Family and flashlights

Last night around 9:30 or so, tired as a dog from planting in my garden all day long, the wind picked up and started making funny noises. I knew a thunderstorm front was coming, but thought nothing of it. As a prepper, I begin to mentally go through where things were. I am sad to say I couldn't remember where everything was. I was tired, I was sore, and my mind was racing through 50 different things. The winds picked up so hard, my neighbors trampoline was picked up over their house, and right in front of my wife and myself crashed directly into the power lines. Blue sparks and flash of light killed the electricity. The wind was really coming and followed by harder rain. I got the one hand cranked flashlight I keep in the kitchen, because it was the only thing I could remember where it was. I got that, went upstairs and brought my older 2 girls down stairs with sleeping bags to be in my room. Our family plan is in the event of tornados we go to the master bathroom. It is the only room with enough space for all 6 of us, with no windows, and no outside walls. I forced my brain to remember where the camp lantern was, and went and dug around to find it, hidden in the top of a closet with other preps. After the storm, we tried to look at the damage to make sure everything and everyone was okay The one thing that hurt my ego, was my non-prepping, non-TEOTWAWKI neighbors has these large flashlights. And knew where they were. We could see them checking on each other and us, and we had this little LED hand cranked thing.

This morning, we looked around for the first time. We lost a big, old, beautiful crab apple tree, my favorite tree in the whole yard. The swing set is destroyed, and our neighbors from almost half mile away, had half of their playhouse in our yard. It was a bad storm. Messed up a church up the road and destroyed a brick wall and the roof of it. Another neighbor lost all but 2 of their pear trees that lined the driveway and road front. But neighbors picked up the pieces and this afternoon all lokks mostly well.

The things I learned are, have a plan, when you are tired and half asleep, you can go through the motions and not have to figure it out on your feet. Second, I will now have flashlights in every bedroom, near every bed and sleeper, as in 2 in my bedroom. I will also keep back up batteries and bulbs. If you are like me, and cannot remember anything, on a small note pad, with your preps keep a list of what you do have. That way you or your spouse can go and get whatever you need. I do not recommend letting everyone know about it, just for you and yours.

My parents came over and we made light work of the large crabapple tree. We might be reaping the benefits of it however, when my father uses the wood to help smoke the roast for lunch tomorrow. Family and flashlights, 2 things you should be able to depend on in any sitution.

BTW, 2 more banks failed yesterday, New Frontier Bank in Greeley, Colorado, with $2 billion in assets and $1.5 billion in deposits, and Cape Fear Bank in Wilmington, North Carolina, with $492 million in assets and $403 million in deposits, were shut today by state regulators. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., named receiver, gave New Frontier depositors 30 days to transfer accounts, and arranged to have Cape Fear’s assets to be assumed by First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Charleston in South Carolina. "courtesy of www.cryptogon.com " the day of reckoning is coming quick. Hope you are ready.