Water, water, every where!
I ponder the words of this classic poem (Rime of the Ancient Mariner-Coleridge) on a morning like this, not for the feeling of being cursed for killing an albatross- but rather for the fact that there is a precious resource flowing all around thanks to the violent storms we endured last night. Yet aside from enjoying the beauty, it's unusable to me current state!
Probably the worst weather we’ve seen since April, these storms chose the wee hours to visit. Thanks to our ever vigilant local meteorologist we knew approximately when to expect them so of course I slept in a state of readiness although there wasn’t anything I needed or could do. My thoughts however always shift to personal readiness when I see such a threat looming. I ask myself, what do I need to do to continue my normal routines in the event of a disruption? I’ve no problem admitting that I do love the creature comforts such as running water and morning coffee! Most of the time when we hear the term preparedness, survival and sustainability we tend to have ominous thoughts of major catastrophe, but those words just as easily represent our ability to walk through uncomfortable, seemingly minor crisis just the same. When we approach preparedness with the same attitude we do when we fuel up our cars it makes it possible for the task to no longer seem so hard. We put fuel in our cars to avoid being uncomfortable and having our routine interrupted. It’s my belief that we should approach preparedness with the same positive attitude!
As promised in my first blog I will begin to lay out preparedness tips- slowly and hopefully present them in easily do-able fashion. I will begin by saying sustainability is all about peace of mind in living a healthy, happy and productive life.
This brings us back to WATER! In the poem the ships crew is dying from thirst, yet there is water everywhere- only its water they can’t drink without becoming sick. This poem provides a valuable lesson in what I’ll call Sustainability tip #1.
Family preparedness begins with the most basic yet often forgotten element we must have to live, which is water! Water only comes second to air. Duh, you say? See? It’s not so hard, rather steps in a simple plan that anyone can begin. Water purification becomes the next objective. There are many options ranging from purchasing purified water and storing it to treatments and filtration systems. Do your homework and choose what best works for you to get things started. I believe in diversity and it never hurts to have a few gallons of the store-bought water in the pantry. I also place a few gallons of tap water in the freezer. This serves a dual purpose- one being that it keeps the freezer cold longer in the case of a temporary power failure and then the water can be used (even though it’s desirable to purify it before drinking in the event it were to become contaminated in the freezer). The other method I use is purification through filtration like Brita, Berkey or Pur. There are many filtration system options. In coming blogs I’ll address this topic in more depth.
So, if you already have some water in the pantry you can say you’ve already begun the process of family preparedness! Several books have been published and there are many sites devoted to the topic. My plan is to share the most helpful lessons I've learned through the years and supply pointers with anyone interested in becoming sustainable. There is a lot to share that will involve food storage & preparation, tools, shelter, gardening, security, renewable energy and health.
It’s a beautiful day! Rejoice and be glad in it! The above photo is the stream coming down the mountain this morning. I can hear it ROARING from the dome! I guess one could say it’s a little something the mountain claimed as her own from last nights storms and offered it to us as a gift!
