A railway strike seems like something out of the distant past. Not many people, myself included, pay much attention to freight trains and rail travel these days.
But consumer goods move on trains as well as on trucks. A rail strike could get ugly for us very quickly.
Consider how sad is the current state of our supply chain. I don't look for a favorite brand anymore when I shop; I buy whatever I see on the mostly empty shelves. For me, this grab-whatever method has recently applied to such varied items as toothpaste, dishwashing soap, pasta, bread, and paper napkins.
We all remember the toilet paper panic at the start of Covid-19. I was grateful that I had enough of that particular product in my home. But during the lockdown, I began to wonder--what other types of shortages might pop up in the coming months or years? There was no predicting where the craziness might lead.
In 2020, there was a wide expanse of empty wooden shelving lining one wall of my garage. Once upon a time, it had housed countless tools and materials for my husband's building projects. Those items were all disposed of years ago, leaving yards of empty shelves. So during Covid, I started what my mother would have called my "larder."
Mom's larder had been in our home's basement, and my siblings and I teased her endlessly about her piles of tea boxes and groupings of mayonnaise jars. But I remembered that those stockpiles had come in handy many times, often amidst the drama of a fall hurricane or winter blizzard. And who knew what kind of storm might follow Covid? (Well, now we know. I'd hate to have to replace my larder at today's prices.)
So I began to fill those garage shelves with food. In each weekly shopping trip, I'd buy an extra of any sale item--tuna, cereal, rice, beans, coffee, tea, you name it--and stow it in the garage as my backup reserve. I also bought soaps, cleaners, and paper products. Today, those garage shelves are once again packed solidly, floor to ceiling.
The kitchen cupboards are also full to the edges. If Biden's "Armageddon" strikes (and if I survive it), I've got food and supplies to last me several months.
It takes some practice, but I've got it down now. All food in the garage is stored in order of expiration dates, and I rotate new items into the mix straight out of my car's trunk after a shopping trip. If my grandkids can't find their favorite snack bars in my kitchen, they know they'll probably score if they check the larder. I think Mom would be proud.
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| Photo: Better Homes & Gardens |
