Making preparations on a small scale for unpredictable events.

[MineralMan]

Right now, President Biden is busy trying to assess what is going on in Putin's mind, among other things. It's a heavy load to carry, but I think he has the wisdom to take advice from those who know things, and integrate it all into wise decisions.

So, I'm leaving him to it. On the other hand, I've been thinking on a micro scale about other threats.

Lying in bed the other night, I had a thought about what would happen if there were a fire in our two-level townhome. We sleep in the upper level. The door to the outside is several steps down in our split-level layout. That exit could easily be blocked if a fire developed in the lower level. There's also a sliding-glass door onto a balcony deck in the upstairs level.

So, the next morning, I ordered two emergency escape ladders, one for the bedroom window and the other for the deck railing. Each requires a different design, so I ordered both types. They will allow my wife and I to get out and on the ground outside if there is ever a fire. The smoke alarms will do the warning.

See, I can't do anything about big threats, and have to leave the planning for those to others. I can, however, think about smaller things that might happen and act on those.

Sadly, President Biden is faced with decisions that affect far more than the safety of a couple of senior citizens in Minnesota. I don't envy him his dilemma one bit.

[Kaleva]

1. I have 3 emergency fire escape ladders. One for each of the 3 upstairs bedrooms.

There are smoke detectors in the basement, kitchen (which lets me know if I overcook something), the foyer, upstairs hallway and attic. They are wired together so that if on goes off, they all go off. I have a fire extinguisher in the basement, another in the kitchen and one in the upstairs hallway. There are carbon monoxide detectors in the living room and upstairs hallway.

I have enough food, supplies and water on hand to last my wife and I 30-45 days. It fluctuates as we use what we stock and on how often I go shopping to restock.

As climate change is expected to have an impact on food supply, I'm in the process of converting the entire back yard into a vegetable garden and fruit orchard. I've built shelves in the basement to hold the canned good and am in the process of building a root cellar under the basement entryway. The root cellar project is on hold until the weather warms up.

[MineralMan]

2. Well, you go farther than I do. Good job!

[Kaleva]

3. it doesn't really cost me much.

I enjoy gardening so the backyard project is a hobby for me. I like working in the garden and orchard and my wife and I certainly enjoy the homegrown produce. And preserving the produce leads to having a large quantity that lasts for months.

When shopping, I buy in bulk when items, which we routinely use, are on sale so that naturally leads to having a quantity of stock on hand.

We have young grandkids stay over from time to time so safety is important. Thus the fire escape ladders, the fire extinguishers, first aid kit, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

[marked50]

4. Agree wholeheartedly with your thinking of safety preparations.

I read that this kind of thinking ahead prevents all sorts of disasters.

One of the best ones was reading about the survivors of commercial airplane crashes. Turns out the ones who most typical survive (the types of crashes that are survivable) are the ones who really pay attention to where the exits are and how many rows away they are. In a smoke filled cabin you can't always see your way and must feel it by row counting.

[MineralMan]

5. That's why you'll see me in an emergency exit row window seat

on any flight I'm on. I remember on one flight, I was reviewing the very familiar exit row instruction card after boarding. A flight attendant stopped and said, "I wish everyone would do that." I just smiled and said, "I read it every time."

[BGBD]

6. Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.

Always have a plan.

[MineralMan]

7. The Six P principle, eh?

LOL!

[Marthe48]

8. President Biden is canny

and has a life-time of experience to draw on. He is a seasoned warrior with a human heart, and he is the perfect person to not only drive off the 4 horses of the Apocalypse traitor visited on our country, but also to manage us through these unfortunate bad times.

Glad you got some piece of mind

[Johnny2X2X]

9. Not a prepper

But I do have a few weeks of food and water in the basement.

Canned goods mostly, but a few large jars of honey which never goes bad and can sustain your energy in a pinch.

As far as escape ladders, make sure you can use them, practice, or when the time comes you might just be jumping for it anyways.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

10. My son ordered Potassium Iodide to protect the the thyroid

from radiation. Which scares me - because he always seems correct about things.