Circling the Wagons ... in uncertain times and disaster situations: Class #1

Circling the Wagons …. in uncertain times and emergency situations

By patsi @ A Working Pantry

Wagon clipart link … https://clipart-library.com/clipart/713877.htm

Class #1

Hello everyone and welcome to the first class in our Circling the Wagons preparedness class.  Before we dive in though, I want us to get a full understanding of what the term ‘circling the wagons’ means.  After taking a look at the definition, I think you’ll agree that there is indeed a need for us to draw inward and ‘circle the wagons.’

In wagon train days, wagons would move along in train formation at a slow pace one after another.  Slowly they would make their way to their destination, sometimes taking weeks or even months.  They didn’t usually stop for long periods of time until they got to their destination unless they perceived a threat of danger.  Then they would place the wagons in a circle as a form of protection, a barrier between potential harm or threat and themselves, if you will.  Do you see where I’m going with this?

In this class we’re uniting as a group to help each other learn and be as prepared for uncertain times and emergency events as possible. We are our own wagon train!

We’ve all seen the headlines; we all feel the unease and expectation of ‘waiting for the next shoe to drop’ in the chaos of today’s world and we’re all being affected one way or another. There’s no doubt about it, we are living in troublesome times, throw in a disaster situation like Hurricane Helene and it almost seems to be too much … listen up, it can’t be too much!  I know we are all so tired of it all, worn down would be another way to describe it, but we have families that depend on us for physical and emotional support to get them through.  We can’t take our eyes off the goal!  As women we play a major role in our families, whether we have children at home or are empty nesters (those grown children still need us and the support we can offer too, just in different ways).  God truly did give women a super important role in His plan for mankind!

So, here we are faced with the current chaos of our world, what are we to do?  We are to get prepared to help those who mean the most to us and then to help others.  But how do we do that when times are uncertain, finances are limited, and we may have health issues that limit us further?  We just want to be able to take care of our families where we’re at during these uncertain times, be prepared for an unexpected disaster as best we can while not feeling overwhelmed and being made to feel like things are so bad that there is no hope … and we don’t know where to begin.

Does that about size up where you’re at, if so come on and jump into this class with me … I just might be able to help because I’ve gone through all the fear mongering, and you’ve got to do ‘this’ thing that is going to make or break your survival in any given situation.  I found myself so overwhelmed by it that at one point I came to the conclusion that there had to be a better way, that this fear mongering was not God’s way and so I set out to find it.

That’s what this class is about, being prepared to the best of our abilities where we’re at with what we’re able to do and then be content with that.

I hope this class will empower you to know that you can be prepared for uncertain times and for unexpected disasters without the hopelessness and fear that today’s fear mongering brings.

Are you ready to ‘circle those wagons?’ … let’s get started …

This is the day that your imaginary world changes.

Whatever resources you have right now are what you’ll have to work with during this class. For some this imaginary situation is occurring in the summer, for others it’s in the winter and for some it’s between the two. Whatever season you’re in, that’s your background for this scenario. Whatever your weather is for each day of the ‘scenario’ is the weather you will be dealing with. Also, nothing is coming in, what you have is what you have to work with.

Remember, this class is to assess where you are in your preparedness, so you can better equip yourself to deal with your reality.

Right off the bat, we’re going to check our ‘short-term emergency’ preparedness!  You know those things that will take care of your basic needs for up to a month such as water, food, etc.  Don’t have ‘short-term emergency preparedness in place?  Open your notebook and label that as your first entry in your notebook, we’ll come back to it later.  Also, don’t forget to take any notes from the lessons and or comments as we go along that are pertinent to your situation.

Wagons circled … eyes and ears alert … let’s go …

It’s the middle of the night and something awakens you, you get awake enough to realize you don’t need to go to the bathroom, but you might as well go since you’re awake, it might save a trip later in the night.  You head to the bathroom noting along the way that you need to replace your nightlight as it’s not burning.  You take care of your business and carefully make your way back to bed noting that something seems off, the house is too quiet.  You glance at your watch lying on the bedside table and notice that it’s 1 a.m.  In your groggy condition, you chalk the quietness of your house up to just one of those things and fall promptly back to sleep.

The next thing you notice is the sun streaming through your bedroom window and you know instantly that you have overslept!  The sun never streams through your window at 6 a.m. in the morning.  You jump up in true ‘home alone, we overslept’ fashion and head for the kitchen calling for everyone to get up and get dressed as soon as possible.  If you have kids, they are late for school and you and or your husband, if you are married, are late for wherever you are supposed to be!

Inwardly you wonder how this happened as you start preparations for the quickest breakfast possible.  You open the refrigerator door to take out the milk, it’s going to be a milk and cereal or milk and pop tart kind of morning.  As you pick up the milk jug, you notice it feels warm, not cold at all and you think something must be wrong with the refrigerator … which is not what you want to be dealing with today of all days when the whole household has overslept!

At about the same time, someone yells from the bathroom, ‘there’s no water’ … and then it hits you … a warm refrigerator, no water and the alarm clock that didn’t go off … there’s no power!

Your first thought is, did I pay the power bill?  Then you remember that you did, so that’s not the issue.

Your next thought is, ‘I’m sure the power will come back on soon; someone must have had a wreck and took out a utility pole.’  After reasoning it all out in your mind, your next thought is, ‘what am I going to feed my family for breakfast and how am I going to get everyone bathed and out the door to where they are supposed to be with no power or water?’

With the resources you have in your home right now, what are you going to feed your family and how are they going to bathe? What about brushing their teeth?  Morning breath is the worst!

For those of you who have taken my classes before you know I don’t reveal everything about the situation at the beginning of the scenario.  This time is no different!  Next week the situation worsens, but for right now, we have to figure out what to feed the family for breakfast, how to get them bathed, get their teeth brushed and get everyone to where they are supposed to be … maybe!

Okay ladies, share away, how are you going to handle this situation?  Let’s circle our wagons, share and help each other figure out solutions.

Oh, one more thing … in addition to the main post on Mondays, it might be wise to be on alert for unexpected ‘pop-up’ posts throughout the week that could help or hinder the situation you find yourself in … just saying …!

Oooops!  There is one more thing … please share pictures whenever applicable.  Some of us are visual learners and you know what they say … ‘a picture is worth a thousand words!’

Okay, over to you …

patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps keep in sewing supplies.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.