Sunday, March 12, 2017

Daylight Savings Time... our semi-annual readiness check.

Well, I'm still looking for that hour I lost last night, but we should get it back next fall. Twice a year... here in Ohio... we change our clocks for Daylight Savings Time. While the advantages gained are debatable... it's our semi-annual reminder to check our stuff. What stuff you ask, well... a lot of stuff... it's been a busy day(s)!


First off, this weekend we shot our Every Day Carry (EDC) ammunition and replaced it with new.  This has been discussed in the past with "Five reasons to shoot your Every-Day-Carry Self-Defense ammunition!" It's also a good time to check your cartridges for any set-back you might be experiencing.  We rotate the round we chamber each time and haven't really experienced a problem with bullet set-back in the cartridge because we don't re-chamber the exact same round over and over and over every single day.

We also do a lot of other checking this weekend. We check our Bug Out Bags (BOBs) and Get Home Bags (GHBs). We update anything that needs it, rotate out expired provisions if necessary, and add in anything else we've decided to at that time.

We also check batteries... and replace if necessary... in radios, flashlights, weapon lights, red-dot optics and other devices well beyond the typical smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors found in most homes. The portable generators are started and checked... annual maintenance like oil changes, etc. happens each fall when the clocks change.

Have you checked your vehicles over... checked the air pressure in all five tires...yes five... that spare won't help if it's flat too. How about your prepping supplies... food stores... like the pantry to make sure any close to expiring goods are moved up front in the rotation and expired goods are discarded. Medical supplies and medicines are also checked, updated, and/or discarded as needed.

How about some personal identity security? We're no cyber saints around here, but we do update our passwords on all our accounts at least twice each year... when the clocks change.

The list could go on and on... and it takes us several days to go through everything... and that's why we actually have a checklist... you should too... and maybe you should do like us... because we make... Daylight Savings Time... our semi-annual readiness check.