Vacation Time!

I apologize for not posting for a couple of days--I am in Los Angeles on vacation. I thought I would have time to post, but I was wrong. For my husband's birthday he wanted to go to Disneyland for a few days. We will be back some time this weekend.

Alternate Power Sources---Wood Cook Stoves

If your power will be out for several days or weeks or months, do you have another way to cook? The solar oven is great when you have sunshine, but what about weeks of heavy fog (which we get in the valley every fall and winter), or weeks of rain or snow clouds? You might be interested in a wood cook stove. This is different than a wood stove to heat your house, although you can cook on the top of those, too. There are new and used wood cook stoves available; you just need a way to get the smoke outside, and to make sure the walls and floor are protected against the heat. Around 1900 some wood cook stove companies started adding a propane tank for an alternate way of cooking. They also made propane cook stoves called ranges.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to cook and bake using a wood cook stove? Sharon explains why she loves to cook with wood here. My Mom and Dad had a wood cook stove about 30 years ago (it was in a house they bought) and they cooked on it and also baked in it. The only complaint they had was that it heated the house up too much in the summer. They live in Idaho, an hour below the Canadian border, so it is snow country. They still have a wood stove and use it in the winter, especially when the power is off.

Alternate Power Sources---Bicycles

Have you ever wondered how you would wash your clothes if the power was out for an extended period of time? About 35 years ago I made a photo-copy of a line drawing showing a bicycle that had the back wheel removed, then the bike was placed on a stand (a stationary bike). A belt replaced the chain and was connected from the bike to a washing machine. Pedaling the bike made the gears move, thus the clothes were washed. That picture has since disappeared, but the concept is still the same.

There are other ways to wash clothes. My youngest son lived in a poor part of Mexico City for two years and had to use a concrete washboard to wash his clothes (this was about 18 years ago). I think that would be a harsh way to wash clothes.

There is a James Hand Washer, where you rock the unit back and forth to create the washing motion. There is a wringer at one end of the unit to remove most of the water from the clothing. These washers can easily be found on the internet.

The "Wonder Washer" is a table-top container that you put the clothes, water and soap into, then hand crank it. The pressure builds up and forces the soapy water into the fibers and the turning helps release the dirt. This can be put in a car that will be moving, which will wash the clothes for you. These can also easily be found on the internet.

A 5-gallon bucket, clean plunger, and a mop wringer is another way to wash clothes. Even a washboard would work, although I think a wooden one would be better than concrete one! Doing the wash by hand is hard on the hands, arms and back, but it has been done for centuries.

Alternate Power Sources---Solar Ovens

Last spring I bought a solar oven and have used it several times. It works great! Cooking time is not as crucial, you can leave food in the cooker longer than usual and it won't burn. A solar oven will cook almost anything a regular oven will cook.

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can go here to find how to make several different kinds of inexpensive solar ovens. If you have way too much time on your hands and are looking for a fun solar oven project, go here. Scroll down on this webpage to find information on using a solar oven in the winter, and what kinds of pots are best to solar cook in.

Alternate Power Sources---Candle Power

I was curious about candle power and what a foot-candle was. I found this explanation easy (and kind of fun) to understand:

"This one's simple. Get a birthday cake candle. Get a ruler. Stick the candle on one end of the ruler. Light the candle. Turn out the lights. Sing Happy Birthday to Doc. It was his 47th on the 23rd. OK, quiet down. Enough of that nonsense. One foot-candle of light is the amount of light that birthday cake candle generates one foot away.

That's a neat unit of measurement. Why? Say you have a lamp. You are told it produces 100 foot candles of light. That means at one foot from the lamp, you will receive 100 foot candles of light."

[From The LED Light]

Alternate Power Sources---Candles

For the rest of this month we will be taking a look at alternate power sources.

We often use candles to light up birthday cakes, to set a romantic mood, to meditate, and to scent a room--but, there is more to them than that. Candles are important for an emergency source of light. Anita Evangelista has some interesting things to say about candles in her book, "How To Live Without Electricity--And Like It". She says that "you can easily read by the light of two candles, do needlework by the light of three, and can keep a medium-sized room moderately lit with six to eight." Candles can be expensive, but making your own is almost as expensive. So, how do you stock up on candles without breaking your bank account? Yard sales and thrift stores have all different shapes and sizes of candles that are low-cost. Anita finds them at these places for 5-10 cents apiece. Make sure that the candle holders are not made of unprotected wood, as they can burn. Keep a plate under burning candles to catch their drips, which can be melted down and made into new candles. Clear glass chimneys placed around candles will help them burn a little longer and flicker less.

"Benefits of Candles: Easy to use, inexpensive if you shop around, familiar, the light is tolerable.
Drawbacks of Candles: Wax drips, soot, smoke, fire danger, expensive if bought new."

First Aid Kits---Practice

It's one thing to have a first aid kit, and then it's another to use it. Make sure that everyone in the home knows where the first aid kit is located, and then make sure they all know how to properly use it. Practice many times as a family so that everyone is really familiar with the kits contents and procedures. Sometimes when an emergency happens, our minds will go blank, it's just part of human nature. But, if you have practiced the procedures, then your mind/body will react automatically and take care of the problem.

First Aid Kits---For Cars

A first aid kit for the car can help give you and your passengers a feeling of security, especially when going on a car trip. Food and water would be particularly important if you get stranded in the outer edges of no-where. I have family members that were stranded for a couple of days in deep snow, but they didn't have anything to help improve their situation.

1. Fresh drinking water.
2. Food (nuts, dried fruit, energy bars or cans of liquid nourishment).
3. Waterproof matches and candle.
4. Flashlight.
5. Road Flares.
6. Whistle.
7. Blankets.
8. First Aid Kit.
9. Towel.
10. Collapsible Shovel.
11. Jumper Cables.
12. Cell Phone & charger.
13. Rope.
14. Cutting device (box cutter, pocket knife).
15. Duct tape.
16. Tool kit.
17. Gloves, hat and boots.
18. Chains or traction devices

[A more extensive car emergency kit list can be found here]

First Aid Kits---Cat and Dog Kits

Many of us have cats and dogs that we love, and would hate to see them suffer. Once you get your family first aid kit completed, then you might consider a more specific cat or dog first aid kit. Many of the items are the same as human first aid, but there are a few differences. I don't need a muzzle, but an injured cat or dog might. A dog first aid kit list can be found here, and a cat first aid kit list here.

It is also important to keep our pets shots up to date and have certificates that show this. Certificates can be obtained when your pets are at the veterinarian getting their necessary shots--just request a certificate before you leave. Keeping this paperwork with the pet carriers would help if you had to evacuate quickly. Shelter centers that are set up to house people, may not accept animals; or if they do, they will only take those pets that have the paperwork proving that their shots are current.

Bird First Aid Kit List

Horse First Aid Kit List

First Aid Kits---Snake Bite Kit

During an emergency, some people will move out of the area on foot. If you live in an area where there are poisonous snakes, you might want to include a snake bite kit. What kind is best? According to Wilderness medical experts, snake-bite kits, ice, electric shock treatment, constriction and those tiny kits with razor-sharp blades and miniature rubber suction cups are not safe, and can do much more harm that good when treating for a snake bite. The Sawyer Extractor is the only snake bite kit that is actually acknowledged as useful in certain situations. The recommended first aid? Get the victim to a hospital where antivenin may be given safely.

Not only is The Extractor useful for snake bites, but it is also useful for the bites and stings of bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, fire ants, ticks, scorpions, mosquitoes, spiders, flies, and marine life. The Extractor pump removes the poisons which cause the pain. To use, you simply thrust the plunger downward, using the thumb and two finger's.

The Sawyer Extractor can easily be found on the internet.

First Aid Kits---Bandages

We all know about the regular bandage strips that are commonly used, especially if you have children. There are many different kinds bandages that you should consider to include in your First Aid Kit. This webpage shows other types of bandages and what their uses are.

First Aid Kits---Essentials

This is another list of items that should be included in first aid kits. Select which ones you would like to have in your kit.

• Blood pressure gauge (electronic)
• Stethoscope
• Bandage scissors
• Long tweezers
• 2-locking forceps (1-curved point)
• Disposable scalpels
• Thermometer (oral and rectal)
• Inflatable splints
• Bandages elastic, self adhesive band-aids large compress type with straps.
• Sutures (dissolvable)
• Cotton backed adhesive tape
• Gauze
• Aloe vera burn ointment
• Anti-biotic ointment
• Aspirin
• Rubbing alcohol
• Ipecac syrup (to induce vomiting)
• Container of sterile water (1 qt)
• Clean absorbent cotton rags
• Soap (liquid)
• Long stemmed cotton swabs

[From The Big List]

First Aid Kits---Medications

The Mayo Clinic recommends the following medications be included in a first aid kit:

• Activated charcoal (use only if instructed by your poison control center)
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Over-the-counter oral antihistamine (Benadryl, others)
• Aspirin and nonaspirin pain relievers (never give aspirin to children)
• Calamine lotion
• Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream
• Personal medications
• If prescribed by your doctor, drugs to treat an allergic attack, such as an auto-injector of epinephrine (EpiPen)
• Syringe, medicine cup or spoon

[From the Mayo Clinic]

Survival Book

James Wesley, Rawles has written a new book that was just released, How To Survive The End Of The World As We Know It. The book is jam-packed with information that would help anyone in an emergency situation. It is easy to get overwhelmed with what might need to be done to be prepared for an emergency, but this book breaks everything down into do-able pieces. There are likely things he suggests that we have not considered before, that are important to help with survival living--instead of just surviving.

First Aid Kits---Gloves and Masks

If we are dealing with people's injuries during an emergency, then we need to protect ourselves (and them) by wearing gloves and masks. These can easily be found in stores and on the internet, and are usually sold in bulk. The gloves and mask pictured here are disposable, which is important, so that you could help several people and not compromise their health with cross-contamination.

There are many things to consider when purchasing gloves. There are latex and vinyl, so if you have an allergy to one type you can get the other. Some are powdered, which makes it easier to put on and remove; and makes the gloves more comfortable to wear. Others are not powdered, which is more important in a critically sterile environment.

Masks come in several different forms. It depends on what your emergency scenario might be for you to decide which kind of mask you might need--or you could have a variety. Masks can be molded latex or paper, or they could be a cotton pad that wraps around the ears (like in the picture). There is fluid resistance and the bacterial filter efficiency to be considered.

First Aid Kits---Surgical Set

If we are involved with a true, large-scale emergency, you know that some people will be badly injured. A surgical set would be a good addition to your first-aid kit, even if you don't know how to use it. Likely there will be someone that will be able to use your set, to help others, or maybe you or our family. This isn't a normal item in first aid kits, but it might be a lifesaver.

Time To Check Those Kits

If you have previously completed your 72-hour kits, now is a good time to check the contents. This should be done twice a year, to make sure everything is in good order, and that it contains everything you need. As we age, we have different needs. Besides that, it's not the little children that outgrow their clothes--we adults need to make sure our emergency clothes still fit! It would be a sorry state for us to experience an emergency and need those "long-johns", just to find that they fit us about 30 pounds ago, but not now! I have started taking a low-dose aspirin a day, so that is something I need to include in my kit.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints, we have our General Conferences twice a year--and this is a good reminder to review our water storage (it needs to be replenished once a year), our food storage, our emergency kits, and our emergency kits. Often we will remove items from our storage or kits and forget to replace them. Or, our children will use items without telling us. Either way, it's good to take inventory and replace outdated items, especially medicines.

First Aid Kits---Celox

You may be thinking, "What in the world is Celox?"

This could very well be a key item for your first aid kit. Celox is a blood clotting substance that is used in the military battle field, so it has been tested extensively and found to work extremely well. It comes in a granular form, in a gauze, and with an applicator. The granular Celox is poured into a wound (the applicator contents is injected into a wound) and will even stop arterial bleeding. The gauze is packed into a wound and stops the bleeding. It doesn't act like human blood-clotting, but creates a gel-like clot that binds to the surface of the red blood cells. It even works if the patient has taken common anti-coagulants like Warfarin and Heparin. Maybe now you can see the importance of Celox! It could save a life. Celox can be found many places on the internet.

First Aid Kits---Containers

The next two weeks we will be covering first aid kits--not the evacuation kit size, but a larger, more encompassing kit. This kit can be taken when traveling by car to a destination or can be used when you are waiting out an emergency at home. There are many things that can be included and the list can seem endless. We will go over some of the items, but the kit will need to be filled with what you deem important.

What kind of container will you use to house you first aid supplies? My son uses several cardboard boxes, the kind you buy at the office supply store and are folded flat. He wrote the contents on the outside of each box so he can find an item quickly. I have a large tackle box that is overflowing, so I need to get a second one. Your kit can be stored in duffel bags, suitcases, boxes, tackle boxes, plastic bins, etc., depending on what you want. Just make sure you can carry the containers to the car if it is necessary to transport it along with your family. Also, be sure to mark the container so that it is easily recognizable as a first aid kit.

Another important item for your first aid kit is to have a master list. I made an Excel spreadsheet to list the items I need, what I have, and the expiration dates of the medicines. It is a simple task to look at the list each month and replace what is expiring.