As we are in the middle of our hot summer season, it is important to ask ourselves if we are prepared to face a home without electricity during long power outages. We recently read an article stating that there is concern in the Phoenix Valley about the amount of electricity needed to support the growing number of businesses being built using high amounts of electrical power. The Google structure south of our development is one of the businesses included in the over 100 + developments. How prepared are you for an event such as this! Next month we will present some helps for you to read in deciding if you want to supplement your inventory with a generator (gas or solar). A generator could run necessary devices depending on the generator power, etc. This would be a great time to spend a few dollars on 50 feet or more of polycord for a clothesline in your back yard. Clothes pins and some powdered soap to wash the clothes will also be helpful. Liquid soap loses a lot of it’s punch after 6 months of storage. If you have trees you can tie the lines to those but if not, you will need screws to insert into the outside of the house and to the cement fence line or to a fence post you have stored. Fun, huh? Maybe not, but much better to be prepared! You may also decide to buy a bucket to heat water. Also, seriously look at what you have to cook with. If you have a barbeque do you have the fuel stored for it. Do you want or need a fire pit. Do you have a cast iron frying pan and cast iron oven that can be used over a fire pit. I picked up a cast iron oven last year for $5 at a garage sale. It was rusty but with a little cleanup it now looks brand new and saved me $50. There are small solar stoves that work that you can invest in. You can also make your own solar oven using a cardboard box wrapped inside with aluminum foil positioned so that it catches the sun’s heat. Of course you would need a box and foil. Bye for now and discuss your needs moving forward with family.
Bob and Twyla Knox, Randy and Merlyn McGee
