Assembling My Bug-Out Bag

No mystery that I love reading mysteries and thrillers.  The prepared protagonists always have bug-out bags at the ready.  They contain a high-powered weapon, a burner phone, a little food and drink , a few new IDs and lots of cash.  Of course, they have led exciting and dangerous lives and need to have this stuff for survival.

In real life, I would have no idea how to get an alternate ID.  I am still waiting to get an interview with TSA for a Global Pass.  As for lots of cash in the house, well I do have a darling Coach wristlet I fill with change and singles for garage sale money.  It’s so much handier paying for everything with Apple Pay. But if a true disaster occurred, there is a chance digital payments would not work and cash would come in handy.

But in real life, it makes sense to prepare for an emergency and to have items ready if they are needed quickly.

Because my past is not really all that thrilling, my needs for a bug-out bag  (BOB) are a little less exciting, but really still necessary.  We all live in areas that might be prone to fires, earthquakes, floods – you name it.  When we lived in Reno we were evacuated for a fire and I can tell you it was very traumatic.  For years, I’ve said I’m going to put a BOB together and the most I’ve done is ask for a LifeStraw for Christmas (which DF Cassie came through on!) and I have it stowed in the truck.

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So, I’m on a mission to put together a bag that would get us through 48 hours if needed. And…I think I have a good start.

There are pre-made kits packaged in backpacks available from Amazon which are tailored to earthquakes or fire or emergencies specific to the area where you live. This one gets five-star reviews and is less than $50. The Red Cross has an online store where you can purchase their suggestions.

In researching some articles and thinking about things that could happen in my climate, I’ve compiled a list of items I want to have at the ready and my new 2020 goal is to get these items in a spot ready to go.

• Cash – I probably need to collect more than just garage-sale money and put it in a waterproof bag.
• ID – We already keep our passports in a lock box, but we will need those at the ready too.  They can go in the waterproof bag with the cash.
• Water – you can really only carry so much water, so luckily I do have my new Lifestraw and I can supplement with that.
• A lighter or waterproof matches.  You know, matches have made a comeback recently and there are so many adorable long matches in containers.  That makes me want to buy waterproof matches.  But a lighter is probably easier. I ended up buying a Swiss 5 in 1 firestarter that comes with a whistle, compass, etc. For $10 it might be fun to try out.
• First aid kit – there are ready-made kits for less than $30 available everywhere.  We already have one in our car
• Kleenex, TP and hand sanitizer.  Need I say more?
• Map or atlas.  Depending on the emergency, your phone’s navigation or GPS might not be operational.
• Swiss Army Knife.  I always have one of these and never know what to do with it.  Seems like they are made for just this situation.  I don’t know how I would ever use one, but very cool though.
• A jacket, rain protection, and a change of socks and underwear are probably called for.
• Food.  I don’t think I’ll be counting on cooking if we have to evacuate, so probably some granola bars will probably have to suffice.  Any thoughts on that?

I think I have a good start here and placing in a spare backpack next to our lock box will keep everything in a convenient location for an emergency situation. I made a goal in 2020 and kept it!

What I’m Reading

I have no idea how The Compound Effect:  Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success ended up on my requisition list, but it came through the library this week and I’m reading it. Coincidentally, it exactly addresses the subject I wrote about in my last post about doing the tiny extra that compounds to make big changes.  My mind has already been going down this track, but I’m finding some of it helpful in rethinking how I spend my leisure time. 

On audio I finished the second William Kent Krueger Cork O’Connor mystery, Boundary Waters.  I’m happy I found this series, because they are smart, fast-paced and just violent enough….

Currently, I’m listening to the classic Silas Marner by George Eliot.  I don’t know why I’ve never read this; I have to admit my attention to classics has been negligent.  George Eliot was the pen name taken by Mary Ann Evans in the mid-1800s.  She took a man’s name so that her work during the Victorian era would not be pigeon-holed with other feminine works.  She also led a life outside the social norm, living with a man already married to someone else, so I think conventions were not for her. The pace very much reminds me of Tess of D’Urbervilles. Silas was written 30 years before Tess, but something about the pace is similar. I like Silas better though.

I am reading Take Out, the last of the Sigrid Harald series by Margaret Maron.  I loved her related series with Deborah Knott which I listened to for a year on audio.

What I’m Eating

We didn’t get too adventurous with eating this week.  I made our vegetable beef stew with diced tomatoes and without tomato sauce or paste – as directed by my Low Fodmap diet, which I’m on for my SIBO condition. I linked info about SIBO if you are interested, but if gut health seems like TMI or is repulsive, please skip it. I wished I never knew about it! In any case, the stew turned out just fine and I really needed soup last week. We made what I lovingly refer to as “Kung Fu Panda” which is my healthy version of Kung Pao Chicken.  I’m not supposed to eat cabbage which is John’s favorite part of the meal.  Cabbage stir fries quickly, so I took a portion out for myself and then finished it up with cabbage for John’s dinner. 

I observe (like a religion?) Meatless Mondays so I like to go light on Tuesday and ease back into any meat-based dishes.  This stir fry is a perfect Tuesday meal since it’s mostly vegetables.  I eat mine over rice.  Here’s the recipe I generally use, but it’s super easy to add or subtract any veggies you like or have on hand and change up quantities as you like.

On another note, I cannot eat onions or garlic, but I can cook with them.  I left the garlic in a big hunk to remove after cooking and for onion, I used the green tops only of scallions which I can eat.

Kung Fu Panda or Stir Fry

• 1 chicken breast chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 stalk diced celery
• ½ – 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 cup chopped green beans
• 1 knob of minced ginger
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ cup diced onion
• ½ head cabbage, chopped
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Sesame seeds to taste
• Peanuts or cashews
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• Soy sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok on medium high heat.  When hot, add onion, garlic, celery and carrots.  Stir frequently and cook for five minutes, until carrots start to soften.  Add chicken, red pepper flakes, ginger, broccoli, zucchini, green beans and any other vegetables you are adding.  Stir fry until chicken is almost done.  Shake in soy sauce and add cabbage and let steam until wilted and chicken is done.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts or cashews.  Serve with or without rice and additional soy sauce.

What I’m Doing

We went to see Summer The Donna Summer Musical at Gammage Theater with DFs Cindy, Kevin, Evon and Denisse.  We had a good time listening to that old disco music and sipping fun cocktails such as the “Bad Girl” which had a little of every kind of naughty spirit in it.  Some of us followed up with a light dinner at Taphouse Kitchen in Phoenix.. 

Cindy made a Donna Summer playlist for the Fun and Fit class she teaches Monday mornings and the participants loved it – of course!

It’s still been very cold mornings and evenings here, so Roxy and I have been hanging by the fire.

Many blessings on your week. If you are a praying person, please join me in praying for the people and animals suffering in Australia and for the Canadians’ families and others who were affected by plane brought down in Iran.