Preparation is valuable

The weather could not have been more beautiful.
Where we were.
But while we were down in southern Indiana visiting our youngest daughter at Indiana University, large numbers of relatives and friends were facing a weekend in the path of Hurricane Irene.
And while some of them weren’t well-equipped to handle the storm, we were well prepared.
Maybe that’s because I was a Boy Scout.
I was not, to tell the truth, a very good Boy Scout. I made it to Second Class Scout, but in many ways I was truly third class, a little too undisciplined and certainly unmotivated.
But the scout motto — be prepared — somehow stuck, despite my insufficiencies.
For instance, in the trunk of my car, you’ll find: A fleece blanket, a warm hat (thanks to regular prodding from my friend Jay Miller), a windbreaker/rain jacket, a collapsible shovel in case I’m ever called upon to dig a pit toilet in an emergency, a neon chartreuse vest to wear while taking photos at a traffic accident, a Valvoline beach towel that came with an oil change, and probably a couple of other useful items.
In the glove compartment, you’ll find, in addition to a spare reporter’s notebook and pen, one of those crank-for-power flashlights.
That last item provided a certain amount of kidding the last time the power went out at the office.
But it’s a great little device. And this failed Boy Scout recommends it.
That was doubly true this weekend.
Sally, our youngest, was concerned about a former I.U. roommate who now lives and teaches on Long Island, NY.
Said roommate has always been long on enthusiasm and woefully short on practicality.
It took prodding from Indiana to get her to check the batteries in her flashlight and charge her cellphone as the storm approached.
Meanwhile, under much calmer skies, we were renting a cabin in Brown County. (During peak weekends at I.U., it’s actually cheaper to rent a place in Brown County than find a hotel room in Bloomington. Plus, you have privacy, your own kitchen, a fireplace, and usually a hot tub. Now that’s what I call being prepared.)
But as it turned out, this old scout had to tap his emergency supplies to get through the weekend.
We didn’t take a flashlight, for one thing. So the crank-it model was put into service and found our way to the door Friday evening.
Then it turned out that the cabin didn’t have a radio.
The crank-it all-service device, however, did.
I’d crank about 50 to a hundred times, then we’d listen to music or updates on the hurricane/tropical storm for a while. Then I’d crank it again. And so the evening went.
And maybe it’s just me, but the radio never sounded better than after I’d invested a little sweat equity into it.
A final note: If you don’t have a weather radio, get one. The crystal models require no batteries and cost very little. And if you have a chance to buy one of those little crank-it flashlight/radio units, I recommend it. And if you are wondering, the answer is, no I don’t own stock in the manufacturer.[[In-content Ad]]