Introduction - Readiness series

Tabernacles (a.k.a. ‘tents’)

Every year, orthodox Jews traditionally celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles to remember their escape from slavery into the wilderness.  It’s a family affair, as well as community festival.  They basically construct temporary wigwams or tents to camp out for a week. It’s an exercise for building strong character, self-control and interdependence; by denying oneself comforts of ‘normal’ modern living—something like the Christian Lent.

However, I doubt that the Jewish children feel much of any self-sacrifice.  Camping can be fun, after all.  It’s an adventure –building and eating inside the sukkah shelter—as well as practice of cool survival skills; you know, what Dad is always talking about. And the experience can be purging of attitudes and values.  Helps everyone to re-order priorities; to better appreciate the simple things of life; to prefer friendships and family relationships over accumulation of things, career or social status.


My family just returned from our annual tent camping vacation. We aren’t Jewish, but it’s a tradition we value for many of the same reasons that children of Israel move into tabernacles once a year. Camping is lots of work, but well worth the effort, even if only to maintain some basic survival tools and supplies… just in case the lights go out.



Three large trees were blown down onto our campsite first night (see prior photo).

This power pole was also knocked down, just after our grandson left the tent to find out what the racket was all about.

That’s right: when the power fails, when city water gets shut off, when we can’t refill our gas tank right away, everyone at my house knows to dig out the camping supplies.  And a yearly camping trip is the best excuse to replenish, repair and evaluate what else to include in our emergency stash of preparedness equipment, food, first aid essentials and know-how.  Here is my list:

Water (for drinking and washing)
Cases of our favorite brand of bottled drinking water
Reservoirs of portable toilets filled with clean water
Food chests packed with ice
Dropper bottle of bleach (5 drops to purify a liter)

Heat (fire for warmth, cooking and protection)
Matches, lots of them (all kept in a waterproof container)
Gas lighters
Propane and/or white gas cooking stoves
Propane tank (5 gallon) and manifold (for multiple attachments)
Propane canisters
Firewood & kindling
Long skewers (for marshmallows)
Hatchet, camping knife and sharpener
Flint & magnesium fire starter (in case matches are lost)

Light
Flashlights and lots of batteries
Propane lanterns and spare mantles
Spare phone batteries (keep charged)

Shelter and comforts
Plastic tarps
Tents with insect-resistant screening
Folding canopies (for shade) with screening
Spare rope, stakes, bungee cords, clamps
Shovel; spare hand tools; zip ties, Velcro & adhesives (for utility and repair)
Sleeping bags, mats and/or air mattresses (used often for house guests)
Extra blankets and pillows
Folding chairs
Carpet scraps for inside tents and out (keeps dust/mud contained)
Cold weather coats, gloves, sock caps, socks
Card games (for rainy days)

Food
Plastic coolers (with drain plugs)
Dry ice (CO2) and regular ice (small packages)
Canned beans and vegetables
Cereals, grains and nuts (sealed packages)
Salt, pepper and other spices
Dried fruits
Coffee beans and teas
Utensils for cooking and eating
Iron skillets and griddles
Nesting cook pots
Dutch oven
Coffee pot
Hot water pot

Hygiene
Plastic carrying buckets and wash tubs
Five gallon buckets fitted with faucet valves (for dispensing wash water)
Soaps in dispensers
Baby oil (or olive oil)
Toiletries (disposable wipes, tooth brushes/paste, floss, deodorant, etc.)
Portable toilets and septic chemical
Portable shower
Brooms and metal dust tray or bin (for ashes also)
Wash cloths & towels
Spare set of underwear and clothing

Medicine
Assorted plastic bandages
Cotton bandaging
Ace bandage
Antiseptic ointment and spray
Bug repellant
Cold medicine
Antihistamine (pills and/or syrup)
Analgesics (ibuprofen and/or aspirin; anti-inflammatory ointments, spray)
Aloe Vera gel
Eye wash
Nasal spray (saline)
Rubbing alcohol and swabs
Antacids
Personal medicines
Tweezers, needles & thread, nail clippers, scissors

Security
Slingshots (sport hunting quality)
Pepper spray (bear potency)
Air horn and/or whistles
Road flares and/or reflectors
Truck battery cables
Spare car keys
Infra-red motion lights and/or alarms
Mobile phones with cameras
Shortwave radios (where phones fail)
AM/FM radios
Notepad & pen
  Copy of ID’s; spare cash; emergency phone numbers
  Extra phone charger

That was all off the top of my head, thanks to recent memory of packing for travel. There will be no dearth of checklists to find online or at your local library.  But I recommend that you print these pages to keep in your own ‘readiness’ cabinet, just in case circumstances don’t allow the electronic luxury of searching out ready answers. Then compare some other lists and write your own ideas on back for keeps. During an extended power outage, your family will become celebrities around the block, just because you were prepared and can freely share the power of knowing how to survive for yet another day.

Top end of one fallen tree, was over 180 feet high.

Large branch crushed our park bench.

PG&E crew worked the night replacing power pole, downed lines and transformer.

In weeks to come, I will be referencing categories of my camping supply list for a longer-term project, already stated as the theme of this blog.  What, when the city infrastructure lets you down for more than a few days? If your family or business isn’t practiced at ‘camping out’ for at least a week, people will be prone to panic or despair. That’s no exaggeration. And even my own camping supplies won’t last so very long.



Some of the survivors… and their vanquished tree.

I want to propose another way to maintain readiness; a minimalist and self-replenishing approach, without the worry (and self-defeat) associated with a typical five or ten-year survival package. Those kits cost too much, the food tastes… well, not normal (just ask the kids) even before the package expires; and we are prone to neglect inspecting it regularly. Much like Tabernacles or family camping traditions, there has to be a better, natural way, a lifestyle method for staying prepared. After all, the Israelis did it for forty years, they say.

Please check back soon for the first installment of my Readiness Series… starting with the category of Light.

Behold the spiny fruit:

Sierra Gooseberry, Ribes roezlii

One of our discoveries while roaming among the Sequoia giants.

Yes, sweet to eat... but in a painful sort of way.