 |
||
 |
 |
|
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
Click photos and links for enlargements  The end of another year! I do not know where the time goes, but know that it is not retrievable, and when I ponder this thought it sometimes saddens me to think about where I have wasted time that I shall never get back. So, I have chosen the last few years to not waste time running from place to place looking for things, but to rather have the things I need in several places so they are there when I need them, and this has proven to be much more efficient than trying to track somthing down and wasting precious time that is not something that I may purchase. I have set up little tool boxes for more than one place, and gone through my tools and split them up only having to buy a few things here at the store to complete my sets. This is also obtainable by having some key tools that perform more than one task such as the MEGAPRO® screwdrivers that we carry, "Made in the U.S.A." and the bone wrenches made by Craftsman that give you 8 wrenches in one. Also, there are some bionic wrenches and some adjustable wrenches that allow you to do several tasks without having a whole load of wrenches to tote around. Come in and we can show you some ideas on how to obtain this goal that will save you PRECIOUS TIME. Many times spending a little bit more money saves you a lot in the long run! So far this year we have pretty much dodged the snow and ice, but it's inevitable and we should be prepared for it always. Winter brings many things that can cause damage and dangerous conditions, snow and ice obviously with the slick road conditions and treacherous walking conditions, freezing temperatures bringing heating problems of all kinds including frozen pipes, animal watering problems and outdoor animal comfort issues, security problems with darkness looming early and leaving late, wind storms and heavy snowfall problems with powerlines, road closures caused by hazardous conditions all are problems that have and will re-occur.Planning ahead and being prepared is the only way to help avoid complications. We strongly recommend the use of walking traction aids like YakTrax, even leaving a pair in your car just for emergency conditions. I see so many people leave there house this time of year without a coat saying they don't need one to get to the car or from the car to the destination they are going to, but the problem lies not in the trip from the car to the building, but in the fact that the trip may not goes as planned and you very possibly end up stranded on or off the road because of an accident or a car failure. THEN WHAT? Now your car heat may not work or maybe you can't even stay in the car and you have nothing to hold in your body heat! Take a coat and walking shoes with you at all times when traveling a distance away for insurance. This is just an example of things we don't ever expect to happen. Be prepared! I have put a list of things below that you should carry in you car and have at home to help you be prepared for the unexpected. Emergency automobile provisions: 1. Coats, blankets, sleeping bags, space blankets, gloves, hats to help maintain your body temperature level while stranded or walking for help. 2. A good reliable flashlight that doesn't require batteries and can be stored for years but will still work such as a shake or crank type. Flares and or road hazard signals that will alert people of your position are also very important. We also carry a variety of lanterns. 3. Hand, feet and body warmers are easy and inexpensive to have and carry in your automobile and can keep you comfortable in an emergency. 4. Nuts or some type of protein that keeps for a long time is also a good thing to carry, and doesn't take up a lot of room. 5. A dry storage box or tool box to put these things in is also a great space saver and organizer for these items, and also lets you keep some basic tools in to do a emergency repair of a tire or broken hose or belt. 6. Tools needed could include a adjustable wrench to fit many sizes of bolts or nuts and a set of bone wrenches, giving you 8 sizes in only 1 tool, also a MEGAPRO screwdriver giving you 16 different bits in one screwdriver is a great idea. A roll of silicone emergency tape to wrap a hose or radiator neck leak orwiring short is very helpful. A good roll of duct tape, electrical tape and some cordage is also very helpful. A tarp to lay on to check under a car or to protect yourself from wind or rain is also a good idea. Remember that in an emergency, a tool is not something you want to scrimp on, quality is what you want! 7. Windproof matches or a lighter is also a great idea! Remember, all you have to do is put yourself through a few possible situations to plan for what you and your family might be faced with to enable yourself to build a kit that best fits your needs. Emergency household needs: 1. A house is a little less volatile in the fact that you at least have shelter, however you need to still run some scenarios that will help you to build a set of supplies that fit your living conditions and the area of which you live, i.e. country or city. No matter which though, you should have a source or several sources of light. And being that you have more room to store items in a house, you should think about having several flashlights of different styles to accomplish different tasks. A crank or shake light should be at least one of those as they never rely on batteries to work. Another would be a hands-free model so you can work on a task without fighting to keep light on the subject. You should also have some plain ones with batteries in packages, instead of being loaded into the lights so as not to wear them down, for other members of the family to use. 2. Having another source of light is also very important. I suggest having a kerosene light source such as an Aladdin Lamp. These are the most efficient light sources around as far as a fueled lamp goes. They are quiet compared to a white gas pressurized lamp, and they put out the same white light as a 60 watt incandescent light bulb. The fuel doesn't go bad if stored in a cool dry place and is not as volatile as white gas, making it safer all around. 3. Having a safe and reliable heat source is essential as well. I would recommend a gas or kerosene heater that has a tip over safety mechanism on it and does not require special ventilation. However, I would never suggest running any fueled heat source in a home without opening windows. It is necessary to have an oxygen source at all times as to not build up carbon monoxide in the house! There are many of these heaters available, so please ask us about the one that would fit you home situation the best. 4. Food and drinking water are an obvious choice and should not be overlooked! Canning is a good way to have food stuffs available for years to come, we carry a wide variety of canning supplies and canners. Also drying foods is a great way to lay up food sources for an emergency. Freezing is great but without power could quickly become a problem. Bottled water or canned water or glass bottled water are good choices for keeping hydrated in an emergency. Also a cooking stove is an essential piece to have, even though a fire could be built to cook on sometimes it may not be feasable to start one and so a small cooking stove fueled by sterno or butane or even white gas is a good plan. There again, the white gas is my last choice because of the volatility of the fuel as compared to propane or butane or sterno. There again we can show you some ideas that would best fit your needs. 5. The last thing to think about it a way to go out and get food or protect yourself in a serious emergency, and this means different things to different personalities, so please come in and talk to us about this if it interest you. |
| 6. Communication is everywhere, but in the event of a major power failure in your area, you may not have cellular service and you may also not have a land line service available because of your phones requiring electrical service and therefore not working because of power loss. This is a good reason to have an inexpensive corded phone that requires no electrical, just the phone line which normally has battery back up if power is lost to the phone sites. As a big back up I suggest a handheld C.B. radio and a small generator. With these you can almost always be reassured that you are going to be able to get ahold of someone in an emergency situation. 7. I try to always get people to have some dry wood or manufactured logs of some type and some fire starter of some kind to create a heat source of needed as well, wood keeps if dry and so do matches and provide an easy and safe heat source or signal fire. So, please remember to think your situation out for yourself in a family meeting and prepare on an educated, thought-out basis that will keep you and yours safe in any type of situation that we are faced with. Better safe than sorry! Where have we heard that before? In summing everything up, I would like you to know that we are so very appreciative of your support and your trade throughout the year and would not be able to succeed in business in this area without you! We are able to support an average of about 20 employees, of which many are full time and receive benefits like health insurance and sick leave and the such, without burdening our government. By supporting our store, you are supporting these lives as well as the futures of other businesses that we support like all of the advertising agencies we support in the valley, the other businesses we purchase from and rely on for services. I Love the word "community" but feel like it's meaning is not understood as it used to be. If you love a community as I do, you want to see it stay and prosper for if it does, everything that's part of it does as well! Parks, schools, medical, senior services, librairies, retail services, restaurants etc. We can never be everything to everyone, but will always try to do our best with what we have to be sustainable. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts here at Kelly's Ace Hardware, and please keep in mind the blessings that you have received in this past year - even in light of the fact that some of us have had some trajedies in our lives this past year. The blessings are always where our focus should be. As for me personally, I have had a year I will never forget with many things happening both good and bad... but the reality is that if I look closely The God has been at work through all of it and I am truly thankful, and now look forward to what will be ahead for our son Brogan, whom should not have lived through a terrible accident this spring but yet was the class speaker two weeks after his accident. And the accomplishments of our daughter Anna, whos heart never ceases to amaze me - and for my wonderful wifes support and backing of which I would simply not be the same person without! Happy New Year to all our Friends and Neighbors!  |
