Snow Day Tradition

My Mom always baked a loaf (or two) of homemade bread on snow days. It's funny what kind of memories stick with ya. I make it a point of throughout the year to talk about things from my childhood with my boys. partly to connect with my past, and to keep memories alive. We are all just two generations away from being forgotten.

I tell me boys that my Mom used to make these on snow days for me when I was little. My Grandmother made it a point to let everyone know how many meatballs she made for the Christmas dinner. She also licked her fingers after serving each piece of cake...LOL. Lots of funny stories for the dinner table. The older I get, the more I appreciate the small things.

You never know when you might have a snow day, Keep Right On Prepping - K

Standard Storm preps

1. Cars filled with gas
2. Generator ready with power cords & gas
3. Electronic devices topped off
4. Pantry topped off with some comfort foods
5. Firewood
6. Over night bag for work , stranded scenario (Get to Work Bag)
7. Outside car covered with tarp (ice and freezing rain here)
8. Flashlights checked

What are some of your standard routines when a storm is on the radar?

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Weekend Update

I've been meaning to sit down and write this post for some time, but life seems to happen between the thoughts and the time required. School has kicked into gear, and I'm having trouble getting into the groove of things. The closer I get to me degree, the harder it gets to stay motivated. The administrator to the director let me know that I could take CT physics and have enough hours to complete my degree this summer, but I'll wait until the fall for the Emergency Management class. I'm pretty excited to take this class, and with my prepping background it ought to be interesting.

I'm getting over the flu this weekend, and it hit me really hard Thursday night. I'm sure my wife thought she was in a Vibromatic bed, because I had the chills and shakes like I've never had before. I took off work Friday, and slept and relaxed most of the day. I am feeling better today, and ventured out to the grocery store, but was looking for a place to sit about half way through the trip. I'll be spending the rest of the day trying not to die from boredom.

The weather service is calling for snow/sleet/ or ice on Monday morning, so I wanted to get out before the crowds made the stores unbearable. I had to get the mandatory supplies for French Toast.

Oh, last week I had my debit card hacked for about $160.00 but got things straightened out fairly effortlessly. The only place that I use it is Amazon, so buyers beware. I'm still waiting on my card replacement though. I looked into the reloaded credit cards, and they are fairly reasonable. $3.00 to load, and about that per monthly charge. I'm thinking that it will be worth about $40-60 year to compartmentalize my finances from the web, and offer me some degree of anonymity. Speaking of which, my director has given me the green light to use the office address for silver purchases. The reloadable card and office address should give me some insulation from the prying eyes.

Row,our nine year old, gave his love interest a Valentine's card at recess, and I asked how it went. "She said Thank you, and that was nice of me" He shrugged his shoulders,smirked his lips and said, "Besides, who wouldn't love SpongeBob?" He makes a very valid point.

The Doctor, who is a little over 6 months old, has been sitting up on his own for about a month now, and trying so desperately to pull up on things. He'll probably be an early walker like Red Ant. He has two bottom teeth coming in, and we have started him on some baby food. Sweetheart has stopped pumping, and we are quickly running through the breast milk in the freezer. I've been slowly ramping up the baby food supply, but no where near disaster levels. The next upcoming payday, I'll be clearing out a few chunks of inventory at Wal-mart and Kroger of their baby food. Anything that the Doctor doesn't like, can get donated to the local food bank.

We've been settling into teaching the Dave Ramsey program at church, and it has been a mild adjustment, but we are enjoying the new group. We love helping people get a better grip on their finances, because let's face it. Everyone will have a financial emergency before a SHTF scenario.

The prepping budget has been directed towards The Doctor. No new tactical gear, radios, or camping supplies, but just boring grocery store purchases for the little man in our house.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

It Still Makes Me Laugh

This is a campaign I can't get behind, or in front of either for that matter....

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee are both from Arkansas, and I will not endorse them either. God help us in 2016.

The Real Story of LRSD and a glimpse of Public Education Collapsing

The largest school district in the state of Arkansas, the Little Rock School District [LRSD], got taken over by the state for academic distress a few days ago. In layman terms, the school district is unable to perform its duties in these days of dumbed down standardized testing. Two-thirds of the district's 30 elementary schools are scoring in the lowest 25% on math exams. The following schools were deemed to be in academic distress: Baseline Elementary School, Cloverdale Middle School, Henderson Middle School, Hall High School, J.A. Fair High School, McClellan High School. Here is a complete list of the schools within the district. The elementary school and McClellan high school are in the little Mexico area of the city, and most students come from a English as a second language home.

Three of the five LRSD High Schools are in distress [academic distress is when fewer than half of the students attending them scored at proficient levels on achievement tests]. Parkview High School is an Arts and Science Magnet School and attracts the district's best students, while Central High School has two distinct curriculum. The principal of Central High school refers to the non-AP students as "the general population". A term that I associate with prison. The Central High School does offer excellent AP classes, but its like stacking the baseball team with a few ringers to get to the playoffs.

I'll provide the back story for my readers. Pulaski County School District [PCSSD] offered LRSD a chance to combine districts in their early days, and LRSD declined because the tax base wasn't very good for PCSSD. Fast forward many years,and the suburban sprawl takes hold, making the tax base of PCSSD very attractive. The suburban sprawl attracted many affluent white families, ergo LRSD files a desegregation lawsuit in 1982 against the PCSSD and North Little Rock School District [NLRSD]. At this point, the state of Arkansas steps in and infuses huge amounts of money to "fix" the situation. Social engineering. This creates an even greater white flight from the capital city, due to busing, racial tension, and the end of neighborhood schools. The bedroom communities such as Conway, Cabot, Bryant, and Benton explode in growth as a result, and their educational system improves. This creates a positive loop that draws even more families capable of moving, thus leaving the LRSD with the lower socioeconomic classes, usually black. At this point, quality private schools begin to increase in number for the remaining affluent families that can afford to foot the bill for the their children's education. During this time the LRSD goes through numerous superintendents, many lasting only a year or two. I can't find the exact number but 20 in the 25 years seems about right. 

The state has throw money at the school system in an attempt to fix the racial inequality, and it hasn't worked. With desegregation funding running out, the district would soon need to cut $37 million to stay solvent. As Arkansas' Central High School was in the spotlight for segregation, we are again in the spotlight for America's educational system.

Keep Right On Prepping  - K

 

In response to PP, this is an Arkansas Swimming Pool

This is a real Arkansas swimming pool located at Pruitt on the Buffalo National River.

(http://www.buffaloriverlodging.com/LogCabins/HarmonyMtnHaven/Activities.html)

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Some Days You Wonder About The Human Species

We have a saying at our office about the "special" people that we see everyday. We call them "touched". Some days these people are a little more "touched" than others. Today was one of those days. We have dressing rooms with lockers so that they can lock their most prized and precious trinkets. This happens more than I'd care to admit...

Of course, if it weren't for the warning labels a few of them might not be here today.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Your First Emergency

In helping the community and our church, Sweetheart and I volunteered to co-lead the Dave Ramsey program at our church. Let's face it. People will have a financial emergency before an earthquake, EMP blast, or a super volcano eruption. The more people that are out of debt and have a firmer grip on their budget, then they will be light years ahead of everyone else. The better prepared that our community is, the better it is for our family.

We'll be helping with the 9 week course, and getting back into the program ourselves. We have one credit card that we are hoping to pay off within the next six months. If you are unfamiliar with the program, I've got a link on the top of the page. Check it out, it's what really allowed me to go back to school and get my degree without being saddled with student loans. That and the support of my wonderful wife.

Debt is modern day slavery...except that they don't have to pay for your housing and food.

Keep Right on Prepping - K


Keep Right On Prepping - K