Leah

No warning necessary. You didn't have any warning in the story, we shouldn't get it when reading. Daylily, maybe your group will take over Mother's spread?

Fainting here... MOTHER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?

This one from Sandra Backlund, awaits along the shoreline... Always vigilant, always looking to entangle the unwary invading male in the long loops of it's body. http://dianepernet.typepad.com/photos/unca..._bergengren.jpg

Sandra Backlund is now working on my side, weilding her knitting needles she has created some knitted monsters with which to strew the undergrowth and the trees against the evil male invaders of this thread. The female models were not harmed, as the monsters only crave male flesh. heh, heh, heh... Behold - the Serpent! http://dianepernet.typepad.com/photos/unca..._bergengren.jpg

Sorry to be a squasher of dreams; but the story is supposed to be a realistic portrayal of what might happen, yes?. I think it extremely unlikely to be able to hire a helicopter to make a delivery. Anyone who still has access to such a machine will be either trying to keep their local government running, or some rich person. Neither of which will be hiring out, even if it would be safe with updrafts, etc. to deliver into The Valley. There are local yokels kidnapping people travelling the highways, merely to steal their supplies. They would certainly see a helicopter as something to covet or destroy. It doesn't really take that much to bring one down. Those yahoos would try I am sure. If they did manage to bring it down unharmed, how long do you think it would be before the pilot would be forced to tell where the delivery was going? I don't know, I think the risk is much higher than the reward. If we must go gray, we're staying gray.

Nice write up, 'pm person'. Thank you for it. I'm very interested in the reality. In our case we should be much closer to sea level; but even in the foothills it will be different, as we're now about 55 feet above sea level.

Someone mentioned highlighters running out of ink. You can recharge them by removing the filter inside and sitting the back end in a bottletop full of water (or alcohol.) The clean liquid will push any remaining color towards the tip. There are threads about making ink, pens and pencils around here somewhere. Holding sleeping baby, so can't type too much.

Butter is grease, apple butter is smashed apples, spices and sugar.

It would be great to have another writer! Can't be us, the boys threatened me with kidnapping if we tried to go east instead of west. They would, too; the little ratbags. How could I resist? All of them are a good foot taller than me and most were in the military. The best we can offer is a message now and then.

I like Jackie Clay from Backwoods Home, but I do wish she wouldn't tell people to can butter!

I made them again. I chopped the 1/4 cup coconut, 1/4 cup choc chips, and 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup toasted almonds until it was like jam, and added it that way. It was even better; moist and every bite was fruit-filled. I'll be making them that way from now on.

Confetti Popper Rockets ets http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/06/ma...h_of_july_c.php

I'm seeing some problems with open windows, would parchment or vellum work? I did a little searching and came across these: Vellum making - ie: translucent skins for windows http://www.newyorkcarver.com/scriptoria2A.htm#Parchment Technically, however, parchment is derived from goat or sheep skin, and vellum from that of a calf. The greasy, fat-laden skins of goats and sheep were difficult to clean and prepare, and so calf skin became the universally preferred writing surface. Making Vellum Skins were soaked in running water for several days; then immersed in a lime and water solution for as long again, with an occasional 'stir of the pot' to remove hair and dirt. Next they were rinsed, stretched taut over a frame, and dried in the sun and scraped with pumice and water over and over again. When dry, the skin was cut from the frame and ready for use. ----------- http://www.answers.com/topic/rawhide Rawhide is a hide or animal skin that has not been exposed to tanning. It is similar to parchment, much lighter in color than leather made by traditional vegetable tanning. The skin from buffalo, deer, elk or cattle from which most rawhide originates is prepared by removing all fur, meat and fat. The hide is then usually stretched over a frame before being dried. The resulting material is hard and translucent. It can be shaped by rewetting and forming before being allowed to thoroughly re-dry. It can be rendered more pliable by 'working', i.e. bending repeatedly in multiple directions, often by rubbing it over a post, sometimes traditionally by chewing. It may also be oiled or greased for a degree of waterproofing. Uses It is often used for objects such as whips, drumheads or lampshades, and more recently chew toys for dogs. It is thought to be more durable than leather, especially in items suffering abrasion during use, and its hardness and shapability render it more suitable than leather for some items. For example, rawhide is often used to cover saddle trees, which make up the foundation of a western saddle, while wet: it strengthens the wooden tree by drawing up very tight as it dries, and resists the abrasion regularly encountered during stock work or rodeo sports. It can also be used as a backing on a wooden bow. Such a backing prevents the bow from breaking by taking a share of the tension stress. Bows made from weaker woods such as birch or cherry benefit more from a rawhide backing. Rawhide is, however more susceptible to water than leather, and will quickly soften and stretch if left wet unless well waterproofed. It is quite effective when used for training dogs and also satisfies their natural desire for meat.[citation needed] ---------- http://www.answers.com/topic/vellum Vellum (from the Old French Vélin, for "calfskin")[1] is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used. The manufacture involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame, and scraping of the skin with a hemispherical knife. To create tension, scraping is alternated by wetting and drying. A final finish may be achieved by abrading the surface with pumice, and treating with a preparation of lime or chalk to make it accept writing or printing ink. - Vegetable-Oil Liquid-Soap Tanning This method is a modem adaptation of the pioneer method known as brain tanning. In earlier times, the fatty tissues of the brain were used to modify the structure of the skin, producing a tanned hide. Usually, the hide was cured by smoking it over a low heat, using the smoke to give the skin an appropriate color (tan, gray, or brown). This method uses a salt-cured hide (hair on or off). It is saturated with vegetable oil from the skin side until the entire hide appears to be translucent-that is, it looks like it has become clear. Once it has become saturated with the oil, the hide is submerged in a strong solution of liquid soap. It is allowed to remain in the soap solution with frequent stirring, kneading, and moving about until the entire hide has become opaque white. Dropping a tiny strip into boiling water will show if the tanning process is finished. A completely tanned hide will remain flexible after being boiled. If the strip curls and becomes hard, the skin is not yet finished. Once it is finished, the skin may be removed from the soap solution and rinsed clean. It should be wrung out as dry as possible, then worked over a dull axe head or a slightly rounded stake until it is thoroughly dry. The more it is stretched, drawn, and pulled, the softer the final product will be. The finished hide should be nearly white unless the tanner has elected to add a dye to the solution.

Sure! I like the nuts et al small, and chop them in the Magic Bullet; so would probably snip the marshmallows in half.