I’m Vaxxed
As of 3:30PM this afternoon the clock is running on the two weeks for the vaccine to take full effect. Social distancing and masks are still in order until everyone gets vaccinated but there is a glow at the other end of the tunnel.
On-line Opinion Magazine featuring annoyed rumblings from the leading edge of the Baby Boom firmly tied to a reality-based world.
Established: 21 November 2004
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11 comments
congratulations! now to be able to survive killer cold, high winds, maybe tornadoes….
I have a fireplace, many saws, Arctic survival training, as well as a gas heater. We are ready for loss of power while inland Texas is not. It looks like the worst of the next storm is going to pass north of us.
I’ve been worried about you this past week, but I know I shouldn’t have been. Arctic survival training would stand you in good stead even in hurricanes.
The extent of my bad weather readiness is lots of flashlights (with batteries) and lots of warm blankets, so there’s no reason to panic. Of course, NH is used to this sort of thing (ice- and snow-wise), and icy trees are generally greeted with “Isn’t that pretty?!”
Yeah. You survived Shemya Bryan! No mean feat… And yes, survival training was one of the few actual benefits of the Military!
Hiya hipparchia & Anna.👋 I hope you are both doing well and staying safe too! Everything is pretty crazy.
Feeling sorry for TX & surrounding States. I know, and knew, some good people there. I see Cruz has finally decided to go back to TX to see what the fuss is about… No doubt he’ll head back to somewhere warmer soon. 😒
I was stationed in San Angelo in West Texas for one winter; my sophomore year in high school was at Wichita Falls, Texas, and I did basic training at San Antonio, Texas. West Texas has more ice storms than snow, but they know about winter as does the Panhandle of Texas. South and East Texas just don’t get cold all that often, so they don’t build for it. They had the same problems in the 1990s and 2011. They have reports telling them what improvements are needed, but they haven’t done anything.
Down here, we know what to do – cover or bring in delicate plants; bring in pets; put a work light on your radiator [because our cars rarely have antifreeze]; let your faucets drip so they don’t freeze and burst. Propane lanterns provide light and heat if the power goes out. You unpack and air a couple of generations worth of quilts and cook a big pot of chili, stew, or whatever you have in the freezer. you’re set for a week.
I was stationed at Fairbanks and Shemya, Alaska; Omaha, Nebraska; Frankfurt, Germany. I had a decade in Rochester, New York. As part of SERE training in the Cascade Mountains, we had to walk 20 miles in snowshoes. I have seen some winters. I don’t like them, but I know how to stay alive. Actually I usually gain weight from over eating. I appreciate the concern, but I’m really not in danger whether it’s a hurricane or a blizzard.
Texas is screwed because they have had Republicans in charge for a quarter century, and Republicans don’t want to govern. They believe the government is the problem and the market will solve all problems.
You certainly got around. A lot of experience there Bryan. 👍😎
Most of my time was spent around the tropics & sub-tropics. Only time snow was an issue was in training. Once I was out of the combat side and moved over to more Intel areas, then I traveled a lot. But I rarely stayed in one place for long. Too bad I wasn’t clocking up frequent flier points. I could have bought a house! 😏
Have to be amazed at how Texan GOP morons are blaming the power outages on Wind farms & solar. Given over 90% of the State runs on fossil fuels still! 🤷♂️🤦♂️
Ahhh well… And still the World turns.
I hope everyone is still well. 😀
My Dad was career military, so I did a lot of traveling as a kid and as an aircrew member. I didn’t include the European or Asian deployments. I especially avoid Asian questions, because I’m not sure if it’s legal to talk about certain areas on my itinerary. Things keep changing, like not being allowed to wear my combat crew badge when stationed at Rhein-Main AB because “there are no combat forces stationed east of the Rhein River”.
There are windmills operating in Antarctica and one of the major wind farm corporations in West Texas let it be known that they were fulfilling their generation contracts. They are blaming the Green New Deal which is a concept, not a law. Hell, Biden is tied up cleaning up the mess on the Covid aisle and hasn’t had time to take his bucket & mop to the failed energy policy aisle.
well, me and the cats made it through the 2014 3 days of ice here with no heat of any kind (tl;dr: the only people who will rent to pet owners are slumlords) but for several years i went snow skiing a lot and still have all the clothing. arctic survival level it’s not, but it has helped me more than once to cope with the occasional blue norther.
the other thing i have learned from all the hurricanes and slumlords is how to keep plenty of nonperishable food in the house that doesn’t need either refrigeration or cooking.
You’re right. On the coast we already have our survival rations and water ready when things look bad, because we always keep them on hand. I shut off the water supply to the hot water heater before a storm hits so I have 40 gallons of drinking water no matter what. I use irrigation water to flush the toilet. when a freeze hits we drip the faucets to keep the pipes from freezing.
My stove, heating, and hot water are powered by gas, which has never been cut off, but if it were, there are logs for the fireplace and utensils to cook in it if necessary. I can’t believe people weren’t told to drip their faucets, nor can I believe the number of houses that had water pipes running above the ceilings or across the rafters in the garage.
My stove, heating, and hot water are powered by gas, which has never been cut off
i have appreciated having a gas stove and a gas furnace a couple of times over the years, but after ivan, when all the ancient, humongous, toppled trees uprooted the ancient gas lines among their ancient, humongous, sprawling roots and spewed smelly gas all over the place… ugh… so i redid my survival supplies to be sure i didn’t need to burn anything.
and yes, i do still have a couple of stashes of strike-anywhere matches in tough, fireproof, waterproof containers.
I just like “trust, but verify”. You hope for the best, plan for the worst. After Opal FEMA was great, but things went downhill from there.
Oh, the hurricane center is talking about shifting the start of the Season to May because that’s when the first storm appears in recent years.