Laying Out a Plan

Even with the euphoria of the election stirring us yet, we are met with a variety of foreboding signs requiring our laying out a plan.

Instant gratification, a long term problem in America, will not come as a result of the voters’ choice on Tuesday. Like unstringing tangled Christmas lights, it will take a while to sort out the multiple jumble of issues that meet us.

Some are more directly touched by the mess created by the economic melt down. Unemployment is at a twenty five year high, housing foreclosures threaten to increase, savings of a lifetime have been seriously reduced, shopping by many has been cut to the bone.

So have you laid out your plan for what may be next? The wonderful couplet reminding us of how well the squirrel prepares for winter certainly applies now.

Even as I write this on a very brisk fall morning, our two pets, a Papillion and a Dachshund, watch guardedly as a scheming squirrel traces back and forth in search of acorns.

What are you doing to prepare? Or, will you ignore the signs of approaching winter?

Here are some considerations which may be useful:

*Agree not to panic, but to face possible shifts in daily routines and availability of goods and services. An economic downturn may introduce unexpected adjustments.

*Have some cash on hand in the event of immediate need.

*Store up essentials, as we have suggested before.

*Consider what you would do and how you would be prepared in the event of a power loss.

*Be sure you have ample supplies of prescription meds on hand.

*Have some gasoline on hand, full tank of gas for your vehicle(s) and generator, if any.

*Batteries and flash lights, candles or oil lamps.

*Sufficient food and water for all in household, including pets, to last 30 days. Estimate per person water at one gallon per day.

*Depending upon where you live, consider options for heating areas in your home, e.g. re-circulating heaters, propane (vented), fireplace and other available resources.

*Decide how to use your time, particularly at night, in the event of limited power availability. Boredom is a debilitating experience. Head it off with imagination.

Now, we can be optimistic that none of this will be necessary. But preparation, in times like these, is better than desperation.