Inspiration Master - Annapolis Toastmaster 4/1/2021

Ladies and Gentlemen...

This day can act as a beacon of hope for the days when we need inspiration...

About a year ago, my boss sent a video from an inspirational web site. Considering we were about a month into Covid Shutdowns, I was really feeling the need for a little inspiration myself.  

I captured 9 inspirational quotes, wrote them on a 5x7 card and tacked it up in front of me.  This quote has stood out to me for several reasons.  

- It caused me to look at today, and each day as what could be considered beacons for the future.  

- It caused me to consider that future. that I've overcome challenges before, and I can overcome others just as well.

- and finally, It caused me to look back, and review those days that seemed like tremendous struggles.  I'm sure each of us can think of one of these types of days.

I'd like to share a quick story, that might illustrate this particular "looking back" concept.  I love to hike, usually by myself.  I made it a personal goal to section hike the entire 2200 miles of the Appalachain trail (over a period of years).  One particular trip I found  myself on a Pennsylvania portion of the AT.  For those in the know, Pennsylvania is lovingly referred to as ROCKsylvania, because... ROCKS!  Everywhere!

I'm sharing with you now a picture I took of these rocks.  I keep it as my computer background.  Seems relatively harmless upon first glance.  But, here's the truth:

- If you step on the TOP of a seamingly flat rock, it might not be stable, and so you slip or fall.  

- Or, you think, by stepping on one of the more triangular shaped rocks, you will only slightly twist your ankle, but more likely just get a stabbing pain into the bottom of your foot.

- If you attempt to step BETWEEN rocks, your ankle will be cut by the sharp edges

And this constant assault goes on for miles... and hours.. each day!

...THOSE DAYS? I use as a beacon of hope for the days when I need inspiration...

Thank you for your time...

A Month of Water

Hello all,

The month of February is set aside to consider water (Do 1 Thing)...

Many people I'm sure have heard the old saying a person can survive three months without human contact, three weeks without food and three days without water.  Clearly water is incredibly important.  Most government organizations recommend keeping 72 hours of water on hand for emergencies.  That's at least one gallon per person per day.  So a family of 5 needs at least 15 gallons of water.  Easy enough.

But, if you read just about ANY emergency or survival book, magazine, blog, website, or other documentation they all range from 14 to 30 days of water storage.  And of course if you happened to be a member of the Mormon church, its more like a year!  Again, just one gallon per person.  But for a family of five, that can be up to 150 gallons of water in storage for 30 days.  That's just a little more tricky to maintain.
Do we really need one gallon per day?  Well, first consider even just the first few water needs (drinking, cooking and cleaning) and you can see how even one gallon per day might not be enough...  Some experts recommend even 2 gallons per day per person.  But maybe consider this in another way.  Here's some ideas on water management, especially for those of us living with water around us.

1. Remember, if you're on a deep water well, without electricity, you've got no running water.  It's a little more difficult to keep an emergency generator for the water system, so just be aware of how much wattage it would take to keep the water pump going.
2. Focus on storing water you NEED to LIVE, meaning potable water FIRST!  Any time you go to the grocery store, look for the special sales, like 10, 1-gallon, stack-able containers for 10 dollars.  We see this all the time at Safeway...  Pick up four or five gallons each visit, and before you know it, wham, you've got 7 days of water for the average family.
3. Know the difference between FILTERING and PURIFICATION.  Filtering is used to remove unwanted particles from the water.  Purification is a means of cleaning the water to make it healthy for human consumption.  Each is important, and to make water truly "potable", both filtering and purifying should be used.  Dr. Arthur T. Bradley has a great, simple writeup of these differences and the importance of each in his book "Handbook to Practical Preparedness for the Family".
4. Make sure to distinguish between "potable" or drinkable, water versus "non-potable" in your storage methods.  If you just need water for flushing toilets, use rainwater, or water from the river, or next-door-neighbors swimming pool.  
5. Try to establish consistent forms of water provision.  There are videos on youtube that show a person how easy it can be to drill a shallow well with some pipe and an existing small amount of water.  Again, this is mainly for non-potable water, but with the right process of filtering and purification that water too could become potable in extreme cases.
6. Consider multiple uses for the same water.  For example, used cooking water might be filtered, then given to the animals to drink or used in the garden.  
7. Maintain multiple water filtering and purification forms whenever possible.  Have personal mini filters (like the straw-like filters) in emergency packs. Have family water filters, like the Berkey Filter System for home use.  Keep backup filters for each system you utilize.  Maybe consider making your own water filtration and purification system.  
8. If you're a soda drinker, consider using the two liter bottles to store more water.  Wash and rinse them first to get rid of any taste.  Fill them up with clean tap water and insert about 8-10 drops of household bleach.  Cap the bottle and shake for a bit.  It also might be good to rotate bottles like this every six months or so.

Happy Planning!

The Marshall Clan!

Epic Family Prep Meeting 1

What Really Happened When Making The Epic Family Plan

 

It is a momentous event to get all of us to sit down together. We have an adult son who rents a room with us and comes and goes; only alerting us after he makes his various spontaneous plans. So catching him on the property is a rare thing. All of us have strong opinions. Perhaps the two most opinionated are Matt and I, so being united before bringing in the offspring is of upmost importance. Once we agree, there must still be room for each of our children to express their ideas or concerns. So Matt and I spent a few days tossing around ideas.

What should we talk to them about first?

Are they ready to explore the scary what ifs? Is there a way we can make a plan for this without sounding dire?

What should be our meeting place? Why there? What are the pros and cons to that? Is it a safe enough distance?

How much should we cover in that first meeting?

 

So we made a tentative plan and called "The Meeting" we didn't give the younger ones warning because frankly, they just get all worked up.

 

We began with Being Observant.

Too often we see our kids stroll up to the house with their head down, ears plugged with beats booming in their ears, lost in their thoughts. So we discussed observing the cars around the street near the house. Looking at the door of the house to notice if it is open or shut? Does the frame look normal or destroyed? Depending on what you see; is it safe or possibly not safe to enter?

 

In short we discussed the importance of observing then assessing or evaluating a scene. This is an intuition building skill.

 

We discussed what to do if the door is ajar and the frame looks broken-always get out and go to neighbors to call police. ALWAYS! so what if the have been there already today and Mom/Dad are actually fine inside, doesn't matter, don't chance that, call the police!

 

If you find a parent unconscious on the floor and stuff knocked down all over or a lot of blood, for example if there was a home invasion - be quiet and get out, go to neighbors and call police immediately.

Or, if you find a parent unconscious, like they took a serious fall, but everything else looks fine call 911 while in the house. Yea, we went there.

 

Matt and I, on occasion, have been known to go out on dates...  I know, its weird for married couples...  heh heh... Our kids are a little older and we do not hire an outside sitter. So we had to cover what would you do if we were in a horrible car accident? Who do you call?

 

This led to our "Who is your Circle of Strength?" conversation.  A circle of strength will be those contacts who you can count on to drop what they are doing and meet you in your need during an emergency. For most people this would be a list of mostly family close by, followed by close family friends. However, for some locations, like ours, there are many transplant families whose closest relatives are hours away. So we start with those closest to our house that we KNOW we can trust and we work our way out growing the circle bigger and bigger until we get to our closest relative. We are blessed to count 5 families we know would help in a time of our need, not to mention an incredible local congregation of our church.

 

Please note it is of upmost importance that your children have access to the names and numbers of their circle of strength at all times AND that your relatives have those numbers as well.

 

A full list of where and how to contact each family member at work or school should be included as well.

 

Finally we began discussing what to do if there is a FIRE.

In April of 1972, we lost my grandparents to a fire in their Brownstone. I was nearly 6yrs old and the memory of that morning and the days that followed are seared forever in my mind. A little over 30 years later, my younger brother would experience a total loss in an apartment fire. At least 1 in every 4 homes will experience some damage to fire. So having a plan on how to handle a home fire is of upmost importance.

 

I interviewed my brother for this blog. We have discussed the fire his neighbor set that destroyed everything he owned but never in this detail. Let me tell you now, that my brother is one of the most brilliant people I know. He is in the science field, has worked for NASA and other cool agencies. He said, "The first thing you need to sort out in your head is the fight or flight dilemma. If there is enough smoke to fill a room or a hallway that is a fire you are not going to win and you WILL need to flee."

 

For him, there was the immediate annoyance of being rudely awakened in the night by a loud alarm. Followed by the surge of adrenaline as soon as he opened the apartment door and saw the smoke filled hallway. He got out with his cat but in the excitement, he left some essentials that he now keeps together whenever he turns in for the night.

 

The most important piece of information from our conversation came next,

 

me: What was the most surprising thing about witnessing the fire for you?

my brother: How long it took for them to actually begin FIGHTING the fire. It was over an hour!

 

Why? Because when dealing with a home fire, the first priority of all firefighters is evacuation! Then they can begin fighting the fire!

 

Prompt Evacuation may actually save your property faster!

 

Finding a meeting place was difficult for us because we have a large piece of property. We finally agreed on a place that is easy to get to, far enough away to be safe, but easy to watch for someone coming toward them from the house.

 

Finally, we discussed:

• evacuation routes for each family member.
• the importance of staying low to the ground where smoke is not as thick
• closing the door to the room where you will open the window to climb out
• if you need to open a door, test the knob first for heat
• if you catch on fire... Stop, drop and roll!

 

There are two great sites I explored on dealing with home fires:

http://www.utexas.edu/safety/fire/extinguishers/fight_or_flight.html

 

http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/tips.html

 

3 keys to fighting a home fire I got from these sites:

• Consider the needy in your home before you decide to fight a fire
• Know what kind of fire you are dealing with before you decide to fight
• Always fight a fire with your back to an escape route

I would add this, regularly test the safety of your escape route. Is the deck you are going to climb out on safe? Can the railing hold you or is it in need of repair on the side of your apartment building or Brownstone?

So from our first meeting here is our POA(Plan of Action) list:

• Update contact info and give to our children and circle of strength members
• Include numbers of employment and schools in that list
• Update smoke/fire alarms and fire extinguishers
• Train kids on various fire extinguishers and their proper use
• Always know where keys, cell phones, wallets/purses and evacuation binder is and keep them in known locations
• schedule a practice evacuation and time it!

 Let us know what you think!

 

The Marshall Clan

 

Make a Plan - To Prepare for a Storm

SNOW IS COMING!

The wife has a regular activity to review weather issues coming up. There are, of course, the regular weather channels on TV and radio, as well as NOAA and National Weather Service website.  But, in our area, there is a Facebook Page (Steve's Weather Page) we use to get more the technical details around the potential for the storm.  Well, it appears there's a SNOW storm being predicted, so we thought it good timing to add a short preparatory guide.

First, its important to distinguish between types of storms, because each may pose different potential threats:

• Ice Storms
• Snow Storms
• Hurricanes
• Severe Thunderstorms

Here are some potential risks:

• roads may not be clear (fallen trees, snow or ice)
• may lose access to roads (we have a 300 foot driveway, and yes...  we have shoveled the whole thing several times!)
• loss of power (in larger or particularly windy storms)
• damage to property from fallen tree or branches (we've lost a couple of sheds in our recent past)

These are just a few ideas we go through each time a SNOW STORM approaches:

• Do you have COFFEE?! - somewhat jokingly, but really nothing starts to day quite like a cup-o-jo (or tea if your heart desires).
• Check Food Supplies - Think back to the last major storm in your area, and all the news or weather stories stressing how there MIGHT be power outages.  Have you ever gone to the store in the days leading up to the storm?  It's not a pretty sight.  No bottles water, much of the canned food is gone, and long lines.  In general, a pretty scary scene, and that's just for a storm.  Most government agencies recommend at least 72 hours of food in case of emergency.  However, many prepper-type folks recommend 14 days or even 30 days.  Taking it even further, some social and religious organizations (eg. LDS church) recommend 1 year of food storage.  We recently read a great article on saving money AND building up your pantry/stockpile, called "How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half".  Remember the KISS approach to meal planning during a storm- Keep It Simply Simple! ie soup and sandwhiches
• Check Water Supplies - we have a deep water well, so if we lose electricity, we lose access to potable water!  Storing some amount of water is a regular process for us.  Generally we just check the amounts and see if there's any need to increase.
• You may want to take showers before the storm hits, because no power means your water heater is going to get cold!
• Check Toilet Paper and Paper Towels - If properly stocked, a family shouldn't need to be concerned for a typical storm.  But paper products are generally very important, so keep them in mind to make sure you don't run out.
• Check First Aid Supplies - Considering roads may be snowed/iced over, and getting to an urgent care or emergency room facility may be difficult, every family should maintain at least a small First Aid kit.  Also, be familiar with those supplies and how to use them.  
• Full Tank of Gas and Move Cars - Whether you own one, or many vehicles, consider filling up on gas just before the storm.  If power outages occur, you could use the vehicle to power small electronics like phones and DVD players.  Also, if there is an emergency at home and a need to get out quick, it might be a good idea to park the car at the end of the driveway.  This way, its much quicker to clear a path to the road.
• Charge all electronics before the peak of the storm. This may include: cell phones, PCs, IPODS, IPADS, Kindles, potable DVDs(a personal must have when power is out for long period of time)
• Salt for walk ways - No need for huge amounts, unless you have some means to store it without wasting it, but for safety have a bag or two of salt to put down on walkways.
• Snow shovels and or Snow blower with full tank - at the very least clear off walkways of snow as soon as possible.  Before the snow begins to build, make sure to put the shovels, and/or snow blower in a readily accessible location.  This way you can quick clear walkways and driveways as necessary.
• Paper plates and silverware - If water service is interrupted (again, we have a deep well, so loss of electricity also means loss of access to water), it may be difficult to wash dishes.  Consider having a stock of plates, cups and plastic utensils.  These can also be used during hospitality events, like inviting folks over for the Super Bowl party!
• Set aside flashlights and candles - If you already have a standard location for flashlights and candles, then there's no major concern.  However, often families will store candles in boxes.  In this case it's important to bring them out and make them more readily available.
• Pull out some boards/card games - We tend to store board and card games away when we're not using them.  Involve the kids by having them choose a game or two and bringing them to a central point in case power goes out.
• Consider setting aside some warm, play outside clothes, and get the sleds out.  Giving the kids something fun to do when the storm lets up will be good to raise spirits.
• Dark Chocolate to Calm Nerves and Lighten Spirits - Chocolate is chocolate, and most people love it.  Of course it doesn't HAVE to be chocolate.  Just have some type of treat that can be used to lighten spirits if the power is out for any extended period of time.
• If a child is sick, it might be good to get them checked out at the doctor before the storm.  Of course use best judgement on this, but if it appears an illness is getting worse, it may be better to try to get the the doctor to provide antibiotics or other higher level service ahead of the storm.  In October 2012, Noah started getting pretty sick, and was eventually admitted to the hospital for Pneumonia.  Superstorm Sandy then hit, and the entire area lost power, including the hospital (they had emergency generators, so were back up immediately).  The hospital got him back to a measure of health, and discharged him.  Normally, a nebulizer machine would be used at home for treatment, but our home was still without power, so the hospital provided us with a means to administer breathing treatments without power.
• Consider any upcoming elective appointments (regular checkup, dentist, vision, etc.).  You could be charged for a missed appointment.  This of course is dependent on the service provider.  But we have had situations in which, due to icy road conditions, we were unable to get to the office.  
• Also be sure to take a walk around the house and property to see if there are any items that could be damaged by the storm.  Consider items that could be blown around in the wind and thrown into a window.  Check garage and shed doors to make sure they are secured in place or otherwise locked.  Involve the kids by having them bring in or put away the outside toys and equipment.  

We'd love to hear thoughts on what others do to prepare for snow storms.  Comment below.

The Marshall Clan

Marshalls Make A Plan

It seems only right to start this journey of preparedness with Making a Plan.  Without a plan, we are much more likely to fail in even getting started, much less making this an effective journey in becoming prepared.  

First, as a family, we'll talk through the many different types of disasters - man-made as well as natural, and establish whether those are of any significant risk in our geographical area.  We live near Washington DC, and so have some typical and even some of those atypical disasters for which we should prepare.  Getting a whole family to sit down and discuss ANYTHING can be difficult considering today's busy schedules.  But getting us all to sit down and talk through DISASTER Scenarios could be even more difficult.  We may try to make this a game of sorts, interspersing more UNrealistic scenarios (the kids LOVE to talk/joke about zombies!) with those more realistic ones, like loss of job, and loss of electricity.

We'll take some time to develop a simple "Shelter in Place" plan, in which we either shelter in the house in general, or even go so far as to shelter in one room within the house for certain disasters.  

As well, we will build  some simple to understand plans for where to go in evacuation-type emergencies.  Immediate threat emergencies might be a house fire or home invasion.  In these cases, our main intention should be to get to immediate safety to a nearby neighbor, and call the authorities.  It will be everyone's goal to get out quick and meet at that rally point.

Alternatively, we will make a plan for a longer distance evacuation.  This includes those cases in which natural disaster like hurricane or winter storm is headed our way, and the authorities have recommended immediate evacuation of the area.  It could also be a case in which terrorist threats have been identified and it has been required, again by authorities, that we evacuate the area.

We've already prepared an "in-vehicle" emergency kit, but we can fine tune that.  

Finally we will take some time this month to build up a solid "go-bag" for each family member.  It may take some additional planning and purchases, but we have most of the items that should go into each.  It's been pretty exciting so far...  we'll see how it goes.

The Marshall Clan

'White Knuckle Time' for Radiation Hurtling From the Sun

Introduction to Our Blog - Marshall's Prepare for Mayhem

This "Marshall's Prepare for Mayhem" Blog is designed to help us become more familiar with ways we can prepare for disasters, emergencies and shortfalls.  As a family, for 2014, we have decided to embark on a journey of experience and education.  We are using the website www.do1thing.com as a foundation for general ideas and scheduling.  Each month a new general topic will be designated.  With that topic in mind, we create games, videos, journal entries, tests, and other adventures to build our knowledge of that topic.  

For example, the first month is January, and the topic is "Make A Plan".  That makes sense, of course, that we would strive to make a plan first.  So, taking the knowledge we gain from reading online works, books, and other reference, we might have blog entries for the following:

• Establish threats and priorities for our area 
• loss of job
• extreme weather
• home invasion
• home fire
• pandemic outbreak
• emp
• Make basic emergency plan (Shelter in place as well as evacuation)
• Make a plan specifically for each threat
• Create "Go Bags" for each member of the family
• Create "Emergency Car Kits" for each vehicle
• Train each member what's in the go bag and how to use it
• Learn different ways to start fires
• Volunteer at a homeless shelter - maybe not really related to making a plan, but we've always wanted to do this, and it might help us all understand what COULD happen to families who never got a chance to prepare.

These are just some ideas we have from a little family meeting.  But there could of course be many more.  The goal is to involve all members of the family.  And most important, as we learn, we look forward to teaching from our experience.  With each new adventure we look forward to uploading new information throughout the month and sharing with our friends and family.

Just for general information, here is a list of the topics directly from the "Do 1 Thing" website.

• Make a Plan
• Water
• Sheltering
• Food
• Work School and Community
• Unique Family Needs
• Family Communication Plan
• Get Involved
• Be Informed
• Power
• Emergency Supplies
• First Aid

Obviously, within each general topic, there can be many subtopics, as seen above.  We hope that planning each month will really build some great knowledge and help us to grow - as a family, as preparedness-minded individuals.  

A word from the woman of the house... 

A few years ago, the local Baltimore news station ran a piece on emergency preparedness.  In that piece the local FEMA director said that every family should be able to evacuate their house with needed supplies within 15 minutes...  15 MINUTES!!  Just grabbing our new cat and trying to get her in the cat carrier can easily take 10 minutes!  15 minutes can only be done with preparation.  We happened to live in an area at that time that had only one street for evacuation.  So getting out quick,with everything needed, before the crazy neighbors blocked up the street, was the priority.

In general, the Mid-Atlantic area would be very hard to evacuate from quickly.  Knowing routes and friends and family with resources would be paramount in such situations.  So that challenge from FEMA, years ago, has haunted me ever since.  

This year, the police had to barricade part of our neighborhood to investigate an incident.  Many elementary age school kids  were taken back to the school and held there until parents could be reached.  This made me wonder how many parents and children were full of fear that day - because of lack of preparation.  Our neighborhood situation turned out fine in the end.  But we all have heard of tragedies where things did not end well.  We have been blessed!  And I hope we all continue to be blessed.  However, when things do go awry, I want my family to have courage and assurance that comes from preparation.  Not crazy prepper stuff...  rather simple plans and simple supplies with clear directions being carried out thoughtfully.  

We hope you also enjoy hearing about our adventures.  Please don't hesitate to comment, and maybe share your own experiences.

The Marshall Clan