Our TV is disconnected. There are no washcloths in the bathroom. I’ve only got two days of clean clothes left in my closet. The pantry is empty. I ate the last of the ice cream and drank the last of the sparkling water. I am down to only two unread books. It’s a wasteland around here.
I’ve packed away all our computer accessories, like the scanner, printer, speakers, and everything else that plugs into a USB port. The only thing left is my external hard drive. Tonight, I do a final back up, and then I carry that hard drive to our new house in my backpack, just in case.
The internet will be disconnected late Wednesday. I’ll pack the computer and wrap up the precious wireless router in its original box and take it in my truck. We are using my old, backup router at the new house, but I can’t wait to swap this one in. It is not only faster, but significantly more powerful and should give us a broader area outside the house in which we have WiFi connectivity. This is important since we do not have cell service up there. We use our phones through the WiFi.
Hopefully, I can make one more post from my laptop using my phone as a hot spot.
I packed the remaining guns. My last rifle and shotgun are in a locked double-rifle case. I’ve put two pistols in my suitcase and the Banshee in my backpack. Outside of the loaded magazines, I have very little ammo left here, and most of what I do have is in my chest rig, which is going in the truck with me.
More Downsizing
Today, we gave away more furniture, including a set of dressers and two coffee tables. Yes, believe it or not, we had three coffee tables. One I bought back in the 1980s and it has lived in our basement for the past 20 years. One my ex-wife bought but left behind when she took half our furniture, and one that arrived with my second wife. I guess you would not be surprised to learn that we kept her table.
We have one person coming on Wednesday to get the last of our items, then I make one more run to ReStore with the leftovers, my wife gos to Goodwill, and we should be ready for the movers.
Locks and Keys
While packing, I cleaned out the drawer that contained all my spare keys, many of which were my “just in case” keys. Those are the extra keys you keep around, just in case you need them one day. I know some of them are to my old, now totaled truck. Some go to old mail boxes I no longer have. One was to my daughter’s prior car. I believe most of them are to old desk drawers and file cabinets from past offices. Well, they are all toast now. I tossed the lot – and there were plenty of them as you can see in the main photo.
Between a front door with a numeric keypad and my wife’s car that uses a fob rather than an actual key, I am looking forward to eliminating most of the keys I carry. Unless I start using some of my padlocks, I might be able to get by with carrying only the key to my gun safe, my truck, and maybe the backdoor key to the house.
I’m also planning a greatly streamlined wallet, getting rid of silly stuff I carry, like my NRA Life Membership ID card. (I’ve never had to whip that out.) I think I can get down to my driver’s license, my concealed carry permit, my American Express, and my debit card, which also works as a Visa. I won’t need my library card, Costco membership, and similar things.
Back when I traveled for work, I had a travel wallet that had all my airline, hotel, and rental car membership cards. I think I’ll make myself a streamlined every day wallet, and then a bulkier one for when we go on road trips of leave the area.
Urban EDC vs Rural EDC
That’s going to be part of a big change to my every day carry loadout. I have not yet determined exactly how my EDC will change as I move from the exburbs to an extreme rural setting, but I expect add a lighter and a fixed blade knife. Nothing too big, mind you, maybe about a four-inch blade and a nice utility blade. This will be in addition to my folding knife.
I expect to continue to carry my .38 revolver at all times, but I may swap out the Glock for a 1911 or a .357 revolver when I am working on the property on in the woods. We do have bear and I think a heavier, harder-hitting round might be preferable. I haven’t carried a 1911 for years, but I have at least four holsters, both leather and Kydex to choose from. I have a holster designed for a S&W K Frame that holds the gun on your chest.
Once I can find my small sling bag, I may set up carry some basic survival gear when I am hiking and exploring the area around our property.
As you can see, I am excited about moving, and both my wife and I are ready for this pre-move packing to come to an end.
