Category: Survival Tips

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Skin Care

Sometimes my friends and family tell me that they think I am crazy. Over the years I have tried several different Natural and Organic Skin Care and Makeup products, and when they come in a pretty jar, when the jar is empty, I wash and save the jar. (Yes, I am a packrat, but not a hoarder – yet! I actually DO throw some things away, and donate other things to charity organizations like GoodWill and local thrift stores like hospital auxiliary thrift stores!) I have a nice collection of pretty jars.

These jars don’t sit empty forever, though. I like to buy hand and body lotions that come in a pump-style plastic bottle. I like keeping them on the counter-tops beside the bathroom lavatory and the kitchen sink, and pump some lotion on my hands (and rub the lotion on my throat, neck and elbows) after I wash my hands. The lotions that I use are so thick that once the level of the lotion gets too low to pump out, turning the bottle upside down to drain into another bottle does not work.

Rather than throwing out the remaining lotion (there is often more than 1/3 cup of lotion left!) I will take a very sharp kitchen knife and cut the plastic bottle open. Then I use a spatula to scoop out the remaining lotion and deposit it into one of the pretty, empty jars that I had saved. Then I will use that lotion from the jars until that runs out before putting a fresh plastic pump bottle on the counter-top! I like how this saves money and reduces waste of product!

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Adapters are a good thing

I have to admit that I have a love-hate relationship with technology sometimes. I think technology is great, but there are so many different connection types for things that it can make my head spin! Would you believe that I have three drawers full of different types of adapters? These are an accumulation of at least twenty years! Some of them are a mystery to me at this point. I wish I had been smart enough to put them each in a zipper-type of plastic bag and labelled the bag with what type of adapter was in the bag! Doing that would come in really handy when I need to find a dmx 5 pin to 3 pin adapter! I am going to start doing that, starting with the next time I am putting an adapter in the drawer! And from now on, when I have to rummage through the drawer to find an adapter, when I find what I need, I will label it before it goes back in!

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First Aid Tips

First Aid Tips
First Aid Tips

With so many accidents and injuries each year – an estimated 2.7 million hospital admissions in 2002 as a result of home and leisure accidents alone – it makes sense for everybody to have some first aid knowledge. Whilst nothing can replace a first aid training course, even just a little knowledge could help someone.

At SOS Claims we can help you in the aftermath of an accident, providing you with a second opinion regarding a personal injury claim, but we strongly advise you to look into one of the courses provided by the NHS Ambulance Service, St. John Ambulance, or the British Red Cross.

Some of the most common injuries which you might encounter are listed below, along with some first aid tips to help you.

Burns and scalds

Most commonly, burns are caused by heat, although chemical burns can also happen. If you are treating a chemical burn you should wear gloves to protect yourself. Rinse the burn with cold running water, and – if you know – tell the doctors or paramedics what it was that caused the burn.

For burns caused by heat, you should also run the affected area under cold water. You should never apply cream or lotion to burned skin, but something like a sterile dressing, or cling film, can be used to cover the area if necessary.

Bleeding

The NHS website points out that the aim of treating a bleeding wound is to prevent further bleeding and shock. There are a great number of injuries which may lead to blood loss, and not all of them can be treated in the same way. The important thing to remember is to protect your patient – and yourself – from further harm.

When treating a bleeding wound, wear gloves to prevent infection. Applying pressure and raising the area of the body that is wounded will both help to stem the bleeding. Care must be taken if there are any broken bones, or foreign objects in the wound.

Broken bones and fractures

If you are not a health care professional it can be difficult to know whether an injury has broken a bone – if in doubt, treat it as such. It is always better to be cautious. Depending on the extent of the injury, you may be able to take the patient to hospital yourself, but if the patient has a broken leg, or back, you must keep them still and wait for an ambulance.

Heart attack and stroke

The most common sign of a heart attack is chest pain. It often feels like a tight, or squeezing sensation. In some people the pain can also appear in the abdomen or arms.

If you suspect someone is having a heart attack, dial 999 immediately.

The NHS have publicised how to act FAST if someone is having a stroke. Is their Face showing signs of weakness? Do they have weakness in one Arm? Can they Speak clearly, and understand you? You may not have a lot of Time, so call 999 immediately.

If in doubt, always seek medical attention.

 

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Family Survival Guides

For nearly 10 years I have been interested in survival techniques of all kinds. I even have some of my survival kits made up and have contemplated on even those bunker type dwellings. I haven’t really gotten that far of course, but it is on my mind and my friends know this. A good friend of mine named Lindsay told me about Family Survival Guide HQ. It is a website that is filled with all kinds of survival tips and guides on how to start gathering the essentials in case of a disaster.

I haven’t even made a dent in all the reading material and other comments from folks but I have bookmarked the site and by going to familysurvivalguidehq.com I can start to put together a list of things for the start of a decent survival kits for every member of the family. I know I really have a lot to learn and lots to read up on to become even slightly efficient in matters of survival, but I’m totally willing to gather as much information, tips and “how to” answers (as I call them) that I possibly can read and absorb.

When my friend told me about the website, http://familysurvivalguide.com I put it right into my address book and as I said, bookmarked the site also. And since I’m really interested in this and want to remember what I have read I bought a special hard bound journal/notebook to make lists and also take notes, and build plans for myself and my family. Lets face it, to me this world is in deep trouble and I know in my heart that on down the line every little bit of knowledge I can gather, learn and remember is going to come in handy one way or another. I’ve already learned a great deal already and though indeed I have a long way to go, I’m a quick learner and with sites such as the one that I have listed here I have a way of learning even more.

 

 

 

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Winter storms and power outages

With the winds blowing fiercely and ice, snow and rain that continued to become layered in a very dangerous way for travelers. With temperatures in freezing mode, it seemed like a ghost town in the small village as blizzard conditions and treacherous ice took away any forms of communication and transportation.

Inside the small house, a fire in the hearth burned making a soothing crackling sound while keeping the lower rooms warm with also the help of the wood burning stove. The lighting of oil lamps and candles, produced a serene, cozy glow that looked enchanting, making one want to bask in it for the night…

NOT!!!!! Okay truth be known, after the power went out and I saw and heard branches breaking and power lines going down, I did light the fires and also the oil lamps and then placed candles in where I knew they’d put out the best light yet be safe from tipping. It actually did look nice and rosy in the house. But I was also in near panic mode since my sons were in town practicing music for their show and we live off of a very dangerous road in the conditions as we had last night and today, so last night I was fretting too much to give it more than a few minutes of liking said warmth and rosy glow. I can’t wait until summer and we don’t have to go though this stuff again for a time.

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Flip flops and T-shirts to heavy duty winter coats

One extreme than another. Yesterday while I was wandering garden sections in stores, wearing flip flops and a french cut shirt with jeans, made me feel like I NEEDED to plant something, do a spring project. I felt literally released from the winter blues. Then… Whamo! The temps dropped, it rained and froze and then out came the long johns and Carhearts again.”We will survive…” and all that.

With little “bugs” that make one miserable hanging on and on, this needs some watching and attention. I have been hit twice, so please have those so called colds checked out.  I just got a taste of spring though, so now Ladies and Gents, it’s time to start making plans for your yard, home and garden! I’m so exited for spring to begin, but in the mean time, I’m glad for my long johns and big time heavy duty coats!

I don’t know what I would do without the snow gear type coats and leggings, also full suits. I hate the cold and snow. At least I’m somewhat warm enough for me to venture out, so it says it all. Ya’ll keep warm and safe.

 

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Survival tips and information

Lately a few of my blogging buddies and I have started talking about what would happen if something like a natural disaster struck us, or even something worse. How we would live. We are all into gardening and all of us are actually really self sufficient and handy when it comes to making something we need. A rig type deal, perhaps…but it’s the kinds of things “That will do in a pinch.”

My friend Lindsay who is really into it, will be a big help. She out of all of us, is more nature minded, and a live off the land type lady, than most in our little group. I have a feeling she is going to give us a lot of tips, since I know at one time, she lived up in the hills in Virginia for a two years, as sort of a “test” to herself and also out of necessity at the time. Something I never asked about and she never has told. I value her privacy as she is a very wide open type person, except for about certain things in her past. When she lived up in the hills,  she didn’t have electricity or even any running water. Bless her heart…she liked it like that. I personally need more civilization, but if need be I could indeed do without a lot of things if I had to, to keep alive and keep my family alive and sheltered.

To be honest,  I’m looking forward to the books recommended, along with the links and videos to learn what I can, but I think I’m going to leave the real hard core living off the land to my little friend. And yes…she indeed is a very small person, but can chop wood with the rest of them!

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Dependable generators for every need

We usually just have to use our generator in the winter when we have a bad storm and the power goes out. I decided to check out a company called, Generators AtoZ, when our power went out then, because the one we had only powered a few lights and one of our refrigerators. I had just bought a small chest freezer full of meat and the other two refrigerator freezers were stocked full with other freezable grocery items. We didn’t loose much, but I decided with grocery and meat prices as high as they are now, and rising quite steadily all the time, that I wasn’t going to take any changes. We live in a section of the state where it seems that the power will go out even during a slight breeze. Okay, I am exaggerating a little…but not all THAT much, since our power company isn’t all that bright. (pun intended) A few weeks ago, the wind caused a power outage and the generator didn’t kick in. I needed a new one, I knew.

While looking for a  generators, I have to say that I picked Generators AtoZ, because I liked the name.  I’m like that. I figured with a name like this, I would find what I was looking for. I mean, AtoZ about covers it all, right? At least in my way of thinking.

I ended up buying a bigger generator, since my job is writing and I work at home. I have two computers, plus the three that the kids use,  and my telephone, that I need and use all day or sometimes in my case into the night, for work also. Not to mention my freezers have to have power. Generators AtoZ pretty much helped me find what I was looking for that would be in my price range also. It’s amazing how many brands and variety’s they carry for every need.  Now, I feel a lot better about the power going out, though I still worry about the weather and what it may bring.