The rumor, or as some would say, the prediction, of warmer weather for the past week or so has happened. Sitka Thor Bear in the Mist (Siberian husky) was somewhat disappointed that it did not stay at the 30 degree below nights but I would think almost every human was pleased with the outcome. Maybe we can even say the word “spring” without too much guilt. That cold spell really kicked me into giving food a lot of thought. In fact it almost became all consuming. Pot roast and chili are still high on the list but things like hot cross buns and peeps are beginning to trend. Chocolate knows no season.

Maybe it is a good thing to be thinking of food at this time of unrest, bad weather and/or however you wish to label it. The Texas cold event was an eye opener for lots of people. Yes, we are better prepared for the cold, freezing part but other things could also impact our way of life. We depend on the electric grid to keep almost everything we touch operating and serving us. There are a number of things could damage it and start a chain reaction to events in our everyday lives. The Texas event gave us a first class showing of what could happen without electricity. It sounds like most of their homes were not constructed for “cold” weather and are heated by electricity. The demand for that product spiked and the problems started. No heat caused the southern type water systems to freeze and break. Phone service problems affected communications and 911 was not available for help. Gas stations, most grocery and hardware stores could not do business transactions that required other than pencil and paper. Supplies to restock came to a halt because of road conditions and no fuel for trucks, etc. Diesel vehicles became hard to start and then could not be used for generator back up.

I bet you already knew these details and may be thinking that we are better able to handle something like this. In a way, we are by having homes, pipelines, and other things prepared for below zero weather. We also have the equipment to deal with snow on the roads and lots of winter weather driving experience. (Although, it does seem a lot of us need to be refreshed at the start of each winter).

We could have events that lead to the same problems which could include both weather and social events. Would you have enough safe food on hand to make it through more than a few days of outages if travel and grocery store supplies were limited? Also, remember that seasonal differences would cause different challenges. Winter and summer freezer storage is vastly different. We probably could do a summer (no AC) better than a winter season (no heat) if we did not have electricity. Wood heat would save some people. Shelf stable and canned foods would be the best item to have on hand for both times. Drinking water would be a good thing to have on hand in case water supplies are affected. Be sure items are stored safe and checked often to assure they remain so. You may need to have some pre-electric cooking, heating and lighting items on hand.

Another line would be thinking of safety. Do you have a supply of health items such as bandages, etc on hand? How about flashlights or other lighting equipment that would work? Do you have extra batteries on hand for other than toys? Necessary medications in good supply?

We are living in a very different way of life. We pray for good to come out on top, the hate factor to cool down. We pray for our freedom and have equal chances to express ourselves. Let’s up our kindness to each other and remember we are all humans.