I buried a squirrel in my front yard yesterday. Something got ahold of it and wounded it beyond saving. I saw it lying in my driveway and it appeared dead but once I inspected it still had some life in it. It was suffering and dying. I use the means necessary to put it out of its misery and gave it a proper burial. I drive past probably a dozen dead squirrels a day on my commute to work. North main is full of them. This one got to me a little bit.

I’d say I’ve softened up over time. I made a pact about 8 months ago that I would no longer hurt anything anymore. Deliberately that is. All this means is bugs get taxied out of my home on dust pans, I allow spiders to spider, if some little varmint gets in my home I re home it in my neighbor’s yard.

Just kidding

Barely

All creatures have souls and should be treated as such.

Moving on.

One year ago today I’d be waking up at 3am to listen to transformers explode, trees falling and wind trying to blow my roof off my house. Sitting in the eye of a category 5 hurricane when you’re 200 plus miles off of the coast is a wild experience. I’m not telling yall anything you didn’t discover on your own reconnaissance that week. It was insane.

Still is. I often wonder how many of you who didn’t prepare for the catastrophe last time and decided to double up for next go round? I did. I was a little more prepared than most but I wrote down every little detail I overlooked and immediately started stocking up on missed necessities.

I’m no doomsday prepper but I can become one really quick if I have to. The only thing keeping me from having Mylar bags filled with dry goods sealed in buckets is my home is too small to hold it all. I have Mylar bags if needed.

And buckets

I’ve got my setup capacity to take my family 600 miles with food, filtered water and shelter. I can reach Kansas, Texas, Ohio, Maryland without having to stop.

Bought a lifesaver Jerry can that can filter up to 5000 gallons of water. Worst case scenario I can drive to a river for fresh water. I bought two just to be safe. I get a kick out of people who label preppers as paranoid. I don’t prepare for a nuclear war or a even a civil one. My responsibility as a father and husband is to ensure the safety and security of my family. Regardless of situation. If you think the government has that covered let me take you on some walks around a few towns in NC a year later after Helene.

I actually enjoy my little survival skills sidework. It’s a hobby. Some people collect comic books, antiques. I collect gear that will save my ass when the shit hits the fan. I like camping shit. I like gun shit. Pretty soon I’m going to like bow and arrow shit. I could build a lean-to if I had to. I can build a fire in the pouring rain.

I said it last year and I’ll say it again.

If it happened before it’ll happen again. Don’t wait until it’s too late again.

One week without power I watched people getting into confrontations over ice and gas. Lines wrapped around buildings to get propane.

Generators

Chainsaws

Imagine a month cut off from supplies. A month with no clean water. It was 85° and sunny all week.

What if it was 95°?

25°?

I spend a week without luxuries for fun. That week was not a fun one. Not because we suffered. Our biggest discomfort was no AC and no tv to watch. It was the not knowing when things would return to normal.

That freaks people the fuck out. Watching the general population’s body language while they sought out necessities during a time of crisis kept me on my toes.

Buy a couple of extra cans of gas. Not at the last minute. Keep it on hand. Not in the trunk of your Kia for gods sake.

Buy some extra canned food, bulk beans and rice. Powdered things, dehydrated things.

Salt. Lots of it

Water filters. And learn how to filter your own. Not just boil it. Filter it. YouTube is your friend.

Want to die quick? Run out of water. Nature will do the rest. This isn’t a scare tactic it’s common sense. I read somewhere in a national power grid shutdown up to 90% of the population could dissolve in one year.

90%

Ninetyyyyyyyy percent

Write that down.

I’m not saying the power grid will go down but when the government publishes numbers like these it means they’ve done their homework for a reason. Because it’s possible. And with our government?

Probable.

A small decent rechargeable battery and solar panel. $700 jackery at Costco right now. Expensive? Not when you need power. A generator is a must too. Honda makes the best and lightest.

Find your water source y’all.

Back up your pantry. That’s all I’m saying and for fuck sake leave the toilet paper alone. It’s not a necessity. The last thing I think about packing when I go on long camping trips is toilet paper. I won’t break camp for shit wipes. But I’ve left to go find water.

This anniversary is on my mind. It’s like the where were you when the towers fell but only this time I could hear them fall in my backyard. And it killed more people although you’ll never hear it spoken. It’s true. A drive through WNC in October of last year would tell you all you need to know.

Government ain’t here to save you folks. Country is a whole lot easier to manage with less people to feed and maintain. It’s simple economics. If there are handouts available be prepared to stand in line. And watch that line crumble when stock runs out.

No thanks.

Stay prepared.

Peace.