Snow Day and Night

Snow days can be a struggle then again there are times like these when you can take a deep breath relax with one of the tastiest bowls of potato soup I have made in years. Whew!

                           Day

Home made potatoe soup for supper  made with chicken broth, crisp bacon, shaved Black Forest ham, butter and heavy cream.

Night time snow in the back yard with yard light adding just the right look.

   Somehow it is just the soothing touch I needed tonight.

Love

Ranchmama 

Well pump troubles

For those of u with well pumps to deal with this is a great place to learn how to do it Yourself !

http://m.inspectapedia.com/site/inspectapedia_2/air_conditioning-2?url=http%3A%2F%2Finspectapedia.com%2Fwater%2FWater_Pump_Table.php#2785

Check wiring against the pump installation manual diagram, check all connections for tightness, shorts, burns, damage.

A loose wire can cause intermittent pump or other electrical device failiures as well as a hard failure that means no power or blown fuses.

Rewire or repair or replace wiring

WATER PUMP WIRING DAMAGE

Burned out pump motor

Check that the pump pressure control switch is trying to turn on the pump and that there is voltage at the pump wiring

Repair or replace the pump motor

ELECTRIC MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE

Bad motor control switch

Check the control switch contacts for burning or wear.

If the motor control is a well pump pressure control switch,check the pressure control switch settings - cut-in and cut-out; inspect for burned, pitted switch contacts or for dirt or wear.

For water pumps, adjust or replace the pressure control switch.

Temporary emergency repair by cleaning the switch contacts may be possible.

See WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL SWITCH 

Bad pump pressure control switch

Check the tubing connecting the pressure switch to the pump housing for clogging

Clean or replace the tubing and be sure the connections are not leaky - an air leak will prevent the switch from sensing pressure properly

Bad water pump control switch tubing

Clogged or leaky tubing connecting a water pump pressure control switch to the water system results in failure to properly sense and respond to water pressure.

Debris clogging can also occur in the bottom of the pressure control switch where it mounts or connects to the tubing.

Check and clear tubing blockage (blow air through tubing). Or install new tubing.

Be sure tubing is proper diameter and type to seal properly with other fittings.

Tighten tubing fittings to be sure there are no water or air leaks. Soap solution may help find air leaks in tubing fittings.

Clear or replace clogged pressure control switch if the bottom sensor opening is clogged and cannot be cleared.

See   WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL REPAIR

PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL REPLACE 

Bad pump impeller or impeller seal leak

Turn off electric power to pump, see if you can move the impeller or motor - if it won't turn it is jammed or damaged

Remove obstruction in impeller housing, inspect for and replace damaged impeller or frozen motor.

Bad pump motor starting capacitor

Use a VOM in ohms setting to check resistance across the capacitor. If the meter does not move (no current flows) the capacitor is "open". If there is zero resistance the capacitor is shorted.

Replace the starting capacitor

Pump motor shorted out, jammed, burned up

Fuse blows or breaker trips as soon as the pump tries to turn on. If the external wiring is ok (no short circuits) the motor is shorted internally

Replace the pump motor

Things to Check if the Pump Motor Starts but Overheats and Trips its Reset Button

Pie Time !

My husbands favorite pie is pecan. I have found Miss Kay's Honey Pecan Pie recipe and everyone says it's the best they ever had! 

    I went into full production mode can u tell?

I gave one pie to the helper along with a store bought thanksgiving precooked turkey dinner. I had one for hubby. Funny gave Nikki pecan pie to take to a party. It barely made it into the door of her house before her and boyfriend lit into it ! Lol

Turns out I had 1 too many pies because not everyone showed up for dinner but I am going to get some pecan praline ice cream and not only will we be fat as a tick we will for sure be in hog heaven!!!

Love

Ranchmama 

Copper Experiment

It's a experiment! I had copper wire I polished and made into bangle bracelets.It's the wire off the telephone poles! Copper doesn't bend as easy as u think! That's why it's all crooked.  At first I tried SOS pads then polish. Non of it was working to get all the caked up black tarnish off from years of outdoor exposure. I finally got smart went down to the shop and used the wire brush on the grinder. Duh..... 

    They say you wear copper your arthritis doesn't hurt as bad. It's worth a try. It didn't cost me anything.I talked to a bull Dozer man that absolutely swears by it.

I have more wire to play with but I'm gonna have to get better at dealing with it than this!

Love

Ranchmama 

Sunday Roundup!

Looks like a normal move the cow here to there thing doesn't it ?

Ain't no way in heck!

Hubby went out and did a little much needed brush hogging. You know how much fun mowing your yard is? Imagine 800 acres with a little woods and a whole lot of grass! You are never ever done. If you don't keep up with it you get a tremendous amout of weeds! Those weeds will shade out and take all the water away so the grass doesn't grow to feed the cows. We have sprayed for weeds in the past but we really don't like to and it's very exspensive. So driving around brush hogging takes the same amount of time and fuel but is cheaper you would think. The deal is when you spray it is more permanent ! Well anyway he went out and cut the weeds until he was worn out. Coming back over one of the bridges he looked down as we always do to see if the water gap is blocked with fencing. It's one of those things you don't spend a lot of time and money just use old posts and wire to get the job done. The next flood is going to take it all out anyway. It's been out for a while but it had a lot of water that you don't want to work in to fix it. I'm not kidding, it just dried up 1 day and we were going to get the helper to fix it.

    Before the help could get here even hubby notices a whole bunch of cow tracks heading under the bridge to cousin Sam's bunch of land.

   Hubby counted and found we had 11 heifers out in SAMs ! He came back just so steamed! Fussing and cussing about he's too tired, too old and how in the #%^* is gonna get them back??!! Here he is 62 yo with Parkinson's and he is supposed to go chase down cows over on the cousins head high weedy place!

    I tried calling and texting cousin to get the key but no luck. One thing we have learned about that place is as soon as you located them get them out because if they scatter it is almost impossible to get them all or in one day!

   We got lucky and saw them from the road and they were all together. Tried to get them to go back into the creek where they came from and they wouldn't have it! Scared them to death! So he chased them on foot west then chased them back east a long ways. 

     I was on the road in Old Blue honking the horn and calling them an banging on the side of the truck to let them know where to head too. Helper showed up but he had to hide in the bushes because they just get a peek of him and run the other way ! Helper said this is a one man herd for sure !

    Finally heifers stopped at cousins gate waiting to be let out. No keys still so hubby cut the wires next to the gate opening it up to let them through . Nope! Wouldn't have it! Had a bucket with feed to get them to the gate now he put some just outside the fence. Took forever to get one through that gap! Then finally after a while got 3 more out. Couldn't get the others to step out so I headed them down the road. Hubby didn't like that. The other cows that wouldn't come through scattered but we had 4 so I wanted to get them up before our other cows on the other side of the road talking to them found the open creek again! 

     The pictures above is me driving down the road with them up the side against our fence line running with the contained cows . Hubby is walking behind this bunch I am beside in the truck along the road and helper is up hiding by the gate just in case they want to keep going down the road instead of turning into the gate. As soon as we get them in the gate hubby jumps on the tailgate to get a much needed ride down the drive to the pasture gate . Get that bunch in we have to start over again. 

      The other bunch had followed and was just across the road from the house and of course they jus HAD to get hubby to tromp another quarter mile away through all those weeds and the creek down to the same gate they wanted to get out of again! just in time cousin Sam drives up with a key! Holy cow!! It would have been so much easier to have this a few hours ago! Oh well so now we do the same walking, honking , yelling, and banging on the door for the quarter mile road trip back home. This time we have cousin Sam in his truck filling in gaps! 

  It was for sure a process. Took about 4 hrs to get them back! In all that time we only had one truck come by. Cousin Sam  was nice enough to give us a spare key. It don't happen often but maybe next time it will keep hubby from almost dying! Helper fixed the cousins fence we cut and will fix the creek in the morning .  

      Poor Hubby is so miserable! Can't even eat. To much walking too much brush too much heat too much everything !

   Got him cleaned up, Rhus tox for poison Ivy in him, medicine on his toe blister,  1 mist to drink,  gave him a mini rub down. Trying to feed Him but won't eat. Yet. I finally got him to eat a tiny bit about midnight when he woke up 

     So it took me at least till noon to feel like I was going to recuperate and I decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies for everyone to say thank you.

  So I made 3.5 dozen which I see isn't enough. I doubled the recipe. Daughter Nikki got me these cool stackable cooling  racks! I need more cookies to fill up the last rack though !

   Well so far we all survived ! We now know we have diva cows that although there is plenty of nice grass here it is always greener through the creek on the other side and they MUST have the gate opened to come back home ! Lol

Love

Ranchmama

Sssss..... 3 AM Surprise

I had a video but haven't figured out how to up load it.

4 am Wednesday bathroom run and look what my left big toe touched in the floor. I thought it was trash until I turned to look. Then I thought man that's a big worm... No that's a snake! !!!

I hollered at hubby and was really lucky to wake him up. He was asleep in the living room recliner . I yelled his name a few times. He finally said what ? I told him there's a snake in here!!! Either he couldn't hear me well or it just didn't make sense. LOL it took several times to get through to him it was a snake and to get something so we could kill it! I couldn't open the door or it would get away. Still it was so skinny ( about as big around as U'r little finger) he was about to sneak out under ther door.

     He finally got a broom and I told him to stand back away from the door since it was right at it. We opened the door and I  held it squished down with the broom while he got the trash can. I got lucky it held on to the broom and I shook it off into the can.

It got bagged up put into the big trash can and tied up in it. 

Dang! Whew! I have no clue how it got into the house! We keep everything closed all the time!!!  Not only that this is a tight house. We are thinking maybe it got through the a/c pipe that allows the wiring to come in from outside. It's plugged up good now! 

Even if it might have been as big around as my pinky and a foot long or so.

Pigmy Rattler can be deadly I bet!

    Both my daughters said I need a cat if Heidi Ho wouldn't eat it! 

   It's funny in the video hubby was slightly excited and saying a few wordy dirds telling me not to get so ##%**# close or I would get bit! I thought it was funny because I could hear myself laughing about it. Even funnier when I saw that brown band aid stuck to the bag! Fat lot of good that did there.

    Another thing.... I wasn't screaming and hollering like panic come save me ! I don't know why I stay calm usually during that kind of thing . I just wanted to keep it from getting away !

     Still it's like finding 1 tick on u. You find one and you feel more. I can't help but wonder if there is a mate or nest under the cement somewhere ! Lol

Love

Ranchmama 

( wishing I could have gone back to sleep after snake wrangling this morning! )

Arthritis and Doorknobs

Age seems to be catching up with my husband. With the issue of Parkinson's it has made stiffness and arthritis a problem some days. 

    To help make life a little easier I went all around the house and replaced these ugly doorknobs ....

 

With something not only much easier to use but a heck of a lot prettier! 

    4 outside locking doorknobs and 7 indoor locking knobs tore the heck up out of $300 . I think I wiped out Lowes current supply of this style. I had to return one that was defective but it's all done now.

      I was even able to key all the outside locks alike so we only have to use one key! Yippee  ! Smaller keychains are always nice.

Love

Ranchmama

( dealing with older age is for sure not easy ) 

India Market Fun

                               

                                                              Rose Matta Rice

Last Wednesday I was in OKC and went to a grocery store named Taste of India. I like to go to ethnic stores. It's almost like going to a whole new world! 

     It was so fun! Of course hubby stayed in the truck but he had A/C so I wasn't worried . 

      It was a lot like the other stores clean but plain. The first thing I saw was a hip high stack if pressure cookers! Weird ! They had little ones that were as big around as your hand spread out and big ones big enough for canning. There were all kinds of different flours to cook with I had never heard of before. In small 1 pounders to 20 pounds or more. Then I saw isles of different kinds of dried peas, lentils and beans. Which explained the pressure cookers! None of these kinds of foods grace my table enough to purchase. 

      The one thing I did see I recognized how to cook was rice ! They had so many different kinds! I saw one or two I had seen in Sams but most was a stranger to me. The one I have pictured above was a interesting color and flavor. It was rose colored but had a very slight nutmeg flavor. Fun and interesting served with chicken breast. I would do it again some day . 

 Take a look at the others I will be trying again soon! Jasmine rice and brown sona rice . Oh yes I found some sanwa millet and toasted vermicelli to learn how to fix some day to. 

                   

        Something else that was interesting was the spices ! Oh now I would say they were running neck and neck with the Mexican market on variety but this was different. This store had more whole seeds that were tempting to take home and plant I mean big 8 ounce looking bags! 

      I also found some curcurmin roots to learn how to grow. What fun!! 

                     

     

    Ugly little things and about as big around as your index finger. A lot smaller than I thought.

     Now if I can just get the ginger to grow I will have some really potent medicine available. It was strange to go to the store and not see a meat department. Many of the people in India are vegetarian so that explained that.

     Well that's all about my fun for the weekly outing. If anyone has some good recipes using some of these things send them to me to look at.

Love

Ranchmama 

Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookie

I know there a millions of all time best chocolate chip cookie recipes out there but this is my new really good one I have found. It reminds me the flavor of a Chips Ahoy cookie when I put the extra cocoa powder in. The cookie dipper or the measurement they use of rounded teaspoons makes a small bite size cookie which a different for me since I like a much larger cookie but it was still hard to resist when you walk buy a stack of them. Hubby really liked them a lot and also had a hard time resisting. 

Love
Ranchmama

Another Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe -- All Butter
http://www.cookiemadness.net/2008/05/another-crunchy-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe-all-butter/

 

Cook time 12 mins

 

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups (220 grams), stir and aerate flour before measuring
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon of dark chocolate cocoa  (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment.
2. Sift or thoroughly whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer;
4. Add egg and vanilla and beat until egg is mixed in.
5. Add flour mixture and stir until incorporated.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes (or longer) or until the edges start to brown.

**** NOTES ****
ADD about 1 tablespoon of dark chocolate cocoa to the dry flour to give it all a really good taste boost.
I cook them the 12 min time in my oven because if you go longer when they cool they really get a little too hard.
I also like to use the small to medium small cookie / ice cream scoop to measure out the dough for cooking.
If you have a scale it doesn't matter, but if you are measuring by volume, make sure to really stir and aerate the flour thoroughly before measuring.
The baking powder prevents the cookies from browning quickly, so it seems the cookies can bake a longer time and becoming crunchier without burning or getting overly brown. I baked mine on an insulated cookie sheet, so if you notice your bottoms are browning too fast, switch to an insulated cookie sheet or stack you cookie sheet on top of another one to make your own insulated sheet.

The Voice

Is such a powerful yet sometimes soothing sound. One of the things when you meet a person you analyze subconsciously is a persons face and overall appearance the next is usually the voice. 

   There are so many voices in our lives daily. They portray authority figures in our public service people. Maybe that authority person is your boss, teacher, parent, or in some cases a significant other. ( Doesn't that sound generic?!) let's say something more specific a husband or wife, yes there is always someone in the family that wears the pants it usually works better that way.

     We also have the sound of the voice coming to us in music. Music can have so many effects on a person. I think and hope it does more good than harm. I am amazed though at how many people have nonstop music hourly and daily bombarding their consciousness. Some folks have so much music voices preoccupying their brain I sometimes wonder what they are hiding/running from that they have to take up all their thought space with music to push out anything else. 

    Now we come down to our electronic voices . I don't mean the ones you hear  I am talking about text messaging and emails. These things sometimes take over our daily time.  

    So what is this long post all about?? I'm not really sure. Maybe it all depends on you and how the voices in your life rule your life. Maybe it depends on your age and what generation you belong to. I am from a time when we worried about our long distance bill on the hard line. Then there was the cell phone where we worried about our minutes and being out of our zone / range costing too much money to call family out of town or state. Many of us developed habits of saving money / minutes and only visited our people we love and care about on the phone on special occasions losing some of the closeness we need and crave that we once had. 

      It dawned on me that with all the phone package deals there is no reason not to hear someone I care about anywhere in the country and now with some companies anywhere in North America on a daily basis. 

   I don't need a music voice or a voice of authority or any voice other than someone I care about in my head or ears. If I can do it in person all the better. 

   The Voice ---  it's becoming a lost art. To use the proper tone to even have a suitable vocabulary to be able to express yourself properly without expletives or to have a vocabulary with words longer than five letters.

    Your Voice use it or lose the people close to you maybe. 

   Call them up and say "I haven't heard your voice lately" and hear their smile and maybe even their surprise.

Love

Ranchmama 

Home is sometimes where that familiar voice is for some of us. 

    

Skink Fun !

One of the many ways you can tell it is summer is by the critters that you find out and about.

    Well this cute little skink is not out. It is definitely all about my house! 

   I spotted it on Friday going across the living room floor heading under the bar. I told Heidi there's a bug! She jumped and ran away from it. Around here when you yell bug and head for the fly swatter that usually means there is a scorpion that needs to be got before it gets you. 

 I dug around and couldn't find it for anything ! I was thinking I just know one of us is going to be walking in here and step on it. Saturday came around and hubby said it went under the tv stand.

Once again I tried to scare it out and it did go to the rocks in the fireplace. I tried to run it into a plastic bag but of course it wouldn't cooperate. As I left the room to get a flashlight hubby saw it go under Heidi Ho's pillow. I lifted the pillow and then it took off under the big couch! I just gave up.

    I started laughing a little later and had to explain to hubby the reason. 

    Heidi Ho was laying on the floor by her pillow . I told him that is right where the skink went and I can just see that running across her nose! Lol I then started laughing even harder and got him laughing...... I have to wonder which one of us gets the heck scared out of us first? Hubby, me or Heidi Ho ??

   Take a look at her pic here. Can't you just see her snapping up and running when it runs across her??? Lol

Love

Ranchmama

Preparedness Pop Quiz

For those that think it is a good idea to prepare for whatever ills fall into our world this is one persons idea for being prepped.

I have to admit I am no way prepped the way this list wants you to be but hey I can still keep learning and plugging. I have a lot to learn it looks like.

Love 

Ranchmama

(don't feel to bad if you don't score well. Many of us are in the same shape)

==========================

If you score less than 20 points on this, you're probably already dead

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor 

Preparedness Pop Quiz

Instructions: Give yourself points according to the following list. This list is not a comprehensive list of preparedness strategies. There are far more things you can do beyond what you see here. However, this list covers the basics, and if you haven't covered the basics, you're probably not going to make it anyway.

MEDICAL SKILLS AND GEAR: (9 points possible)
+1 point if you know basic first aid skills such as CPR.
+1 point if you are trained as an EMT
+1 point if you are trained as a paramedic
+1 point if you are a practicing surgeon
+1 point if you own spare antibiotics.
+1 point if you own at least one tourniquet.
+1 point if you own at least 2 gallons of antiseptic liquid.
+1 point if you know how to stitch up a wound and have practiced it.
+1 point if you own a "medicine chest" of essential oils for first aid, including tea tree oil, oregano oil and thyme oil.
Your total points from this category: ____

COMMUNICATIONS: (5 points possible)
+1 point if you own an emergency hand-cranked radio that needs no electricity.
+1 point if you own at least one functioning pair of consumer-grade radios (hiking radios).
+1 point if you have a functioning satellite phone.
+1 point if you own a HAM radio, +1 additional point if you know how to use it and hold a current HAM radio license.
Your total points from this category: ____

PROXIMITY TO CHAOS: (8 points possible)
-2 points if you live within the city limits of a major metropolitan area; -1 point if you live within 50 miles of a major metropolitan area; +1 point if you live more than 100 miles away from any major metropolitan area; +2 points if you live more than 300 miles away from any major metropolitan area.
+1 point if you have already mapped out and practice an escape route ON FOOT.
+1 point if you have basic compass and navigation skills and can read a paper topo map (i.e. basic hiking navigation skills).
-1 point if you are so reliant on GPS that you can't even navigate your own city without relying on it.
+1 point if you already have a bug out bag prepared.
+1 point if you have at least 20 gallons of extra fuel stored.
+1 point if you keep your bug out vehicle at least 75% fueled at all times.
Your total points from this category: ____

CASH AND COIN: (3 points possible)
+1 point if you have at least $500 in cash on hand right now.
+1 point if you own at least 100 oz. of silver or 5 oz. of gold and have it in your physical possession.
+1 point if you have substantial savings in any currency other than U.S. dollars.
Your total points from this category: ____

HEAT AND SHELTER: (6 points possible)
+1 point if you have an alternate bug out location (i.e. cabin in the woods).
+1 point if you have your own source of off-grid winter heat (such as a wood stove); +2 points if you also have a local supply of wood to heat with.
+1 point if you have reinforced the entry points of your location, resisting break-ins via doors and windows.
+1 point if you have a safe room in your existing home.
+1 point if you have a metal cross-bar installed to block entry via your doors.
Your total points from this category: ____

FOOD: (13 points possible)
+1 point if you have at least 30 days of stored food on hand; +2 points if you have six months, +3 points for a year or more.
+1 point if you have at least a portion of your stored food hidden in such a way that it would not be easily discoverable by a search of your home.
+1 point if you own an off grid camp stove (any kind) that can boil water without using electricity.
+1 point if you've stored at least 100 pounds of salt.
+1 point if you have a home garden.
+1 point if you practice sprouting.
+1 point if you own and use a non-electric food grow system like the Food Rising Mini-Farm.
+1 point if you own and know how to use a food dehydrator.
+1 point if you possess food canning skills AND have canning equipment on hand.
+1 point if you know how to process animals into food (chickens, deer, cows, etc.)
+1 point if you know how to smoke or salt meat in order to preserve it.
Your total points from this category: ____

WATER: (5 points possible)
+1 point if you already practice rainwater collection as your primary water source, +2 points if you also have at least 2500 gallons of water stored right now.
+1 point if you live within walking distance of an open, year-round water source (such as a lake or stream).
+1 point if you own a gravity water filter such as the Big Berkey; + 2 points if you've already set it up and tested it.
-3 points if you live in a geographic region that's actually a desert. (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, etc.)
Your total points from this category: ____

FIREARMS AND GEAR: (17 points possible)
+1 point if you own any functioning firearm; +2 points if you actually remember how to use it and have proficient skills for doing so.
+1 point if you own a functioning rifle of any kind (hunting, battle or otherwise).
+1 point if you own any night vision monocular such as a PVS-14.
+1 point if you own 1,000 rounds or more of any ammo (any kind).
+1 point if you know how to reload your own ammo and have the reloading equipment to do so.
+1 point if you practice shooting at least once a year to maintain proficiency.
+1 point if you own a suppressor.
+1 point if you own a ballistic vest.
+1 point if you own a chest rig.
+1 point if you own a flashlight with functioning batteries; +2 points if you own a tactical flashlight with more reliable batteries such as CR123; +3 points if you also own a red light tactical flashlight suitable for navigating at night.
+1 point if you own a quality tactical knife and keep it sharp.
+1 point if you own a lightweight, high quality portable sleeping bag.
+1 point if you own a reliable fire starting device (beyond just matches).
+1 point if you own a quality, rugged pair of hiking boots.
Your total points from this category: ____

FITNESS: (6 points possible)
+1 point if you are somewhat physically active; 2 points if you extremely physically active; 3 points if you are actively athletic.
+1 point if you have some familiarity with camping; 2 points if you have strong familiarity with camping or outdoorsmanship; 3 points if you are an expert in wilderness skills.
Your total points from this category: ____

How'd you score?

Total possible maximum points = 72

0 - 20 points: You probably won't survive. Prepare to line up in front of a FEMA camp and beg the government for food, water and shelter.
21 - 30 points: You have a slim chance of survival, but only if you adapt quickly and improve your preparedness status immediately.
31 - 40 points: You have a solid foundation for survival but need to quickly ramp up your preparedness to be ready.
41 - 50 points: You are better off than most but still have a lot of preparedness tasks to complete. Seek to network with others who possess the skills you lack.
51 - 60 points: You are very well prepared, far better than most, and will likely survive just fine as long as you surround yourself with capable people who share your preparedness mindset.
61+ points: You are extraordinarily well prepared and are almost certain to live through the chaos if you stay alert.

A blunt message to those who scored very low

If you scored under 20 points on this Preparedness Pop Quiz, you're probably not going to make it.

Even worse, it's probably already too late for you to do anything about it.
<snip> he has much more to say on this at the link.

 http://www.naturalnews.com/049838_Preparedness_pop_quiz_survival_social_chaos.html

Tornadoes Close Enough

doing good here at the Ranch!
Tornadoes Close Enough to make you want to go jump in the hidy hole!

        The tornado area was around I-40 and north going towards Prague. It just missed Prague I think and headed east and a little north. I would say it was about 20 miles south east of where we are here. Sounds like a lot but when your looking at a map and can see where it is and when you know how easy it is to change directions it feels MIGHTY close!

     We had gone to Prague to pick up a present we ordered at Wally world and eat some food then headed home. I asked hubby if we should put the trucks in the barn from hail and he didn't think so. After I saw the map I asked again and he said no. I think he cut it way too close !
   I haven't unpacked from our first rabbit hole run I will after Sunday just in case.
That still gives me time to improve on emergency stuff.

I thought I was doing pretty good. When I looked at it in the cellar it just seems so minimal just very basic. So much needs to be improved on still!

I will keep plugging.

Love
Ranchmama
(Thank you for thinking of me folks you all get a big cyber {{{HUG}}}

Oklahoma Storms

        OKC and naturally the Moore area were getting beat up pretty bad. They had record breaking rain 8-12 inches or more causing flooding in just a few hours. Then there was the tornadoes which they said the last I heard Oklahoma had about 12 touch down somewhere. Then on top of all that some exotic pet zoo got hit and there were tigers on the loose in the neighbor hoods! Some of the places I believe got hit 2 or more times with tornadoes because the weather pattern was really weird. Where the storms and flooding was bad but just a few miles away places didn't get a drop of rain. Hey at least we didn't have any good Earthquake shakers! That has been known to happen here in Oklahoma. Shaken in the morning and stirred at night.
   I haven't heard from family or internet friends yet to see how they faired. I will let them sleep tonight and try them tomorrow to see if they are ok.

Well tonight was a bunch of fun~!
Especially when you are of a age when arthritis keeps you from moving very fast and breathing is not a easy task! So you have to leave a lot sooner because it takes a lot longer to get in the hole! (sometimes just to get your shoes on and laced up! LOL)
        We made a dry run to the rabbit hole. Everything was looking pretty bad in the OKC area and headed our way. We moved the trucks down into the barn to try and protect them from the hail the best we could and had Ol' Blue at the house for the rabbit hole run. Heidi Ho was all excited because we were doing something really different and fun. She was a good girl and went into the cellar for us really easy.
   Hubby grabs just a few things and he's ready to go. Me I am stuffing clothes and undies in a bag because being a fluffy person you can't just go buy clothes anywhere too easy that fits. So with the clothes bag and the nebulizer & meds stashed in a bag along with some electronic stuff for hooking up cells phones and a I Pad with a few flash light batteries I was ready enough. As usual I need to do better.
   I need to make up a box of doggie things for the cellar. Like a weeks worth of canned food, leash, doggie dishes, towel,and a few extra doggie vet box things like I have in the house. The cellar has a thin layer of mud on the bottom because I can't figure out how to plug the leak at the door. Poor Heidi Ho walked around looking for a place to lay down and still got muddy! I have 2 welcome mats I am replacing in a few days at the front door I will take the old ones and put them on a shelf so next time she has a cleaner place to lay down. Coming out of the hole and having to hose down the doggie at night isn't fun. We had some plastic chairs to sit in (thank goodness!) so we were ok.
  Being a cellar it is hard to keep some things down there without damaging them, Like flashlights and batteries. Although we have a good stash of extra batteries in the garage I need to find a container we can grab and go we can put the mag lights in. It would be great if I had some way to attach the mag lights to us instead of carrying them when we have our hands full anyway.
   Hubbies idea is if you have money in the bank you can step out and go stay in a motel somewhere if everything is gone. I think different. What if you can't get there because the trucks are gone or the roads are messed up? So I have basic camping stuff in buckets to cook, eat and light up with. There is NEVER enough of everything! I got to thinking ........ other than a much better and safer cellar than this old one...... We would need something comfortable enough we could sleep on. The ground would just flat out hurt at our age!So something to keep in mind there. Something else would be a bedside commode like hospitals have. The knees just can't do like they used to for that job outside! LOL Much better than a bucket. We can't keep sleeping bags or anything like that down there or it would mold up and ruin.
  Naturally all this happens around supper time and we had to do all that when we got back into the house. I didn't grab a snack bag for the time being and a nervous tummy. I guess it is time to get the goodies ready for the cellar again. I wish our cellar was good enough to put canned goods in on a regular basis. I wouldn't have to worry about it as much. I guess the long term food storage things would hold up good.
     I saw on a you tube video a man had a light bag. Anything you needed to create light was in the bag. Lightsticks, candles, batteries, sm propane fuel bottles, small cans of fuel for food, matches, lighters etc. Some of these things I don't think it is safe to store together because they could light up to easy but you have to do something.
     Well I guess that is enough for now. We went to check and feed cows and everything seems ok. Road is like pig slop for sure. Still the creeks didn't flood bad I guess the ground is still soaking it up renewing the water table which is badly needed.
     We are due for another bad weather round for the next day or 2 so I guess I get to perfect the stash a little better. Practice makes perfect! I see my daughter is getting what we had last night in Arkansas except they don't have as much red in the radar. Just a lot of rain.

Love
Ranchmama