Take Stock of uoir Life

Here and there, from time to time, It is a good idea, a practical idea, to take stock of your life. Where you're going, where you've been and the routes you need to travel can all get blurry over time.

It may be time to sit down, alone  or with the adult members of your household and check the books, financial, physical and spiritual. Be honest but be fair. Stay calm and remain open. Hide nothing. Clear the air. Don't ne dead serious but avoid silliness.

It is a good idea to rake stock of your life. You will function more efficiently. When done treat everyone to ice cream and a drink

Watch the Weather

At the risk of sounding alarmist, let me say that things are a might strange of late. How strange? Well, in a very short period the UA has been hit by 2 Category 4 hurricanes. Now, Puerto Rico is being hammered by yet another Category 4 storm. Category 4 storms are rare, very rare. The Eastern Islands have also had to deal with Jose and, yes it too was Category 4.

The Atlantic and Gulf Waters are generally in the low to mid 80s this tome of year. Now they are near 90. And storm season runs until December 1. They are rare after mid=October, but this year, who knows?

In addition, Mexico just got nailed by a strong earthquake. It seems that Mother Nature is pissed at us. Can'y blame her. We have not been good stewards.

The Practical American will note all of this and have emergency plans and supplies. Don't go nuts. You don't need to become a survivalist, just use your head. And. maybe try to get on better terms with the Earth.

Stay Prepared

At the risk of being redundant, I want to remind everyone to stay prepared for emergencies. Keep supplies and have a plan. Then, pay attention to news and weather reports. Never panic. Simply be ready.

Tge nightmare occurring in Houston is an act of Nature. These will grow more frequent as the climate continues changing. Sorry, that is just the way it is.

Be ready and you will get along fine. Get caught unprepared and you will have an awful problem

Pray for those on Texas.

Use Your Braib

The old saying goes, 'use it or lose it.' Well, that applies to your brain. Things are changing and changing fasr and the Practical American knows that he ot she will need that brain.

It is all well and good to sit around on occasion sipping beer and watching sports but that should be a treat, not a habit.

Use that brain. Work puzzles, read, study. Learn a new skill, walk the neighborhood observing everything closely. Keep a journal, learn a language. On short, so anything to keep your mind active.

The brain gets used to patterns and, over time, grow reluctant to leave those patterns. Then, when you need to learn something new, it will be very difficult. And rest assured, to survive the next few years, you will beed to leatn. Believe me. Things will move fasr and you will need to be nimble.

Bottled Water

U am becoming more and more annoyed with people walking atound with water bottles. It has been firmly established that all of that plastic is fouling the environment. WE di not have enough space for landfill and recycling that much plastic is not cost effective. Yet still, every time I see an athlete or celebrity on TV they are carrying water.

Believe me, none of them is in danger of dying of thirst and there are generally sources of water in buildings.That bottled water is no better for you. It usually just tap water run through a simple filter. If you ate that concerned with pollutants, just but a filter, although, in truth, most city tap eater is just fine.

In addition, you do not need to constantly sucking down water. Get a good glass of water, drunk it and you're set for awhile. Too much water is almost as bad as too little. It makes you sluggish and mentally confused.

If you are going to be away from a source of water for awhile, get a thermos, fill it and you';; do jyst fine. And think, that thermos is reusable, so no more carrying bottles and spending money needlessly.

Get Down to Business

We Americans lobe to play. Nothing wrong with that, but we used to know when it was time to get serious. Now, we are bombarded with reality TV, superhero movies and an endless array of video games. IN fact, we are so silly, we elected a reality TV sow host to be President. Enough.

There are problems apkenty in this land. To solve them we need to stop playing and get to work We are facing climate change  on an unthinkable scale, but we have to think about it. WE are, and will continue to, lose jobs as robotics takes further hold. How will we deal with that. The rest of the World loathes us and we must deal with our rapidly fading image as the Big Dog of the World. These are but a few of the issues facing Americans. I am sure you can think of more.

Barman will not solve our problems, nor will any of the countless Pop stars that rule the airwaves. Real Housewives and football players are not going to fix things. And if you are waiting on politicians, God help us all/

Think, learn. Figure ways out  of your problems and share what you learn with friends and family. If you have kids, encourage them to learn and to value work. Take care of your health and your mind. Stay away from junk food and junk thought. Be moderate in your habits and tolerant of others. Learn and practice good manners. Take care with your appearance.

I do not want to be a total buzz kill. I love fun and everyone needs a break from their daily grond. But, there is a time and place for everything and right now, Americans need to get serious..
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Storm Season

It's  that time of year again, and the Practical American will be ready for storms. Along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf, you need to keep an eye out for Tropical weather.

Remember: a Category 1 storm can do a lot of damage. Even a simple tropical storm can down power line and bring massive rainfall. Also, a storm does not have to be a direct hit. The eye wall is certainly the strongest part, but outside that, there is still high winds, heavy rain, and along the coast there will likely be  a storm surge.

Pay attention to all forecasts. They likely will not be 100% accurate, but they will give you an idea of what is going on. As the storm gets near, listen constantly. The forecasts will get more specific and more accurate.

You will need supplies. First, portable radios and lots of batteries. Second, flashlights or battery powered lanterns, again, with extra batteries.

Canned and dried foods, crackers, cookies, anything not needing refrigeration. If you aree desparate for hot food, get a camp stove, or sterno (be careful). Remember, you cannot grill on your barbeque until all is clear.( please, don't bring the grill near your house. fire
and carbon monoxide poisoning are dangers).

Get a good first aid kit and learn how to use it. Keep fire extinguishers handy. Emergency aid will not come out in a hurricane.

Make sure you have 2 cell phones and keep them charged. Use them only in an emergencies

Stay inside until you are positive you are safe. If you are in the eye, remember, the storm is not over. Avoid puddles. On foot, you may find one with a live power line in it and you will be dead. If the puddles are deeo, do not drive. Your car will be dead. Watch for critters: snakes will come out to find dry land and, in the south, gators may float up to your house.

If lucky, we won't have any storms, but you really do need to be prepared.