Checked off the list:

Sewed all Dale’s patches onto his uniform
Met with the family who will be boarding our guinea pigs
New clothes for class reunions
Called camper dealer again to find out when they’d be starting on my camper
Crafted a travel clothesline
Returned some borrowed items
Assembled doggie supply bag
Assembled comfort kit
Reassembled first aid kit

I struggled with the first aid kit, due to the new demands being placed upon it. Usually the kit’s purpose is to take care of day-to-day boo-boo’s or the hazards of a one-day adventure. But packing the kit for a month is a unique challenge. I ended up dividing the kit along the lines of “carry-on” and “checked” baggage.

When I travel alone, I have a tiny pillbox and some bandaids that I carry in my handbag, with a small ziploc of other medicines and first aid items in my suitcase. I expanded on this idea for the Trip’s first aid kit. I put a few doses of a few remedies (allergy meds, motion sickness meds, antacids, pain relievers) in the comfort kit which stays in the cockpit of the car. Then I loaded up the regular family first aid kit with some extras from the medicine cabinet: antacids, nasal spray, vapo-rub, etc. Not appearing in either of these kits are my personal medications, which will go in my handbag and duffel, just as they would if I were traveling alone.

And yes, I did check the expiration dates on everything. I hate opening up a first aid kit at a church or on a campout and everything is dried up, expired, and rotted away. Check and restock every six months at least! Must remember to get to the drugstore to get smaller packages of some things. I really don’t want to haul the jumbo aspirin and mega jumbo ibuprofen.

And now a word about the comfort kit. It’s basically a list of everything I have ever wished I had with me at church or other event when I was feeling awful and needed to take some kind of comfort measure. I also packed items to comfort small people. I added to this kit a ziploc with breathmints, mouthwash, and mini-toothbrushes. Traveling in close proximity has its own dire hazards.