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Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Times They Are A Changin'

fallImage by eschipul via Flickr

Original Article

I'm not sure exactly what day it was, but something told me that the time to kick the preps into high gear had arrived.  Maybe it was the "back to school" specials. Perhaps corn on the cob season began.  Maybe even that it was a little less bright out at my 5:30 AM alarm clock time.  Whatever it was, one thing is for sure...fall is almost upon us.

As usual, a short summer will soon be giving way to a brisk Canadian fall and then on to winter.  This should signal most of us to kick it up a notch.  Do a thorough inspection of your home.  Clean the chimney, boost up the insulation, and caulk up all those cracks around the windows.  Start looking for sales on ice melter and be sure your snow shovels are in order.

Now is also a good time to tear apart the bug out bag.  Check electronics & batteries, food items, water condition and think about putting the warmer clothing in.  Get the hats, mitts, and scarves ready to pack into the bags, not to mention checking out the boots.  Replace what you need to and check the usual forums and blogs for a reminder of what you may have forgotten.

If you have wood for a backup heat system, make sure you have enough on hand.  Buy or cut up more as needed.  Winter storms can leave you wanting, so backup gensets should be tuned up and tested out.  Not to mention refreshing the gasoline by using your stored fuel and stocking up on fresh, treated gas.

If you start checking the sales flyers, you will notice that late season crops will be coming on sale soon.  Great time to check your canning supplies & dehydrator.  Not only do food preferences tend to change as the temperature drops, but you will be needing more calories soon too.  Hearty soups, stews & caseroles will be replacing BBQ steak & salad before you know it.

Now I don't want to be a killjoy, and I am sure there will be plenty of nice summertime days to come before the leaves begin to hit the compost pile.  But I want everyone to realize that there is a lot of prep work to do for the coming cold.  Get started now, before you get caught with your snow pants down.




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