As a child, I began stockpiling food 'just in case.' I always had three nutritious meals every day and never went hungry, but when my younger siblings started growing and passing my height I always made sure I made it to the dinner table on time.
I began hoarding by saving Halloween and Easter candy for months and even years. When I was given the advice to keep high calorie snacks in a vehicle when travelling in winter, I thought it was a great idea. When I got my own kitchen with cupboards to fill I did just that.
I have jars of beautiful jams and pickles I've made or received from friends and family. I have a hard time passing up a deal on staple foods, so I always have canned soups, vegetables, fruits and dry goods.
My siblings used to tease me, calling my storage room 'the bomb shelter,' because I had enough food to survive for weeks, maybe even months. The teasing hasn't stopped the habit and I feel secure knowing if we couldn't get to a store for a while we wouldn't go hungry.
When the snow falls, I often wonder if I'll be stuck at home, but other than the boredom I don't really worry.
During recent storms I watched as friends from around North America commented online about the needs of neighbours and the response of their communities. A friend who lives in New York City made several comments asking friends in the area to stop in at local shelters to donate hot meals.
Our power grid seems stable, but I sure wouldn't want to be without power for an extended period during the winter. During the summer I try to remember to keep some extra drinking water on hand and imagine a possible outage as an opportunity to live like pioneers or spend a little time camping. Winter outages are more worrisome.
The barbecue is only steps away from the back door, making it easy to cook food. The frozen food could be stored outside where it wouldn't thaw and we would be able to melt snow to drink. If the heat went out it would be even more serious, but I think we would be able to manage. Our new home has a fireplace I don't plan to use, but would be grateful for in an emergency. It would just be a matter of finding something to burn.
We have the resources and stockpiles available if we really need them, but I'm also grateful to have them for those cold, snowy times when I'd rather not have to leave the house. Some days, winter looks better when viewed through a window over the cover of a good book from a perch on a couch.
