A Year Without Summer

In the wonderful place that I am privileged to spend my summers these days, the climate is something to brag about. Especially since I have spent my whole life in my beloved home, Texas,  where the summer is like a super sauna, sometimes for six month of the year.  One thing for sure, whatever the climate, you have no control.

This has certainly been a year that is out of the norm. At least, it seems so in my experience. I feel like the little cutie in the pic.  It's supposed to be the peak of summer, August the 1st. Today's high temperature was 58 degrees. It seems I  need my jacket and my flip flops. 

Are humans responsible for the weather, for climate changes? No question we have an impact on the planet. Everything on the planet has an impact on the earth. From the ugly old beetle, creeping along the ground, the gopher busy throwing up piles of soil in your yard or the beaver building  dams in the river.  The earth is extremely interactive and everything that is on it, is even the tiniest particle of it, everything that ends it's cycle and becomes part of the soil again,  has influence. 

Just my personal opinion, but there have been cataclysmic, earth shattering changes and adjustments on our planet, a very long time before we humans were even a part of the mix.  While I greatly respect our beautiful place to exist and think we should do all we can to not just recklessly cause destruction...you know that old saying, don't poop where you sleep. I doubt very seriously that mere humans have the power to change the unpredictable and inevitable consequences of hurling through space on a ball with hell for a center. 

I even heard a rumor that some believe our government has gained the knowledge and power to manipulate and control rain clouds and other weather. Really?  The closest we come to controlling mother nature's weather patterns is that expensive air conditioning that I pump into every place I happen to be when I'm in Texas in the summer.  Control the climate? As usual we humans are totally full of ourselves.

Surviving Vs. Preparing

I watched a program recently about a family being taught survival techniques.  I think it's a great and wise idea.  Any knowledge that you can gain is going to put you a step ahead in a crisis situation. 

I have to say though, when they cooked a rat and distilled their own pee to drink...they lost me.  I'm not stupid, you could find yourself in an extreme catastrophic aftermath. You could possibly have no choices left other than the very unthinkable ones.  However, I'm more a believer in the being prepared way of thinking. 

As a "Prepper" you need to arm yourself with all the information that you can attain pertaining to water, food and protection.  I have notebooks with instructions and tips on all of those subjects, from medical to growing and preserving food.  The basics of that collection as well as the basic survival supplies are in my vehicle and in every location that I know I will be, such as this summer cabin.  I am better supplied at my primary home, but not UN-prepared anywhere. 

My point is, an average person over a time can accumulate a lot of survival supplies without spending a lot of money.  The most important thing is that you allow your mind to consider possibilities and how you would cope with those events. If you don't know, find out. Just as you were taught and taught your children, to have a plan to escape your home in a fire. You need to think ahead, not wait and think you will figure it out, IF it happens.  Pick a day in your life and mentally walk through it. How would you accomplish each thing you do in a day without power, running water, transportation? How would you take care of and protect you and your family for even one week without those conveniences?

It's fine and well to believe that you could be tough, that you could think outside the box if it was a necessity.  You have to possess a box, in order to have that option...step one, I need a box.  I've learned in my more than just a few years, you can never say never...but I promise you I will eat a ton of rice and beans and it won't be boiled in my own pee, before I'll be roasting up Mr. Rat for supper.

Perfect Proof

I've said before that my novels aren't The Great American Novels or even what you would call best sellers.  I have sold several thousand copies and learned what seems like several thousand lessons.  One of the hardest lessons was to try and ignore my reviews.  Think about it, if someone made a public comment about something you said or did or created, would you want to hear it?  I've managed to reach a point of  not compulsively checking on the reviews. I do periodically check on the number of books selling and yes, on the reviews.  I try to dig through, pick out the truths and address the criticism if possible and sometimes am actually able to say "forget you!" to a harsh comment. That is, say it in my mind.

 Keep in mind, if you don't know, my fictional novels all deal with the premise that a world changing event has occurred. A human created or natural event has knocked out the power grids, worldwide. It is "The End of the World as We Know It".  My stories are basically not about what specifically happened. They are about the results of such an event and the families, how they are surviving the aftermath.

That being said, late last evening I sat in my PJ's in my favorite comfy chair, scanned through some stats, etc. in the glow of my gadget...the hubby and I refer to our Kindles as "gadgets".  There was a new review of one of my books, so I checked it out.  It was a decent appraisal, not that it matters (?!)
About three or four paragraphs down, I noticed another review that I hadn't previously read. The first comment was tolerable, why hadn't anyone turned on the radio and found out what happened? Okay, even with no power there would be working, battery powered radios. Some prepared folks would have generators and other power sources.  Would any broadcasts be received? Optimistically, some emergency information. It would be dependent on how catastrophic the original event was. I give this critic that one.

Then came the statement that is perfect proof of the inane lack of logic in so much of the present population... for gods sakes, somebody check their Ipod to see what people are saying on Facebook !!  This is a direct quote, I swear.  It demonstrates exactly, the vision that I have of the chaotic scene of a complete power down situation.  Hoardes of people climbing out of dead vehicles in massive traffic jams, holding their cell phones in the air, cursing McDonalds for leaving them stuck in line. OMG, I began to LMAO!  The hubby just glared at me and I handed the gadget to him, for him to read.  He looked over his reading glasses, with the disgusted look that old folks like us so often display and then we were both hysterically laughing. It's so scary that it's just painfully funny.

Now, I'm about as tech savvy as the lady on the tv commercial that pops out her CD player and proudly places her coffee cup in it.  But, bless their hearts, these folks are going to be in deep do-do when the stuff hits the fan.  The only thing that cell phone is going to be good for is to beat someone with it that is trying to take the one package of ramen noodles on their shelf. 

The scenarios and possibilities for disastrous happenings are so numerous and varied.  I'm not a believer in not living in today's world and enjoying it. I am a believer in preparing, to the best of your ability and resources, for a day that everything would not fit into that perfect routine of life we have all become accustomed to.  I have my own little initials for the spoiled and totally unaware in our population...the CNs (complete ninny), GIs (genetic idiot) and HUTAs (head up their ass) masses that plummet down our highways, texting, tweeting, twirking and facebooking, utterly oblivious to the world around them. They will be "fiddling" with their phones, searching for someone on facebook to announce that the world is ending, so bend over and KYAG (kiss your ass goodbye).

Just had to vent, what amazing times we live in.  The most informed human beings ever in existence, therefore we should be the smartest human beings ever in existence...right?  Anyway, if the world crashes, the s--t hits the fan,  Call me....