Packing

I’m running away. Well, only for a week, but I’m off to spend time with that mouse in Florida. As much as I’m looking forward to it, I’m astounded at how much I need to pack for a week’s stay away. I take that back, it’s not how much I need to pack, but what I need to pack.

Between covid, the age of technology, and the age of the Llama, the “art” of packing has changed.

Gone are the days of “throw some clothes in, pack a book or two and toss in a camera. (not physically toss it, of course). Now it’s “make a list.” Make sure that list is categorized. Here are my categories, should you find you need to make lists of lists for packing:

To Do: (Including prep for our house-sitter, making sure we have all tickets, etc., and subdivided into which of us has to do what)

To Buy: (Do we have all our meds? Supplements? Covid tests? Snacks for the plane? Cat supplies for the house-sitter? Travel insurance?)

To Pack: (in the suitcase, in my carry-on, in his carry-on, in my purse, etc.)

Will I forget something? Sure. Am I worried I might forget something? No. If we are renting a car, we can hop over to a store. If not, there are delivery companies and ride-share apps that really come in handy.

I really need to look into whether I can mention these stores and companies by name. Someone remind me, please. Heaven knows it’ll slip my mind the moment I hit “Publish” on this page! Everyone talks about how, as you gain in years, you tend to forget why you walked into a room. Yeah, I have that. Then there’s that pesky old brain fog that not only assists with that forgetfulness but also gives it other names! (Like calling my gloves a basket, although usually, it’s a description of the word I forgot: never leave home without your people-call-thingy!)

Speaking of which, I almost forgot to pack my “things to put on my feet so I’m not walking barefoot in the hotel room.”

I’d better go get them into the suitca….well, look at that…they’re on my feet!

Oh, and that list? It’s online (a shareable doc on the big “G”). I share it with my husband. (He sometimes reads it, too!) As I pack things, I change the font to bold, or change the color so that I can easily figure out if I’ve forgotten anything that I remembered to put in the list.

Yes, remember to blog is on that list, too. I can cross that off now. By cross it off, I mean make it bold in my doc because strikethrough on the big “G” docs takes longer than making it bold and the Llama does not have time for that!