A couple of months ago I realized that I didn’t have a reliable, non-battery powered source of light or news, in case of emergency.  Because we go camping every year, I knew that whatever we got would be useful for then, so I set out to research different products that could be hand cranked for power.  I’ve bought a number of flashlights and batteries over the years – and if I can find one when I want it, the batteries are usually not working anymore! 

I finally made my order, only to be told that it would be several weeks before the lantern I wanted was in.  I waited for three weeks and finally decided to cancel my order and get something else (a good thing, since last week I got another email telling me it would be another couple of months until it was restocked).  What I ended up ordering was the set sold by C Crane Co. (ccrane.com) – it included a lantern, flashlight, and radio, because it was recommended by someone whose opinion I value regarding emergency supplies.  All are good quality and reasonably priced, particularly when purchased as a set (there was a discount for that), and have LED lighting as well as hand crank capacity.

Since this is something that’s been niggling around in my brain for awhile, waiting to be taken care of, I’m glad to have it done.  I also bought a couple of 12 oz Halloween candles for 50 cents each, to eventually use to make fire starters, but that’s a project that’s not at the top of my list by any means! 🙂

Avivah