Forum: Any Preppers in North Texas

Any preppers in the North Texas area? I’m in the Collin County area. I don’t know anyone here that’s on board. My husband is supportive, but not doing any research.

I’m not in North Texas but north of Houston. Likewise, we are prepping but my husband while supportive will not do research. My children all think their mom is “over reacting” but this stuff scares me. We have 3 daughters, 2 have their own families. One lives north of Austin and the other lives across the country. The youngest is a college student at SFA, We have 5 1/2 grandchildren. Sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed and have to take a break from it all but I can’t get away from it completely. What’s your feel for all this?

I’m in the Houston area too. Husband is supportive as well, but hasn’t really done anything on his own. My oldest son and his family live in Germany. He is Army, just returned in Dec. from Iraq. My other two sons live about 35 miles from me, next door to each other. They aren’t married and I will never convince them to prepare or come stay with me if the worst happens. I also have an elderly mother who still lives alone, but who will come to live with me if we have to quarantine. I thought I had made tough decisions, like staying here rather than going to our vacation home, but sometimes (like today when the WHO director said there is no time to waste) I feel like I haven’t made the right choice. I’m trying to prepare, but also trying to live my regular life. It feels like one is in conflict with the other.

We will stay here but I stay concerned about that decision. Wish we had a cabin in the mountains to retreat to or a place in the country. Our middle daughter just found out today that her husband is being transferred to Atlanta (ga. not tx) but thank goodness she will be close to the oldest one out there. My 80 year old mother lives by herself east of here. I haven’t brought up the subject of quarantine to her since she is still recovering from Rita. The youngest one will have to come home from college when this goes down. I have been watching and reading quietly on this forum since last fall. I’m so glad someone from Texas has spoken up. We need to stay in touch and give each other pointers. I have learned so much on the forum.

My concerns are many. We have 2 boys still at home, 12 & 15. My oldest son is at MIT and that REALLY worries me that he’s so far away. Logistically speaking that would take a long, possibly dangerous haul to try to get him and bring him home. My hope is that they’d close down the school well enough in advance to get the kids home safely.

Fortunately my husband’s Army experience from previous deployments yrs. back will help us in preparing. We don’t have any savings available to tap into so we’ll work with what we have. Thank God for coupons! Since I’m commission based I’ve been toying with the idea of deeply discounting my services in order to get funds in the door quickly, along with selling some furniture that is of NO use to us and takes up valuable room. There are so many in my family that have VERY limited financial resources, as well, so it’s hard to think that I won’t be able to help them.

I don’t know how in the world to broach my father about the subject, much less suggest that he cash in at least half of his stock shares w/AT&T so that he can ensure he has $$ left to retire on when everything settles down. Given that he takes such great pride in being optomistic and very healthy at his age, 60, I don’t see him being that concerned about things. Not to mention the fact that he’s never used a computer and there really isn’t anything in the news…not that he watches it anyway. His job is considered a “Vital Utility” position so I’m sure he’d be called in to work.

Any suggestions on the best way to broach family & friends?

Hi Belinda - I am in East Texas - shoot, for Texans that’s spittin’ distance from where you are! Welcome aboard to all ya’ll. I don’t have much time right now, but later I will introduce myself. Glad to see some more Texans on the wikie.

close to you as well.

Galveston County here.

I’m in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I’m sure that we have lots of Texans comimg on board. Sure hope so anyway.

I’m in Texas, between Austin and Dallas.

sorry that was me…. longtime lurker i’m in east texas too..

Hello..I live in Denton, and have five children 18–4..I’ve been reading this for about a month now, and trying to start stocking up. I am so frustrated and stressed about all of this..I feel like I can never stock pile all that we will truely need, even if it is for three months..I can’t get any meds from our peditritian..or even our family doctor..The food I have started to store won’t hit a bird in the ass ( no pun intended) if this stuff really comes our way! And the water that I need to store is ridiculous for 7 people..where are people storing this stuff..Let alone all the toilet paper and paper supplies you would need for all these months..not to even mention the FOOD!! I also don’t have that much cash to just start buying 500 rolls of toilet paper ect ect…I want to get everything ready right now, and just putting a can of Pringles or Chunky beef soup in the closet once a week seems silly!! I guess a little bit at a time..will slowly help..but it really is stressful!! Then the thought of no electricity..and needing to buy more expensive things like lanterns..oil..generators…propane.. I truely feel like I have no way of getting all these things before it gets here..I mean, I can’t just stop living now, and don’t get birthday presents, or the kids clothes,..because I have to get more powdered milk ect…Anyway..we live pretty well, but I don’t know how some of these people go and buy 400 dollars worth of Tamiflu..I feel like I don’t have anyway to provide and keep my family safe without spending thousands of dollars I don’t have right now..Besides my husband and mother think I’ve lost my mind…:) So i guess I will try to buy can goods ect. and keep reading this site to get more ideas..anyone else feel overwelmed??? Thanks for listening..

Hey everybody, I live in Houston and have been prepping since October. It is overwhelming but I am praying for wisdom, preparing pudently and trusting God. Any extra $$ I get goes towards preps. The dollar store has boxes of water (6, 1 gallon jugs) and every week I buy one box and put in my garage. We now have 70 gallons stored. I have 3 small kids so am stocking basics that they will eat. Here is what I have been doing EACH WEEK (different items of course) and it adds up fast:

Take $20 and go buy 10 cans of Apple Juice and 10 boxes of Instant Oatmeal at Kroger. You now have breakfast for a couple weeks. Next week, take your $20 and buy 2 HUGE jars of Peanut butter and 25 boxes of Mac/Cheese; lunch; and so on. Our pantry is limited so I have boxes for the cans that say “Fruit”; “Meats” “Veggies” “Soups” “Juices” “Pasta& Rice” and store the boxes in my closet.

I am really concerned about losing power and this thing coming in the HEAT OF THE SUMMER. Any thoughts on this?

Hi all. Glad to know that there are fellow Texans on board. I live in McKinney, and ALL our family is in the DFW metroplex.

Crazymotheroffive - I use thegrocerygame.com to learn how to stock pile using coupons. I save on average 50% of my grocery bill using their system and coupons. Combined w/Albertson’s “triple coupons” & “super doubles” days I end up bringing home a lot. AngelFoodMinistries.com has allowed me to fill my freezer at relatively low cost. Space is another issue. Where do we put everything? - you can’t store it in the garage once the temperatures start rising outside. 90 Gallons of Water/per person will take up the most room.

FYI - I discovered that the pre-cooked packages of “Heat & Serve” rices are pretty good and they have very long expirations period. Combined w/triple coupons I end up getting them for about .14 - .30 each. The other thing I’m doing is buying meal replacement bars that are packed w/tons of protein and vitamins. They’re small and can be stored very easily. I’ve compiled an entire list of possible grocery items that require little prep & cooking and are kid friendly. Aside from what’s in my freezer I figure it’s best to prepare to have no electricity to cook with and stock up on those items as well.

I’m very concerned, too, about this coming in the heat of summer and losing power. My husband has a small generator that we can use for a fan, but I am thinking about the purchase of a small window air conditioner. I saw them at Super Walmart last summer for 50 to 60 dollars. We could at least get a little relief! We lost our power due to a fire at one of the smaller substations on Lake Conroe in June and it was no fun. We kept our power during Rita, but lots of areas to the north of east of us were out for weeks.

I do a lot of scratch cooking; not gourmet but just plain basic stuff. I went to the LDS site at www.providentliving.org. They have a good food storage site with even a calculator to figure what your family’s requirements would be for different # of months. I then printed out their list of staples and used it as a base for our preps. Some of the items wouldn’t be eaten by us, but it’s a good starting point. After the basics, you begin to fill in with veggies, fruits, meats, etc. Remember, we cannot store in the garage when it gets hot!

crazymotheroffive Walmart and Academy have 5 gallon collaspible plastic water storage bottles in the camping department for about 5 dollars. I plan to just fill them, add a few drops of Clorox and store when the time comes, whether BF or hurricane. I’m also looking into buying one of those 50 gallon blue water containers for storage of non-drinking water. I found them for about $20.00 at a flea market type place ($65 online) but I need my hubby to help load. The containers are food quality and are used by restaurants and other food sources for punch syrup, etc. I plan to clean it and store it outside my back door on the patio. We also have a small pool that we can get water to flush the toilet with if we have to. The water will probably be quite yukky by then, so without a way to purify the water, it is only good to flush with.

Texasgal What dollar store? General Dollar? 99cent?

I think we are all feeling the same about prepping. It is expensive and overwhelming. Continue to pray for God to guide the hands of researachers and the medical world and that a solution to this virus is found. Meantime, let’s just take it one day at a time. We are all in this together!

TexasGal - yeah, I am pretty concerned about the loss of A/C this summer - we have a pool but with no electricty to run the pump it’ll look like a cesspool instead of a swimming pool. I called our local rep and found out that most of our elecricity comes from coal and we have a local source, so I feel a little better. I thought about a generator, but they’re expensive, I have no where to store gas and they are noisy - I worry enough about having to shoot someone to protect my family as it is. Mostly I just pray a lot that it stays on.

Crazymotheroffive - consider Ramen noodles and canned chicken - the noodles are really cheap and makes a can of chicken go a long way. Also, our Walgreens has packages of cookies (10packs of 6 cookies ea) for $1.

Thank you all…I just went to General Dollar and could not find the 6 gallons all packed togther..that would probably store better if you could stack them on top of each other..The five gallon collaspible jugs sound great! How do you know how many drops of bleach to put in those? What is everyone doing for milk? I can’t seem to find any powered milk at walmart..and with five kids..I know they would be pretty happy with just cereal most of the time…I found at the General Dollar they have evaporated milk for 2 for a dollar..and I think you just mix that with half water and it makes regular milk…I’m not quite sure how you store powdered milk…if it has to be in a cool place or not…But those cans of evaporated milk don’t expire until 2007..thank you guys for all your help..and I will always look for this thread about prepping in North Texas

crazymotheroffive… have you looked on the baking aisle of walmart for the powdered milk?its usually on the bottom shelf.. sells for about 9.00 for a large box. hope this helps

You can get boxes of water at Dollar Tree and the 99 cents stores. They are $6 and are pretty sturdy boxes that you can stack with ease. Great tasting water too, I might add. For milk, I bought big cans of powdered milk from Kroger and also some Nido (dried whole milk) in the Mexican food section of Walmart. The dollar Trees also have packs of STERNO type cooking fuel cans (generic brand) which would be invaluable in the event of loss of power. I stocked up on these as well. Dollar Tree is also good for a box of 6 bleaches ($6) and other supplies (goggles, hand sanitizer, kids ibuprophin etc.)

crazymotheroffive—www.i4at.org/surv/bleach.htm or do a search of bleach drinking water.

Evaporated milk is good to cook with. Fifty some years ago, my mother used it for baby formula, but had to add other ingredients. I haven’t done it yet, but there are several emergency type food suppliers that sell powdered milk in bulk containers for storage. www.beprepared.com www.waltonfeed.com

Thank you TexasGal and north of houston…I will be going to the Dollar Tree! And what a great web sit the beprepared.com…they seem to have everything..I’m not quite sure if all the freeze dried items are better than canned items you can get anywhere..But they sure sell the powdered milk..I had my husband look for powdered milk at Walmart and he said they had none…but that probably means he did’t look good enough:) Thank you Iola…Have any of you tried or suceeded in getting in prescription medicines? I was thinking about driving to Matamorous and getting at least some kind of antibotics for all my children..The thing that I am worried about the most is..if this b/f scare messes up the system of getting medication to the pharmacies…and then we are sitting here not able to get amoxicillin for our kids who just might only have an earache or something…there are alot of other things that could happen that would really mess up families besides getting the bird flu..I sure wish I had some back-up medications…I find it hard enough to get a hold of my pediatrition on the weekends..let alone if people are coming down with the b/f in our own town…thanks for all your help…

Tell me about rx’s in Matamorous. How do you get them? Where do you go?

I was able to get some antiobiotics refilled through our prescription plan, but don’t know exactly what all they would be good for other than what the doc prescribed them for. Have you thought of making a pedi appointment and explaining that with 5 kids you would like to be prepared and that you could just hold onto the prescriptions until you needed them for ear infections or sinus infections. I tried to get my college girl a pneumonia shot twice and was refused both times. The doctor’s response to BF was that everyone won’t get it! Thank goodness she is out of the dorm, finally. I understand what you are dealing with!

Adding Dollar Store and 99c to my list….lists and more lists.

crazymotheroffive I also live in Denton, do you live near any standing water (North Lakes or South lake) if so you could go here http://www.pwgazette.com/ and buy a filter setup for about $60 that will work even on mudd puddles, store is located in Denton. Empty soda liter bottles refilled is probably the cheapest way to go if you have room to store them. Else the aqua tank located here http://www.emergencyresources.com/er_p27.html is cheap and could store under your bed.

North of Houston..alot of my friends go down to Padre and go across to Matamorous..i’m not quite sure of the limit on what you can bring back over..but everyone I know gets either antibotics or inhalers or anti depressants ect ..Either way they pretty much have it all..I’ve heard. I’m not sure if they would have the tamiflu that everyone wants…but I was more interested in the antibotics..I really want to have the powder antibiotics that you mix with water ( like the pharmasist does before you pick it up) so you can store it and it won’t expire (plus my kids don’t take pills yet)..I could ask the Dr. for a prescription just incase I needed it…but my main concern is the pharmacy NOT having any meds in stock when I need them…one little glitch in the system could cause every pharmacy in town not getting any medication. That is my biggest fear…that if the bird flu does not get us.. like in New Orleans, they ran out of supplies and were short on everything. And I know from witnessing that, and with the severity of this potential pandemic..that no one will come to help us..and we will have to do without..or use what you already have.

My pediatritian told me that I have a better chance of getting hit by a car, than getting the bird flu. He told me that there is nothing to worry about, and that a vaccine is so close…I love this man, but I left the office sick to my stomach. He told me that I didn’t need to stock pile any medications!..So that went over like a lead balloon. I so want to trust him, but my gut says otherwise. All of my kids have had a pneumonia shot, i wasn’t sure of that until I asked the Dr. I have an 18 year old starting college this year, and I took both of my daughters 18 and 16 before Christmas to get that important shot I think for menigitis?? Not sure if that’s what it is called, , but the Dr. highly recomended for any teenager especially college bound.. Dreamweaver..I can’t beleive that someone else is on here from Denton..what a small world. thanks for you advice..we do have a pool..but i wasnt sure how to use the water for drinking if I had to …My mind is boggled down with too much information

Would it be safe to get prescription meds in Matamorous. Last time I was there was pretty scarry. I like shopping on the main drag but it seemed like most of the RX stores were on the side streets. Although there were a few folks that would come up to us and ask “Hey gringo, need any drugs.” Scarry!!

Hey Dreamweaver, I’m having my husband check out the pwgazette thing. We’re a bit on the East side of Lake Lewisville so thanks for the info.

I’m going to spend time putting together some supplies this weekend by visiting the $ stores and walmart. Also, regarding the milk issue, you can get Parmalot at Walmart and other stores. It’s milk in a carton that has a long shelf life. We used to get use it when we lived in Germany. You can find it in the same area that you look for powdered milk. I noticed it was on the top shelf.

Finally figured out that a gallon of water weighs 8.33 oz. x 5/gallons a day x 90 days = 3748 lbs. That doesn’t even include water for the dog. I’m definitely checking out the water at the $ stores that can be stacked because otherwise we were looking at having to build shelves to store then on.

I’ll also be figuring a way to get down to Mexico for the anti-biotics. That’s what we relied on when we didn’t have any health insurance and we got sick. Thanks for the reminder.

I worried about the safety of getting drugs in Mexico, but my neighbor has her father-in-law go across and buy anitobtics and inhalers ect. for her children. She then takes them to her Dr. and the Dr. said it was the exact same thing that he prescibes for his patients…I almost would trust going down there..rather than buying on the internet..that is really what scares me..plus, the drugs on the internet are way too expensive. An inhaler my neighbor gets for her son in mexico is 35 dollars and at walgreens it’s 95 dollars.i don’t think you can go wrong with just plain amoxicillian or penicillian…i know that won’t help the bird flu, but your kids might come down with something else in the midst of the bird flu outbreak that you might have to treat yourself. It never hurts to have anything just incase….thanks for all your advice…

I ordered my RX drugs here including Tamiflu (when they had it) & Zpacks All RXs come from US pharmacies and the company is very professional. The cost is $$$ but worth it to my family. RXs come via Fed Ex next day delivery. Hope this helps and saves you a trip to Mexico.

http://us-pharmacy-discounts.com/index.php

crazymotheroffive If you have a pool, you are all set, you just need a carbon filter to remove chemicals. Will probably want to get a ceramic filter also for when the pool gets yucky from no power to run the pump. Talk to the owner of the obove link and he will set you up.

Dreamweaver: Thank you for the link and info for the pool. I’m printing out the info and giving it to my husband (he actually sounds interested….it decreases the # of bottles of water in the garage) and he is giving them a call. It’s even worth a trip to Garland if necessary.

Hi Texas- i also live between austin and dallas.I found this site several weeks ago and found it a good place to get info.Im a asst. emergency management cooridnator for my city and also in the fire service for over 26 years so im concerned about anything that poses a potintal risk to my family and my community.Like other places the medical community (which the city fathers listen to) says-pandemic-not going to happen-dont sweat the small stuff.A lot of local goverments(thats where you are really going to get the most help) are leary of planning until they get the ok from local health departments (dont want to scare the people without back up).What local gov. needs to is plan for the worst and hope for the best.1. continue essental services (ems,fire police water elect garbage ect.)2.provide locations for basic care(most cities hospital bed capacity is 2–3% of the population)3.feeding (meals on wheels or depression era soup kitchens)4. desposion of bodies to name a few.Be nice but ask local goverment what they are doing to prepare for pandemic and get specifics (sorry about spelling)

According to todays’ Dallas Morning News, tomorrow they are running a story on the 1918 pandemic, how it affected Dallas and what another pandemic would do. It will be interesting to see if this motivates the masses to prepare.

Yes..I saw that the Dallas Morning News will run that tomorrow as well…Maybe my family will read it and start to worry about this as I am..Thank you so much to DreamWeaver for the advice on the swimming pool..my husband as well is going to call them..What will all of you do if the electricity goes out..laterns or candels..man that would be bad..What about a small generator, just enough to keep a freezer running? That is my main concern that I can keep my frozen items frozen..I don’t know if that is to far fetched..I know you need alot of gasoline to run a generator..so I don’t know where to store that either…We have a large grill so I was wondering if any of you are starting to buy propane…my husband says as long as you have propane ( or a large supply of it) you can cook anything outside.. I will be looking forward to the article in Sundays’ paper… I really want to call our local government as well and ask what they have planned if this hits…I’m just so tired of people looking at me as if I’m crazy..I will have to write it all down before I call…Keep in touch North Texas..Thank you…

Generators are really gas hogs and also may draw attention of the less fortunate. For lighting I have diversified, not puting all my eggs in one basket so to speek. I have LED, kerosine, & coleman dual fuel laterns. A coleman dual fuel stove and my propane grill for cooking. I like the coleman products since they use unleaded gas and I have stored 6 five gallon containers of it plus what’s in my cars. Lets just hope we don’t lose the grid, I think this will be the governments top priority, keeping it working.

Dreamweaver, Thanks for the info. Can you elaborate on the LED’s (light emmitting diodes) for lighting? Where can I find them?

I read on another thread about putting a fuel additive in your gas cans if storing. Just store it away from your house, garage or other automobiles….in a well ventiliated shady place. You don’t want that can of gas setting in our hot Texas sun.

We have a lot of camping equipment, coleman products and propane grill. The kids also gave us a freestanding outdoor campfire a few years ago. My thinking is that it could be good to cook over with firewood or charcoal. If you have a woodburning fireplace, it could be used to cook over….kind of like the pioneers. Cast iron pots and skillets would work good…remember to open the damper. Your neighbors may smell the smoke, but chances are they may be doing the same thing.

Hi Everyone, I live between Dallas and Houston, off of I45. I found this site after seeing the Oprah show on bird flu a couple weeks ago. My family has started to prep and I already feel better about the whole situation. Also there is a water purification system that is small enough that you can carry it on a strap over your shoulder. The U.S. military has a contract with the company so I believe every serviceman over seas has one. The say it even makes water contaminated with biological and chemical warefare agents safe to drink within four hours. I believe it costs about $130.00 and will purify like 250 liters of water before you have to change out the batteries and chemical(some kind of potent salt). A change out pack cost something like $18.95. The company has a website and quite a few different websites sell it including National Geographic webstore. I saw that it won some 2003 Popular Mechanics Award. I believe the brand is called Miox or something close to that. Just do a search for U.S. military water purifier.

Hi sugarcookie1--welcome. I live off I45. Glad we are all getting to share ideas and info.

I read the Dallas Morning News article on BF, as did my husband. Since he’s not as interested in researching it, I asked his opinion on what he thought the general population would read out of the article. He said that it didn’t make him feel as if he really needed to do anything other than think that it would suck if it happened…but hey it’s a long way off. Obviously, it wasn’t strong enough. Today I spent my first big hunk of change on containers for food stuffs to go under the beds and larger ones for stacking and found small butane stoves for myself and my extended family. Now I need to find the butane cans to fuel them with.

I’d put a budget together to save cash, food and supplies simultaneously but realized if TSHTF soon I may not get the food and supplies quick enough. So, we’ll be stepping into overdrive. Husband says to buy whiskey for black market trading…not a bad idea. Saw the porta-potties at Walmart for $22 and the colapsable water holders. Thanks for the info.

Belinda - I was not at all impressed with the DMN story this morning - did I miss something or was there nothing on preparing???

During Hurricane Alicia in August 1983, we were without electricity for about a week. I was 7 months pregnant with our youngest and it was horrible. I could at least get in the car and drive to the grocery store that had ac. As far as no lights, we went to bed early with the windows open. Candles give off heat and are dangerous. Camping lanterns (battery kind) work good, but you need to have lots of batteries to change out. The kids were all cranky, too. We did have water so we could take showers but our towels wouldn’t dry due to the humidity. If this things hits in the summer it will present a challenge for all of us. Do you think it would be safe to open windows? Does h2h mean in the air or just from close contact with another person. I can’t seem to find a definitive answer to that question?

I live about 100 miles from Houston, and today’s (2–12) Houston Chronicle had only a one-column, two or three inch story, which included a quote about how it was not transmissable to humans. I was disappointed, but not surprised.

I’ve spent about $200 in preps beginning this month and am seriously considering buying more and charging it. The supplies will get used regardless of whether the flu hits, so it’s an investment in peace of mind. The night before Rita hit, the local stores were stripped bare of things like water, peanut butter and canned goods. I can only imagine what it’ll be like if the flu hits for real and no new deliveries are made.

North of Houston: After doing a lot of reading and researching, my understanding is that the virus has an airborne limit of about 9 feet. What you have to watch for are things touched by numerous people, such as faucets and door handles.

Thanks Aggie Annie, for your info. Sounds like you had the same situation we did with Rita. Sam’s was wiped out! We evacuated northeast into the storm 2 days before it came ashore. It was like a war zone. Walmart and most of the other stores in East Texas were bare and there was even shortages of bread and milk 2 weeks later. There were stabbings, mini-riots in Walmart parking lots and fights over bread, lines for ice and gas. I witnessed a woman being assaulted in Walmart. A few Walmarts were even closed temporarily due to violence. Quite scarey. And that was just for a storm that blew itself away in less than 24 hours! I figure that BF will be Rita X 3months. My kids think mom is over-reacting, but after what we went through last September, I want all of us to be prepared in as many ways as we can.

I went to Walmart again to get another camp stove for $30. Propane cans cost $2 each. My husband and I also went to go check out the water section to get a good visual on just what 3 mos. worth of water looks like. We did more than a double take. I asked the guy working there and he said the water comes in boxes of 3 gallons before they break them down to put on the shelves. So, it would be good to ask ahead of time to not break down a certain amount of water if you’re planning a big stocking day. This way you can manage the boxes and not have to have shelving for them. The expiration dates read 1 yr out.

I’m in Denton. Does anybody know if there are any planning efforts at the county level going on?

I don’t know anything as of yet. When I took my son to our Dr. 2 wks ago (in Frisco) I mentioned the BF situation and he wasn’t the least bit concerned about it. Said CDC had warned docs that there was a sinus staph infection going around and it was running rampid through the metroplex. He said one is contagious 7–14 days prior to displaying any symptoms of it so no one knows they’re spreading it around or not, which I replied as it will be w/BF when and if it comes our way. Again, he still wasn’t at all concerned. So if the CDC isn’t bringing this to the forefront to local docs, why would the county prepare any quicker?

Reading the Dallas Morning News article just brought to light that Laura Miller and County Judge Margaret Keliher aren’t on the same page. What are the checks and balances being done now that Mayor Miller and City Manager Mary Suhm were both in the same US Conference of Mayors last month and heard the same thing? I’m concerned that our smaller counties (Collin, Denton, Ellis, Rockwall, Tarrant, etc.) will take the lead from Dallas County and we’ll all be screwed.

Belinda -If your looking at buying water, Sam’s club sells a box that contains 5 gallons, 2 2.5gal jugs,for less than $5. The boxes are very sturdy and can be stacked 4 or 5 high, maybe more. When I contacted the Denton County Health department back in November, they were clueless. I don’t want to draw attention to myself and have not spoken to anybody outside of family since then. I do have a gut feeling about this that has been driving my preps, have never had this feeling in my previous 51 years. Don’t know how to explain that. If this happens this year we are in a world of hurt from lack of preparation at all levels.

Dreamweaver thanks for the info re:water. We’ll be getting a huge portion of our stockpile this coming weekend, so this will help the storage planning.

I totally understand the not wanting to call attention to ourselves thing. I’ve been sending e-mails w/websites and tidbits of info to family so I can ease into it with them. I bought each of our immediate families a portable stove yesterday and will be buying the butane and propane over the course of the next couple of months or so.

I, too, have a hard time explaining why I feel the way I do. During the Y2k event I thought people were nuts re:buying and stockpiling. But I firmly believe that God has quickened my spirit to pay attention and be proactive about this. Someone said that maybe we are here because our gifts will be used to help bring restoration back to the communities we live in. Who knows. Maybe God has given many the message and we’re the only ones who’ve heard and headed the warnings…we’ll be used to bring the message of preparation forward.

Belinda and Dreamweaver: Count me in with you. I stay concerned about this all the time, even waking in the middle of the night with it on my mind. I’m a few years older than you Dreamweaver, but likewise I have never experienced anything like these feelings.

Just packed our youngest back to school, but her dad and I did sit her down and explained in more detail what she could expect if this thing goes H2H. She didn’t protest about the possibility of coming home, which totally suprised us! She’s a senior and could graduate this May but may decide to stay till December 06. I hate the possibility of delaying her in getting that degree she has worked so hard for, but I want her alive and well to do so. Her response was that perhaps it won’t happen until after she graduates.

My other 2 have their own families and children but I stay concerned for them. One has agreed to home school her kids, but she hasn’t made any other preps. She is expecting #4 this summer and moving to another state, so I am trying to be patient that she will prep once she is settled. The oldest refuses to discuss it. The one ray of hope I have is that those 2 will be both living close together after the move and should be able to shelter together with their families when the time comes.

I guess I will just keep plugging away to family and loved ones. I, too, feel that we are going to be in for a world of hurt and sorrow if this things goes down this year. I pray that I am wrong and that all this prep is for nil. I am so grateful to have this thread. It helps so much to be able to talk to someone else who understands! Thanks for listening and I’m sorry if I seem to ramble. I think I’ve been holding all this concern inside for so long that there’s a flood coming out. Again, thanks.

remember airborne aerosols land. those surfaces may carry virions for hours to days under the right conditions.

I am west of Fort Worth.

Our local SuperWM stocks the boxes of water right below the individual gallon jugs. It is actually .02 more (total) to purchase them in the box…but, IMO, it is more than worth it! They transport and stack like a dream.

I wanted to buy some plastic buckets, but “some lady” came in and cleaned out their stock on Saturday. Okay…is it a BF prepper? Reveal yourself!

Belinda,

I agree that you are right on target in feeling a responsibility to be a light for our community. Remember that in a dark room, even the smallest flame is a guide. Yahweh has always preserved a remnant of His People and used them to lead the others back to Him, back to obediance. I believe that part of my obediance to His Call is to be prepared to weather this potential period of trouble, to be a lighthouse to others and to provide the seeds to rebuild afterward. Like many others here, I have a deep and multi-faceted background in traditional science fields. I’m not so sure that traditional science / medicine is going to save the day this time.

This weekend’s prep’s included a trip to Sam’s to stock up on office supplies for our home-based business. While there I picked up 10 pound bags of Krustrez pancake mix for $5.44 apiece. These are add water only…no eggs or milk. Didn’t notice anyone else stocking up, just regular purchases, even with the icy cold weather outside.

north of houston - I have gotten some of those mixes too. Also, look for the muffin mixes that use milk only (you can use powdered) and I ordered powdered eggs from Honeyville online, so I can make cakes, cookies, etc - assuming I have electricity of course! They also make powdered buttermilk - we used it this morning to make “IHOP” pancakes and it worked great.

Watching: Thanks for the tips! No muffin or bread mixes at Sam’s today (I’m sure I will be back over there in a few days). I really like the bread mix. I’m looking into ordering eggs from Honeyville. I don’t know which way to go….by the case or by the #10 can. Any suggestion? Haven’t looked into bulk buttermilk since I usually buy the small can at Walmart, HEB, but I probably should. I like the way you just add it to the dry ingredients. Since tomorrow is a “holiday”, we are going to inventory our stock and see just what we have.

Went to a great site www.captaindaves.com and printed a lot of things about news and info to help increase chances of survival before, during and after all types of disasters. My husband read it. Says he learned a lot from “Cammando Dave”. After reading this site, we went to a outdoors store north of Austin this weekend and picked up a few things to keep in a “bug out” bag incase we have to evacuate for any reason. Even stopped at Tractor Supply to look for water storage containers on the way back to Houston. Hubby is beginning to get more concerned…finally.

Are you all stocking loads of uct tape…one of the most used field-expedient tools.

NS1: duck tape? That is a staple at our house!

north of houston - sorry, should have been more clear - I got the small cans of powdered buttermilk, did not buy in bulk, just the eggs. I got 2 cans of eggs - plan on using them just for cooking and it goes a long way. I got the mixes at Walmart, not Sams - Sams seems to vary it what baking mixes they have and mine did not have any muffin mixes. Thanks for the tip on the Dave site - will check it out when I have a little more time.

Hi from Katy! It’s great to find this site, really good info. I’ve been preparing since the hurricanes last fall, starting with a non electric water distiller, food dehydrator and food vacuum sealer. We’ll begin pressure canning food next month, never did it before but I think it’s time to learn how. Hope none of this is never needed, but with the ever increasing potential for man made and natural disasters it’s wise to be ready. Best wishes to all of ya’ll.

Welcome Katy! Where did you find a pressure canner? I’ve been checking all the around and cannot find one.

All HEB shoppers…..my hubby really loves greens of all kinds….doesn’t matter if fresh, frozen or canned. Anyway, our HEB is having a close-out on Allen’s Turnip Greens for 28 cents a can. He is now stocked! Turnip Greens were the only one discounted and the expiration date on the cans are 07, so I’m not sure why HEB is discontinuing. Worth looking at your HEB if you family will eat them.

Bought our FIRST BIG load of stockpile items and storages shelves to store in closets. Made sure to buy fruit chews & snacks for the kids along w/sodas and choc. syrup. I’m thinking I’ll buy some extra ice trays to freeze eggs in so I can measure out each egg needed for recipes. Still have much more to go. Have decided to buy enough ramen and rice for family members who either can’t afford to prepp or are too dang skeptical to listen to any of it. Can’t really afford to, but my conscience says do it. So we’re counting on God to provide the means to get it with and the discipline to hold expenses down to accomodate it.

So far I only have 1 friend willing to listen. I love her to death and her willingness and trust in me is the greatest hope and inspiration I can have to keep on sharing this message with others. Lets just keep praying that others will have ears to hear and eyes to see.

ramen = MSG (monosodium glutamate) which is an extreme excitotoxin (neurotoxin that works by creating a rapid burn of your necessary neurochemicals, leaving you on empty and with dead neuronal processes). MSG and other excitotoxins are associated with creating vascular (blood vessel) damage which may allow a breach of the blood-brain-barrier by PF51 viral particles. Influenza as a group is effective at colonizing the brain, sometimes creating acute infection and othertimes lying latent for many years before resurfacing.

Do you really want to make it easier for PF51 to find its way into your brain?

1 can of soda has enough sugar to suppress your immune system 10% for 3–4 hours.

Remember influenza live virus vaccines are grown in regular everyday chicken eggs due to ease and speed of replication in this media. We will be using Flax Seed Meal and other natural binders in place of eggs. No bird products will be allowed in our house. When you consider that one CDC scientist estimates that we have 86 million cases of food poisoning in the US each year, I’m not trading our health for the comfort of any easily contaminated animal product.

I am amazed at how hard all of you are working to put yourselves into a more survivable position if this happens here. You’ve all absorbed a great deal of info in such a short time. Keep digging.

Too much MSG makes my lips go numb….

If there is anyone in your family that suffers from migranes, look at the possibility of MSG in their diet. It took some research into migranes before I realized one of the big triggers in my diet was msg. I don’t want to take the RX for migrains because of the side effects, so I control my headaches by diet. I read almost every label before putting the item in my grocery cart….you’d be surprised the # of foods with msg additive. BF is enough of a headache…

Hi North of Houston. I bought our pressure canner on ebay, best price I could find. It’s called ‘All American Pressure Canner’ 21.5 quart. It uses a metal to metal seal and does’nt meed a gasket. I could not find any at a decent price in Houston.

WOW!!! Interesting. I didn’t know Ramen was so bad for you.

You could always cook the noodles and not use the “flavor/salt package”, instead adding your own seasonings, dried or canned vegetables, ect.

(Not in TX, don’t mind me, just passing by! Overly-salty ramen noodles…mutter, mutter…)

crfullmoon…..you’re welcome to pass by any time. Good thought!

crfullmoon…GREAT idea! I was just sitting here thinking…”What do I do with all these cases of Ramen?” They’re great in salads, but unfortunately there won’t be any fresh lettuce and cabbage to make them with.

Belinda,

Typical Chinese sauce is 2 parts garlic powder, 2 parts ginger, 1 part soy sauce to make it stick. Combine just as the noodles are ready. Sometimes folks in Texas add a little Habanera powder. If you have fresh mustard seed, try grinding a pinch (.25 tsp) and adding to the base for a flavor boost.

Go italian with oregano, rosemary and basil and 1 tbsp of olive oil. or get adventurous with marjoram and chervil and oil. All great tasting and neuroprotective.

Tends to cause cell-to-cell signalling to be more accurate when you ingest lots of good cold-pressed oils like olive, safflower, sunflower, almond, walnut, avocado, et al.

You’re going to find a lot of ways to make these work.

Hey Wilson161 i’m in between austin and dallas too.

Re: ramen noodles - what about just using a tiny bit of the flavoring packet and putting some canned chicken in to add protein?

Ok…totally unrelated, but what can I eat to offset my ADD?

2 steps

1. increase nutrition 2. remove toxins

lots of plants enable deep nourishment producing proper brain function.

Hey! I’m between Austin and Dallas also. Could we all be neighbors?? :-)

I’m in Dallas….

In baking, you can use 1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour plus 1 teaspoon of water to replace an egg.

Around here, it is also cheaper than the “Just Whites”.

Central Market it a great place to buy buttermilk powder, soy flour and seasonings…the bulk foods section is our friend!

Doh! That should say, “Central Market IS…”

HerbMart-good prices, nice selection- S W corner Coit/15th? about 1mi N Central Mkt. two more locations. oils, canned org. tomatoes, sprouted bread, et al.

CM bulk is solid. try their $1.99 private label pasta sauces, 5 varieties.

Went to Whole Foods this morning. Found soy flour in bulk for $1.29 lb. Brought 2 lbs….wonder how many eggs that equates to? No dry bulk buttermilk.

flax seed replaces binding property of eggs. grind and moisten.

Hey all, I’m over in east texas. I just ordered eggs from Honeyville. WE drive over to Central Market every so often and I will look for that powdered buttermilk. Thanks for the tip.

Anybody know where I can get dough conditioners in Dallas in a smaller than 50 lb bag?

ok, ladies….is Central Market part of HEB? We have a HEB that we call a central market, but no bulk goods except candy, nuts, granola, and dried fruit. I thought maybe Whole Foods and Central Market were the same, but guess not. Tried a search for Central Market but it only came up in the Dallas area. Help.

Central Market is an upscale, deeper variety store owned by HEB. HEB stores may be able to order Central Market stock as HEB is now selling HEB private label on hundreds of items at Central Market from pasta, pasta sauce, supplements to frozen fruits and vegetables.

Whole foods will discount their bulk items 10% if you order a whole bag, usually 25–50 pounds. Central Market does not discount on large bulk orders.

Hey there north of houston! Heres the address for the houston central market 3815 Westheimer, Houston, TX. If you google central market store locator there is a list of all the texas stores and a link for a map. There are stores in austin, ft worth, dallas, plano, and san antonio.

Kay-

Ask CM or Whole Foods to order an extra bag for you. They bake all day long and do use dough conditioners.

Kay….Thanks! Will head to Central Market to look for dried buttermilk.

Ask about the buttermilk at Whole Foods. They no longer carry it…at least in the Austin stores.

Found a new potato product today at Sam’s…..dried hash brown potatoes. Each box makes 66 1/2 cup servings. Directions say to add boiling water to potatoes, set and then fry as normal hasbrowns. Sounds like a good alternative to instant mashed potatoes or rice.

Ladies, This is my first time to post, I not sure I even know how! I too live in Texas, Collin County, McKinney. I have been prepping for about 18 months. It was a slow start and it has taken a lot of research to figure it all out. I am not through, still have a lot to do but I am much better off than when I started. I started with can food etc. now I am working on can dehydrated foods, after all you can’t really cook without onion, celery, bellpepers, garlic or at least I can’t. Not to mention eggs and butter. So I am in a big cooking try it all. I too use powdered butermilk have used that for about 2 years love it, now I don’t have to go to the store every time I want to make biscuts and I think it makes a better product. Kroger carries it. So does Walmart. It is just my husband and myself and I am amazed at how much stuff it takes. You girls are right if you have a big family it would be a lot. I buy as much in bulk as I can. I vacum seal a lot of it like rice and beans and dog food. I guess I am a prepper at heart because I like doing this it is kinda fun. Even working a lot of hours at my job I still do this because I think I have too at this point. I have a friend that is a member of the LDS chuch, I went to her house and watched her grid wheat and make bread with the Bosch mixer, boy was that slick. I did some research on that and that mixer mixes so well that you only have to rise the bread once then pop in the oven. So I told my husband that is next. And I think a water filter would be a good idea. I only have one friend that is into this prepping thing we compare note about everyother day. I ask people what they think about the bird flu and I get a mixed bag of answers mostly they are not worried that they think it will be ok and then I shut up. The interesting thing to me is once you become concerned it becomes part of your radar screen and you see it and hear it in the paper and the news and they don’t hear or see it. Well I guess I have talked long enough---nice to be in Texas.

Welcome LoveTexas.

There are a few of us just down the street including Belinda who started the thread.

NS1

Thanks for the welcome----glad to know I am not the only one up this way though I am sure there are many more. I went to a health food store yesterday and they were talking about the bird flu. They seemed to be puzzled and did not know what to think about the whole thing and they looked concerned. Nice to know I have a neighbor right here in McKinney too.(Belinda) Thanks

Which health food store?

I’m in south-central OK—Texhoma country. I am also worried about going without power during the hot season. I have a generator, but surely won’t be able to run it ALL the time. With my 94 yr. old mother living with me, I MUST have control of the enrironmental temp. We have needed a new storm cellar for years. I am looking into building a larger space underground, and maybe another floor partially underground. It would have to be big enough to use as a pantry and maybe a cook house…as big as an old-fashioned 1-room cabin, perhaps. It would be cool in the summer and easy to heat in the winter. Safe from tornadoes, and a safe place for supplies and valuables. A “just-in-case” place. If all goes well, I will eventually build a new house over this arrangement. It’s beginning to look like the most economical answer to a lot of problems for me. I guess those old-timers in their sod houses knew what they were doing. Also plan to garden as much and as long as possible. If the local infrastructure completely goes down, even after the crisis, folks will need to purchase food from someone, and I will be willing to barter goods and work.

I am a student, but if there’s a regional get-together on a weekend or over spring break, I will definitely try to make it. Please post if one comes up in your area. Thanks.

NS1 The Health Collection

where are they?

They are at 75 and White in McKinney, and they are great. They know their stuff and will order for you and you can get great advice from them. But they don’t talk too much. Years ago I owned a health food store so I like the privately owned stores. The bird flu talk was just in passing no big deal.

Hello everyone from the Lone Star State. :) I live with my family on a small farm west of Ft. Worth. Although I feel I have my long term prepardeness in hand, I’ve been accumulating for years now, I still feel underprepared if BF actually makes a jump. I also have a lot of concerns as I keep livestock as well as the farm staple, chickens, so am watching the Avian progression with a lot of interest. Regardless as to what happens as far as a human virus taking stock, I would definitely stock up on some insect repellant. If the purple martins start dying as well as some of the other mosquito eaters, I imagine the mosquitoes will be horrible.

Snowhound….

Am interested in what you have heard about bird flu in Texas poultry? Have you picked up on any increased security, especially by the “large” producers? Am curious since #3 princess had a speaker from _ _ _ _ _ in her education class. The class is getting ready to adopt and hatch eggs for a elem. edu. science project. Speaker talked about bf and had some intersting things to say about increased biosecurity nationwide and in the state. He didn’t blow the subject off and what he did say seemed to reenforce some of what I have been telling her. I definiely got the impression from my daughter that the industry, especially in Texas, is taking all this VERY seriously!

I live in East Texas and heard on our local news this morning that the folks at Pilgrims’ Pride were taking the avian flu threat seriously.

North of Houston, Well, I haven’t received any information from the Ag Extension Agency about anything regarding BF. I have done a little research as to what my personal responsibilites are, as far as reporting unexplained deaths in poultry, etc. There is a 1–800 number to call that I have written down somewhere. I do plan on buying chicks this year..I don’t buy but about 15 or so, and I figure if nothing else, they will be my sentinels, much like the canary in the mines. I did ask a friend who is president of the local H.S. PTA if our district even has a pandemic plan…she has no idea but was going to inquire in the right places. (I think I have here at least thinking about it, and having some basics for her family.)Maybe I should contact the FFA coordinator at the High School and see if they have had any warnings. Many kids raise show chickens, turkeys, etc. for HS projects. I am more concerned right now about the wild birds, and how that will affect things, at least in the short term.

The February issue of the newsletter for the employees of The Texas A&M University System has this article: http://www.tamus.edu/systemwide/06/02/features/birdflu.html

Another Aggie- Thanks for that. Glad to know that A&M seems to be ahead of the game in a lot of ways. I was particularly interested in the powder that they are developing..I really would hate to kill some of my flock, who have become friends over the years. I went to A&M myself by the way. In fact all three of my boys were born at St. Joseph’s. :) But my boys go to Tech..Hard to decide who to root for when they play. :)

Ladies I have found a site ThePoultrysite.com this site is great it has every article workdwide you can click on and read. Sometimes I read an event there and will see it in the paper a week later. I don’t raise chickens so I don’t look at that part but it is a growers site you might want to check it out. I read that the big growers in our country are already testing for BF you know they are worried they could loose millions.

Snowhound 1--I have been looking for something in your neck of the woods for a place to live. I have checked Weatherford but am looking all over the west of Ft. Worth.

Another Aggie-

Did you notice that their article had a link to FluWiki?

They are way ahead of the game!

Interesting vaccine delivery method of using a plant-based gel from aloe vera to apply a coating of virus inside the nose to allow a time release giving the immune system some time to react . . . more like a real infection, I guess.

Well Howdy LoveTexas!! Good to know someone else in McKinney has their eyes open. When my husband and I were at Sams getting our first real stockpile going he suggested I learn how to use my breadmaker that he bought home 1.5 ago. On any given day I avoid cooking as much as possible. I’m a re-heater (frozen food) and a grab-a-box & bake kinda gal. Rice-A-Roni and I go way back. My boys all love to bake sweets though.

I’m going to do some serious stockpile shopping this weekend at Albertson’s; it’s triple coupons up to .75 this weekend. Last time I bought $923 worth of groceries for $387. It was amazing. I was a coupon Fiend. I take comfort in our unhealthy friends ChefBoyarD & Chunky Soup. NS1 told me about the Ramen thing :o( after I bought about 26 cases of it. I think if things get so bad we have to eat it… well, we’ll just have to eat it. I also bought a bunch of slim fast shakes & meal replacement bars since they have a long shelf life.

I’ve been praying that God brings us the financial resources to get enough for us and our families since they don’t seem to be paying much attention to what we’ve shared. I have 2 friends who’ve been willing to listen, but I can’t say for sure if they believe me or are just patronizing me…it’s hard to tell sometimes.

My husband is an associate pastor at our small church and he’s started talking to the pastor about trying to start putting together care packages for people when quarantines start being put into place. I’ve got it all worked out in my head how it could work on a small scale movement that might work on a large scale if people would listen and take stock of the situation…Of course, the world doesn’t exist in IDEALs.

                          Oh well…I’ve rambled to long.

Ramen’s good with olive oil and italian seasoning or turmeric (curcumin), garlic, black pepper (piperine) and chili powder.

Are you planning food only in the care packages? Do you think your pastor will be responsive? Have you or your husband spoken before the congregation yet?

No. We were planning for cold/flu otc meds for both kids & adults, maybe a mini-survival guide (dos & donts) toiletries, honey & cinnamon sticks for hot teas, and multi-vitamins. We haven’t planned it out to the extent of a cost breakdown. Any suggestions? Husband has talked to him and another briefly and they seemed pretty open to the idea of a food pantry. Didn’t get too in depth on “preparedness.” That’s the next conversation.

Amyone see the cartoon in the Dallas Morning News today?

Belinda-

If variety is the spice of life, perhaps spice brings that variety to life?

For the kits, have you considered having the church purchase bulk herbs and spices from Frontier or TSN Labs?

You can divide the 1 pound bags and put them in labeled baggies or small spice jars. These could then be used for soups, teas and for seasoning the blandness of most survival foods. You can get a pound of most spices for the grocery store price of 1–2 bottles.

People will probably have there own Italian seasonings like rosemary, basil, thyme and others, so you’ll want to make sure that they have some others that are known to have a strong and beneficial systemic effect.

Off the top of my head, some good ones areGarlic, Ginger Cut and Sifted, Turmeric Rhizome Slices (Curcumin), Black Peppercorns (Piperine), Coriander and Cilantro to start. All are very inexpensive.

Galangal Root Slices and Lemongrass Cut and Sifted for Thai Soups like Tom Yum Kha (proven anti-viral) and boiled (a decoction) for a tea drink.

These herbs and spices listed are a simple ‘getting started’ kit and may encourage people to explore and try new foods, lending beneficial variety to their daily intake.

Teaching them to start with small amounts and to always consult a professional before usage in a pregnant or nursing mother is wise.

I would suggest that the spread of H5N1 in Asia is less widespread partially due to the strong antiviral, in-vivo effect of the spices and herbs in their everyday food.

An investment in spices may yield a very low cost per unit therapeutic effect and increase consistent nourishment by bringing variety to the taste buds.

A spice kit is compact nutrition.

Belinda-

The cinnamon and honey are great ideas. Have you considered adding Clove Bud and Lemon Peel or Orange Peel? Some can be found locally at a lower price, but its been hard for me to beat the Starwest quality.

You’ll want to lean toward organic on the citrus due to the massive toxin overlay that is used on conventional orchards.

I have no commercial interest or ownership stake in TSN Labs. I am a very satified customer and count them as my most valued and consistently high quality supplier.

Texas Preppers..just a thought!

Decided today to get out and do something different….spring yard work. It occurred to me as I was cleaning pine needles and cones from the beds, that this might be a good time to go ahead and really prune and clean out. If this things goes down this summer, just think how overgrown and dense our beds and yards will be…..good homes for insects, rodents, and other unwelcome pests. I do not plan to be outside doing any yard work during a wave…the yard will just have to take care of itself. I went ahead and REALLY thinned the lilies and cut back shrubs. Will do more when the azaleas are finished blooming. Hopefully this will help keep the place from looking rundown and attracting the wrong kind of attention from passer-bys later on.

Now would also be a good time to get your herb garden going, as well as strawberries. Maybe a few fruit trees. :)

just a sidenote: instead of planting a bunch of flowers in your gardens this spring, why not try an edible garden. Chives as the border (Looks a lot like monkey grass), garlic, (gets a wonderful flower,by the way), strawberries for color, Rosemary…etc. Put the $ that you would normally invest in flowers this time of year, into something that you will be able to use later. Just a thought.

Snowhound1: Noticed that the nurseries have a larger than normal assortment of herbs this year. Also, vegetable plants.

Tell me about planting garlic. I read that it is a good insect repellant in the yard, as well as being a seasoning. My husband’s grandmother always grew garlic throughout the garden. She never purchased seed bulbs but planted regular garlic. I seem to remember her breaking the bulb apart and planting the clove. She came to Texas in 1906 as a bride and always had a garden. During the depression, she kept her family fed out of the garden, milking her cow, and selling eggs to the local people while her husband peddled his bicycle 10 miles each way to the local refinery. They both lived well into their 90′s.

since this is for N. Tex, I just could not resist saying I’m a Prepper, he’s a prepper, wouldn’t you like to be a Prepper too. (my appologies to Dr. Pepper).

denniscra I will have that tune in my head all afternoon.:)

North of Houston- Garlic is incredibly easy to grow, is very hardy and comes back every year. (AT least in Texas). I have never bought garlic from the grocery store to plant, but I’m sure you could. Burpees, or any of the seed companies sell garlic. And the ones I have, you just separtate the bulb and plant the cloves around. They are a deterent for a host of bugs (grubs, etc) and even repel moles and gophers. They get a beautiful big white round flower on the top, which is pretty showy too. :) Garlic is also reported to help get rid of fleas, ticks and repel mosquitoes when it is sprinkled on your dogs food. Also, I did some research recently and found that you can buy a piece of fresh horseradish root from the grocery store and plant that. I have some in a bowl by my kitchen window in some wet paper towels and it has already started sending out fresh root sections. I will plant outside soon. I looked it up on the internet and it actually produces a nice looking, compact green plant and it is good to grow in any zone in Texas. Also, if you can find some fresh, unhulled peanuts you can plant these as well (take the peanuts out of the hull first for quicker germination) and have peanuts in the fall too. The tops look a little like clover. I had wanted to grow ginger root as well, but unless you are in Zone 10, like Brownsville, it won’t grow anywhere in Texas. More of a tropical plant.

denniscra: ya wouldn’t be from the Waco area would ya? Dr Prepper…I mean Pepper. :-)

Snowhound-Thanks for the tip. I remember the showy white flowers. Sounds like something I might try. I have society garlic but all it does is grow a purple flower and smell garlicly. I brought onion plants for which I’m looking for a place to put in the back yard. I have a typical urban yard…pool, deck, tropical plants and not a lot of room. Something may have to go. I did see tomato hanging baskets at Walmart in the Austin area last week…small salad type. Time for another trip out to Walmart.

I would definitely try to be creative in my container plants then. :)

North of Houston,

“Typical urban yard…pool,deck…” Yowza. I don’t actually know anybody who lives like that.

Don’t you know everything is bigger and better in Texas! >;)

kars1995 I live in NM now but moved from Tex (Vernon). Every now and then I get some of the original recipe shipped in from Old Doc’s Soda shop in Dublin, Tx. Real sucrose in Soda is hard to beat.

Melanie—LOL, Texas is a different kind of place :-) I love it…

Regarding garlic—in St. Petersburg, Russia, I had pickled garlic stems. I had never seen them before then and haven’t seen them since, but they were utterly fantastic. Nothing fancy—just the green tops, cut to one length and pickled. Might be something for you garlic-growers to try….

In order to grow ginger root, or other ‘tropicals’, you might try making a little greenhouse…either a real one, or with a plastic tub and plastic sheeting.

Melanie - pools are just more common down here cause our summers are so darned hot. We don’t exactly live “high on the hog” but we did buy a house that already had a pool.

You people are making me hungry---I grow herbs myself---I have lots of flower beds. I have never tried garlic.

Originally post by Quack on ComputerSimulationOfH5N1SpreadInAmerica.

West is only 75 miles south of DFW.

Mysterious Bird Deaths — (03/14/2006)

West, Tx- The mystery remains over why some birds fell from the sky dead Sunday evening.

We first told you about the birds Sunday night, and that some nearby residents were so worried they locked themselves inside their home. They told us they found about a dozen dead black birds littering the small community of West.

We spent much of the day in West talking to police and Department of Wildlife agents, who are trying to figure out why the birds mysteriously died.

Overnight, residents reported black birds falling out of the sky.

David Coleman a resident of West said, “We thought it was kind of weird, he just fell out of the sky and there was a bunch of them flying over.”

Even on Monday, we found the remains of birds throughout the city, and that made some people think the worst.

“You think about the bird flu that’s been mentioned recently that was my first thought, that this bird was sick, and we were kind of scared about that,” Coleman said.

Full Story

More direct link to West, TX story

Birds Fall From the Sky in Kolache World

I’m here in Central Texas on a little ranchita (36 acres), and I’ve been following this flu very closely for almost 18 months now. I finally got my little chickies this fall, and I’ve been building their “chicken palace” with the flu in mind. Now, to hear that story out West really makes me feel that it is time to start practicing total biosecurity in earnest. That means me looking ridiculous in my poncho and garden clogs out in the chicken house, but hey, it’s for the birds. My family felt I was “overdoing” it until this last month; but with the recent stories, they are getting on board with preparations. We just “cleaned out” our last storage hoard (it was getting old) so now I have to replace everything. Time for new supplies! Yay! I love the interactive LDS site for food storage! It’s wonderful.

I have just started putting in the garden. The seed flats are on the windowsill, and here’s hoping all my open-pollinated heirlooms come up. (I have the thumbs of doom for plants). I don’t have a plow yet, and my husband’s gone all the time at work, so the garden will not be spiffy looking. It will probably look like the hogs came and plowed up the field instead of a gardener, but I am really thinking that my dandy “Garden Claw ™” is the best thing since sliced bread. I’m going to use it to plant all the herbs I have ordered, and I’m going to try planting my refrigerated garlic like the one poster suggested. We are so blessed to have had rain this month, or else things would be doubly bad. I feel so bad for our friends in the panhandle, and I pray this drought will end soon, and make this situation more tolerable…

We have fruit trees, wild fruits and nuts, fish in the pond (but they are surrounded by waterfowl, that means extra precautions) and wild hogs (once again, extra precautions). My birdies haven’t begun laying eggs yet, but they will soon, I hope. Even then, I am considering not eating the eggs if there are any dangers in our immediate area. They are completely confined in the world’s most over-engineered chicken coop, and I’m adding a completely enclosed, roofed yard for them so they will not feel cramped. I’m also following security a la’ “biosecurity for the birds” and am trying to make sure that wild birds stay away from the chickens’ little corner of the world - whirlygigs and windchimes ALL around the coop!

I’ve been lurking here for some time - and I really appreciate all that everyone is doing to prepare their families and their communities. I’m really praying that we will all feel stupid and overreactive later. But if Avian Flu does what we’re thinking it will do, then this preparation is a ministry that will help our neighors in the coming days.

This is the most loving way; Ponder, prepare and pray - so others may prosper tomorrow from what we do today…

Dandelion-

Welcome to posting and thanks for letting us see how an individual can put some of these ideas to work.

These preparations are a ministry, aren’t they? Who would have ever thought about preparation being a talent and then being called to develop that talent?

Here, in Fort Worth, new to the forum, but learning.

Hello Fort Worth Guy! I’m in McKinney, used to live in SW Arlington. Anywho, do you hear much in and around your area re:BF? I’ve been quite disappointed w/Channel 8′s news.

Nothing locally, the Fort Worth area has been quiet on the subject. A couple of articles in the Star-Telegram but, not much in the way of useful information though.

Welcome FortWorthGuy!

How do people on that side of town react when you talk about avian influenza and the human side of the virus?

Hello. I live in Frisco. I have been prepping for a few months now. I have been lurking around here longer. Most of my family and friends think I am paranoid and that I have no reason to worry. I feel alone in this and confused at times. I am a single parent of a teenager. I feel responsible to be prepared, at least for him. I dont know what to do except prepare and rotate my storage as I go. And if this BF does get bad.. at least I will be ready. In Frisco

Welcome Fort Worth Guy—I also live in McKinney.Hope you enjoy the site!

Lots in McKinney and Frisco.

Hi FriscoParent - My boys attend FISD so I wrote our superintendent last Friday re:not seeing any kind of pandemic preparedness plan on the schools website. He wrote back that he would forward the info to the Crisis Management Dept. when Spring Break is over. I also included a few articles re: Michael Leavitt’s summit meetings and the one from the Dallas Morning News last month. If you get a chance it would be GREAT if you could also e-mail him on the topic. His name & e-mail address are: Rick Reedy ReedyR@friscoisd.org I figure the more e-mails he gets on the topic the more aware he’ll be that people are watching.

My middle son is a Freshman and our youngest is in middle school. My middle son thinks I’m a little twisted and has told my in-laws that we have a small mini-mart at home. NOT a good thing to be talking about. It’s a good thing that you’re prepared. It’s the most responsible thing you can do as an “AWARE” parent. I bet it gives you the peace of mind you need to keep marching forward…I know our mini-mart does.

FriscoParent-Don’t worry about what people think—I have just decided to not tell them,I sometimes mention the BF to see if they even know about it and most people think it is not a problem. But I feel better each time UPS delivers a box or I go to Wal-Mart and buy more. This site helps me feel steady. When I decide I need something I get it and then I move on to something else. It takes a lot of thought and time. I hope we don’t have to use this stuff but most of it is food and we can eat it anyway. You know the old saying better safe than sorry. Hang in there. Do what you feel in your heart. Welcome

Frisco Parent…..just keep plugging away. When I started being concerned about BF, all my family thought I was “wierd” and overprotective. First, I convinced my husband of the concern. Next, my middle daughter decided to “home school” if we “get it”. Now, she recently told us that she and son-n-law have put a substantial amount of cash (stock options redemned) aside in case he is unable to work. They are moving across country (although will always be Texans in thought and at heart) and are looking for a house with basement in order to prep for their family. Oldest daughter is coming around but as a single mother of 2 preschoolers, her funds are very tight and she will need help and guidance. Our youngest, in college in East Texas, is beginning to see the light (mom and dad are now just “strange’) but her focus is on graduating and moving back home and finding a job.

I guess what I want to say you have to do what you think is best. As news unfolds, people will begin to change their minds. You have more influence than you probably realize. It has taken months to get my kids to where they are now in their thinking. Just hang in there.

I will be moving back to texas the end of march. I am going to be in the panhandle. I have done some prepping (single mom), but will need to start it all over again once I get back there. Ugh!

Once a Texan, Always a Texan. Welcome back, Medical librairan!

Staying aware……West Houston.

Hi, we’re from the Austin, Texas area. We hosted friends and family after Katrina and Rita and I learned what it takes to feed a crowd over an extended amt of time. Started prepping after TIVOing Oprah.

For those of you who can get to Mexico, I recommend Del Rio - Matamoras and Laredo are not safe to go to becasue of the corrupt Fedareles (sp) I have a pharmacist in Del Rio that will get you any meds you need for a 25.00 “office visit” Very inexpensive name brand amoxil, also pediatric amoxil, etythromycin, z pack, etc - No Tamiflu or Relenza, they don’t have it. You can bring as much med across the border as your family can use, but not enough that looks like you are resaling it. I usually get 100–200 500 mg of each drug.

Hello everyone! Thank you for all your responses and support. I will do what is best for my son and I regardless.. just at times I feel alone. Maybe if I have some extra money at some point I can begin to store for my other family members. Today I made a run to Walmart and saw other people leaving with alot of water , toilet paper and canned goods..enormous amounts! I suppose the news is getting out and some people are thinking differently. I will keep checking in and lurking around.. thanks again all! Take Care.. In Frisco

One more thing.. Thanks Belinda for informing me about contacting the FISD. I will send him an email now. I think if things start around here my son will be at home! Not sending him to school .. even if it just starts. My son is in high school and just an fyi.. they did testing on the hand rails in the school and found gonorrhea on the rails! I have always taught my son to wash his hands, dont touch his face .. etc. He is glad that he was bringing sanitizing gel to school everyday. :) Just wanted to share a little on the germ problem. Good hygenic habits may limit the spread of BF. Take Care.

How is everyone coming with preps? I’ve been repacking and moving food items to my new “pantry”. Also, planted some veggies in the back yard beds….onions, garlic, squash, herbs. Plan to do more as soon as the “yellow pine pollen” stops falling. I ordered more masks and found some 3M masks in small size for the grandchildren, just in case. They arrived within a week. Husband sent an email to and contacted a neighbor/city councilman about pandaminic preparations. No feedback yet, will keep trying.

FriscoParent - Sounds like our boys go to the same school. My son mentioned the same experiment. They must both be freshmen. It’s a small world. We’ll be ordering our N95 masks in April.

Hi everyone, I have been buying and moving everything around and around if you know what I mean. I am starting to wonder if there is room for all of this stuff! But if I have to put it in the middle of the living room I will. I am about to order a really good water filter and some more freeze-fried food. The buying part is easy the putting away is not. My Bosch mixer and wheat grinder will come this week and that will be fun to play with and make bread that part I am really looking forward to. I will let you know how I do. Boy some times I wish we could have a get together but I know we all want to stay behind the mask.!

Hello All. I was looking at the US pandemic site. Did you all know we are in the middle of the Central Fly Way? (that migratory flyway). I am moving back to the panhandle and I see it is just a huge flyway pitstop.

We’ve noticed a shortage in the number of spring birds in our yard. We usually have a family of cardinals and lots more mockingbirds. Haven’t seen the cardinals nor have we seen the number of robins as in the past. The bluebirds were affected by West Nile, so we expected their numbers to be down, but the cardinals were a surprise. Don’t know if this means anything or not, but it gives cause for concern.

north of houston – at 10:02

I read an article today (cnn or bbc) that talks about the lose of migratory birds that go long distances. It was a 20 year study and said that some long distance migrates were down by 70%. I really had to wonder if that took the bird flu into account. It really gives me pause when we are all discussing what might happen to people to think that it is in fact currently happening to birds. I wonder if anyone has bothered to calculate what percentage of the avian species is going to die in their pandemic? 50%, 75% maybe? What kind of impact will that have on the global system? It would seem that an increase in insects would be likely. What species will die off without the food they normally consume? With it endemic in birds globally, what will that mean for other mammals? The long term global implications seem immense.

I’m not knowledgeable about birds…just have always enjoyed having them in the backyard and observing them raising their families and enjoying their music. We’ve discussed what will happen if there is a decrease in their numbers due to bird flu. What about the birds in Central and South America? My guess is that they will mingle with the birds from North America and take the disease south. What about bats? They are a mammal, but will they be affected? Bats consume much of our mosquito population in this area.

Not sure about bats, but with this disease constantly making new inroads into different species, anything is possible. Now that it has morphed into 2 types of H5N1 bird flu it seems likely there will be big changes everywhere for everyone.

Reading your posts yes we are sitting under a hugh flyway north and south for birds. At my office we have a pond and we get Canadian Geese on the pond. I have a friend that lives in Mission Texas down by Mexico and she says this is a place the birds winter and people come from all over to bird watch. A few days ago before the cold front here in north Texas, I went outside and I heard what sounded like a million birds and lots of doves. The bird population here is down because of the drought. But I heard a lot that day.

I have purchased extra food every friday. Currently storing it in the basement of a family member who will shelter my whole family. I am seriously preparing for the bird flu. As of yet I have not purchased the mask tho. They are expensive and hard to find in stores. N95 mask are the ones to look for. I plan on staying home if this gets out of hand. My co workers and people I see at work on a daily basic is not taking this seriously. I have tried to explain to them without alarming them. But that really disturbs me. I have the knowledge and have daily checked the center for disease control updates and the world health orginization. But it seems the world is in a haze they just compare it to the regular flu oh we will be fine. What does it take to make them realize this is not the regular flu. And the implications to follow a pandemic, no food, no work, no school so we don’t spread it to each other. WAKE UP AMERICA WE ARE NEXT. My grandmother died at a young age of the 1918 spanish flu. So I take this very seriously. We have pictures and my father told us all about it. Not something to fool around with.

welcome birdwatcher.

Birdwatcher-

Do you really do any birdwatching or are you just watching these new birds of concern?

A bunch of us are north of DFW, but we don’t seem to have any birdwatchers?

South Tarrant county here… nice to see some other people asking questions and sharing information about the possibilities. I have a small group of friends as work (USPS) that discuss the situation, and I pass on information that I find on the internet. Trying to stock up…slowly but surely. Space is a problem, as is…. “who else may show up” at a critical time, without ANYTHING. And “how long”?? Texas State Pandemic “draft” for bird flu says we should be ready to be on our own for 3 months… Me, I don’t have a barn on the back 40 for storage. But I do wish I had some 55 gallon drums set outside this past weekend. Not to spread any rumors, because I can not confirm this, but if you go to the website….Survivalblog.com, there was a post from an ER nurse in the FTW area that stated some of the medical personnel who have been preparing, do not feel that the medical infrastructure will be able to handle the situation. I would encourage you to read the article, to decide for yourself. Best regards, Hook ‘Em Horns.

Birdwatcher, the masks are not cheap, but you can get them at home depot, my husband picks them up for us and I think they are in the paint department? But they have plenty.

I am not a bird watcher. However I have found it odd that there has not been that many birds around my house. So I called myself birdwatcher. I did see a deseased falcon. I live on the east coast up north. And I am taking the bird flu very serious. Thankyou for welcoming me to the forum. Thankyou for the info lovetexas about the mask. Anybody got any questions maybe I may be able to answer them about the flu.

Just a heads up for some of you Texans near Beaumont. Laurie Garret will be giving a free lecture at Lamar University in Beaumont on Monday April 17th. I don’t know if she’ll take questions at the end of the lecture. Here’s a link to the LU news notice http://tinyurl.com/ewznd

Does anyone know how to store potatoes? Sweet potatoes? I read on another thread where someone said to bury them in a sand box in the yard…..can someone please explain. Am going to East Texas this weekend and there are always truckfulls of sweet potatoes for sale along the highway.

Any Austin Area people here?

Sandbox in yard or any kind of root cellar. Dark and cool is very important.

Potato Article

‘’The ideal way to store potatoes is in a dark, dry place between 45°F to 50°F as higher temperatures, even room temperature, will cause the potatoes to sprout and dehydrate prematurely. While most people do not have root cellars that provide this type of environment, to maximize the potato’s quality and storage, you should aim to find a place as close as possible to these conditions. Storing them in a cool, dark closet or basement may be suitable alternatives. Potatoes should definitely not be exposed to sunlight as this can cause the development of the toxic alkaloid solanine to form.

Potatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator, as their starch content will turn to sugar giving them an undesirable taste. In addition, do not store potatoes near onions, as the gases that they each emit will cause the degradation of one another. Wherever you store them, they should be kept in a burlap or paper bag.’‘

Idaho Article

Potatoes store better if you don’t wash them. They should be dry and free of debris. For in-home storage, a root cellar is preferable but an “extra” refrigerator set at slightly higher temperature than normal would be excellent. Ideal storage conditions for Russet Burbank are 45 F (7.2 C) and 95% relative humidity. You should be able to increase the humidity in a refrigerator with open pans of water. High humidity will decrease shrinkage and keep the potatoes nice and firm. Since potatoes are living organisms they “respire” or produce carbon dioxide so allow some air circulation around your potatoes and open the door often.

Growth and Storage

For all of you intending to store tap water in containers, please remember that garden hose have lead as a stabilizer. You can go to Lowes or any of the local stores and buy a hose labeled “Drinking Water Safe.” Also, if you plan on storing in containers, get food safe containers. Trash bags are not a good idea since many contain an insecticide to control bugs. Re posts on N95 masks, remember that the virus can attach to the outside of the mask which means if you touch the mask and then touch your eye, nose, etc. you may be giving yourself the virus. That is why, I think, many experts are saying the masks are a one time use.

Mask fibers lose filtering ability due to contaminents over short time spans of usage.

NS1…thanks for the potato article. I can find the dark place, but the cool place (when the ac is out) is another issue. Guess, I’ll stick to dehydrated and canned potatoes and sweet potatoes for long term use.

Drinking water hoses are usually white. You can also find them at any rv dealer supply or in the rv/automotive department at Walmart. Also, please remember that when you are not using the drinking hose, to cap the ends. This keeps the inside of the hose clean and prevents bacterial contamination.

Michael Pezzulli – at 06:37 thanks to posts like yours, I recently purchased a hose suitable for drinking water…sold for RV’s and campers 25′ for $11). Secondly, as I mentioned in another post, I googled “food grade trash can liners” and came up with several restaurant supply sites that sold food grade (USDA + FDA approved) trash bags. I intend to use these 45 gal. bags in trash cans (new and/or cleaned) for water storage if things go bad. Another great and cost effective idea that I read yesterday is by using a blow up kiddie pool - covered and used for non-drinking situations.

Anyone thinking about a roundtrip to Mexico? I want to pickup some Tamiflu for my family, and was looking for some company (for safety reasons, I hear Laredo is pretty rough). I live in Collin County, TX and can drive.

Any recommendations on pharmacies or doctors?

Thanks…. NTX01

Hi from Tomball. I am just northwest of Houston. Have been lurking here since this site has been back up. Learned of it from another site.

Hi Texasgirl - glad to have another Texan on the wiki! We are going to be moving to the Houston area in about a year. How do you like Tomball? I looked at photos of Tomball on their web site, seems charming. Do you have kids in public schools there, and if you do, do you like the school system? My husband has an office in the west part of Houston, so Katy would be closer to his office. But, we are considering acreage outside of Houston.

NTX01 I too live in Collin County, and I have been researching going to Mexico for Meds. It seems that it is illegal to bring them into this country. Start saving your empty prescription bottles and you can fill them there and may get by with that. I thought of mailing them to myself but don’t want to involve the Feds!!! I just want some thyroid and some flu prepps. Let me know what you think

NTX01 & Love Texas - I live in Collin County also. Sounds like an interesting trip. Where in Laredo are you planning on going? How did you decide on Laredo? Are there any alternative locations to go to? I have a friend in Irving who knew of a place here in DFW to get meds from Mexico…of course it’s been a while since she’d mentioned it. I’ll try to find something out.

Iwas thinking about going to mission Texas, I was in Mexico in Jan. I did go into some stores and they have the meds listed on the walls in english with prices. One I remember was my husbands reflex med. It cost 149.00 here state side,it was 20.00 in Mexico. You don’t want to drive your car there, if they decide at the border you are taking in too many drugs to the country they can take your car. A friend of mine just went and showed the officer a bottle of pills for an Aunt and said they were for his old aunt and they let it thru.

Hey Tomball Neighbor…..Montgomery County here! Glad to see you and glad the Wiki is back up and running!

Watching in Texas, Tomball is great. Schools are good. I have one daughter left at home and she will be going to the High School next year. As far as land prices, Tomball is rather expensive. You could look in Montgomery County. They also have a good school district in Magnolia. My daughter did go there for a while after we moved from East Texas. My oldest daughter is just completing her teachers certification and she is also looking at the Katy school district. Past Katy off of I-10 there are several smaller districts and land prices out there are pretty reasonable.

North of Houston, Good to hear that someone close to my area is also prepping. Where are you in Montgomery Co.? We lived in Magnolia for a few years before settling in Tomball.

Hi Guys - I live in the Austin area, and go to Mexico for drugs when I need to. Let me address a few things for you. The Mexican Border pharmacies do not have Tamiflu. I have called and asked. You can look them up under their chamber of commerce websites and have a spanish speaking friend ask. I work with someone who speaks fluently - she and I also go to Mexico together, and I am very sure of the Tamiflu. What you can get there, and very inexpensively are the antibiotics - Amoxil, Biaxin, Cipro, or a variety of other meds. Lipitor, some blood pressure meds, anti seisure meds are available but very expensive. Scheduled meds are available, but you need to have a repore with the pharmacist - they can put them in another bottle to cross the border.

The Federales will allow you to bring enough over to supply your immediate family, if it appears that you have purchased a quanity to resale, they will seize them.

Laredo is not a safe place to be right now, for any reason. The Mexican Police and the Drug Lords are fighting, and too many tourists have been caught in the crossfire. I like to go to Acuna, across the border from Del Rio. Good shopping, nice restaurants and “friendly” pharmas.

Hello fellow Texans, I have not seen any other San Antonians here, so I’m pitching my hat in. I am a HCW and have been lurking this site since January. I usually don’t post. I am one of only about 3 other HCWs at my job who are concerned, heck, most of them give you a blank stare when it’s mentioned, they are not even informed enough to ridicule me. I asked a friend who’s husband is an ER Doc, and she says he’s not concerned, and says the same thing about another friend who’s an MD with the Health Dept. My place of employment had a disaster drill recently, and one of the scenarios was an outbreak of flu in the community. But, no special plans have been put into effect at my job that I have heard about. I have kids in Dallas and College Station, and I have been trying to inform them without actually scaring them to death, the ones in college have enough stress right now as it is. Good to hear the other Texans are prepping.

Hey Texas Girl - I live in East Texas now! Longview. Where did ya’ll live in the Piney Woods?

Small town of Frankston. It is off 155 between Tyler and Palestine.

Texasgirl….we live in South Montgomery County off I45. What part of Tomball are you in? Where is your college daughter finishing her teacher certification? Ours is finished this semester except for student teaching in the fall…due to graduate in December. She just hopes she can get all finished and graduate before a pandaminic hits. She started paying attention when a Tyson employee lectured in her science-education class.

Nice to know there is another prepper near.

North of Houston, we are right in the middle of Tomball. My oldest daughter graduated from Baylor last May. She then went to NYU to earn her Masters. Her last day is Thursday. Very excited that she is coming home.

Watching In Texas 19:40 Grew up in Longview and have a passle of family there, my husband, children, and I live between Henderson and Nacogdoches. North of Houston 23:55 I would like to know what the Tyson guy had to say….

TXTN: The Tyson guy was speaking to a group of education majors at SFA. The class is a elementary education-science class and the group was getting ready to adopt and hatch eggs. The Tyson spokesman talked about the precautions and preparations the industry was taking both statewide and nationally. He discussed the biosecurity that the chicken industry uses. He didn’t blow off any of their questions but did appear to be very serious and knowledgeable. I got the impression that his approach was from the industrial and economical angle, though, not the human side of it. He did impress on the students that right now it was a bird disease and no one knew if it would evolve into a human strain.

(By the way, after his lecture, he was transferred and the whole egg project was cancelled due to lack of donor eggs.)

My oldest daughter lives in the Atlanta area. She has a church friend that is a vet for the Department of Agriculture and works with chicken producers in Northern Georgia. His prospective is about the same….right now it is a bird disease.

Let’s all pray that it stays a bird disease.

Further note: The Tyson man also talked about the outbreak in South Texas a few years back and how it was contained. He did mention also that there had been other outbreaks in the industry in the U.S. and Mexico, but that they had been contained likewise. I don’t know if he was referring to H5N1 virus or another one, though.

Ask the 200 some odd folks known to have contracted the bird flu if it is a bird disease still?

Be certain, we are staring into the face of a suitable and durable foe against humans at this time.

High tranmissibility hasn’t occurred yet, but high pathogenicity most certainly has. Make no mistake, the current strains appear to be fully able to infect and kill human subjects.

TXTN-

Is there a Tennessee in your name? What program(s) do you use to homeschool? What made you decide to undertake the task?

NS1 - I posted this on the “profiles” thread, but just in case you don’t see it…thanks for copying my profile from the old wiki to the new wiki! I had no idea how to do it - thanks again.

WIT

NS1- Sorry so long till reply. Yes, my husband is from the Tri-City area of East TN. Homeschool-able to be with children,we begin w/ Bible Study then typical course of study with 2nd Lang. & technology. We use ED Helper, Elementary Success, Brain Pop, TX Essential Knowledge as a guideline and misc. workbooks. Love it. Mom is a teacher and backs 100%. Son became ill and did not want him to fall behind (illness lasted 2 years)he could homeschool in his bed.

Belinda and Love Texas - Sorry about taking so long to reply. I thought Laredo was a good choice because you could park on the U.S. side and walk across the bridge to Neuvo Laredo. I was looking for Tamiflu, but since Mexican pharmacies are out, I guess it’s a moot point. I’ll try my luck on the internet. Thanks!

Hello all. Please to those who want to go to Laredo for meds (tamiflu). Do not go to Laredo. I have family there with border patrol. You do not want to get caught up with the kidnapping and drug wars on that side. It is very very dangerous. Please reconsider. There are safer places to go. There is a place called Progresso close to McAllen Texas. I have been there a few times. It is safe and its a smaller city. No problems there. I will be taking a trip there early June to Padre Island and will be stopping in Progresso for meds. Take Care

Hey! We are heading to South Padre in August. We usually go to Matamoros just south of Brownsville. I hadn’t heard of Progresso. Is that place safer? I gotta admit, Maramoros can be scarry and ya don’t want to stray too far, but I love the shopping. :-)

Progresso is a very nice place to visit. Small city. Looks like U.S.A over there.. almost every one speaks English. Yes I will be visiting there. Alot of winter Texans live down there and so they go across the border for meds and dental care. I already have loads of Cipro and Amoxicillin but Tamiflu.. I need to check if they even have that stock over there first. Good Luck!

Hello.. Just went to Sams and stocked up on some more water.. tuna.. and salmon.. they have a 4 pack of 14.75 oz cans of packed salmon for $4.88.. real good price. Expires 7/2010 too! I feel so overwhelmed. Cleaned out one of my closets and moved all of my food in there. I might have enough food for one month for my son and I. I am still confused about masks. Take care all.

Hello All,

Back in Texas after a few years away. Had to start “re-prepping” after the move. Funny thing is, I didn’t worry too much before, but now that we know it is just about here in the US, it seems a lot more of a problem. Saw something interesting about Scientists finding H5N1 virus in blood of victims, and blood usually kills flu. It said that that is why it is causing disease in other parts of the body. Also talked about it causing encyphalitis (bad spell, I know). Very scary bug.

MLBIT—Welcome back to Texas. Hope your move went smoothly!!! Do they ever!! Did you buy a house with room for your preps?:) What part of our great state are you in? I am in north Texas, McKinney. Yes this is a very scary bug—I read John Barry’s book if that doesn’t scare you nothing will. I hope this thing takes its time so maybe more people will be ready.

FYI. Super Target has dried whole eggs as well as Just Whites. Found them on the baking aisle. Whole eggs come in 8oz. cans equivilent to 16 eggs. Just Whites come in 8oz cans equal to 57 egg whites. I haven’t done the math to find out if this is less expensive than ordering and paying shipping.

Thanks, Love Texas. The move went well, and that is a lot to say as it was with 2 young children, 2 dogs and 7 cats! Yikes….

I am in the far north. Up in one of those little towns in the panhandle, a little away from Amarillo. I did a huge canned goods purchase last week, so I feel a little bit more prepared. I got water too, of course, but with my crowd, I think it is going to take a lot. My house is rented and not that big (I’m looking around to buy), but this one does have a big 2 car garage, so I am using that and the laundry room for storage. It’s a start and I think there is still time.

I am starting to retrain my 2 inside/outside cats to stay inside more so that by the time it gets here they will be used to the confinement. I don’t know how I’m going to handle the kids in the house for an extensive period of time. I don’t think they can be trained! :)

This area is very unaware of BF. I really like the people here, but it is very much the world is this small town and that is it. I’m sure there are a few other preppers, but I would bet they are few and far between.

I have an appointment for my kids next week at our new Ped. and I am going to annoy her by asking for Tamiflu prescriptions. I truely doubt it will help, as by the time it get to us I suspect it will be resistant, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I will let you know what kind of response I get.

Any other small towners out there? What kind of response are you getting?

Hey! I’m from the small town of Crawford…..well, out on a ranch near Crawford. Anyhoo, not really getting much info about prepping in this area. Don’t have many neighbors….just an adorable donkey that’s become our pet. I’ve prepped for him too. :-) We’ve always been preppers, but since I only go to town to shop twice a month, we need to have supplies anyhow. Don’t want to have to drive 30 miles for tissue paper, etc.

I’m a bit of a natural prepper myself. My mom grew up during the depression and I think it rubbed off on me a bit. I’m also a single mom who’s child support is infrequent, so whenever it comes in I’m in the habit of “stocking up”! Guess that’s good.

I was taking the trash out a couple of hours ago and was thinking about trash disposal during a quarentine. Anyone consider that problem yet?

Read an interesting article today on www.newsnow.com about UTMB in Galveston and Houston and the plans the med center hospitals are making. There is also an article out of San Antonio about their city plans. Advising residents to start stockpiling water, food, and medicines due to possible neighborhood quarantine. Husband also pulled up the State Plan. It is still in Draft form but has lots of good info.

North of Houston - saw the articles you mentioned as well. I live in Friendswood. I also noticed on the City of Houston has their plan posted as well. Don’t know how to do a link but here is the URL:

http://www.houstontx.gov/health/Emergency/pandemic.html

In addition, one of the local stations had about a brief mention this morning (Channel 11). They basically talked about the movie and the lack of federal funding for hospitals.

Article Launched: 05/09/2006 12:00:00 AM MDT

Bird flu stirs up concern among area residents

By Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times

Bird flu was on Debra Pokluda’s mind when she recently spotted three dead grackles on a patch of gravel next to her property in Santa Teresa.

She notified the Do a Ana County animal control office, which eventually dispatched someone to remove the dead birds.

“They said they were probably poisoned, but with all the news about the bird flu, I was concerned,” Pokluda said. “They also told me they don’t test the dead birds for the bird flu because they don’t (have money) for it anymore.”

Volunteers with Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue said they probably would be among the first to notice any unusual deaths of birds in the region, and they haven’t come across that yet.

“We’re the people on the front lines for this,” Helen Bigelow, an animal rescuer and rehabilitator, said. “People are starting to get paranoid a lot these days about the bird flu, but we don’t have it in America yet. One of our volunteers reported a suspicious die-off after someone found several dead pigeons at the flea market in Fox Plaza. They were probably poisoned.

“Birds can die from several things. They can die from starvation, from viruses or bacteria, or from poisoning,” Bigelow said. “They also die from West Nile, and we do have that in the area.”

New Mexico health officials expect a movie about bird flu that airs tonight on ABC to stir more public concerns, and next Monday, the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce will be the host of a community meeting to discuss how El Paso would respond to bird flu or to a global flu epidemic, or pandemic.

Dr. Mack Sewell, state epidemiologist for the New Mexico Department of Health, said it is important to remember that the movie, “Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America,” is not a factual account of a real-world event.

“While the movie does serve to raise awareness about avian flu

and pandemic flu, we hope it will inspire preparation, not panic,” Sewell said.

Bird flu has spread from Asia to throughout Europe and Africa, but it hasn’t yet reached the United States. The virus has killed at least 114 people worldwide, with most cases in humans linked to contact with infected birds.

The El Paso City-County Health & Environmental District does not test dead birds for the avian flu, either.

Ramon Acosta, the district’s Animal Regulation & Disease Control program manager, said the best advice for people who encounter dead birds is to use disposable plastic gloves to put them in a plastic bag and place them in the trash.

“Don’t let pets come into contact with them,” Acosta said. “The (Texas) Health and Human Services Department has a section that will look into any large (and suspicious) bird die-offs. The customs inspectors at the (international) bridges check the imported birds. Where we might have a problem is with the migratory birds.

“Domestic birds don’t have (the H5N1) bird flu virus, but they could get it if they share a pool of water (such as wetlands) with migratory birds that have the virus,” Acosta said.

Health district spokeswoman Irene Rivas said El Paso health officials do not test dead birds for the West Nile virus, “because we already know we have West Nile in this area.”

The West Nile virus has killed birds, horses and people.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546–6140.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_3799685

Hey all you Collin County preppers you guys ok after the storm last night> Belinda are you there.

I sure hope the folks in Collin County are ok.

My husband heard about the tornados and then asked if I wanted to move to Texas after all. I have family in the panhandle and Dallas Fort Worth area. We have been thnking of moving to the Lufkin area and yes, I am still packing. We hope to put this not so golden state behind us soon. We will be moving with three young adult kids, 10 rabbits and 1 cat. Ought to be fun keeping the rabbits cool going through the desert in June.

Poppy ---I feel I have to say come on back!!!!! Good luck on your move

Poppy…I’m in Nacogdoches right now……welcome to Texas……Lufkin is a nice town…not too big and not too little, but close enough to Houston and Dallas that you can visit if necessary. Have a safe move!

Thanks to both of you. I have hoped to move there for years. This is sort of a forced move though. My husband lost his job last week and the writing on the wall says get out of California now while you can. We almost did it five years ago when the company he worked for (Imperial Sugar) closed it’s plant here but I could not convince DH it was the best choice, so he took a job in the San Francisco Bay area. Now he can’t wait to move back there. He’s had it with the commuting, the high cost of living, the small town that isn’t small anymore and is having more crime and gangs. So we are just going to do it. My dad grew up in the Lufkin area (Concord/Zavalla). Our family originally settled there in the 1840s-1850s. Much of our family has left the area but there are some cousins around the still.

I could use advice about jobs and housing in the area. Our three kids are 19–25 and coming with. They will be looking for jobs along with their dad. Our daughter was in jr. college but had already decided to take next semester off. She is sad to be leaving good friends but her brothers are all for the move. They are all good kids, never gave us more than a minute of trouble.

Poppy….back North of Houston today, now. I don’t know much about the job market in Lufkin-Nacogdoches since our experience has been with a college daughter. (Moved her home today, hopefully she will be student teaching in our area. She is a good kid and likes being home.)

Housing is very affordable, considering what we hear about the cost of housing in California. We would like to move away from the “city” but right now that is not an option. We have looked at property in Nacogdoches County and find it very inexpensive whether in town or out. Some of the realtors are on line and you can get an idea by searching the internet.

By the way, Lufkin has a new SuperWalmart, older Sam’s,new Lowe’s new Home Depot, and new mega-theatre and even a StarBucks!! Lots of construction around the Loop going on. Also got a few other national retail chains in the past 2 years. So something is going on with their economy. Good luck looking for housing and jobs.

Poppy – at 02:26

Rich green leaves grow much better near the original roots; Texas family from the mid-1800′s is amazing. Come home; there’s bound to be better prospects here.

Hey all…I’m in central TX. I’ve been coming to FluWiki for quite a while but only recently ventured from the articles to the forums. Good to see ya’ll. ;o)

Petticoat Junction- welcome to Fluwiki, good to see fellow Texans on board.

Poppy - 2:26 Lufkin & Nacogdoches have both grown and continue to do so. Henderson, TX has seen strong growth in the last 2 years. East Texas has enjoyed a wonderful economy for several years now. Good Luck in your search. We are between Henderson & Nacogdoches in a rural area and love it but I grew up in Longview so I may be biased in my view of East Texas.

Thanks TXTN. :)

kars1995 - we’re practically neighbors!

Petticoat Junction - Love your name but I hope you realize that it is your fault that I am now humming the tune from Petticoat Junction everywhere I go…;-)

On a more serious note, welcome to the wiki - always glad to see another Texan on board.

LOL…well, I guess I could have gone by “My Three Sons” (see, now you’re humming that one!) but I have four girls. ;o)

I’m a transplant from CO and missing my Rockies, but TX has definitely grown on me (even being the snowbunny that I am, lol). It’s good to see others from this area on the forums.

I’m reading back and seeing quite a few homeschoolers…hello from yet another one. :o)

Hey Poppy,

I just moved back to Texas myself. I’m in gray county, with relatives in Lufkin. I did the move with 2 little kids, 2 dogs and 7 cats. I feel your pain! Welcome Back!

Hey Poppy,

I just moved back to Texas myself. I’m in gray county, with relatives in Lufkin. I did the move with 2 little kids, 2 dogs and 7 cats. I feel your pain! Welcome Back!

NS1-I’m hoping the prospects there prove better than California. The cost of living here has just gotten too high to warrant staying. I do feel like I’m going “Home.” I was born and raised in California and have not been to Texas in decades but it always felt like home. I always loved our visits those piney woods as a kid. Grandad and my dad used to cut our Christmas tree themselves. My family actually started two towns in the area, one is now under the lake.

MLIBT-Yikes! I bet that was quite a move! It makes me glad my 3 kids are grown and the rabbits are quiet. I think we will be trying to get through as much of the desert as possible at night, because of the rabbits. They have to be kept cool, 65–70 degrees being their comfort zone. I am real worried for one which was a recent surprise gift. Where he is from it’s still in the 50s, so even in the AC here in the house he is feeling the difference. On top of that he is black. The trip will be hard on the little guy.

TXTN-I have an aunt in Henderson.

Good hearing from you all. Before long it will be ya’all. My dad never lost that soft southern accent so I pick it up easy. I could never even sneak a phone call to my uncle because after an hour I was talking like him.

Poppy-

As I like to say here to the Native Texans-

“I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!”

Laughing - I’ve heard that one. Right now I’m packing as fast as I can. I spent a whole day yesterday just going through the desk and the mountain on top of it, with a fine tooth comb. I hope to have the “office”, dining and living room sorted out and mostly packed by Monday. The only good thing about packing is all the clutter you accumulate that you just clear out of your life. It’s amazing how compact I got the office all down to, 2 small boxes and 1 lock box. And the file cabinets are nearly full too. We are selling or giving away almost all our furniture except the bedroom furniture and a couple of tables and chairs. Well back to work.

Extra copies of keys and combinations on locks and such.

MLBIT, see here and here for some trash/garbage thoughts.

Poppy -If I had to go thru my office and trash stuff and get it packed by Monday I would be in a world of hurt!!! Good luck---you go girl!!

Poppy -If I had to go thru my office and trash stuff and get it packed by Monday I would be in a world of hurt!!! Good luck---you go girl!!

The following story was reported on Houston Channel 11 last night. I could not get the link to post but thought the article needed to be read so I cut and pasted. I apologize if this is against the rules.

www.khou.com

Houston-area schools prepare for threat of bird flu

06:39 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 By Janice Williamson / 11 News

Fear of the bird flu has local school officials hustling to come up with a plan on how to deal with a potential outbreak.

If the Avian flu gets here they could be hustling to lock the doors, but school closure is just one option that has been considered.

If bird flu hits Houston, school-age children could be among the hardest hit. It is estimated illness rates would reach 40 percent in the classroom.

“We do have the potential to be a host site for Avian flu,” said Elizabeth Love, Harris County Public Health.

Representatives from local school districts gathered in a room in north Houston to learn what they can do to save lives.

“The closures of school at the outset of a pandemic could decrease the attack rate in a community by 33 percent,” Love said. “That’s very significant.”

The decision to close schools would most likely come at the request of the city, county or state health department.

Already the city and the Houston Independent School District are on flu watch.

“They watch for trends and if they see peaks or things that are of concern or interest we follow their recommendations,” said Evelyn Henry, HISD Medical Services.

With their propensity to touch things and not always wash their hands, school age children may be the primary transmitters of Avian flu.

That is why area school districts are scrambling to come up with a plan to keep students and staff safe.

Thirty HISD schools with large parking lots and cold storage will be used to store and distribute medicine. Schools will also be used as mass vaccination sites.

Experts said it is not a matter of if the deadly virus will make its way to the Houston area; it’s a matter of when.

North of Houston- Thanks for that..my sister is a teacher in Houston and she acted like she didn’t have any idea of bird flu/pandemic plans in her district when I spoke to her about it. I forwarded what you posted and look forward to hearing back from her.

Snowhound1…I plan to keep on top of the school thing.

The report seemed to focus on HISD but hopefully the other area districts will get on the ball. With summer here, I would think administrations would have more time to focus on this issue and then pass the info on to the individual campuses during in-service. School is set to resume the first two weeks of August this year around here.

Just a thought, a few years ago I think about 2004 one of our school districts in North Texas had to close the schools, flu was spreading fast and they did not have enough teachers they were sick. So if there is a 30 % BF rate the teachers would be in that also. I can’t believe that the schools would stay open, and I don’t believe the parents would let them stay in school.

I would like to think that most parents would pull their kids; however, in the metro areas, there are so many parents that count on the schools as a daytime and afterschool babysitter and for free breakfast and lunch. The kids then come home to an empty house….some spend the night alone. Our oldest daughter taught in HISD for 2 years at an inner-city school. The stories she came home with would break your heart!! She had to teach basic personal hygiene throughout the year and we even supplied the soap and towels….paper towels and soap, as well as TP would disappear from the bathrooms—if it was ever put out in the first place.

I guess I have become quite the skeptic, but after spending 24 years as an involved parent in the public school system, I know that $$$$ comes first with the districts and they rely on that federal money to keep the doors open. I think suburban parents will take heed and keep their children home, but there will always be that element that won’t.

Just in case you miss it on the news thread…

“Texas has $6 million to prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak and East Texas health care workers aren’t wasting any time. Those workers will spend the next few weeks educating the public about the Avian flu and how to get ready for it.

Muriel Bertsch, Central I.S.D. nurse, said, “I think as a community, we will be better prepared once we all are on the same page and I think that’s the good thing. Am I scared? No, because I think if we’re educated, we’ll be able to meet the need.”

The Angelina County & Cities Health District, Pineywoods Area Health Education Center, and UT School of Public Health hope to have a complete plan in four months. That plan will serve as a model for other areas across the state. After the information sessions, AHEC will follow up and make sure schools, businesses, churches, and other groups are able to meet specific needs during an outbreak…”

…”Preparing for a Pandemic Flu Outbreak is also the topic of next month’s First Friday luncheon in Lufkin. For more information, you can call the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce at (936) 634–6644.”

http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=4922902

weird, lost my name again. Sorry, twas me:-)

Glad to see Angelina County is paying attention. They may be ready in time if they have a four month plan.

Angelina County and surrounding area was hit hard by Rita. FYI….check out your HEB….2 liter coke products on for 67 cents here…..good to put aside as a prep item. W

my cousin has just come back from indonesia and part of the country has been sealed off the sumatran end. The rest of the country is starting to panic but tv and radio are pretending everything is ok. His employers ordered him home just in case the airports are closed. Unoffically the people there think the pandemic is comming any week now. Good luck

worried-

Can you have your cousin post some details here today? What sort of company employs him? Sounds like they are taking care of their employees.

“Angelina County and surrounding area was hit hard by Rita.”

Can’t let my husband see this. He’s worried as it is. I thought it was mostly south of them that got hit. I know there were some downed trees and damaged outbuildings there but I didn’t think they had all that much damage. My family had to cancel their reunion for that weekend in Lufkin.

I can’t believe the NO mayor actually got re-elected!

We rode out Rita in Nacogodches, about 18 miles from Lufin. While that area recovered more quickly than areas further south, it was not good. The major problems were extended power outages, little gasoline with long lines stretched for blocks, water shortages in small communities (no gas or electric for the water pumps or no generators), few groceries, no ice. There were fights over groceries, rumor of one stabbing over a loaf of bread, Walmarts closed at 6p.m. No one was out on the streets or highways after dark. After partial power came back up, local Home Depot and Lowe’s would put on public service announcements about what items they had gotten in and when and where to line up the next morning to purchase them. Damage was caused by trees on power lines and on houses. Lots of blue tarps. My mother lives close to the coast and yes she had lots more damage but there was damage all over East Texas.

correction….South East Texas. sorry

we were hard hit by rita, 100 miles north of pt arthur.18 days of no electric,things got pretty wild with looting and burglaries.. no supplies no gas for about a week and half..we spent 500.00 for gas for the generator..the 72 hr. supply list for hurricanes is not enough..

Opps! My name got knocked off. That was me earlier.

Now I am glad I kept all those Coleman camp lanterns I just packed up, all 4 of them, plus 2 RR style kerosene lanterns, plus more flashlights than I remember owning. I found about 8 in assorted shapes and sizes in one cabinet in the garage. I guess when I get back there I better stock on fuel, mantels and more wicks for all of them, plus lots of rechargeable batteries (found the charger too). More candles too. I’ve had to just about stop prepping to move so when I get back there I’m going to have to get back to it ASAP. We have a small generator that needs a tune up I guess, so that will be a priority, plus water and containers of gasoline.

This information is good to know. My aunt is from there but lives in the Dallas area now. She said there were a lot of refugees that came up there to Lufkin but didn’t seem to think things had been that bad.

We already have a way to deal with any potential looters. My son just may have to learn to like dogs because between the snakes in the rabbit barns back there and the potential problems from bird flu and the weather we just may want a nice big dog around. I think maybe an Irish Wolfhound might be big enough to scare folks off.

Poppy: Think about adding a chain-saw for clearing tree limbs and for firewood if you plan to have a wood-burning fireplace. Natural gas and propane prices were extremely high this past winter. Lots of folks decided to go back to burning wood instead of the gas logs. I’m not sure about the cost of a cord of oak right now, but would guesstimate about $200.00. If anyone has a better guess, please post.

That’s a good idea. I had not even thought about a fireplace. It’s been years since we even had one. We used to cut our own wood, back when we were still young. We always had lots of walnut available. The chain saw is a great idea either way especially if we get a more rural place.

Hey NS1, I’m in Plano also, near the Coit & Legacy intersection.

Poppy, be sure to check out the Houston Prep link….lots of nice folks there too with good info that might help with your move. You will find that people in Texas are always ready to give and render help and/or info. Hope to know of you being in Texas soon.

Thanks North of Houston. I probably will check them out soon. I am on the Wiki a lot less right now just trying to pack. I spent 5 days sorting through the garage mess and throwing things out of it. Then I crashed yesterday, too tired to do much at all. We’ve had nice weather here in the 70s so it was worth it to take advantage of the cooler weather to just get it done. It’s been over a year since we cleaned that garage out. I threw away a lot of junk. Doing all this purging of stuff is good therapy for the soul right now. With any luck at all we will be out of here no later than the 31st but it may be another week, kind of a waiting game right now. So I am just looking for a place to rent (a place to start until we know the area better), and packing and sorting like some mad woman. Just trying to tie up all the loose ends here is a challenge. Texans are all pretty good folks in my experience, but then I was raised byt two of them.

bump

TexasTilEyeDie – at 14:42

I just drove past there tonight.

I shopped at Sams over the weekend. They were advertising Tamiflu prices in the front of the store, I was very surprised! No unusual preppers there. Then yesterday I shopped at Walmart. I saw a few people who seemed to have an unusual amount of boxed and canned food.. coffee, soup etc.. I think some people are getting the hint around here. No shortages of food or water.

Well we are finally at our last day. Tomorrow we pick up the moving van and with any luck we will be on the road tomorrow evening or Thursday morning and at our new home in Texas by early next week after a brief stop in Dallas/Ft Worth area to see family there. We will be just west of Lufkin at bit. I am so tired from packing I just want to get out of here. Packing up the computer today so this is my last post.

Hey neighbor! You drive safely…and be good. Er…in Texas,, would that be “Drahv gewd en’ be safe!”

A Big Welcome to Texas Poppy, you are going to love it!! Drive safe.

Once you cross that border, you’ll starting feeling right.

I am in N.W. tarrant co. close to Lake Worth been here 12 years this is the first year i had tomatoes by the 1st of May,it has gotten progresively warmer here for the last 5 years ,unbeleiveable we never had a winter,oh well skitters are out now and vicious as hell,have to wear some form of protection if you go out in the evening or they will eat you up in no time..I have been watching Flu-Wiki about 2 months,great place now i am all into infectious diseases..got me hooked

Let us hear from you….due to be almost 100 in Dallas/Ft Worth this week—over 100 in West Texas today…. Stay cool and drink everyone lots of h20…you won’t be far from me. West of Lufkin is almost next door…just 2–3 counties away as the bird flies. Stay safe and Welcome To Texas.

closed for length, new post up.