Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Now What?

Well.  We are into the thick of it now. This has been such a hard experience to go through, so many lives have been lost. We see so many people doing all they can to care for others, and others still only concerned about themselves and their rights. But I am going to unequivocally press towards sheltering in place, come hell or high water, for as long as it takes to either find the best way to lower infection rates, a cure or a vaccine. If you don't have that view, you might want to move onto another Blogger. 

This is a unique opportunity that is making us slow down, care for others as we care for ourselves and take each day as it comes, adapting and recovering so we can face another day to come. I will press the point that we only have a finite number of medical professionals and essential personnel to help us through this Pandemic. 

As such, not only are thanks in order, but we owe it to them and our loved ones to work together to flatten the curve of infection so facilities aren't overwhelmed.  If you don't agree with this, once again, move onto another Blogger. I am saying up front, this is a positive space, and NO negativity is going to be tolerated.  This is all about solutions, help and working together to prepare ourselves, our families and neighbors for the long haul.

There are indications that the #Coronavirus was here in the United States much earlier than we believed. Most indications show it will be here a lot longer than we believe, making us adapt as the regular seasonal issues we face start to come upon us. Tornado Season is upon us in the South.  Hurricane Season, Flu Season, and other issues are still to come, so how do we manage to prepare for them, in the midst of all of this turmoil?

Well, 2 years ago, I finished a book series called, "Disaster Prepping for Procrastinators". I didn't know when, but I did know that we live in a world where chaos can break out with little or no notice. It was written to not only organize myself but to break down what could be done with less money, time and resources when it comes to Disaster Preparation.

I didn't need 20 pounds of flour and enough food to feed a small army when there was only my daughter and myself to take care of. I knew I'd need to be able to buy things we normally ate, on a budget but all the books and sites I came upon were advance prep for the Zombie Apocalypse. So, I set out to re-write the system, with a Christian and Secular alternative. If you want to skip ahead, you can purchase the book in both paperback and Ebook, with the Shopping Lists and Forms Booklet.  If you can't afford them, then I'll just start a month to month synopsis, keeping things in line with the book's advice. Here is the Amazon Link for the book series:

https://amzn.to/2ShKQIu

So, starting in May, I am going to start to offer pages of that book for free on my Social Platforms, modified slightly to account for #Covid-19, but also as a way to look ahead to prepare for the upcoming seasons to come so that we aren't caught flat-footed.  Just like the series, these posts are going to be bare-boned so that with a minimum amount of money and things you already have around your house you can get organized.  You can start to put aside things you don't use or need for later disposal, clearing space for you to live in. We will focus on places you can fix to shore up your home, based on three tiers: Free, Low Cost, Medium expense.  These things will help you until you are back on your feet again.

So, look for upcoming posts, so that you can prepare for the next 6 to 12 months in the midst of this chaos. If you have a plan, it's executable and you see results at the end of each week, it will persuade you that you are getting things done. 

The first post is going to focus solely on how you should clean up each space in your home. It will accompany the next post that will focus on gathering and storing for your current and future needs.  Many of us now have gone out and purchased food, water and other necessities, so we will focus on how to integrate what you have on hand, with what you need to have on hand.

As you know, I am a Christian, and integrate all of my writings with real Christianity.  If that is going to offend you, please follow my posts, but don't disparage my beliefs. That negativity is something that myself and others just don't need at this time. I'm not posting to convert anyone, but this has to be a space where people's beliefs aren't brought into the discussion in a negative way.You can also find encouragement on my Instagram under the hashtag, #BeEncouragedTAL


Get your Mylar Bags and Oxygen Absorber's!

Long term food storage. I know you've seen the videos of people feverishly storing 50 pound bags of Rice, 20 pound bags of flour and any...