Pepper, the Highlander & the Dead Guy

“Off the bed, Mo, now,” I said firmly and with a muffled snort Mo slipped lazily off the bed and curled up on his oversized pillow-bed near the door. Never mind that he wouldn’t last there. He’d wait until I fell asleep and sneak back in the bed. But I at least I’d get to claim the spot I wanted first.

It didn’t take me long to fall asleep and as I did, I promised myself I wouldn’t let myself be conned by Mr. Cover Model.

Essential for a prepper… BOB… bug out bag!

I’ve blogged about this before but it’s always good to revisit it.

If you don’t have one yet, here’s your chance to get started and if you do have one this is a reminder to look it over and see if it needs any updating.

A bug out bag is basically an emergency evacuation bag—a grab and go. You can never tell what kind of emergency will present itself. You might have to evacuate for a few hours or several days or longer, depending on the circumstance. That’s why I keep two BOBs, one that will supply me for a one-day evac and another for a longer evac. An extended evac is an entirely different thing that I won’t get into today.

Today, it’s all about putting together a small BOB, one that will get you through a brief evacuation. I suggest you don’t worry about the bag itself yet. Get the items together you need, then you can better determine the size of the bag you’ll need. And don’t forget that you’ll require a bug out bag for each person in your house. Everyone from young to old has different needs so keep that in mind. I’m going to break it all down for you, make it easy peasy and fun.

Start with the essentials: food, water, clothing, money.

It didn’t take long to finish the blog, add links to other spots on my website for more information and insert pics in various places that I keep of my small bugout bag. I stretched my arms up to the ceiling, wiggling my fingers as I did, my own form of loosening any muscles that tighten up when I’m at my computer too long without a break. Today would be one of those long computer days since I needed to start on the second book of a two-book publishing contract.

I closed out of my website and was about to open the folder for my new book when my cell phone rang with the standard ring, which meant the caller wasn’t familiar to my phone list, since I always assign a tune or specific ring to each name. That way I know who’s calling and if I want to answer it. I was congenial today, so I answered it.

“Morning, Pep.”

My stomach flip-flopped like a teenage girl in the throes of puppy love at the sound of Ian’s voice. Did I just think that? I visualized myself knocking my head against the wall, since I was too far from it to actually do so.

“Morning to you, Ian,” I managed to say without making an idiot of myself.

“Everything go well with your dad last night?”

“Everything went as usual, some loving warnings I accepted gracefully— this time—though will go ignored.”

He laughed. “I can understand your dad’s worry. If I’m lucky enough to have a daughter, I’ll probably do a lot worse.”

He wanted children. Why did that thrill her?

“Of course, I would hope my wife would make me see reason so I would no’ drive my daughter nuts.”

Wife. He planned on getting married. So, her father and brothers were wrong about him. He had plans for a wife and family.

“What about you? A daughter or a son?” he asked.

“I’d like both maybe twice.”

“Four bairns, sounds good to me. I always wanted a big family since it’s just me and my sister.”

Bairns obviously meant kids in his vernacular and the discussion—having kids had me wondering if I was wrong in sharing my thoughts on the subject. Amy was the only one who knew I wanted at least four kids. I never mentioned it to my mom, fearing she would accidentally tell my brothers and they would tease me relentlessly.

“I was thinking some more about the dead guy and got some ideas. I have a full day of photo shoots, but I thought if you were free tonight we could get together and talk. I’ll bring a bottle of wine. Say around eight?”

He was inviting himself to my place and I couldn’t say I minded.

“Eight sounds good,” I said, and I couldn’t help but ask. “More Highlander shoots?”

“A bunch of them and some contemporary ones as well. I was glad to learn that this area gets its share of snow. When the snow falls, the Vikings arrive,” he said with a chuckle.