Ice Storm Preps

Number one on the list:

Make Raisin Bread!

Yeah, I have no idea why.  But it sounded good.  And technically, it IS one of the many things we do to prepare here for inclement weather (i.e. the possibility of the power going off for gawd knows how long).  Even though it looks as if we're going to miss the majority of the bad weather, I don't want to be ill-prepared just in case we end up with another doozy of an ice storm.

So here's what we do when an impending Ice Storm of Doom is predicted:

Plug in the truck.  Paul has to go to work, so the truck is the only thing that can manage to get up that huge hill in order to get out of here.

Our well pump goes out when the electricity does.  Fill all available 5-gallon buckets with water for the critters (and keep them indoors so they don't freeze over).  Fill up the bathtub with water.  This will be used to flush toilets, wash dishes and provide general washing-up water.  Fill up the pressure canner and other large pots with water for cooking.

Fill up the porch with firewood.  Maybe even fill the wheelbarrow and put it in the garage for ease of firewood access.

Give the hay-eating critters extra hay so I don't have to go out there so often.

Wash everybody and everything.  Hot showers / baths for the humans, wash every single dirty item of clothing (even if you only wiped your hands once on the hand towel in the guest bathroom).  If it's not raining & not too humid, use the clothesline to dry, otherwise hurry up and use the dryer before the power goes out.

Wash dishes.

Vacuum rugs.  Sweeping can occur during a power outage, but trying to get all the dog/cat fuzz and raisin bread crumbs out of the rugs can be pretty challenging without the use of a vacuum cleaner.  One day I'm going to get one of those non-electric floor sweepie things that your grandma used to have for the berber in the kitchen.

Make sure you know where all the flashlights are (and have new / charged batteries), where the oil lamps are (and filled) and location of matches & lighters.

Charge cell phones.

Make Ready-To-Eat and no-heating-required meals like quiche, bread, cookies and biscuits.  (No dieting during an ice storm!!)  Start thinking about what meals can be easily made on top of the wood stove.  Tonight is going to be Venison Chili & Cornbread.

Make sure husband has the generator "ready" in the event that the power is out for more than 8 hours.  At that point, we have to decide if the freezers / fridge needs to be run in order to keep everything frozen.

We're lucky enough that we don't have to make one of those "French Toast Emergency" runs to the store (i.e. get white bread, milk & eggs from the Walmart along with a million other ill-prepared folk) right before a storm, so we can avoid town and the madness that usually accompanies a severe storm warning.  Although I have to admit, it is kind'a funny to watch people fighting over a bag of Wonder Bread.  I mean, come on!  A crappy loaf of  bread is what's going to save your ass in the event of a natural disaster that may keep you at home for more than two days?  Do you think you're going to emerge from your house three days later, the lone survivor, and the only thing that saved you was your foresight in buying an extra loaf of white bread?!?  I mean, if I were in the strange predicament that I had to run to the store for last second emergency food, I'd be filling my cart with peanut butter and canned beans and granola bars and powdered milk.

But that's just me.  You know.  Eating homemade raisin bread while it's sleeting outside.

Hope those of you in the path of this storm are hunkered down and ready.

Anything I missed?  Let me know!