Are we prepared?

Reading in my yahoo Waste Nothing group about folks trying to cope with no power for days back East.  Some had fireplaces - wood or gas - but others were totally dependent on utilities. 

Maybe we should think about being "off the grid" as they say.  It's not so much a deal for me, as I live in S. California - but we have flashlights and candles and oil lamps in case of emergencies - One of the Waste Nothing members suggested running things off car batteries -

A while back I even saw instructions on the net for making a heater powered by a candle - it was a matter of putting one can inside another and conserving the heat generated by the candle - I have several on to remind me to send good thoughts to an ill friend back east - & they do generate some heat....

We have some space heaters - I close off some of the rooms to maximize warmth and I dress more warmly - and, of course, we pile more layers of blankets on the bed at night  - although I have always liked sleeping in cold rooms...

Here in California it's more about having water if it gets shut off - and we do have some stashed in the closet - and food in the larder - even if it is beans - I like to think about it as if it were camping at home - we have tents to put up if we were forced outdoors! And remember in Third World countries they call defecating in a plastic bag a "running toilet"!  No problems with the other - but the solid waste has to be handled with CARE, as it can spread disease.

I see horribly poor African countries suffering because of a lack of basic hygiene and wonder why they just don't boil their water - but that probably is middle class of me - I would rig up a solar cooker if I had to - or a candle heater! 

This is a weird topic for this time of year - but I so find myself grateful for living here and now in the USA.

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