Have just arrived back from a late vacation and it's time to take stock on where we are. It being mid-September, where are folks with their preps now? How much is left to do? Do we need to triage tasks? Do we need to shift contingency plans?

We arrived home to an overgrown garden and so am now harvesting cukes, peppers, squash, and string beans and trying to figure out the fall garden. Have almost finished food storage -- except for ongoing bulk items to keep buying and last minute things. Next will be filling all those water containers.

How are other folks doing?

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), September 12, 1999

Answers

How much left to do? Too much for comfort. sigh

-- Mumsie (Shezdremn@aol.com), September 12, 1999.

some of my last minute things I need to do; buy extra screen for repairs, buy more wool socks and levi's for the family.I never was big on buying used clothing for my family untill y2k. i can't afford fifty bucks a pair and once you pay $4.00 for like new Levi's, you can never go back!I also picked up a few extra sleeping bags, they might really come in handy. Very important- yeast. I am putting off long as possible to get the latest expiration date.And whatever you do don't forget the M&M'S, HERSHEY BARS,& ALMOND JOYS!!!! Tress

-- tress (tress59@aol.com), September 12, 1999.

For sure, lots of socks are important. Work gloves. Shovel, spade. Need more canned fruits and veggies, sensodyne toothpaste, alcohol, clorox, ammonia for cleaning, square away a few financial things...I have to pack things to send to Florida and change my address with the post office...

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), September 12, 1999.

It is nice that John Q. Public continues to snore loudly, with no-hassle prepping still a reality. In my case, I pretty have all the "pieces" of my Y2K puzzle, its just a matter of putting them in place. A lot of stuff, such as a fence around my property, I have left until the weather got cooler.

Probably next month I will go on a final "shopping spree", just to finish off minor odds and ends, such as extra clothing, ammo, and various other items used in the home and garage.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), September 12, 1999.

Almost done with the water storage. Food preps done except for last minute later expiration date stuff (velveta cheese, bread to freeze, yeast, etc). Continuously pick up lamp oil, need more kerosene for heaters. Concentrating on paying off all debt that I can. Am halfway through christmas shopping (only Y2K relevant of course!). Probably won't get everything I would like to done, but close enough for peace of mind.

Just keepin' on, keepin' on

-- Sammie Davis (sammie0nospam@hotmail.com), September 13, 1999.

Mara, this seems to be my day to share ideas with you. You listed Sensodyne toothpaste. My dentist told me years ago when Aquafresh Sensitive was introduced that it has more of the ingredient and works better to stop the sensitivity that plagues me. It is much cheaper, there are frequently sales on it at CVS Pharmacy, and right now there is also a $1.00 coupon being distributed there by those "thingies". I have next year's put away and just got more coupons for the rest of this year's. Hope this helps. (And I don't work for Aquafresh!)

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), September 13, 1999.

One thing I didn't get yet is *smaller* clothes for if we slim down by necessity.

Still need the sewage backflow valve.

Gonna get the air ducts cleaned out fairly late in November, just to have it done.

Need a new water heater. Convert the old one to storage if possible.

Get the cars tweaked and up to date on all repairs so if parts get scarce we'll be as ok as possible.

That's about it.

p.s. I'll relax on December 31st, 2000. The beginning of the "real" millenium, they say. Hope to have a real party then.

-- mommacarestx (harringtondesignX@earthlink.net), September 13, 1999.

Some time ago a alternate spelling of the Boy Scout Motto came into my mind's eye:

Bee Prepared!

I got a bee hive kit and set it up on a friends place about 3 hours north of the City.

On of the things I've got left to do is to order two new queesn, divide the hive into two smaller 5-framme hives (nucs) and then move them down to the City (where I plan to feed them sugar-water over the winter and give them access to the outside via plastic hose).

If things get chaotic I plan to place the nucs on a couple of rickty night stands I have and put the night stands leaning up against the front and back door of the house.

The average City looter/rapist/canibal tends to run from the sight of ONE bee...let alone finding themselves "nuc'd" by 30,000 or so.

-- Dennis Law (PaulLaw@aol.com), September 14, 1999.