A Little Bit of Everything

(Please excuse the bad lighting, we are having another afternoon

thunderstorm and there is not much natural light at the moment.)

Guess where I am going tomorrow?

Michael's has this great coupon and

I happen to have 3 finishes in need of framing!

70% off!!  Woo Hoo!

I am still making progress on The Sampler Girl's "At Home with Jane Austen"

I also have a new start to share, I am stitching on this during cross country practice.  I hope to be finished by next week (if we are not rained out)

. 

"The Merry Skater" from the 2010 Ornament Collection
Little House Needleworks
stitching over 2 on 28 count Lugana in Summer Khaki
using 2 threads of the recommended DMC threads

The national press has descended on the Crescent City to cover the five-year anniversary of Katrina, it is Hurricane Week on the Weather Channel and I am not liking the looks of this . . .

Danielle (not a problem for us), Earl, the future Fiona and that cloudy area near the coast of Africa is a fourth system (a potential Gaston) they are watching.  So much for a quiet season.

All this reminds me, that awhile back, I said I would share my hurricane/emergency prep tips with you.  Well, I started writing and was overwhelmed by the amount of information.  So I decided to use a tip of the day method for passing on information.  I am going to start with the obscure and weird, because the basics (keep your tank full of gas, keep cash on hand, etc.) are easy to find on either of the following website links.

National Hurricane Center - Hurricane Preparedness

American Red Cross Emergency Preparedness

American Red Cross Fast Facts - tip sheets for specific types of emergencies

TIP # 1 - If you have items you cannot take with you (especially fragile items) consider placing them in the dishwasher - it keeps water in, so it will also keep water out.  This is also good to remember in a case of flash flooding when you do not have the time or ability to pack things up to take with you.

TIP # 2 - Use your address book (or snag an extra notebook from your kid's school supplies) and write down all the contact information for your important contacts, for example

• bank, mortgage company, insurance company, utilities, etc (including account numbers)
• employer (especially important if you are not paid by direct deposit or you work in a job that will be in high demand following the emergency),
• doctors, pharmacy (include a list of all your Rx medications and doses)
• local police/sheriff and fire stations,
• grocery (you can call before returning home to see if they are open/stocked),
• schools,
• church,
• family and neighbors

Inquire about emergency contact information.  National utilities, pharmacies, etc will still be reachable through an 800 number, but locals will also be evacuated, have lost electricity or telephone service, be severely damaged, etc.

Cell numbers may be inaccessible due to down towers or heavier than normal usage.  During Katrina, voice calls were rare, it could take an hour of redialing before your call would go through.  The addition of so many extra cell users (evacuees) overloaded the local cell systems.  If you do not know how, learn to use the text messaging on your phone, it takes up less bandwidth.  Teach your parents and other older relatives how to use the text messaging on their phone.  Also, remember you can call your cellular company to change your plan to include/increase your minutes or texting limits so you are not surprised by your bill the next month.

Emergency Contact Card from the American Red Cross