Be Prepared...

Living on an island in the most desolate islands in the world, you think a lot about being prepared. We're reminded monthly about the threat of tsunami when the test the sirens the first week. We have to have hurricane insurance. We're aware of when "hurricane season" starts and ends. We think about getting a generator, "just in case". We now keep an emergency kit handy and bring it in during storms.

Our ward's motto this year is about being prepared. In RS we came up with an idea for an Enrichment Night activity. I was asked to teach part of the lesson on being prepared. I decided to make HOBO STOVES, BUDDY BURNERS and SOLAR OVENS.

I had kept my very old (1963) Girl Scout "Cooking Out of Doors" cookbook. It had a wealth of information that I figured I could re-type as a handout. Before I started typing, I decided to check the Internet. I was so excited! I found all the info I needed and all I had to do was cut and paste it!

I had been saving #10 cans for a while and my neighbor gave me about 20 coffee cans. Another friend cut the cans for me. I had an equal number of tuna cans for the burners. I got pizza boxes donated. The hardest part was locating paraffin wax to use in the burners, but did find some right here in Haleiwa. So I got to work.

Amazing after so many years of making all this stuff for my scout troop, I remembered how to do it. Really didn't take too long.

The class went really well. There was a lot of talk of being prepared and the plans that we should all have in place. Costco is even selling "emergency meals" right now. 200 adult meals for $60.00 and they all fit into a sealed bucket the size of those laundry soap ones.They're actually pretty good. We made up a couple so that people could taste them Not sure they even sell them on the mainland.

I learned from the Samoan sisters that dried coconut husk could also be used as a fuel. The most important thing is, that now we all feel a little more "prepared" so we don't have to "fear".