Stormbringer's Thunder

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Almost two years ago, I wrote about my beginnings in emergency preparedness . I learned many things but let much of it slide. Even so, it is good to keep some things stocked for situations such as blizzards, power outages, confinement, and so on. Especially water. An employee in a big box store was asked about storage containers. A storm was coming, and she wanted to fill them with water from the bathtub. If she found containers, I hope she washed them first. It would be good for a short-term solution. Water storage bottles, Unsplash / Jude Wilson The CDC recommends having at least  one gallon of water on hand per person for three days. Water from the typical municipal faucet is regulated and safe even if it does not taste wonderful. I learned that those gallons and smaller bottles of water deteriorate structurally, and plastic breaks down —  and microplastics and chemicals leech into the water. (Those clear or slightly-tinted bottles are good for...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Throughout history, there have been rifts between generations. Sometimes there was a lack of understanding, but there seemed to be some degree of respect for one another. Nowadays, the rifts seem to be much more hostile than they were in previous ages; there is pride in belonging to a group. Or am I full of hooey on that? Making lists of generational groups is confined to the twentieth century groups. I am considered a Baby Boomer (a title I dislike), which has a large range from 1946-1964. It comes from the baby boom after the Second World War. Generation Jones is mostly forgotten, a kind of subgroup of the Boomers, which runs from 1954-1965. I fit in that range and feel more in common with them than the full Boomer group. Generation X is listed from 1965-1980, and the Millennials (also called Generation Y) are 1981-1996. (My offspring are Millennials.) Obviously, people have made lists for subsequent generations. While I do not think the assigning of numbe...