Around Town: Be Prepared!

It’s wonderful to see the rain start so early, and in such good quantity. As far as I can remember, we haven’t seen rain like this, at this time of year, in a number of years. Things are already beginning to green up.

And now we begin the 2008 Hurricane Season. I have begun my annual preparations. I have 9 five-gallon water jugs that I rinse out each year with soap, water, and alcohol. Once thoroughly cleaned I fill each with water, make a cover for the opening, and store them on my back patio. If we are blessed and I don’t need them I save them for dry season and use them on my plants and fill my pool when it gets a little low. I don’t waste a drop of that precious water. I have also begun buying food supplies to keep on hand in case we need them. I try to buy the standard canned items that one can use as a meal in case food isn’t readily available. These can always be donated at the end of hurricane season to Catholic Charities or St. Matthews House if we have been fortunate enough not to need them. I also locate my battery-operated radio, buy fresh batteries of all sizes, locate my candles and lighter/matches, and store them in a place easily found in the dark. This is also the time to buy gasoline (YUK, at this price you hate to make that investment) and keep it in the plastic cans in the garage for the generator. If not needed, the car gets its own extra dose of gasoline at the end of Hurricane Season.

This is a yearly ritual with me, and I hope with you. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. I was so glad during Wilma that I had prepared because my daughter and her children came to stay with me. We had no water or electricity for 5 days, so we needed all the supplies. The kids thought it was great fun and kind of “camped out". We have storm shutters so we all felt a little safer.

Just a little thought for all you good cooks out there. I have started writing my own cookbook for my children so they’ll have the recipes on hand that they grew up with and loved. So often we parents forget to write them down, or we excuse it away by saying we have nothing in writing, and then the recipes are lost forever when we leave this earth. I’ve decided to leave mine here. Yes, sometimes I have to experiment until I get the measurements right because I just use a pinch here, a few handfuls there, and just pour till it looks right, but I’m at least making the effort. Why don’t you try to as well? Your kids will love you for it!