Unless you've been hibernating somewhere without television, radio or internet- which doesn't really sound like such a bad idea actually- you are aware of the fact that one of the watch phrases of today is "preparedness". And that phrase is one of those rubber-ruler terms that includes everything from remembering to pickup your umbrella on the way out the door to picking up a water purifier, surgical masks and gloves and an Ebola virus repellent on the way home from work at the nuclear power plant.

But the term really isn't a dirty one. Neither is it some synonym for people who are waiting for "the balloon to go up" and society to go down so they can live in blissful squalor without any basic human comforts. Preparedness is nothing more than being aware of where you are at any given time - and realizing that situations can be "fluid". What looks like at first like a benign sky full of tall puffy clouds can morph -quickly- into the advancing edge of a major storm. And if you're out on the water in a boat or hiking in deep woods without a jacket or place to take shelter, life can get interesting.

So let's stop flipping out about the term preparedness and start thinking about how to be better prepared. Normally, the idea that stresses is the one you're least prepared (insidious word) to deal with. I'm not going to tell you to follow along with me in a daily journal entitled "Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You" (really), but I am going to encourage your considering putting a couple of books on your reading list.

They've both been sitting on my desk for some time, and last week I decided to stop glancing across my desk at them and start looking in them to see what I could learn.

Short answer: plenty. These are books that are full of information, but don't read like a some sort of high-tech reference guide.

The first, edited by Tim Macwelch (and the editors of Outdoor Life) is modestly called "Prepare for Anything Survival Manual: 338 Essential Skills". And it covers the virtual waterfront of everything from gear to food and first aid. As the description says, it's the book to help you survive anything and answer the question: "If the worst happens...what happens next?

Tim MacWelch is a known quantity in the field of survival and preparation training. In addition to having written hundreds of articles, he is the founder of Advanced Survival Training(www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com), a school that teaches everything from basic preparedness to advanced courses for the armed forces, and the State and Justice Departments from various locations throughout northern Virginia.

A sampling of his instruction includes Urban Survival ("whether at home, at work or even in the car") Ultimate Fire Starting, and Survival Gear and Bug Out Bags.

The 338 Essential Skills are presented in the Outdoor Life style that's a blend of smart layout, good images and slightly snarky righting that makes it easier to remember common-sense information that the "mil-spec" manuals many of us have tried -and failed- to plod through.

For example, the very first skill is "understanding situational awareness" - and it reminds us that knowing what's going on around you is something that can't be over emphasized. From there, it moves through everything from your gear (Pack a BOB for Any Situation) to practical medical advice ("Don't Spill Your Guts" and advice on knife fights (Don't Get Into Them).

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2171430.jpeg> Two for the road -or the field. Prepare for Anything (above) is an Outdoor Life compendium of 338 essential skills while, "Bush Craft 101" (below) is billed as a "field guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival". Both have the information as promised. http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2171432.jpeg>

It's an entertaining read and you'll find yourself learning - despite yourself. The list price is $27, but it's available on Amazon.com for $20.98. Hey, being prepared to save money isn't a bad strategy either.

"Bushcraft 101" by Dave Canterbury, however, is another of those informational books that's designed to be easy-to-understand and make the 5Cs of Survivability: Cutting tools, Cover, Combustion devices, Containers, and Cordages understandable. If you're like me and have been confused at virtually everything you've seen after the immutable fact that water is the most essential thing you need to survive anything -except drowning- Canterbury's book will go a long way toward making you comfortable in the wilderness.

Canterbury's no neophyte to the field - he's the co-owner and supervising instructor at the Pathfinder School in Ohio, named one of the Top 12 Survival Schools in America (http://www.ThePathfinderSchoolLLC.com>Link).

Canterbury's no-nonsense advice on the right gear to take into the wilderness is a key bit of info, but he'll also give you information and insights necessary if you decide to take that essential gear and make other tools and supplies you might need. From there, Canterbury moves you through the process for collecting food to teaching you ways to cook it after you realize your crockpot must be in your other pack.

And he'll help you with everything from those basic skills to surviving the surprise snowstorm or running out of water because you couldn't get back as planned.

Bush Craft 101 is one of those books that's small enough to stick in your backpack and have the expert with you when you're afield. And as both authors will tell you, paper is one of those things with a multiplicity of uses, from reading to keep calm to tinder for a fire, a way to leave messages, or a substitute for leaves should you find yourself, well, answering a call of the wild.

Bushcraft 101 is list priced at $16.99, but I've seen it on Amazon for $11.16- and I've also noticed it's a number one selection in that reference category.

Two pieces of entertaining and informative reading that just might save your life in an emergency.

Can't get much more useful than that.

-- Jim Shepherd