And now for something completely different...

Sleet!  I have filled up all the water jugs in anticipation of a power outage.  Hoping, of course, that my diligence in emergency preparedness will thwart an emergency.  We are supposed to get 2-3 inches of snow an hour, up to 18 inches, depending on which neighbor I have talked to.
       This winter has made aware of how what happens globally affects me here, on my little homestead.  My house is what I refer to as a "tweenie" - that first modular that wasn't a double-wide, but wasn't the stick-built modulars you can buy today.  Because of that, I am not "allowed" to have a wood burning stove.  Allowed by the insurance companies, that is.  If I put in a wood burning stove, I lose my homeowners insurance.  I won't even get into how I feel about that.  So, I do have a fireplace (go figure) but my main heat source is fuel oil.  As I read the news on the turmoil in Egypt, I can hear the 'cha-ching' of the fuel oil prices going up.  Jordan dismissing it's cabinet?  CHA-CHING.  And I will tell you that I don't like the helpless frustration I feel when the price of crude oil tops a hundred dollars a barrel.  While I don't have plans to go off grid with this house, my next house will be off grid (inspired by Jane at Hard Work Homestead).  The importance of being self-sufficient becomes more and more urgent as the more world erupts in chaos.  Now, I am not an alarmist - I'm a pragmatist.  I think that one of the things I like most about the blogosphere is that it gives me the comfort of knowing that there are so many level-headed, clear-thinkers out there. 
       I did have the presence of forethought to dig out the wood pile on my deck, so I have easy access to about two days-worth of firewood before I'd have to tunnel my way to the main pile.  I have fingers and toes crossed and lots of indoor projects at the ready!