The wise man....

Well, this week we discovered that we are not so emergency-prepared:
1. The super-duper wheat bags we own failed. We computed our investment in the wheat( 2000# of hard, red winter wheat) and immediately ordered an industrial sealer. Lesson learned: Don't believe everything!
2. While on the phone ordering all we need for the sealer I was helped by a very nice young man at distribution in SLC. I told him how we keep learning more about food storage all the time. I related how we used to store food in garbage bags which are treated with insecticides and other goodies. "REALLY?!?!?!" he gasped. He and his wife are probably starving students at the U or the Y, and were so proud, and I snuffed that out...but educated too. :-)
3. You really do look around your house and determine that most of what you have is not that important.
4. What I immediately thought of: 1. I need to save even more photos to Kodak Gallery and SnapFish! 2. I need to gather up old genealogical records first. 3. I need to send those old Utah record books to the Church History Museum. 4. I need to get Grandma Bates' bedroom set out. 5. I need to get medicines and all cash out. 6. I need to update the 72-hour kit. 7. There are things that could live in the safety deposit box that would survive with occasional visits from us.
5. I didn't stress over the food storage (outside of the wheat that I thought was safe). Like a former Stake RS president said, "You buy insurance, but hope that you never have to use it." It is sorta the same with food storage, if you look at it philosophically.
6. We have cool neighbors. Six homes were threatened, and all the men are real go-to guys, each with talents for working with the county. When we have the neighborhood MANDATORY meeting, it will be interesting.
7. The county are dorks. To quote, "We don't have the money to fix the culverts."

So I guess I should tell you what happened. Helicopters, state geologists, and county officials descended on our neighborhood Wednesday and told us we were on evacuation notice which was not rescinded until Thursday at noon. Directly above our front door is a slide that resulted from a neglected and huge culvert installed by the county. Actually, Jerry found two of them. Behind "the Nelsons" house, only about our lot's width away from their house, is a slide that may take out a doctor's home. It is so big that you can see it from WalMart. Jerry said that trees are leaning into it is some sections and the ground dropped with trees upright in other sections. The geologists and Wade Boyd (former forestry VP of Fibre who owns Nelsons house)walked down twice to look at the rock our house is on and to look at the ancient slide below our house. They are pretty sure it is going nowhere. The concerns are above and to the west of us. The field that is GONE is where Jessica had some of her wedding shots.

We are thankful for lack of rain, very cold weather and sunshine! Jerry is working hard in the basement. He is taking advantage of the situation and has increased duct work and furnace venting, installing smaller windows, fixing basement walls, and adding new drains.

It does remind me of an old saying that if the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today.