I get asked frequently for ‘lists’.  Which is funny because I am a terrible list maker and you guys have way more faith in me than anyone should.  I frequently grocery shop without a list (gasp!).  I make lists and forget where I put them.  I don’t complete them.  I don’t even write them.  All of the above. But, well, I have done the Deployment mambo more than a few times, and I’ve learned from trial and error that there are some things you just DO before they’re gone to make your life 110% easier. Did that life experience remind me to winterize his motorcycle when he left on an immediate reaction deployment for 6 months last fall?  No.  Ask the mechanic who just charged me my firstborn to fix Dh’s motorbike this spring. Sometimes, shit happens and you can’t get everything done.  You don’t have time to evaluate what you need to finish before they are gone.  They just leave.  This is why many of these things should be talked about now, if not yesterday. Life happens and it pays to be ready for it. But many times you have some warning.  Or, if they are posted to a High Readiness unit, or their unit goes on Immediate Reaction, you can just get stuff done as a ‘just in case’.  That is usually our scenario.  Not that any of that saved the Virago’s carburetor. Either way, this is me giving you what you were looking for, the best way I know how: Before you read this, you should go to your MFRC. Or call them. Ask if they already have one of these. I’m sure theirs is…