Time to rant... So Isaac has passed and we never really got hit. But it's been a full week of checking and re-checking preparations and making sure everyone knew the emergency plans should they be needed. But now that the danger (minor though it may have been) has passed, I can relax and think about how fast things seemed to break down here. In three days our little town was stripped bare of necessary supplies and tensions rose to the point of desperation. And this with almost no disruption in normal infrastructure. We never got anything worse than a stiff thunderstorm. A few hardcore souls were calm but that was the exception not the rule. The general public was an embarrassment to humanity. Had this actually developed into an emergency situation, most of this town would have been destroyed not by the storm, but by the sheer panicked foolishness of people who never plan further than their next night of TV. Living in an area where there is an established "hurricane season" every year should be an indicator that you should prepare for a hurricane... every year. When nobody is prepared then you, the general public, become a mob. Shame on you. We dodged the bullet this time so learn your lesson and figure out how to live without the internet and you electric stove. Those of you who had to work this week know what I'm talking about. I feel fortunate to have been both calm and prepared. For that I have to thank my dear Mom and Step-Dad for putting the effort into instilling common sense, confidence and faith into their wayward son. They also saw my fascination with prepping not as a paranoid phase but as a valuable skill set and supported it with many gifts of gear and reference material. Thanks guys for teaching me that walking in the Valley isn't a pretty verse. It's a mindset, a lifestyle and an act of faith. When the REAL storms come I'm ready baby!