For everyone getting ready for Y2K:

Have you -

Taken your camp stove/wood stove/propane stove/what have you out of the box and fired it up yet? You'd really hate to find there's an important piece missing, a needed accesory that's not there, or you plain just can't make it work after the deal goes down on 1/1/2000.

Used your water filter, drank some water disinfected with your treatment chemicals, tried getting water out of your storage containers without wasting or contaminating it? Iodine tastes nasty, many can't abide the taste of chlorine, some water filters are more difficult to use than they first appear, some have been found not to work at all right out of the box. You really should know before you bet your health or life on it. There's alternatives to all of the above but you need time to be able to find them.

Thought about what you're going to do for sanitation should central utilities go down? When Nature calls is not the time to be thinking about where you're going to go. If you're on a municipal sewage system which was is the flow in the pipe your house is connected to? If there's a lift station between you and the sewage treatment plant will the effluent back up into your house?

Have you shot the new firearm you bought? Do you know how to load and unload it? In the dark? How to clean it? How to field strip it? Do you even know what the term "field strip" means? A firearm in the hands of the untrained is as dangerous to the shooter as to the target.

Have you cranked and broken in your generator? Do you know if it's big enough to handle the jobs you need it to handle? How will you get the power from the generator to the appliance?

Do you know where your fire extinguisher is? Do you have one? How about your first aid kit? Do you know how to use it?

This list could go on and on. The bottom line is that you should not trust your health or life to any gear, supplies or procedure you don't know how to use. There's still time to learn if you apply yourself but you need to be getting on with it.

..........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5

http://www.providenceco-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@sprintmail.com), November 30, 1999

Answers

I've been please by how many we HAVE tried, even mastered some, but I'll admit there are a surprising number of preps we haven't exercised yet.

Here's another one that we're cool with, my wife being a CNM, but many are not -- your first-aid supplies. Do you know how to USE them. Do a drill, "if this happens, this is how we will respond ASAP."

Might save your life or the life of someone you love. Y2K or no Y2K.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), November 30, 1999.

had a chimney sweep come out to give me an estimate.He said we were a fire waiting to happen.Wood burner was not hooked up right,massive creaousol[no clue on spelling] built up.Need steel liner installed after clean up.Couldn't wait for him to leave as I was close to tears. $1500.00 is what I need to come up with. But I am thankful I found out now and not after the fact aslo,found God to be very faithful in that I have had visions of house burning down, thought it not uncommon, figure most people think that once in a while but now I think God was trying to warn me.Being of thick skull I,duh,just didn't get it but the best part is just a few days ago I got a letter telling me I had a bit of money comming to me that I didn't know was going to get. I bet it will be just enough to cover my expences.Hope more though,can't help it greed is a funny thing.So ya, I agree, check out your stuff.God Bless all you guys.It's so wierd that a find such comfort in all of you and you don't even know me or I you.

-- tress (tress59@aol.com), November 30, 1999.

This sounds very high to me. Doubtless, you need work but get a second estimate ASAP.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), November 30, 1999.

Definitely get a second (and third opinion) ASAP, naturally from some other companies/people. It only cost a couple hundred for my fireplace (although it is different from what you have, it's been 10 years since the last cleaning. I think you'll agree that 1500 to 200 is quite a difference). If you are female, try and have a male friend/hubby present when they check it out. To me, it sounds like the usual jerk trying to take advantage of a woman. Sort of like some of the car mechanics I have run across (not trying to paint a wide brush here, but you know what I mean).

-- James Collins (jacollins@thegrid.net), November 30, 1999.

Dear B.D. and James, thanks for input.I'm up at 4 a.m. thinking about it and after reading your responces decided to make another phone call to someone else for estimate,10am seemse like days from now! thanks again.Tress

-- tress (tress59@aol.com), December 01, 1999.