Just watching and thinking...

On the news recently we have all seen the news about the housing market ills, bank closings, oil prices, rumblings of increased hostilities at various spots around the globe and the possibilities (probabilities?) of violence at bothe the Democratic and Republican conventions.

Are you watching? Are you listening?

I am not a a paranoid nut...I am a prepared paranoid nut!
Maybe this is the OCD for our age.
Instead of tsk-tsking and wringing their hands, preparedness *nuts*, aka *survivalists*, stock up on a little more rice or beans or lay in some water supplies or extra ammo. Keeps us calm and above the undertow of panic that is dragging so many others down.

Do I worry about going hungry?
No.
Do I worry about being cold?
No.
Thirsty?
No.
Unable to defend myself?
No.

I don't worry. Simple as that.

I see the same news reports as everyone else. I hear the talking heads on t.v. freaking out about oil prices and violence and war and health care costs, etc., etc., world without end, amen.
I simple don't worry about it because I am aware.

I am aware of everything that is going on globally, nationally and locally. Because I AM aware, I have taken steps to make sure I am able to have survivability, whether it be in my home or on the road.
If need be, I can grab one bag out of my closet, go out the door and have everything I need to survive. Without a vehicle, without a roof over my head. Just that one bag.
Some people call it a Bug Out Bag (BOB).
Some survivalist types get elaborate ones with all the bells and whistles, but I prefer a simple one with the basics I need.
You can use a gym bag or even make one with no bag at all!
You may never need it, but it is a good thing to have.
If each of those people evacuated from Katrina had a simple BOB, life would have been easier (and safer) for all.
You can make one, a very simple one, with items you have in your home right now, for the most part.

Here you go:
Simple BOB
One gym-type bag.
One blanket (thin cotton or wool or one of those *space blankets* if you have one)
Small tarp (8 x 8 foot will do)
50 foot of rope (thin nylon or even cotton clothesline if that's all you have)
One folding knife (make it a sharp one)
One lighter (make sure it is full of fluid)
1 manual can opener (or a P-38 for you military types)
10 aspirin in a small ziplock bag
10 Pepto-Bismal Tablets (put in ziplock with aspirin)
10 Tylenol (in that ziplock!)
10 Granola or Protein Bars (in different large-1 gallon ziplock bag)
6 packets instant cocoa (in with granola bars)
6 packets instant drink mix (in the big ziplock, of course!)
10 dry instant soup packets (in same gallon ziplock..ramen is not a good choice, lipton is)
3 bottles of water, sealed inside a new ziplock bag
1 small flashlight with extra batteries (what the hell, seal it in a ziplock, too)

You can add to this if you wish, but that's your basics. You have food, water, warmth, shelter (the tarp and rope) and a signaling device.

Now, you need to, every three months, go through the bag and replace the food and water and check the flashlight batteries.
This is a minimal, I repeat, MINIMAL bug out bag.
Mine has more than this as I have a firearm (ammo!). I also have a firestarter kit in case I have to bug out to a wilderness area. And about 6 more pounds of other stuff.

But in a Katrina situation, this bag, as I just detailed, and this bag alone could be the difference between life and death for you.
I know I will be raked over the coals by those that will pipe up saying "but they should have that 285 buck camping water filter", or "what about that collaspible camp stove with the rain guard?"
This is about a very minimal basic BOB for the survival novice.

Now, quit worrying and put together this simple bug out bag. You may never need it, but at least you don't have to worry about "what if" anymore!