Shine a light............

In February I asked you to find your flashlight. Did you find it? Are the batteries still good? If you don't have a flash light, try to buy one on your next shopping trip: they're easy to find in second-hand stores or dollar stores. The dollar store is usually also the place to buy cheap batteries, so be on the lookout for those!

Power outages are frequent (at least in this part of the country). Having flashlights, and knowing where they are, is key to your safety during those times. A large variety of options are available nowadays, both battery-free, and with batteries. You can have squeeze flashlights (no batteries, the light is manually activated by squeezing the handle) or crank flashlights (you turn a crank for 30 seconds that will activate the light for up to five minutes). These are great if you don't want to invest in spare batteries or want to make sure you always have a working flashlight.

You may also want to invest in one of those headbands with LED lights. They allow you to have both of your hands available (it's easier to cook in the dark if you have a light shining from your head than holding a flash light in one and stirring with the other!).

I keep one flash light by the bed, one in the kitchen and one in each room of the house, usually in the top drawer. Each room usually has a drawer of some sort. Don't forget to place one in the bathrooms and more importantly, one in whichever room your breaker panel is at.

Candles and oil lamps are good to have for long term darkness, but open flames are NOT encouraged, it's way too dangerous. Make sure you understand how oil lamps work, and have abundant tea light candles that can be burnt in small holders. Long tapered candles will easily fall over or spill wax. By all means, do not leave any candles unattended!