Coffee's Ready, Come and Sit on the Porch

[baymule]

Coffee is ready! Got errands to run today.

 

[murphysranch]

Yesterday I noticed that Maverick smelled not so good. It bothered me for a bit. So on a break from the Master Preservers class, I looked at his leg. Swollen, red, smells. Called my regular vet and got an appt to drop him off tomorrow a.m.

Of course, neither hubs nor son are available to take him in. I have an eye doc appt that I've made over 2 months ago, and I'm NOT MISSING IT!

Someone please stop the world so I can get off.

 

[flowerbug]

Yeah... once you have the good stuff......

There has to be some fancy great stuff (or fancy great beans) that you can find and mail order.

there is! i just am running out of time now to worry about it again until this winter perhaps. i also don't really like vodka so will choose some other alcohol to do extraction and steeping. we'll see then how it goes. i'll be happy enough with what i have. a quart of vanilla extract is plenty to get me through the next few months. i'm just grumpy and grumping that it's not what i wanted or expected.

 

[CrealCritter]

there is! i just am running out of time now to worry about it again until this winter perhaps. i also don't really like vodka so will choose some other alcohol to do extraction and steeping. we'll see then how it goes. i'll be happy enough with what i have. a quart of vanilla extract is plenty to get me through the next few months. i'm just grumpy and grumping that it's not what i wanted or expected.

FB also extracts vanilla beans in rum, it's quite good. I can tell which vanilla extract she used in a recipe. If it was rum vanilla extract or vodka vanilla extract.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[FarmerJamie]

The tragedy playing out in the southern Appalachians right now has my head and heart twisted in a dozen ways. Following several groups with folks close to the situation and looking at my family situation. So many thoughts in this unique rare event.

What good is a food stockpile if your dwelling is swept away? Being isolated may be a personal want, but what if your only means of physical access is gone?

More importantly, our societal response to this I find troubling. Multitudes of folks want to help, but don't understand its not productive to just show up with a carload of clothing. Intense distrust of the federal government. People thinking they can just show up and help solve the issues. Official organizations trying to organize the chaos to get help where it's needed. Plus, just mean trolls feeding the chaos.

I've seen stories of volunteers with helicopters being told to stand down and the online outcry. How do we ensure the efforts are directed in a meaningful way (not repeating searches in areas already addressed, for example).

The old Civilian Defense efforts were absorbed by FEMA. Not making a political statement, just stating a fact. My wife's mom used to be part of her local CD organization. These were the folks that started initial local organizational planning in the event of an emergency before any outsiders arrived.

Plus, the cultural environment today of instant gratification or immediate solutions is not based in reality.

Rant off, I just I am trying to make sense of things

 

[Alaskan]

The tragedy playing out in the southern Appalachians right now has my head and heart twisted in a dozen ways. Following several groups with folks close to the situation and looking at my family situation. So many thoughts in this unique rare event.

What good is a food stockpile if your dwelling is swept away? Being isolated may be a personal want, but what if your only means of physical access is gone?

More importantly, our societal response to this I find troubling. Multitudes of folks want to help, but don't understand its not productive to just show up with a carload of clothing. Intense distrust of the federal government. People thinking they can just show up and help solve the issues. Official organizations trying to organize the chaos to get help where it's needed. Plus, just mean trolls feeding the chaos.

I've seen stories of volunteers with helicopters being told to stand down and the online outcry. How do we ensure the efforts are directed in a meaningful way (not repeating searches in areas already addressed, for example).

The old Civilian Defense efforts were absorbed by FEMA. Not making a political statement, just stating a fact. My wife's mom used to be part of her local CD organization. These were the folks that started initial local organizational planning in the event of an emergency before any outsiders arrived.

Plus, the cultural environment today of instant gratification or immediate solutions is not based in reality.

Rant off, I just I am trying to make sense of things

Sadly... no sense to be had.

 

[CrealCritter]

The tragedy playing out in the southern Appalachians right now has my head and heart twisted in a dozen ways. Following several groups with folks close to the situation and looking at my family situation. So many thoughts in this unique rare event.

What good is a food stockpile if your dwelling is swept away? Being isolated may be a personal want, but what if your only means of physical access is gone?

More importantly, our societal response to this I find troubling. Multitudes of folks want to help, but don't understand its not productive to just show up with a carload of clothing. Intense distrust of the federal government. People thinking they can just show up and help solve the issues. Official organizations trying to organize the chaos to get help where it's needed. Plus, just mean trolls feeding the chaos.

I've seen stories of volunteers with helicopters being told to stand down and the online outcry. How do we ensure the efforts are directed in a meaningful way (not repeating searches in areas already addressed, for example).

The old Civilian Defense efforts were absorbed by FEMA. Not making a political statement, just stating a fact. My wife's mom used to be part of her local CD organization. These were the folks that started initial local organizational planning in the event of an emergency before any outsiders arrived.

Plus, the cultural environment today of instant gratification or immediate solutions is not based in reality.

Rant off, I just I am trying to make sense of things

I watched so many videos that brought tears to my eyes. Heart breaking are the only words to describe some of the videos I watched.

People choose to live up in those hollers and live off the land for various reasons.

Tuesday we finally got word from the remainder of my family and friends that they are OK.

The only pratical advise I can give is make sure you have a high ground escape route. Grab your well supplied bugout bag and head for high ground. I am adding a can of orange reflective spray paint to my bugout bag next time I'm in town. So I can spray paint a big SOS on a roof or ground if I have too.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Mini Horses]

I find dispair in what has happened in these towns, especially the small ones which predominately house many already impoverished beings. They are virtually stranded with no way out, many with no way in! It comes home to me as I built just a few miles outside of a town along a river. One that flooded the same way 25 yrs ago, from a hurricane, while I was building my house. I drove 5 miles to a lake with rooftops!! My town rebuilt and is thriving but, it took a great loss and time to refurbish.

These things happen, unfortunately.

I lived on the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay for many years. Water and it's power are real. My farm land was bought with natural disasters in mind. Grands were living in WV mountains in the hollars. In my lifetime I've seen those rivers wash away houses, roads, ruin farms and families. It will happen again. There is no good answer. People mean well in attempting to help, they just can't be everywhere or help everyone. It's more than sad.

 

[murphysranch]

I so understand FJ. My friend in Asheville said they were crying wolf again, and now she and her hubs have had to rely on others for food and water.

I do think about your comment that it all washed away. Out here, all my deep pantry supplies are in the pseudo basement. What if the house collapsed during the earthquake and I couldn't get to it? What if the fir trees above me fell on the house. I suppose the basement would be accessible then.

Worries and distraught for all those in W Carolina.

 

[Hinotori]

Just saw some info on a group doing mule trains up into some areas of N.C. that are impassable by vehicle to check on residents and drop off supplies. They had a few pics of washed out roads with just enough room for the mules to single file