hamburger while waiting.
It didn't take very long to boil since I had added boiling water; it boiled over a little, and I had to be quick with the paper towels to clean up the boiled over mess. I uncovered it and lowered the temperature to simmer, and broke up the meat again, since it had big chunks in it that had pink in the middle.
I let it simmer longer at around 220F to get rid of the pink, and washed the wooden spoon and plastic slotted spoon I used to break up the bigger chunks. I'm guessing it simmered for about 20 minutes longer.
I used a plastic spoon to remove the bigger chunks (not as big as the first group I had broken up, but about meatball sized), and place them into a colander draining over a large glass bowl. Once I removed most of the hamburger chunks I could easily get to, I put the colander and drain bowl into the fridge. Then I covered the broth and fat with the smaller bits of hamburger to let it cool down before I do a pour-strain, since I usually burn myself if I don't let the liquid cool down a bit first.
Preparedness and spouses (sigh!)
Big storm yesterday woke me up; power went out twice while I was awake, but only for a few minutes each time. Later on, hubby told me power had gone out for about 15 minutes while I was napping, and came back on right as he was about to light the lantern. Amusing chuckle.
The sun actually came out before sunset, and all was quiet after dark. Then for no weather reason whatsoever, our power went out. I waited a few minutes to see if it would return, and when it didn't, I used the flashlight to find the other flashlight, and lit the one lantern that was out, as well as a huge candle with four wicks I bought on sale after Ike.
Then I stepped out the back door to see if the neighbors we share the transformer with had their backyard floodlight on, and if the back-fence neighbors' TVs were glowing through their windows. No lights, but the rest of the neighborhood had plenty of lights.
So I go back in and call the power company while trying to light the other lantern. The fuel looked a bit low, and the wick barely caught, but fizzled out while I was going through the power company's voice menu. After I'd given the information to the power company, they said it had already been called in, and would hopefully be restored by sunup.
Uh oh, that's many hours away, I better top off this lantern to make sure there's enough light for hubby in case he woke up to use the bathroom. So off to the prep storage area I go to get the kerosene -- it's not there!
I looked in a few other places where it could have been, and no kerosene to be found, despite hubby saying we had enough to last us through until fall (when I called him last month doing early hurricane preps to avoid the desperate panic rush with empty shelves).
I decide to buy ice since I'd bought quite a bit of fresh meat last shopping trip, and put the lantern that was lit, and the candle in a safe place, with a flashlight next to each one just in case hubby woke up while I was out.
I wasn't gone that long, but the porch light was on when I returned, and I found hubby awake, but just barely. I put out the lantern and candle, and put them up while telling him about not being able to light the other lantern because it was low on kerosene, and the kerosene wasn't in the prep storage area. Oh, he'd put it in his mess of a garage.
Well isn't that helpful?! I had planned on moving the storage prep from the kitchen to our central hall anyway, so now's a good time to start, so I can see what else isn't there anymore. And he wonders why I stash stuff LOL
The sun actually came out before sunset, and all was quiet after dark. Then for no weather reason whatsoever, our power went out. I waited a few minutes to see if it would return, and when it didn't, I used the flashlight to find the other flashlight, and lit the one lantern that was out, as well as a huge candle with four wicks I bought on sale after Ike.
Then I stepped out the back door to see if the neighbors we share the transformer with had their backyard floodlight on, and if the back-fence neighbors' TVs were glowing through their windows. No lights, but the rest of the neighborhood had plenty of lights.
So I go back in and call the power company while trying to light the other lantern. The fuel looked a bit low, and the wick barely caught, but fizzled out while I was going through the power company's voice menu. After I'd given the information to the power company, they said it had already been called in, and would hopefully be restored by sunup.
Uh oh, that's many hours away, I better top off this lantern to make sure there's enough light for hubby in case he woke up to use the bathroom. So off to the prep storage area I go to get the kerosene -- it's not there!
I looked in a few other places where it could have been, and no kerosene to be found, despite hubby saying we had enough to last us through until fall (when I called him last month doing early hurricane preps to avoid the desperate panic rush with empty shelves).
I decide to buy ice since I'd bought quite a bit of fresh meat last shopping trip, and put the lantern that was lit, and the candle in a safe place, with a flashlight next to each one just in case hubby woke up while I was out.
I wasn't gone that long, but the porch light was on when I returned, and I found hubby awake, but just barely. I put out the lantern and candle, and put them up while telling him about not being able to light the other lantern because it was low on kerosene, and the kerosene wasn't in the prep storage area. Oh, he'd put it in his mess of a garage.
Well isn't that helpful?! I had planned on moving the storage prep from the kitchen to our central hall anyway, so now's a good time to start, so I can see what else isn't there anymore. And he wonders why I stash stuff LOL
Help: Prescriptions, hurricanes, and insurance
Backstory: Hubby started on prescription drugs about 1 1/2 years ago, and we're still learning all the ins and outs involved with it. We were both very relieved that I remembered to call in his prescription for refill once they determined that we were in Hurricane Ike's 2-3 cone, and was able to have another month's supply of his medicine. It could have been really close to running out because of how long it took to get power back up in the SE part of Houston.
A short time ago, his dosage was increased, but the PA didn't call it into the pharmacy -- she just instructed him to double his dosage. So he ran low quicker than usual, and I called it in for a refill. But CVS wouldn't fill the prescription, because according to their records, it was too soon for him to be needing more medication. I had to call the doctor's office, and the nurse called in the new prescription to CVS, who filled it right away since they knew what was going on.
Looking back, I wonder if the reason we were allowed to order his medication before Hurricane Ike was because of the hurricane, or maybe he was nearing the end of that month's supply (too long ago to remember).
Questions: What if a hurricane is going to strike about two weeks into a prescription? Will we having problems filling the next month's prescription ahead of time?
A short time ago, his dosage was increased, but the PA didn't call it into the pharmacy -- she just instructed him to double his dosage. So he ran low quicker than usual, and I called it in for a refill. But CVS wouldn't fill the prescription, because according to their records, it was too soon for him to be needing more medication. I had to call the doctor's office, and the nurse called in the new prescription to CVS, who filled it right away since they knew what was going on.
Looking back, I wonder if the reason we were allowed to order his medication before Hurricane Ike was because of the hurricane, or maybe he was nearing the end of that month's supply (too long ago to remember).
Questions: What if a hurricane is going to strike about two weeks into a prescription? Will we having problems filling the next month's prescription ahead of time?
- Maybe this is a CVS only policy.
- Maybe it has something to do with insurance not paying unless the medication falls within a certain time period.
- Maybe there's a hurricane provision that cancels out whatever the reason is that doesn't allow pre-ordering during normal times?
Storage order
My order for Walton Feed supplies:
- Pak-Main Course Pack
- Pak-Imitation Trial Pack (various TVPs)
- Pak-Soup Starter Pack
- Pak-Fruit Pack
- Mountain House 72 hour meal kit
- Case of MREs
- #10 Whole dried eggs
- #10 Butter powder
- #10 Non-fat milk
- #10 Sample Pack
- #10 Garden seeds
- 2 Blue 55 gallon water barrels
- 1 spigot
- 1 pump
- Aquamira water filter
- Aquamira replacement filter
- Wonder Junior Deluxe wheat grinder
Adding these items to my canned goods, dried beans, rice, powdered milk (grocery store), pastas, and 100 lbs wheat should be enough to get the two of us through a hurricane or quarantine, even if we have to feed others. I wish I was a better gardener, but I can still grow some food. I don't kill too many perennials at least, so there's hope for the Chaya and Chayote. And there's always Nopales, if I ever learn to make it so hubby will eat it 8^)
Perennial Vegetables - starting out
I now have three Chaya trees, aka Tree Spinach. I paid for two, and he gave me a smaller one, along with some picked leaves to cook (which I haven't done yet). He told me that theirs do better in partial shade, probably because of Houston's heat. Hubby's particular where I plant permanent things, I guess because he doesn't like to mow around things in tight places. So I'll let him pick where we'll plant them so I won't hear about it later on.
Although I've read about some Chaya varieties not having the stinging hairs, the ones I bought do have them. The seller showed me a few; they're on the leaf stems. He showed me how to pinch off a leaf without touching much of the stem. He also explained that if they touch the stinging hairs on the stems, they mostly just itch a few minutes, and don't get a rash. But I showed hubby how to pinch off the leaves just in case, so I won't hear about it later on LOL
The seller also explained how easy Chaya is to propagate. His family just puts the woody sticks in soil; they don't put a plastic covering over it, and still gets 50% rooting. He says they put two sticks in each pot to make sure they'll get at least one Chaya.
The seller, as well as Wikipedia article say they'll grow fast, so I'm looking forward to propagating more for family, friends, or neighbors, whoever wants them. We've noticed the next-door neighbors having more and more edibles planted (her father brings them; he's nice and always offers us food when they're grilling), and they're Mexican, so I bet they might want some. They already have a few peppers, nopales, and some kind of sturdy fruit tree/shrub (the girls can't remember what they're called in English); they survived Hurricane Ike, and the three floods from the last few weeks. So I'm thinking of giving them the smaller tree I got for free the next time I see the Grandfather next door, since we know he's the one wanting his kids and grandkids having edibles and is pushy that they get planted. My across-the-street neighbors are into fruit trees, so maybe he'll want one also.
My chayote, aka choto has sprouted and needs planting too. Since it's an aggressive perennial vine, I've chosen the backside of the boat shed converted to a bunny shed in the back corner of our yard that.Hopefully it'll smother the wysteria and honeysuckle I'm constantly having to hack down (and people in cooler regions actually desire our weeds ROFL). The rabbits could use the shade too. I read that they don't like standing water, so I'm going to have to build up the soil with some bricks we have, since we flood with the heavier rains.
All parts of the chayote are edible, so it would be a great sustainable/preparedness perennial to have should any disaster affecting food happen (hurricanes, animal-named influenza pandemics, depression).
Fomites cleaned; reclean after returning home
I try to regularly clean my home's fomites (frequently touched things), but until the Swine Flu 'pandemic' scare passes, I'll be doing it every time one of us returns home from public places, like shopping today, and when hubby comes home from work. Since hubby loses the hand cleanser plastic bottles I kept in the truck when I used it for work, I bought antimicrobial wipes. I really like how easy it is to clean little, twitchy things like:
I put the travel-pack of antimicrobial wipes in the truck, and am going to put some gloves and one N95 mask into a ziplock baggie for the truck too. I sure hope all of this turns out to be just paranoia. At least it took less time than it took to type this up 8^)
- keyboard keys
- the mouse
- desk area in front of the pc
- remote control buttons
- light switches
- fan switches and pulleys
I put the travel-pack of antimicrobial wipes in the truck, and am going to put some gloves and one N95 mask into a ziplock baggie for the truck too. I sure hope all of this turns out to be just paranoia. At least it took less time than it took to type this up 8^)
Prepping for hurricane season, and potential pandemic (panic)
This is about the time of year I do hurricane preps; I buy things we'll eat throughout the year, but shelf-stable instead of frozen. I also make sure we have enough cooking and lighting fuel, batteries, and water containers.
So after reading so many reports about a potential Swine Flu outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic, I figured I better get my yearly hurricane preps done now, otherwise the shelves will be emptied.
I bought a lot of canned meats and beans a few weeks ago. Today I bought some rechargeable batteries (AA and AAA), an LED lantern (20 bulbs) that recharges with AC or DC (we have an inverter we plug into the truck), and in-between shelf so I can store more cans without them being stacked on top of each other (why did they stop making cans stackable?)
I also bought more gloves, since hubby goes through them quickly, anti-microbial wipes in travel-pack as well as full sized so I can restock the travel pack (we already had a travel-pack, but hubby ripped the top open LOL). And I even found some N95 masks, 2 per box, for less than $3 USD/box. Hubby asked why I didn't just buy some HazMat suits; I answered that they weren't on sale LOL. I hope he'll always be able to laugh about his wife buying those, instead of having to use them like we saw from China's SAR's outbreak a few years back.
Other than the masks, everything I bought is either something we'd use during normal times (ok, not Spam, but I do have to hide the vienna sausages from him LOL), or something we'd use if hit by a hurricane. I filled up one gas tank, but the pump wanted to start over after it finished with one tank, and the car behind me had been waiting a while, so I dind't fill the other tank and gas cans like I planned. The gas card is still loaded, so we can use it for the other tank later.
So after reading so many reports about a potential Swine Flu outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic, I figured I better get my yearly hurricane preps done now, otherwise the shelves will be emptied.
I bought a lot of canned meats and beans a few weeks ago. Today I bought some rechargeable batteries (AA and AAA), an LED lantern (20 bulbs) that recharges with AC or DC (we have an inverter we plug into the truck), and in-between shelf so I can store more cans without them being stacked on top of each other (why did they stop making cans stackable?)
I also bought more gloves, since hubby goes through them quickly, anti-microbial wipes in travel-pack as well as full sized so I can restock the travel pack (we already had a travel-pack, but hubby ripped the top open LOL). And I even found some N95 masks, 2 per box, for less than $3 USD/box. Hubby asked why I didn't just buy some HazMat suits; I answered that they weren't on sale LOL. I hope he'll always be able to laugh about his wife buying those, instead of having to use them like we saw from China's SAR's outbreak a few years back.
Other than the masks, everything I bought is either something we'd use during normal times (ok, not Spam, but I do have to hide the vienna sausages from him LOL), or something we'd use if hit by a hurricane. I filled up one gas tank, but the pump wanted to start over after it finished with one tank, and the car behind me had been waiting a while, so I dind't fill the other tank and gas cans like I planned. The gas card is still loaded, so we can use it for the other tank later.
Book Contest: I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage
I probably have more than three months worth of food stored, even though about half of it is stored in the freezer. This time of year I start to stock more canned and less in the freezer because of hurricane season (even if we don't get a hurricane in Houston, I'll likely lose power at least once, even if only for a few hours).
But I'm not really sure how long my stored foods will last us. I need to learn a system to inventory what I have, so I can use food storage programs (spreadsheets or online calculators) to stock for three months, then six months, and eventually an entire year's worth of food (not in the freezer either, since that's unreliable). I'm not a good enough gardener or forager that I could feed the both of us without shopping if a long-term disaster happened (hurricane, job loss, drastic increases in food prices, ect...)
I've started storing some long-term foods as I can afford, or find, and I've slowed down for a few reasons:
- I need to store it better for long-term
- I'm not experienced with using things like whole wheat berries
- I haven't cooked with most of the long-term foods (except powdered milk)
I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage
- A step by step training program for using your food storage every day in your own recipes. Think of me as your food storage personal trainer.
- Over 100 kitchen tested (and very delicious) recipes, including some not yet featured on my blog!
- Family Home Evening lessons to help get your entire family involved in planning your 3-month supply and helping you in the kitchen.
- Information on the what, where, and why’s of common food storage items.
- Practical tips for getting dinner on the table, picky eaters, grocery shopping, and more!
Meanwhile, I'm going to pack up my whole wheatberries into FoodSaver bags.
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