Zombies are the cool thing again. Not just because of The Walking Dead, or World War Z, or whatever, we had zombies LONG before these.

Vampires were popular for a long time, and before that werewolves, but like the other basic monsters, zombies fade occasionally but never really disappear.

The small one was playing zombie apocalypse again today, it's his current favorite pretend. He came to the kitchen with his compass, flashlight, and other gadgetry, to talk about what he would need. The conversation got around to the fact that in a zombie apocalypse, or an ice age, or anything else, he would still need all the same stuff he needs every day.

Giant freaking light bulb, I swear.

He starts naming off food, water, shelter, weapons, a team, and non-food supplies. He knows he can't start a fire in the house, but some empty cardboard tubes from a roll of foil, paper towels, etc, become wood for a pretend fire. A sheet over his mother's inversion table becomes a cave, warehouse, office, or something.

He made his mother put on a hat, and bring a Nerf gun, when she ventured out to get a couple cookies for a snack. Then he started to bite-check her arms when she came back.

He figured out he would need medical care all on his own. Team mate "Billy" (a blue Power Ranger toy,) had a fever because he was sick - but not zombie infection, just normal sick. I sent him to forage white willow bark to make a tea to break Billy's fever, his brother's door frame is now a willow.

He asked me if it was real? No, we don't have any real willow, but using the inner bark really WOULD be good medicine.

Will the stone age axe making video, the willow information, or the tip on using a 9 volt battery and the 0000 steel wool for fire starting stick with him? Who knows? But we play together often, got nothing but time.

I think I'll teach him how to open a can without any can opener soon.