My biggest concern was drinking water. I had a drinking straw that filtered the water, but I knew it had a limited filter. It would last me a while, though, and this would give me time to figure out how to manage this need. I could see home when I finally had to stop and put a Band-Aid on my right heel. I should have tended to it earlier but I didn’t want to take the time. I guess I arrived home at about three in the afternoon but I didn’t have a watch to tell me. The first task was to pee. I just couldn’t “go” out in the open and there were no significant trees or cover where I needed to walk. After that, I grabbed two 5-gallon buckets and headed for the stream to collect water. I kept my conceal carry bag around my waist and I locked the door. My shoulders hurt so much that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to carry the heavy buckets back. I would have to come up with a different solution. Stopping to rest was necessary but I finally made it home, flushed the toilet, filled the tank and bowl, and hoped that this would work for a while. It seemed to work, much to my relief. I added a splash of bleach to the water and used the brush. Tomorrow, I would set the brush in the sun to disinfect it.

My next task was to manage everything, all at once. Okay, I had to slow down and do one thing at a time. I made a list, as follows:

  1. Plan the fridge contents to avoid spoilage.
  2. Close the blinds to keep the cold out.
  3. Gather more water for toilets and bathing and drinking.
  4. Take inventory of supplies and food and plan for the long haul.
  5. Check in with the neighbors.
  6. Check the fuel for the grill.
  7. Check the motor home for fuel and possibly use of the fridge.
  8. Check the laundry, so that the clothes in the washer didn’t mold.
  9. Hang up wet laundry to dry.
  10. Set up a bug-out bag.
  11. Set up the wagon and get it ready to include for a bug out.
  12. Clean my gun.
  13. Deal with the trash in the garage.
  14. Take inventory of water bottles.
  15. Open the safe and take inventory of weapons and ammo for protection.
  16. Check for any monetary supplies, coins and bills, in case they actually were worth anything.
  17. Make a list of things to trade for supplies.
  18. Inventory foodstuffs that I could give to the neighbors who had children to feed.
  19. Check batteries.
  20. Check my solar lights and get them ready to charge in the sun the next day.

For now, that was more than enough. I wasn’t sure if I could sleep, but I checked Molly and the ammo I had readily available and set up for sleep. I checked all the doors and windows to be sure they were locked and closed the blinds in the whole house. I was so tired… Nevertheless, sleep was fitful and I ended up sleeping late the next morning. The light streamed around the edges of the blinds when something woke me.