If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear

With the recent tornadoes in Missouri (one within 45 miles of our house), I have really been impressed upon to get our family a storm shelter. I had a thought of burying a used grain silo. In talking with friends from Church, that idea has been shot down. So, I started researching on the web. They have pre-made concrete, fiberglass, and steel shelters you put in the ground. To say the least, we would have to give them all five of our kids to make even the first payment. YIKES! "Not Gonna Do It!"

With those choices out of the way, some of these same friends from Church suggested me building one. I researched DIY storm shelters online. Hey, I can do that! So, the process has begun. I have started digging a 9x12' ( don't ask why those dimensions, that is just at the time seemed right) hole in my backyard, behind my garage. (See mom, doing all that digging in the back yard when I was little is paying off!) The hole is only one foot deep so far and took me 3 hours of digging, drinking water, digging, drinking water, and so forth. It has already claimed the life of my shovel handle (DOAH!). However, I will yet defeat the Lamoni clay (yes, clay! I was told today that it gets worse the deeper you go.) that lies beneath my yard to save hundreds of dollars.

Plus there are some benefits to digging it myself: 1) save money; 2) sweat profusely in the heat and humidity which in turn helps me shed some poundage; 3) helps me get into shape; 4) gives me a sense of accomplishment; and 5) save money.

Thank goodness for 2 months to get this done.

 "The Hole" after one day of digging.