More Peace of Mind

Snow storms

Ice storms

Floods

Wildfires

Tornadoes

Hurricanes

And those are just NATURAL disasters.

I'll let you decide for yourself if you want to consider all of the possible MAN-MADE disasters.

There are multitudes of potential situations where you might need emergency supplies to tide you over until things settle down, relief arrives, power is restored or some combination of events return life to normal.

I live in Oklahoma, where tornadoes are waaaaaaaay too common for my liking. Twice in two years, tornadoes touched down less than two miles from my home. Wherever you live, I'm betting something from the list above has struck way too close to YOUR home. Wouldn't it be great to have some grab-and-go kit to help you get through the first few days if the disaster REALLY got too close?

The need isn't debatable.

You might argue whether or not you consider the probability high enough to go to the time and expense to prepare. You might debate how long a period you should prepare for. But the undeniable fact is that even in the most “normal” year, many thousands of Americans are in situations where they wish they had emergency supplies immediately available.

Food, water, heat, light, shelter. When things are really bad, our needs get pretty basic – but they get down to things that are REALLY IMPORTANT!

So how do you prepare for ANY sort of disruptive emergency that might arise?

Check it out HERE. You will find information, suggestions – and the supplies you need to have some peace of mind when you and your family are faced with serious disruptions to your life from any of the natural or man-made disasters that could sweep over you at any time.

More Emergency Preparedness

Okay. I received an email this afternoon that comes under the heading of wanting – and getting – more. More stuff for free (for a drawing winner), more stuff to give you a little bit of peace of mind in a really troubling time.

I live in Oklahoma, and power outages from severe storms are waaaaaaaaaay too common. In addition, we have the threat of serious upheavals – loss of home, loss of stores that are sources of food and other daily necessities – from tornadoes. Maybe the threat where you live is hurricanes or floods or wildfires, but wherever we are, we all have something out there that gets scary at times.

All of this is good reason to think about emergency preparedness. In thinking about emergency preparedness and looking for a way to achieve it, I ran across The Ready Store. If what I'm saying in this post is of ANY interest to you, go check them out. If you might need it in an emergency situation, they have it.

Back to the subject of the email I got. The Ready Store has a giveaway going on right now that you ought to check out. They are giving away their Deluxe Family 72 Hour Kit. The entry requirements are a snap, and this kit provides everything you need for “Warmth & Shelter, Water & Hydration, Food & Nutrition, Sanitation & Hygiene, First Aid & Medical, Light & Communication, Tools & Supplies” for a 72-hour period for a family of 4. A nice thing to have around!

Check it out at their blog or go here for more discussion of the need for disaster preparedness.

More Responsive Government Would Be Nice

It has been almost two years since I set up this blog, and I haven’t posted anything in that period.

If I do, indeed want more, it would seem clear that this blog isn’t part of the “more” that I want. But appearances are often deceiving, and this is a prime example. I do very much want to have my musings set down to share – in hopes of jogging a thought in an occasional reader that might send them off to explore their own thoughts.

Life does tend to get in the way of desires. There are many things that I want to DO (much more so than than things I want to HAVE), and just living life gets in the way of so many of them. Isn’t it distressing to have time taken away from a great dream by the necessity of keeping a roof over your head and food on your table?

There is so much going on in my life and in the world around me, that it is very difficult for me to focus on anything specific and concise right now. As much as I want more of many things, I have come to realize that also means I want less of other things. The cultural, political and economic climate in our country brings clear examples of that.

I want more – personal freedom and economic security. Of necessity, that means that compared to where we are today, I want less – government. Or maybe just more – responsive government.

Surely I’m not alone in feeling that virtually NO ONE in government is listening. Time after time, on issue after issue, the American people have a clear consensus on an issue and government absolutely refuses to act on the will of the people.

I mention one particular issue, not because it is necessarily on the top of my list, and certainly not because it is the sole example of unresponsive government, but because the facts around it are so indicative of the problem. That issue is English as the official language of the United States. It really isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a partisan issue. In a Rasmussen poll taken back in 2006, 92% of Republicans, 79% of Democrats, and 86% of those not affiliated with either major political party favored making English the official language of the United States. That translates to an overall 85% of the voting public. Yet our Congress has no will to act on it.

I have long believed that the “throw them ALL out” philosophy was unsophisticated and a little silly. Maybe I was wrong, or maybe I was right and I am starting to become unsophisticated and a little silly myself. In either event, the idea sounds better than it used to. Not as a one-time event, but as the approach to every election cycle. Whoever the incumbent is, replace them. Do it time after time, until we get back to what I’m sure our founding fathers envisioned – a citizen government, rather than a government operated by an elitist “governing class.” Okay, I still have some issues that keep me from really jumping on that bandwagon, but it is sounding better all the time. I guess I’m running alongside the bandwagon, so I won’t have so far to jump if I decide to.

An Initial Comment

"Please sir, I want some more." - Oliver Twist

I don't know why those words jumped out at me when I was trying to come up with a blog name. I'm a man of simple tastes and modest desires - easily amused, easily satisfied. Maybe it's because the humble way that Oliver asked for more. He wasn't demanding. He wasn't greedy. He didn't ask for something he shouldn't reasonably expect to receive.

It is likely that very nearly every person who has ever walked upon this earth has been led by some variation of that phrase. Many would leave off the "Please sir." Many would substitute "a lot" for "some." Quite a few would substitute "it all" for "some more." Even the most humble of us want more of something. Whether it's more of the material treasures of this world or more time, talent and treasure to serve others, it would seem that mankind was created with a desire to grow.