My 6 year old daughter participated in a ballet recital the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The event took place in the cafeteria/auditorium at an elementary school, and there must have been over 200 parents and family members assembled for the dance.

The dancers ranged from 4 years old up to about 12. It was pretty cute.

But I can't go anywhere, anymore, without thinking about The Topic.

In August 1998 I held my first public Y2K meeting. If things had gone as I'd hoped, the recital would have been part of the larger community meeting plan.

On this Saturday before Thanksgiving 1999, every school in the county would have hosted a community meeting. Some entertainment, some sing-a-long songs, reports from neighborhood block captains. An assessment of how the community as a whole is doing, what still needs to be done, etc.

It would have been a time of deep thankfulness, a time to pray for mercy for ourselves and all people everywhere; a time to give thanks that we've made new friends among our neighbors and created a new community, a new awareness of how we each fit into the larger whole of community.

It would have been a time to give thanks for how we had made love and trust the most important part of our busy days of community preparedness.

In August '98 I began to hold public meetings because, knowing what I knew, I could not be silent. I felt it was my duty as a responsible citizen to step out and say my piece, to be the smoke alarm, saying "Something's not right. Wake up. Open your eyes."

I also believed that no matter how well prepared I might be, if my neighbors weren't prepared then I was at risk.

I haven't done a public meeting since March or April. But I continue to do small things, the only thing left. I no longer hand anyone the long list of supplies, or the books on how to store enough food for a year.

A friend of my daughter came to our house to play on Saturday. When mother picked her up I gave her a copy of the California Office of Emergency Services brochure, along with "A Month in a Box" (food for one adult, one month, fits in a box) and my one- sheet of info: our Sheriff has food for 2 weeks for inmates, department employees and their families, and "expert" opinion about length of blackouts, one to three weeks.

The mother didn't know anything about Y2K. She told me that she had thought it was "a joke." I told her that I liked her and her family; I wasn't trying to scare her but there is a lot that the public is not being told. And it just makes sense to follow the example of the Sheriff.

She said she'd read the material.

The next day I talked to her on the phone, about the children getting together to play. I thought I detected fear in her voice, like now she knew that I was a nut, a Y2Krazy. But I saw her in the afternoon, and she was quite friendly.

She told me that she already had almost 2 weeks worth of food in her garage, and she was going to store some water. But she also said that the family was going back East over the holidays, to a town outside of Boston, to be with her sisters and parents. Her dad is here, now, visiting. She suggested that he have extra water on hand. He grumbled that the water supply (back East) was gravity fed and there would be no interruptions. "He's an engineer," she said.

Her flight back to California is on January 1. As far as I know, I said, nobody is expecting planes to fall out of the air, the problem might be delayed flights if they go to manual.

Should I tell her about everything else that could go wrong? Or that the "planes won't fall from the sky" prediction does not seem carved in stone to me, considering that The once and future Year 2000 Action Group in Chico, Butte County, CA.

-- johno (jobriy2k@yahoo.com), November 29, 1999

Answers

Johno, if you say much more you can just about be sure she and her family will be on your doorstep if things get very difficult. You may have said too much already. Oh well. You tried.

-- (formerly known as nobody@nowhere.sss), November 29, 1999.

something got cut...

... considering that a 747 has 16,000 chips?

Should I shut up and hope for the best, or should I offer more information about air travel/transportation so that she might have a better understanding of what it might mean to be back there with a flight back on Jan 1? What would you do?

Anyway, today, unless it's raining buckets, I plan to give my short Y2K info packet to my neighbors.

In a way, it feels like a futile gesture, and maybe it is. And certainly I have every "right" to quit my role of smoke alarm. But maybe it'll help a little bit. That's the most one can hope for now, some distant cousin of the nationwide community celebrations of having prepared for the coming storm.

The once and future Year 2000 Action Group in Chico, Butte County, CA.

========================

You might try these, if you haven't already:

Year 2000 Facts, Forecasts, and Areas of Concerny Warren Bone October 28, 1999

Y2K and the Global Trading System

Printable Flyers

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), November 29, 1999.

A friend of my daughter came to our house to play on Saturday. When mother picked her up I gave her a copy of the California Office of Emergency Services brochure, along with "A Month in a Box" (food for one adult, one month, fits in a box) and my one- sheet of info: our Sheriff has food for 2 weeks for inmates, department employees and their families, and "expert" opinion about length of blackouts, one to three weeks.

My goodness....hope I never come to pick up my kid at your house...what are you thinking??? You crammed the stuff down her throat! Like one of those door to door sales people. Note your next run in with her;

The next day I talked to her on the phone, about the children getting together to play. I thought I detected fear in her voice, like now she knew that I was a nut, a Y2Krazy. But I saw her in the afternoon, and she was quite friendly.

Hello?!?!?!!!! Back off a bit...you'd have scared the crap out of me too!

-- No Pushing (toogunhoe@the.door), November 29, 1999.

johno, I know. There is no receptivity now. You try a little, then drop it because they DWGI. Now, the Oprah thing said "there are people who want to stir up trouble, make others afraid" (not correct words.) We stand condemned. All we can do is wait and watch, pretty much, unless someone gives an opening. It is not your job to get someone to understand. Many will be hurt, probably die. All we can do is witness.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), November 29, 1999.

johno...what a great neighbor and friend! That little girl who was being picked up depends on her mom to know and do what she can't for herself...you put them and their well-being ahead of any consequences that might come as a result, good for you. And for her to have 2 weeks worth of food stored means she had already started and what you gave her would only help. She is a kindred spirit...

Keep trusting God to provide you "protection" and "provision" regarding the possibility of anyone in need showing up on your doorstep, remember the "Loaves and the Fishes" from Matthew.

Continue to remember, "To thine own self be true".

By the way, what's in "A Month in a Box"? /could you post that information? Thank you, johno, I'm glad I came across this thread!

-- bvcmargie (bvcmargie@cbnnow.com), November 29, 1999.

Something odd happened there. This should be a link to a post that I first saw at Gary North's site. a 747 has 16,000 chips

-- johno (jobriy2k@yahoo.com), November 29, 1999.

johno... look up a few at my post. I added back what got cut from yours. Just a missing " I think. I do it all the time. Dang little /s and "s.... picky, picky.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), November 29, 1999.

johno: Nothing useful to add, except my warmest regards and admiration.

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), November 30, 1999.

Thanks for support, thanks for differing views. Very interesting to see how people respond.

Linda, yes I've seen the bone report as well as the global trade report. Impressive to say the least. Hadn't seen the fliers. Excellent excellent material at justpeace, esp. for post-Y2k.

-- johno (jobriy2k@yahoo.com), November 30, 1999.