Hi, gang.

This Saturday at work I thought about the massive amount of matches I have been accumulating in preparation for the coming depression. I admit these matches are for not only my use, but for my family and neighbors who DGI. I don't know how long Y2K problems will last, but I want to be ready. As time passed without indigenous panic situations, I continued purchasing more and more matches. I also have several dozen butane lighters and several magnesium fire starters.

Are you guilty of Y2K prep overkill? If so, then please detail your list. This post is meant to add humor and/or dire concern regarding those who take Y2K without a grain of salt.

Also, I have three digit's worth of TP and canned beef stew and double digits's worth of Morton iodized salt. :)

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 27, 1999

Answers

Well, at the cost of ridicule .... somehow, we ended up with 20 pounds of dried coconut. I don't think I've eaten more than one pound in my entire life.

Got coconut?

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), March 27, 1999.

It just occurred to me that I should start stocking up on fire extinquishers.

8^)

=DSA

-- David S. Angal (dsangal@ibm.net), March 27, 1999.

I have a match, my ass and your face. (Even though it's a nice one)

Got a light?

-- seen the light (myass@yourface.hi), March 27, 1999.

Dino,

Hey - more power to ya! What the hell, they're cheap, right. As you said, you'll have plenty to give to friends in need, and you can sell them to people like "myass", when he comes begging at your door!

-- @ (@@@.@), March 27, 1999.

Hey @, (doesn't that sound funny)

Can you take a joke? That was an old joke! Sorry if ya didn't GI.

-- Bic (flick@yourbic.click), March 27, 1999.

What the hell good are matches to your DGI friends? They don't have food to cook so why would they need a match? They don't have candles, so why would they need a match? They don't have any fuel for heat, so why would they need a match? Yeh, give the matches to your DGI friends so they can light a match to a bottle that is filled with gasoline and a rag and burn you out. David is the smartest one, he's thinking fire--got fire extinguishers?

-- pyro (pyro@maniac.com), March 27, 1999.

Hey y'all, lighten up. I'm sure we all overstock on one perticular item for whatever reason.

I happen to have an awful lot of rice bags and comparatively few cans of beasn, rice is so cheap! But I only have one box of matches and a couple of those long Cryptos lighters so far. I have about 20+ oil lamp wicks too, but only 3 lamps.

Oh, and I collect those little bottles of hotel shampoo etc. and tiny bottles of booze...I have quiet a collection of them...started before I was Y2K aware too. I just love hording those things. I'm thinking now they might come in handy for bartering.

I'm wondering if there's an underlying meaning to what we overstock...hmm. Maybe Dino is a pyromaniac wannabe? ;)

-- Baglady (guilty@too.com), March 27, 1999.

Well, I think it would have to be soap. I have it in all forms. Liquid anti-bacterial soap in huge bottles, bar soap, sweet smelling lavendar for morale and barter, dish soap, laundry soap, saddle soap, insecticidal soap. We might get cold, but by cracky, we will certainly be clean. Got plenty of water so that's no worry.

-- Ramp Rat (Aviation_R_us@noname.nocity), March 27, 1999.

Y'all know it's cat litter for us. For the serious stuff, I think we have more coffee than anything. (I've given up/had to give up smoking, meat and fish, anything containing sugar--yes, including alcohol, dammit--and most things containing fat. I refuse to give up coffee, although it's been suggested. I just said, "Make me," and glared. The doc backed off.) Now, about those matches, Dinosaur. If Y2K is only the proverbial bump, you can cut the ends off and build real neat little models of stuff, like forts, log houses, shoot, you have enough for a model of Chartres. Or you can whittle the ends off and make your own toothpicks.

Do you have any of those long fireplace matches? Thought I'd get a couple of boxes, never know when you might have to stand back to light something. Like those wind breaks you guys like to do.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 27, 1999.

Old Git: You remind me of my mother, she's 75 with your sense of humour. I always enjoy reading your posts because they are down to earth and matter of fact. I missed you there a few days when you didn't post but learned you were taking care of your cats. That's a good enough reason. I have a part female siamese cat (here name is Sammy), and if she were sick you wouldn't find me here either.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), March 28, 1999.

I hear ya Old Git. I'm the only coffee drinker here and I have 18 large cans of coffee and buying more tomorrow.. Some things are simply indispensible!

-- EYE ON Y2K (bugscaresme@mellinium.com), March 28, 1999.

Hey BAGLADY!

I've got 600 pounds of packed pinto beans and not enough rice! Either I can trade with you or open up a Mexican Food Restaurant.

I also have powdered shortening. I'm not kidding. What the heck do you use that stuff for?

I also have over 500 of those "tea light" candles (only cost 8 cents each, but 500 is a bit much)

*sigh* yep. Definitely too much prepping.

Jolly likes beans but not THAT much.

-- Jollyprez (jolly@prez.com), March 28, 1999.

Matches are good for as long as they last, but dont forget they still are a consumable item and also subject to deterioration. I highly recommend also including a magnifying lens in any backpack or "go" kit. Also purchase several for the house and you will not be without an eventual source of fire, albeit if you are careless about keeping your fire going or neglect to plan to get it ignited while the sun shines you may learn some survival lessons the hard way, but then experience is the teacher of last resort.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), March 28, 1999.

Make sure you have one roll TP for every pound of beans. GOT BEANO ?

-- SCOTTY (BLehman202@aol.com), March 28, 1999.

I have a part female siamese cat

Whats the other part,male?

lol

-- (x@x.gov), March 28, 1999.

Hey! Beano's expensive! Surely someone on this forum knows how to make it! 'Better hear from you soon. Can you imagine your house if your relatives show up and its chili every night for a week? LOL! (Maybe that guy stocking up on matches had an ulterior motive, beyond lighting candles and starting fires!)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), March 28, 1999.

All: Better to have overkill than underlive.

-- Daryl Bittner (rushmore@dailypost.com), March 28, 1999.

Don't know what other part my siamese cat is, she thinks she's a dog though.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), March 28, 1999.

Bardou, funny you should say that. Before I met Sweetie I was determined never to remarry and planned to become a Village Cat Lady home in England somewhere. Absolutely true, no joke. Now I'm half of "those oddball people with all the cats." Sweetie will tell you I rescued him off the street, cleaned him up, got him his shots, deflead him, etc., everything except had him fixed. (I should confess I did a bit of stand-up comedy at a British pub in NO's French Quarter.) As for our 12-year old Nelson, sorry to report he didn't make it through the surgery.

Jolly, powdered shortening, huh? If you use it with powdered potatoes, can you get powdered french fries out of it?

Ann, us old gits usually have a couple of magnifying glasses hanging about, some in the form of those "cheaters" (half-glasses) you buy at the drugstore. And cheaters aren't a bad stash item, either, come to think of it.

FM, check out richters.com, a great herb catalgue on-line which sells epazote seed. Epazote is very easy to grow and dry. According to Mexican friends, you need only a leaf or two in a bean pot to render diners socially acceptable. Whether it's the placebo effect or real, it seems to work for us. (And, being aging vegetarians, we were at the point where we wondered if special works had been composed, memories of Blazing Saddles, you know, for a wind quartet with close friends. For individuals, I think the Trumpet Voluntary might do nicely.)

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 28, 1999.

Old Git:

I don't have any long fireplace matches...yet. I'm depending upon my quick reflexes.

Jollyprez:

That's a lot of beans! I might catch up to you in a month or so...

Ramp Rat:

Yes, I have numerous forms of soap, but I need to store more.

I think I'm becoming a Y2K pack rat.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 28, 1999.

I've six feet of file folders full of Y2k-related stuff printed out from the internet and usenet! (gasp) I started in 1997, is that a good excuse?

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), March 28, 1999.

Does a drawer full of twist ties count as Y2K prep? Nah, probably not, since I have hoarded them for years. (And I can't explain why.) One of our obsessively hoarded Y2K items is toilet paper, the hallmark of civilization.

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), March 28, 1999.

Let's see... I have 24 cans of Safe Heat (Sterno) that each are supposed to last 36 hours....would that be considered overkill? How bout 10 cans of Tang, Country Time Lemonade, etc that EACH make about 20 gallons of the stuff?

We have about 2000 matches, twelve 100 hour candles, four oil lamps and tons of lamp oil and replacement wicks.

My theory is that the stuff you have the most of is what you are most worried about.

At last count, we had over 35 blankets (good googly-woogly we don't even live anywhere that cold--Dallas to be exact) and over 50 batteries of different types . Also about 5000 paper plates and 12 different medical reference type books.

Sheesh.

Oh and 15 unopened jigsaw puzzles.

-- Preparing (preparing@home.com), March 28, 1999.

I am collecting tonnage in seeds. I've always collected seeds & now I've got a real good excuse. Now alls I need is more dirt to plant them all in. All I have on this hillside is caliche & rocks. I could have some trucked in, but I've spent all my money on seeds.

-- mostly lurking (mostly lurking@podunk.texas), March 28, 1999.

Preparing -- LOL! We've got 71 cans of sterno... And 36 sticks of deodorant (plus 2 crystal deodorant stones) so far anyway... Lots of soap too... Funny the things you suddenly realize you've got an embarrassing amount of... Can't have too much water though!

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), March 29, 1999.

Love this thread! So timely, was just realizing the other day the number of lanterns, lamps, candles, sconces for the all rooms in the house I had collected....does this tie into a fear of darkness? Also can't resist buying mortons iodized salt everytime I go to the store (can you say high blood pressure?). Had a panic attack about the "key to civilization item" TP the other day, so that's my latest obsession.

I've decided that stocking up on items for Y2k has replaced my "shoe obsession". Now I'm a reformed Imelda Marcos. Seems like we all have our oddities, but jeesh, 20 lbs of coconut!!!

Got rum?

-- Cary Mc from Tx (Caretha@compuserve.com), March 29, 1999.

Old Git, sorry about Nelson. :-(

I have a HUGE stash of "feminine products." I told my 16 year old daughter to ask her grandma what they used in the "old days" and after she found out, she MADE me buy a truck load. :-)

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), March 29, 1999.

Gayla, check out 'the Keeper' at

http://www.y2kwomen.com/keeper/index.html

I know, it sounds gross, and until you get used to it, it sort of IS gross, BUT... (think diaphram, kind of)

I got one about 5 months ago, and I love the stupid thing. It is the very best thing I've ever used, and considering that I started with belts (how old am I?...) I guess I've done some serious comparison shopping over the years. I would strongly recommend it to anyone. If you think you're too squeamish, like my sis-in-law ("ICK!!! NO WAY!!!) I strongly recommend you get over it ASAP. Being squeamish is going to go the way of luxury, dontcha think?

They last about 10 years each, according to the maker, so let's see, I guess I'm good to go myself, and a couple in each size for my daughter...

Sorry if this has made anyone ill, I tried to be nice.

But even you fellas ought to check this out, too. The alternatives are non-renewable (mostly) goods that may become impossible to find. And if any of you guys are leaping off this thread because YOU'RE squeamish about 'FE-male type stuff', better get over it. You may find yourself getting to know your significant others in many ways you never dreamed of.

Caring for ourselves and one another is going to change, folks. It's not too soon to get acquainted with the business. Rob Michaels has mentioned several times that physical fitness (including strength & endurance) will be crucial to survival. I think familiarity with the human body & it's various conditions (old age, menses, pregnancy, etc.) is a good idea as well.

I didn't mean to rattle on so. I'll shut up now! ;)

-- Arewyn (nordic@northnet.net), March 29, 1999.

OldGit,

You have managed to inject a considerable quantity of mirth into my morning; a rare treat for which I thank you. The image your post conjured up of yourself (as you have described yourself in various postings) holding a long handled match and attempting to set alight a "wind break" generated by a salty old "Sweetie" full of "home brew" and no doubt in posession of a fully functioning afterburner, while a horde of felines scrambles for cover indeed had me ROTFLMAO!

In the spirit of reciprocity, let me offer this link to a website of one of your countrymen, Mr Methane . I don't think he offers the Trumpet Voluntary, but some of his other selections might suffice. . .

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), March 29, 1999.

Geez Hardliner, until now I never had a vision of the S literally HTF, ummm...thanks, I think.

Actually, if things get real bad, entertainment will be at a premium, and, ummmm, maybe if we all start practicing real hard NOW, we could develop this skill, and be minstrels after the rollover. I know I have enough beans to keep me going for a while.......

That rendition of Blue Danube brought tears to my eyes...

-- Online WAY 2 much (ready_for_y2k@mindspring.com), March 29, 1999.

I have seeds, and cat food. Ha! Priorities are important...food for They Who Must Be Obeyed, and food for me. Aside,...started the spring clearing and will plant seeds for early harvest at the end of the year...this includes lemon grass for the feline darlings.

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), March 29, 1999.

OK, Cary Mc .... the coconut isn't so bad, but I have 5 pounds of tapioca. I LOVE tapioca (actually, I love to eat, though it hasn't quite ruined me yet), but I haven't gotten through three ounces of the stuff in the past six months. Weird. It's my family that is usually ROFLTAO (T = "their) at my Y2K prep antics.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), March 29, 1999.

So it's YOU, Hardliner! You're the one with the black helicopters shooting video of our family activities! I too chose Blue Danube to listen to. I called Sweetie in to listen to it and, totally oblivious to what I was about to play, he said, "Oh, there you are--you move like the wind!" just as I pushed the button. Were I in better shape I would have been ROTFLMAO.

Did I tell you Sweetie's first gift to me was a rubber chicken (one of those from the Archie McPhee catalogue, hand-made by Spanish artisans). Sweetie collects snow domes (he even has one from the Vatican with two Vatican guards standing in the snow) and is appalled at the thought that he may not be able to get them after TSHTF. It's a worse situation than with pharmaceuticals, you know, 100% of snow domes are made overseas.

You'll be happy to know, by the way, that at a posh Manhattan party during his wild Airedale days, Sweetie upchucked his theretofore elegant hors d'oeuvres and copious quantities of G&T in an unlit fireplace belonging to a Time writer.

You might be able to catch a sighting of Sweetie at Libertynation.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 29, 1999.

Okay, I have about 240 pairs of Sports Heat hand warmers the kind that heats up when exposed to air & last about seven hours. I read this survival/camping book which recounted Alaskan camping trips & the Author definately drove the point home that if your hands are too cold to start a fire you're in trouble, so.......

At least they are enviromentally safe & bidegradable.

Okay, I'm a thirty-one year old Artist who already has arthritic hands, so maybe there is somthing more to my obsession.....

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), March 29, 1999.

I just bought 1200 coffee filters and... um... 6000 more Ohio Blue Tip matches. When I first looked for them locally, nichts. Weeks ago someone on this message board linked me to Gary North's web page regarding these Strike Anywhere matches. After sending off my $40 check, I soon received them. I thought they were quite expensive compared to the standard book matches and strike-on-box matches, so I focused upon buying these kinds in my local stores.

Late one night in my favorite grocery store (when there are few shoppers and thus fewer odd looks) I was loading up on some discount advertising matches (made by Diamond), and I happened to notice some dark blue boxes nearby. Yes, I hit the Diamond mine! Apparently they were finally able to restock some, so I... you guessed it.

These cost about $.30 less per box than buying directly from Diamond, so I'll continue to add more to my... collection.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 29, 1999.

I can't go grocery shopping without buying many of the biggest size containers of quick cooking (store brand) oats. I have a LOT of brand new 6 gallon buckets to fill up as soon as I am done freezing all the critters outta this stuff!

BTW, anyone literate on what is ok to freeze and what isn't? Oats? I know about rice and I am freezing my beans, too and I know grains and flour should be, but what about powdered dry milk? I have a LOT of that and don't know if I should

And what about minute rice? Hasn't that already been cooked a bit (and thus, theorectically lost the critters?) Sorry I know these questions probably belong on another thread, I just like the audience this one is drawing...

-- Preparing (Preparing@home.com), March 29, 1999.

Old Git:

What are possible uses for rubber chickens and snow domes?

Could rubber chickens be filled with beans and rice to smuggle into household kitchens? No one eats rubber chickens, so who'd check? Could rubber chickens serve as portable water containers?

Do snow domes freeze? If left outside in Winter to get cold, could they be brought inside to cool down hot Jello? Would they be acceptable as a cold compress if wrapped in a cloth? Is the fluid safe to drink? How many clever but strange people might consider filling snow domes with liquor and smuggling alcohol that way?

I have no rubber chickens and snow domes. Are these worthwhile to obtain?

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 29, 1999.

Speaking of overkill, for me it may be battery chargers (8 of them) and nicads (100 count). "The stuff you have the most of is the stuff you're most worried about" To me, shortwave radio will be a lifeline to stay on top of what's happening. TV news (if broadcasting) will be a fascinating phenomenon. No light at night is scary. Meanwhile, got lanterns, but find them not nearly as maneuverable as non-fuel lights.

Old Git: thanks for the laughs (this time and many other times) and the epazote tip. Got good mileage out of the methane jokes (we have now solved our alternative energy problem!).

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), March 29, 1999.

Dinosaur--you're a genius! Can't think of many uses for the chicken, but stuffing it with paper money--yes--great hiding place. As for the snow domes, you got me thinking (not easy)--they have a little plug underneath so you can top of the water level. Now if we were to fill them with gasoline and insert a bit of flammable cloth in the hole, we'd have Molotov cocktailettes!

Had another look at what bit of our stash we have in the house and I see we're quite heavy on potato flakes. Much easier to cook than rice. Besides, I'm English, it's mandatory to eat potatoes at least once a day.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 29, 1999.

Sure I have many matches, but that's NOTHING compared to the myriad garden seeds I've purchased: thousands and thousands of tiny lettuces, carrots, turnips, kohlrabi, onions and others; hundreds and hundreds of cucumbers, peas, beans, tomatoes, sweet corns and others...

I'm taking serious preparations to obtain viable seeds before the mass panic happens because when the economic crash hits America, the available seed supply for home gardeners will vanish within days. Seed companies grow only a limited amount based upon anticipated sales and crop harvests, and NO ONE can handle the sudden demand when DGI non-gardeners decide they need seeds, too.

I plan on providing these seeds to my DGI family and friends to plant when they realize they can't obtain fresh produce from California and Florida and are willing to sweat to eat. No weeding, no feeding.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 29, 1999.

Old Git:

I'm not a genius.

Does any reader perceive being guided and instructed by a "genius" according to Thoreau's concept?

I do have some English blood, some Irish, Scottish, too, but my father married a Boucher, so I'm quite inconsistent having this French blood flowing across the channel, errant thoughts capsizing in waves of irrational imagination. I'm usually at war with myself.

Maybe I'll invent a Millennium snow dome and make $$$ over in England! And I could make a special limited edition with the Millennium human serenely submerged, surrounded by rainbow sparkles! HAHAHAHAHA

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 30, 1999.

Dino, I doubt there are many Brits without soem French blood--from William the Conqueror back in 1066. But with Ma coming from a Co. Cork family and Dad Church of England, well. . .

I still think you're a genius--look what you've sparked now: Time for a snow dome contest, oui? How about a completely black, opaque snow dome, labeled: "DGI at home, NY Day 2000." When you shake it, it says, "Damn, I was SO WRONG!" Then you could have a happy family in a cozy living room, nice fire burning, oil lamps, Baygen on the table, and when you shake it lots of tiny beans and rice grains float around. More ideas come to mind, but let's all have a go at this.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 30, 1999.

Big Dog, I'm not really making fun of you, but I did almost pee in my pants when I got to your post.(G) I'm glad you're giving your family a reason to laugh, it beats crying, and I've done my share of that over Y2k.

Reading everyone's FUBARS has been the best release I've had in weeks, I sure hope people continue to add to this thread. It makes us all just a little more human and sharing our frailities is good for us in this very scary time.

P.S. My husband likes Tapioca too, I hadn't thought of stocking it though until now....perhaps you'd like to trade some tapioca for salt?

-- Cary Mc from Tx (Caretha@compuserve.com), March 30, 1999.

Dinosaur,

The DGIs are in awareness. They have a road ahead of them to get to our stage. That's why you can and will continue to be able to get non-hybrids. Congrats on being part of the non-coding solution... Also, remember that the DGIs are OUR suppliers. Let us pray... Y2K Concerned

-- PJC (paulchri@msn.com), March 30, 1999.

PJC:

Yes, you are correct about DGIs being in awareness. They DO worry sometimes and think about how it might affect them, but they take no actions. They're waiting for a sign, but when the crash hits, it'll be too late, and the panic will be uncontrollable. When I tell this scenario to aware DGIs, they always change the topic or become busy with some other matter. It's simply too burdensome for them to handle, yet they'll be literally shocked with deep fear when it does suddenly happen. The best we can do is help them calm down and offer aid and advice. (Some who mocked me probably won't want to hear what I have to say WTSHTF.)

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 30, 1999.

BigDog:

I choose tapioca over coconut. When my local grocery store has another ButOneGetOneFree sale on Thank You brand canned tapioca pudding, I'll get several cases. I can't complain about this product; the tapioca mixture is consistently good, there's no bad aftertaste, and the can has an inner protective lining to safeguard the delicate flavor against the metal of the can. Besides, the product comes with a plastic lid for resealing, and after the pudding is gone, cleaning the empty can provides the eater with a new storage container and removeable top. Thank you, Thank You!

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 30, 1999.

Old Git:

Those are very clever concepts for snow domes. You win!

Here's another idea: one side of a dome has a crowd of miniature DGIs and the other side has a miniature grocery store. Tilt the dome and watch the DGI mob rush toward the store's entrance. Bet they all won't make it inside! HAHAHAHAHA

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 31, 1999.

Hmmm ... didn't realize there was such a market for tapioca (and I meant tapioca crystals: they'll go for decades, folks). Not sure whether this falls into the same camp, but my mother-in-law has 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel for her genset (about 9,000 hours of use). But almost no food. Warmth over sustenance is her game. I keep telling her it's going to be difficult to eat diesel fuel ......

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), March 31, 1999.

Preparing: freeze your oats. Don't know about the milk.

Thank you all for giving me new ideas on what to increase our stock of. Also helped to cast an eye over what -- just perhaps -- we might *stop* buying for the moment!!!! ;-)

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), March 31, 1999.

How about the Clinton Snow Dome?

It just snows all the time so you can't see what's inside.

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), March 31, 1999.

Dear Sir,

We have recently been informed that you are storing an inordinate amount of combustible material in your home. We are therefore terminating your property insurance effective immediately.

Sincerely, The Big Pru

-- agent (pru@insurance.home), March 31, 1999.

So can anyone tell me about freezing powdered milk to get rid of critters?

Thanks in advance....(the question by the way, is: is it necessary to freeze powdered milk? Does it hold up to freezing?)

-- Preparing (Preparing@home.com), March 31, 1999.

How about a Peter DeJager snowdome? Peter, in all his sleek corpulence in an overstuffed armchair in front of a roaring fire....and when you shake it, he's engulfed in a flurry of dollar bills.

Hallyx

"Hu-mons are nice friendly people...as long as their bellies are full and their holodecks are working" --- Quark

-- Hallyx (Hallyx@aol.com), March 31, 1999.

How about the post-Clinton Snow Dome? There's no snow due to overproduction of chlorofluorocarbons and the greenhouse effect, but it's filled with fresh water from melted Antarctica. This will be manufactured after Gore loses the next election.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), April 01, 1999.

Great snow dome ideas! Checking out some spring gardening today, I also thought of a Y2K vegetable patch--when you shake it, tiny hornworms, caterpillars, Colorado beetles and spider mites fly around then fall on all the crops. Snow domes might be a good hobby post-Y2K but, due to water shortages, probably would be better to create miniature dioramas like the old ships in bottles.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), April 02, 1999.

Prepared -- Don't know about freezing milk. Why don't you post your question on a separate thread?

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), April 02, 1999.

I keep a billion gallons of water in the aquifer under my house. Is that too much?

-- Prometheus (fire@for.man), May 05, 1999.

I thought chocolate chips were in one of the basic food groups. No one here even mentions having a couple of hundred pounds in their stash. What good are matches without chocolate?

-- Sharon L (sharonl@volcano.net), May 05, 1999.

Since I last posted to this thread, Sweetie has brought home a present from his co-workers--a snowdome with his photo inside! What a concept! (The photo shows Sweetie in his Mr. Bill "Oh, noooooo!" pose.)

Also since then I've noticed I'm accumulating more and more coffee beans and less and less cat litter. . . I guess my subconscious tells me the beans could substitute for litter in case of an emergency, but the reverse is NOT true!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 05, 1999.

I just counted, and I have over 50 gallons of wine. I've been adding a few extra things to my shopping cart and setting it aside, taking advantage of the sales to keep the costs down. Looks like I've been taking advantage of sales on wine, lol. That, along with toilet paper, cloth, yarn, thread and needles.

-- Hilda (cheers@shakenwellstirred.com), May 05, 1999.

I have an inordinate amount of bandages and first aid stuff. The initial list of the web I used suggested them. Funny, cause my family is rarely ill or injured. I even got a pair of crutches and a velcro knee brace at the thrift store. I also have matches - lots of matches. (BTW, the ordinary strike on side of box wooden matches will light on yer hiney in a pair of tight jeans. "Strike any rear" matches?) I keep buying more duct tape. Never can remember where I left the opened roll.

I need morton sea salt. Got Goiters?

-- marsh (armstrng@sisqtel.net), May 06, 1999.