I wish I had your optimism Comettose..... It seems like all the people moving out in this direction think the countryside is a place to do all those things they weren't allowed to do in the city. (loud cars, 4wheelers, fireworks, etc.) Its getting close to impossible for people like you and me to buy country land anymore, since the farmers would rather sell it to developers. Its a real dilemma for them I suppose......sell it to another farmer for $3,000 an acre or to a developer for $20,000/ac. Then the area plan commission and the county commissioners think they are leaving a wonderful legacy by building malls and subdivisions. There is a place 8 miles south of us that was all farmland. 1,700 acres were sold to a developer who is putting in a city. The commissioners who approved this were so proud of themselves. And the people in the small town close to us are so apathetic, no one but me complained. I don't understand how people in neat little towns and rural people can only think in terms of "gee....isn't this great........a Home Depot only 5 miles away now.......and a Starbucks! .......and......." Why did they ever choose to live out here in the first place if they don't mind this "takeover"? The only terms they think of is convenience and having more and more of the same things, only closer. How do you reach those kinds of people? They are so disconnected with nature that it isn't even part of their experience anymore. Then the developers promise to make these huge parks for the masses.(after they've bulldozed the natural landscape). Developers and city officials are also trying to connect all the cities in this region with "rails to trails" paths so people can ride bikes through the countryside and see our "rural heritage". What a joke. Then they talk about building little shops all along these paths, since people "need to eat, and buy souveneirs". I really feel like an alien. No, actually.......I feel like all of them are the aliens! We have a paradise here.......and what are we doing with it?? I understand that the sole purpose of every organism on this planet is to reproduce. That's what its all about. But mankind seems to be doing it in a way that is so much more destructive than the other spieces. I'll get off my soapbox now.

We're in a situation where we could wind up "without" for a while, too. I guess you could call me a prepper, although I do not prep for the extreme like the ones on TV and a friend of mine who lives in Idaho. We have been stranded in our home in winter before so I always keep a good supply of food and other items in case we can't get out and power outages. We live in a corridor where tornadoes are drawn to. We do have a generator which is a blessing. Both DH and I are Hams and of course we have the required ham radio. We also have battery powered Coleman lanterns in two sizes and one propane one plus LED flashlights. We have battery packs for our C-PAP machines. I bought DH a very small solar charger to clip onto his backpack that will charge his cell phone or camera batteries whenever needed. It didn't cost much and is ridiculously small and lightweight. Got that for his canoeing drip down the Mississippi. I keep on hand camping items to help like a propane stove and extra cans of propane for cooking. Any foods that don't have to be cooked are great, like tuna and salmon in the packages. They take up little room. Canned goods work, but take up more room. Stock what you like. Of course any easy to prepare foods like soups for winter and one pot meals. You could even make up your own just add boiling water food packages. I did this for my DH when he was going to hike the Appalachian Trail. Four servings packaged mashed potatoes by Idahoan that you just add boiling water to are really, really good and come in several varieties. I carry these in our motorhome for convenience along with several other long lasting, quick to fix foods. I also keep some Nido powdered milk handy and Bisquick in a large Zip-Lock bag. You need some pots to cook in and something to eat off of. I use to have a kit from our early camping days (nearly 40 years ago) that had a dutch oven sized pot with a couple of other pots, plates, cups a small coffee pot utensils that all nested inside the big pot and a frying pan that doubled as a lid. It took up very little room and worked well. Don't forget a small dishpan and dish soap to wash up in. You could keep a couple of inflatable beds handy or camping cots with sleeping bags. I've always had some of those silver survival blankets in each vehicle in case of breakdowns in the winter and they would be good if you didn't have heat in your basement. They come folded, about the size of a deck of cards and when I first bought them at Wally World they were around $2 each. One for each person. Keep a separate stash of hygiene items there as well. And don't forget some extra clothes and a pair of sturdy shoes for each person. You don't want to have a tornado go through and you only have slippers or are barefoot. Make sure you have extra food for any animals you have.When we had a blizzard in the seventies, I had two humongous dogs and about enough dog food for one day and half a roll of TP. We lived in the city then, but walking four blocks to a grocery then back with dog food and TP in deep snow was not fun. I have always kept a good stash of each since then. As for first aid supplies, make sure you check out what are in really good commercial kits and make your own. Then make sure you have any special items you normally use like antacids, cough syrup, eye drops, etc. Try to build up a little extra of your prescription drugs in case any would expire while you're isolated and couldn't get anywhere to refill them. Books, coloring books plus crayons, sticker books, board games, card games and a few craft supplies will keep kids occupied. Some of these will also work for adults and I'm sure you can think of things you'd enjoy. Knitting, crocheting, needlework, crossword puzzles? That's just some of the things I do and keep on hand. Keep all these things together if you can in your walk out basement and make sure you rotate items before expiration dates. I'm sure I left out a lot, but by going through the links Dave posted for you, I'm sure you'll find others to cover what you need.

Thanks for posting that photo. Here's my idea: I moved the fridge to the inner wall, recessing it enough so that its case (not the doors, just the body of the fridge) extends 16.5" into the room. I made the lower cabs next to it 15", with the counter at 16.5" deep so that they dead-end into the side of the fridge cab. That few extra inches of depth will make it easier to make coffee, toast, etc in this area. There are upper cabs above this shallow counter for more storage, something like what you see in the left side of this photo: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-toronto-phvw-vp~100348) [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Thornhill Interior Designers & Decorators Avalon Interiors Moving the fridge and recessing it into the laundry/utility room gives you the wider aisle you want plus it moves the fridge out of view from the front door. I moved the range to the opposite end of the counter run and sited it next to the window. The hood will run up against the window molding like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-traditional-kitchen-detroit-phvw-vp~1872661) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Ann Arbor Interior Designers & Decorators Laura Zender Design, Allied ASID Judging by your plan posted above, you should have 12-15" of counter to the left of the range. I moved the sink down the wall, nearly to the opening with just enough room for an 18" DW. 18" European DW hold as much as US 24" DWs so you're not giving up function but you are gaining more space in your small kitchen. Panel the DW to make it disappear. Check the selection of panel ready 18" DW at AJ Madison (see link). You will need to do some trenching in your slab to make this work but you gain a large amount of prep counter between sink and range with a window above. IMO, that is worth the expense. To the right of the DW is a china hutch that looks like a piece of furniture but is built in, something like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/monteverde-residence-traditional-kitchen-los-angeles-phvw-vp~57288) [Eclectic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by Pasadena Design-Build Firms HartmanBaldwin Design/Build That gives guests a nice view when they come in the door. You could opt to put shelves above the sink and DW like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/flea-market-trixie-shabby-chic-style-kitchen-phvw-vp~134754) [Eclectic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) You could also hang artwork, decorative plates, wine rack etc on the wall above the sink and DW: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/charmean-neithart-interiors-llc-traditional-kitchen-los-angeles-phvw-vp~886242) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by San Marino Interior Designers & Decorators Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. Wrapped around the corner on the wall facing the front of the house is a tall shallow pantry that looks like furniture, something like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/showroom-display-traditional-kitchen-boston-phvw-vp~96086) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Boston Kitchen & Bath Designers Venegas and Company Perhaps you can re-purpose the armoire cabinet that's in the front room already. I put the bench/couch that is in your front room to use, making it a bench for a rectangular table. The two chairs can be placed against the wall next to the china hutch cab when not needed. My goal was to give you a better functioning kitchen while maintaining the charm of your home. In other words, I tried to reduce the utilitarian nature of a kitchen extended into the front room. Here is a link that might be useful: Panel ready 18

Here’s an update from The Philadelphia Preservation Alliance. This is a sad loss for the city. “Update on 239 Chestnut: Sadly, this 1851 historically-certified loft building designed by Stephen Decatur Button suffered catastrophic damage in a fire of undetermined origin early Sunday morning Thankfully, everyone got out and no one was seriously injured. We visited the site this morning with several structural engineers and L&I. Within the building, there is literally nothing left. The roof and all of the floors collapsed and pancaked into the cellar. The rear brick wall remains standing, but is unsupported and in danger of collapse. The first floor front has cast iron columns and trim (backed with masonry), and the upper facade is brownstone clad with stucco. Unfortunately it appears unlikely that the upper portions can be saved as the brownstone is quite brittle and crumbles easily. Further complicating things, the only access to the building is through the front - there is no rear alley access. Our best hope based on what we know to this point is that the building may be re-built someday to match the old, including the original cast iron front. Sadly, one of the finest blocks of historic buildings in Philadelphia will be compromised for a long time to come.”