Mt_Rider

These kinds of stuggles always seem to put our own in perspective. God, spread Your healing balm over everyone close to this dear woman who is fighting this disease. Give docs wisdom and the treatments Your power. MtRider

Welcome to MrsS, SurviveEofS. You pulled out a goodie but oldie from the infamous Cookiejar! Glad to see it again. MtRider

Well, we used the carne asada meat. We fried some and DH tasted it. Then we rinsed some off well and fried a couple bits. I tasted it. Chew, chew, chew....and then an incindiary device went off in my mouth! Hyiyiyiyi!!! My tastebuds are arranged so that I taste HOT very easily. Whoooooeeeee, waaay off the chart HOT! I had hamberger while DH munched happily on tortilla, meat,fried onion and green pepper. MtRider

Hmmm, well I do have low carb tortillas and fresh spinach..... Is carne asada supposed to be HOT spicey? MtRider

Can anyone give me an idea for carne asada seasoned meat? I've never done anything with it but DH bought it on SALE. Also, we're Low Carb. MtRider [...hate thinking up meal ideas... ]

HEY! How'd you do that, Annarchy? Thanks! Aren't they cool? Can't you see that against adobe brick wall? MtRider [...not techno-talented ]

I just stumbled onto this site and this idea is so incredibly simple, cheap, and easy. I'll see if I can copy a pic but this is the site: http://www.casasugar.com/Vertical-Recycled-Bottle-Gardens-18472965 rats....doesn't 'paste' Go take a look. MtRider [...thinking of how I might shine a shop light onto a wall of my basement for this odd greenhouse.... ??? ]

Bubble wrap to windows: I use the clear packing tape. I lay out the bubble wrap and carefully stick tape along the edges. Then I hoist that side up the the windows and stick the other half of the applied tape to the wooden window frame. However, in this rustic cabin, I have rough-sawn wood for framing. If you have NICE window frames...painted, etc,...this would not be a good idea. That's why I'm thinking of double-sided sticky tape. Stick to the bubble wrap and the other side, stick to the window glass. With goo-gone, you can get the sticky residue off in the spring if it leaves some ick. Since the bubble wrap is so light-weight, it doesn't take much but be sure to secure any area that might have a draft leaking thru. Now you might check to see if you have drafty leaks around the window frame itself. If so, you could get a larger piece of bubble wrap and hang it over the whole frame and all. Not just the glass portion. Cover with curtains, I guess. I just tuck the sides of the bubble wrap in the gap between log wall and the window framing. Someone mentioned large pieces of insulation styrofoam boards. BTDT Lived in an 'igloo' one winter...decades ago. Gives me the willies to be so closed in without light but we had NO $$$ for excess heating costs that year. However, these boards, properly fitted, can be taken out during the daytime, especially while the sun is on that side of the house. If you have a very large insulating board, they can be a bit unweildy. So I made a "handle" on one that covered a large window. Poke two small holes thru at a good spot to grab. Thread cord or thick yarn thru both holes, making a loop on the original side. On the other side, either tie the two ends together or....tie a large button or something to keep the cord from pulling back thru. Y'all that are still planting veggies and suffering thru triple digits.... it's rather inconceivable to me. Early this morning it was 35 degrees here at 9,000'. Aug 15 is the ending of our 'frost-free' time period. After that, all bets are off with tender veggies. {sigh} I wish you could send some of that heat directly to my garden. NOT to my house, mind you! Hang in there. Later, while I've got a 2' blizzard, you'll merely be chilly or wet. MtRider [...had to turn swamp cooler off today...Brrrr ]

Stuffing paper in leaky doors...yup! Our old farm house I grew up in had that. We used newspaper sheets accordian-folded the long way...like a paper fan. Then stuff them into the cracks....and try not to open the door. My current old cabin has a leaky front door - the one facing down the valley to the SW. So sometimes with extreme wind blowing in, I hang a sleeping bag over the whole door frame. Makes it hard to get in/out but sheeeesh, that minus zero wind is unbearably. No storm door to help now [the owner's bright idea to replace the old, damaged ones with wooden screen-only doors. ] I'd forgotten the hot potato trick. I grew up in Iowa and knew of that way back then. But the NEW hand/feet warmers are reusable. [Available thru Emergency Essentials and other places] They have a metal disc that you 'ping' to activate. To "recharge", I think you have to boil them. Then the 'ping' will work again and again. MtRider [...Brrrrrr.....iffen I wasn't having a hot flash just now, I'd be shivering while reading this! ]

'Tis that time of year, isn't it? It was a foggy 38 degrees at 7am at my house this morning. Still topped out in the high 70's or even 80 degrees in late afternoon tho. We have vast hi/lo temperature differences. I told DH tonite that I change clothes more than 10 other 'normal' people combined. [..that menopause thing contributes too.... ] I use bubble wrap on windows that can remain closed up for the winter. Add some thick curtains and it makes up for the single glazing in this rented house. I'm thinking of trying double sided sticky tape for applying it this year. Pull back the curtains and it does admit opaque light. I really like our pellet stove [would love a wood stove insert instead but...rented house] because I can keep the heat down further in the house. As my internal temperature fluctuates, I merely go sit by the pellet stove and warm up. Otherwise I'd have to remain chilled [which I hate] or turn up the furnace for the whole house. We've gotten used to sleeping in very chilly bedrooms....LOVE the down comforter. I've collected a number of soft knit longsleeved shirts from Goodwill. I top those [and take it off and on and off and on ] with a down vest. I've decided that is my winter uniform!!!! I use light weight knit pants[like pj's] covered with heavy-weight sweatpants. I never wear jeans cuz they're worthless for warmth and give my impaired muscles more resistance when I try to move. As a drastic measure to combat waking up in the night F R E E Z I N G, I keep an electric heating pad on a shelf near the bed. It also works [like last nite at 2:30am ] if one of my muscles acts up and goes into total SPASM. No way to return to sleep til I can get it calmed down. For chills, it usually only takes a few minutes to warm me up again and abandon the heating pad to it's shelf. BTW ---- it's a safety one. You have to be pushing the spring-loaded trigger in order for it to heat up. So it you fall asleep, it SHOULD shut off. [Note: I have an MS-related oddity that locks my muscles in a tight position so I certainly can go to sleep with my grip on the trigger intact. AND I make sure I get the trigger mechanism off the bed, cuz you can roll upon it and it will activate the trigger too. Don't use this with children and use caution with adults!] I swear the cat can hear the trigger and comes running to share the warmth. Make sure you remove all totally full water bottles from your vehicles and certain food-with-liquid items from your car BOB's. I pour out a good third of water and leave the bottles in the car. The freezing won't burst the plastic bottles [never do this with glass] and I sometimes use the water even in winter. Ditto what Kappy said about headwear/gloves. When I'm in bed reading, I have a pair of those silvered gloves on. A bit tedious for page-turning but fingers get too chilled otherwise. A stocking cap always is a good warmer. Kappy, come to my house and warm it with some of your baking! [DH and I are on low carb right now and the thought of baked goods makes my mouth water!] MtRider [...winter cometh! ]

Hmmm, perhaps it's not the expiration date that's fake......if it lasts three years, mebbe it's the contents???? Just sayin'.... MtRider [thanks for the bump of this thread. I'm trying to redo my "favorites" AGAIN for yet a different computer. I wanted Alan H's sites just the other day but hadn't gotten around to googling them.]

Joining in these prayers too. MtRider

((((Annarchy)))) MtRider

Orrrrrrrrrrrr........you can keep it simple and just run the story according to your own choices. MtRider

Oh Wow.....I didn't know it's been a year already. What fun to have an anniversary party. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, Michael!! Yanno... if anyone does want to post an update or begin a journal of their homestead.....the offer is still open to go on down to Fireside and start your own thread about your Big Valley homestead. It could be done up here in Pioneer Living, but just understand that the 'corporate writing thang' isn't possible. I'm very absorbed into another [EMP] story I began last winter. It's been on hold for the gardening season but I've got the itch to work on it again. Mebbe I'll even have a chance while I'm sorta laid up right now???? MtRider

EX-Queen of Mice reporting in here. For over a decade in this old cabin, I've had an HORRID onslaught of mice every fall. Of those that get upstairs, the cat has caught THREE in a single nite. Dropped a LIVE one on top of me IN MY BED! Except this one. Unfortunately, it was NOT the peppermint oil on cotton balls that I tried last fall. I caught mice in traps set right next to HIGH-SMELLIN' peppermint balls. YMMV? But from my experience with Colorado cousins, didn't phase them. My solution which I SHOULD have figured out a decade ago...... {sheeeeesh, you'd think I had a major brain malfunction or something, huh? }.........was to close the access. I rather thot it was hopeless to try, being an OLD cabin and all. But I determined that last fall was THE LAST TIME I WOULD SHARE A RESIDENCE WITH THESE MICE!!! I sat down and really LOOKED at our garage door. We kept extending the door down further into the dirt but they'd just tunnel under deeper and deeper. So I ripped off all the extentions on the door. Got some cement patio bricks and laid them carefully under the lip of the door. Easier said than done; involved hammer/chisel to get enough of the crumbled-off garage floor out of the way so the bricks will set deep enough. THAT was the problem. The floor cement should have jutted out far enough for the door to rest on cement...not dirt. That front edge was no longer there. Well, I pitched a fit to the owners but the middle person was late in dealing with it and I just did most of it myself. Just so I'd keep them out for *this* winter. But WHENEVER the repair guy shows up, he can reset them a bit more evenly [with better tools than I have!] and go ahead and cement them all together. And waddya know? The top of the garage door shuts now too. But for now, I've seen NO EVIDENCE of mice in my garage. The End! MtRider [......I wish y'all a happy ending too!!! I SO detest the damage and the hantavirus threat in the SW region]

Yeah, that's definitely something that would confuse someone new to using ....ahem, [real food]. Seriously, if I remember, I try to warn someone if I give them my duck eggs. Their measurement in recipes is about one and a half eggs. If you need to be picky, one would have to scramble the raw eggs together and measure again. [mix well two eggs and divide into three equal portions - each portion would be like one 'store-bought' chicken egg. ] I'm certainly too lazy to do that. I do like Michael and just throw in more flour. But what about those scientifically tested canning recipes? Are they done with measurable quantities like cups or pounds? Or by 15 tomatoes..... ?? Any of those that would really throw off the acid content, etc so the times would be different? MtRider [....I also warn them that duck egg yolks are....cohesive. They are much harder to mix into the whites....more gooey. Just so they know nothing is wrong with the egg. ]

Well, IRL all the writers are off doing prep living and as everyone knows, this is the season for gardens, etc. It was inevitable that this exercise would dwindle out for the summer. As for a restart in the fall when Real Life activites begin to slow down??????? Here's what I propose. I took a vote from any current writer some weeks ago. My suggestion is for any writer interested in continuing their homestead in the Big Valley to go down into the Fireside Forum. Open a thread for THEIR OWN HOMESTEAD. If we get more than one Big Valley writer down there, those writers can write cooperative actvities between their threads if they both agree or each homestead can simply tell their own story. This is actually how I meant for it to primarily run when Big Valley opened.....with the journal/'Dear Diary' format. That way no writer is waiting for others because that format gets awkward in the single thread like we were running it. For instance, I prefered to write a backwards look over a few days or a week's time. {Dear Diary, we were so busy planting this past week...} Other BV writers prefered the day by day approach. {Dear Diary, today is was raining...} When we were all together in one thread, the timeline became hard to follow sometimes. So.....that's the shift I think we should look toward for any writer who wishes to continue telling their own homestead story. Any writer who'd like to begin now is certainly free to do so., or start up anytime you feel like you have the time/interest again. You might want to title your thread "Big Valley........{and then the name of your homestead or clan name}. That would help Wagons Ho/Big Valley readership to find those stories. Mebbe it will happen. Mebbe it's time has passed. And if you ask me if I might start up again later with Cleft in the Rock clan.... Depends on if I get itchy to see how my characters are doing. I just might, but not until late fall, I'd imagine. MtRider

Your DH tells the Sporting Goods store guy (with a roll of his eyes) ...... "Yeah, I don't bother buying my wife jewlry. She likes knives!" And the guy was impressed! MtRider [....who? Me? ]

Short cut for copy and paste...high light right click your mouse. I don't know if Mac's have that or not but of you right click you get the get the edit button screen with right mouse clicks. yeah, yeah....that's what DH said too. He works on an earlier version of PC. Well, this critter is Windows 7 and aaaiiiieeeeeeee.......... JUST TONITE I finally found the Cut/Copy/Paste button. Nope, it's not right-click if I'm in MrsS. It IS right-click in the Word processing. It's not in my email function...that's yet a third button. Tell me again why I bought a PC? Even DH is having trouble with this version. It's all in what you are used to AND how much time you have to cram new knowledge into your brain&fingers. I am improving. Lost some ability today when I did word processing on my Mac and now cannot seem to hit the keyboard correctly on the PC again. That is truly distressing to me. BTW, I don't have spell check installed that is working on MrsS either. Pardon spelling bloopers. Oye. ================= So sorry for your loss, CeeGee. Glad you checked in! MtRider

Okaaaay....my butt is in here, DARLENE....... Nice to see y'all again. So much catch up to do.....aaaaaaaauugh! [i MISS the smilie with the hair on fire... ] But as I noted in my post in RURR, I'm really struggling to even type legibly. HAL [from 2001 SpaceOdessy, I think] is not bein' very nice to me sometimes. He keeps taking over the the coursor and turning on things I DID NOT 'click' on. Merely trying to keep track of the "copy/paste" buttons from screen to screen is exasperating. But...this too shall pass.... I'll begin to catch up in here as soon as I can. If I decide to eliminate a garden this year, I mighthave more time. [since we're snowng and continuing to snow thru next week..... who can tink of gardening. Ach....HAL is stealing ltters out of mywords again [or spaces between them]. I feel like I'm typing on a manual Underwood again. The term "pounding out the keys" is supposed to be obsolete. So greetings to writers and readers.... MtRider [can someone go over and see if the gardens at Cleft of the Rock need weeding...mebbe my characters "carried on" without me?????? ]

Dear Diary -- Family Reunion on the HILL After staying for the night at Base Camp, our MtR family took their Conestoga wagon up the switchbacks early. The messenger had arrived to say that WT#3 was definitely doing the HILL today. There were a lot fewer people coming in on this train. We did hear about a whole new clan coming in with over 10 people. Assorted others. Even a few orphans. Our Clan folks would make up the largest percentage in this wagon train though, and we went up to greet them. MrMtR and our sons went on up the HILL on foot. I really did not feel well enough to climb that durned thing again so the girls and I stayed down in the small clearing. [Try to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem! ] It wasn’t long before a number of people began to very slowly and carefully pick their way down the steepness. Machela handed me the binoculars and YES! Among them was my parents, their friend John, and DD2 with the Grsons. A boy I didn’t recognize was with Denise. She was holding his hand. Over there! Is that Janet? She hasn’t changed much. She was a young teen the last time I saw her. Now a married gal. I wonder if DD1 is going to be riding down. Her long-ago injured leg is so chancy on this extreme terrain. I couldn’t take the binoculars off of my family. I saw that they all had one of the freshly cut walking sticks that are supplied for the descent each time. Most people take the sticks home with them as souvenirs of the Event. They are handy for hikes and such around the homesteads. Whooops, GS2 slipped a bit and DD2 is scolding him. She’s trying to make them slow down but GS2 is especially antsy. I can see them pointing and I wave. [Oh!….I am so thrilled to see them all safe and sound that I can hardly stand it! ] My new daughters and I meet them at the bottom of the steepness. DD2 lets the boys run down the last bit of the way with the older boy. Denise is helping her grandfather while trying to just be nonchalant and walk near him. He’s tired and getting a little shaky. DD2 is helping my mom for the same reason. John is leaning heavily on his walking staff. GS2 reaches us and announces that he rode all the way in a COVERED WAGON WITH COWS! He doesn’t stay still long enough for me to grab him in a hug. Boys! I tell them that I am their GrmaMtR. They say they know that…though it’s been too many years for them to remember except by pictures. I introduce them to their five year old “cousins”. Technically, they would be their aunts but….. we’re mixing generational ages here so cousins will be ok for this. Five year old ‘aunts’ when you are seven is ….too odd. Machela is introduced at Auntie Mac. The older boy introduced himself to me. “I’m your nephew! I’m being adopted and Bro is my dad and Denise is my big sister!” He said this proudly. I was able to at least give this bold one a hug. “So nephew, what is your name?” I asked. He stated very solemnly, “I am called Shalon now. It’s for my mother, Sharon and my father, Lonnie. They died and I want to remember them. But now I have a new family with uncles and aunts and grandparents and ….. “ He finally ran out of breath and just looked up at me. “Well Shalon, I think that’s a wonderful way to remember your first parents. They would be so happy that you have a new family to take care of you and love you.” He grinned very wide and then ran back up to the rest shouting that it was ‘just a few steps further’. Inwardly I was laughing to think that my brother had somehow fallen under the spell of this delightful hooligan. I’d just bet he’s a handful. Then there were so many hugs and tears of joy all at once. I didn’t think my parents were going to let go of me. We aren’t all that demonstrative but this was …….this was seeing dear ones you thought to never see again. AND having that hope nearly snatched away when we got the word of their capture. I was finally able to welcome John, whom I’ve known all my life. Then it was DD2’s turn. I was afraid she was going to turn a bit hysterical. But when we parted, I saw that a new maturity had grown in her….coupled with a tightness in her eyes. Grief I think. They had walked away from their whole life and love of the islands to come to a VERY unfamiliar location and lifestyle……. to hide away until perhaps the world settled down again. Or perhaps, for their lifetimes. We don’t know. I hugged her quick once more before I turned to grab my niece. She’s also not a huggy type but…..she’ll make an exception. She knows she’s always been dearly loved by this family though she also did not join us until she was about Shalon’s age. I could see he adored her and she was quite attached to him too. Awwww! Now she’s not an only child. Though she’s mostly grown up …..and I take a closer look at her. She’s always been pretty adaptable. I see calm acceptance and excitement in her face. Not the grieving like for DD2. Just different personalities; different reactions to the chaos and major life changes….and danger. She pulls her friend up closer and says, “You remember Janet don’t you?” “Of course! And congratulations on getting married!” I hug her and she hugs me back, whispering in my ear that she’s two months pregnant.” I widen my eyes at her and smile widely, giving her another hug and whispering another ‘congratulations’. “We’ll take good care of you all,” I say, keeping my eye on Janet. By now my other girls have introduced themselves and Macky is leading everyone towards the Conestoga. The first wagon is beginning to descend and we need to clear out. We set out the camp chairs and my parents gratefully slump into them. We’ve brought along a berry juice kept cool in stream water. Macky and I hand out drinks in various cups and durable Tupperware glasses. The day is already getting hot and I’m glad for the shade of the pine trees here by the wagon. As the children run and play nearby, the rest of us can’t talk fast enough. So much to catch up on. We sit close together and reach out to touch each other, as if to make sure we are really there. [….wishing we were together IRL! L ] I make sure to draw Machela into the conversation by asking her to tell a story about this or that. I was proud to announce the children’s surprise cleaning of the Maui caves. We did get some dubious looks but were soon extolling the benefits of cave dwelling. “You really aren’t going to get Bro far into a cave, you know,” warned Denise. “I figured that. He used to think our small cabin was too….close! But we set up a large tent under the shade of the overhang. We’ll see if he can tolerate that. He’ll have to do something by winter tho.” I answered. I turned to my parents and asked, “Are you going to be OK in a cave? It’s truly a NICE dry cave with no spiders. We didn’t have time to build your house yet.” I could see my mom was willing for ANYthing but my dad was not so adventurous. Yet, he’d made it this far… “Just wait till you see it,” I promised. Then the first wagon to descend was down. We’d been holding our breaths, as though that helps somehow. DD1 was riding while one of the B group drove her wagon down with no difficulties. The driver pulled up near us and was handed a cup of cold juice. I clambered up to hug DD1. She was a little pale…or green? “Hey! You OK?” I asked motioning for a juice for her. She drank it and looked around. “Is it all like that,” she shuddered looking up at the HILL?” “No, that’s the last of it. And the worst. Just some switchbacks to get the rest of the way down to the valley floor and then it’s rather flat. We’re in a valley that’s shaped like a gigantic football stadium, y’know. Much lower mountains on the western side but nothing but wilderness over there. We’re in the NE quadrant. Too far to head out today, I’d think. Unless this goes quickly, we’ll spend the night at Base Camp.“ We looked up to see DSIL half way down, skidding his wagon’s locked wheels as the cable playing out slowly, holding the descent to a careful pace. Now it was DD2 who was pale, watching her husband and gripping her glass tightly in her hands. I was glad it was Tupperware and not real glass. But in a short time, SIL was beaming and hooting with victory. His wagon was unhitched from the cable and the wheel-locking log removed. The log is dragged up the hill with the cable for the next wagon. He brought the wagon to us and jumped out. DD2 and sons ran up to him. Then he came to give me greetings and hug. This steady SIL was going to do fine in our Valley. He was talented in so many things and a hard worker. Good with plants and craftsmanship. He also cooks! The small clearing was getting crowded. We needed to get some of the wagons started down the switchbacks to Base Camp. DD1 said she could handle the team from here if I could ride with her. I packed up the little twins and asked Machela to stay as hostess. My parents, John, Denise/Shalon, and Janet would wait for their wagons. DD2 loaded her boys onto the wagon their father had just brought down. She would follow DD1 and I. SIL began to walk back up the HILL and would bring down another wagon. I suspect he rather LIKED the HILL. Base camp had volunteers for cooking the noon meal and we were ready to eat by the time DD1, DD2, Grsons, my little twins and I made it through the switchback trail. That section of trail wasn’t really any worse than some places in the wilderness route, but it was long. My older DD’s set up a couple of their tents next to ours and DD1 went in to take a nap. Driving that route is exhausting. I told DD2 to go ahead for a nap too and I’d watch the four kids. They were all between 4 and 7 and enjoying each other. I had the help from others in base camp as well. The long day finally ended. Our group was down in plenty of time but it was wiser to stay and rest. We’d leave in the morning and planned to be home by mid afternoon. Except we stopped to berry pick. I had been seriously hoping to do that. The berries are loaded on the bushes about 2 miles from our Three Sisters Ford at the river. Some went on ahead to begin the crossing but about half of us stayed to harvest. I finally got to see Grma’s Orchard on the hayrack. All wedged securely in and amongst the other things tied to the rack. The things Bro wouldn’t tell me about. Well, he was right. I was very pleased with all the horse-drawn farm implements from the museum. This could make a real difference in our survival out here. I hadn’t guessed how important these farming tools would be till I actually lived this life here, depending on crops/gardens. I was sorry to hear that he couldn’t quite talk Uncle into coming too. I knew Uncle was familiar with farming this way and enjoyed it. I stared at the huge donkeys and mules. They make MM and Jack look like miniatures. They are powerful beasts and Bro had been pleased with their training to pull wagons. It took him some time to learn to handle them correctly but the Rockin’ J folks were helpful with that. Bro was pleased to find that a Percheron mare was a part of the Jenson-Han children’s livestock. We can breed for more huge mules for field work. The supper campfire at Base camp was merry. I was introduced to the new large clan…the Daylily’s. They seem to be very knowledgeable in self-sufficient living. Our family told of how the Daylily’s had thought to look up some Pick-Your-Own places and stopped to pick/dry the produce as they traveled. One was close to the Rockin’ J. They’d graciously offered the chance to others to pick and dry cherries with their large dehydrating arrangement in their truck. So my family had gone cherry picking too. ….Of COURSE Grma bought some cherry trees. Daylily’s mother and mine became friends along the wilderness trail. I wonder where their clan will chose to settle? Bro likes that area south of us across the river. I thought he would. Well with gallons of berries picked, and a crew in our Conestoga already sorting the leaves and such out of them, we arrived at the Ford. The only difficulty was Janet’s pygmy goats, who are a bit small for crossing. We shoved the berry buckets and all of our overnight gear towards the front of our Conestoga and squeezed the herd in there to float them across. With Machela and twins to guard the berries! Janet rode at the back of the wagon to calm her goats and it went smoothly. Besides a number of horses, donkey/mule teams and the Pygmies, the only other animals were assorted cats in crates and the two dogs that belonged to Janet and Jeff. Grma breathed easier when she saw that the river was not going to wash her Orchard off of the hayrack. ….it was close though. While still on the south bank of our river, Bro, Nathan and Micah went over to inspect the Dexter cows. I could tell Bro was very interested and my boys enjoyed telling of the many attributes of this unique breed. They are smaller and very thrifty with feed. Can forage unless snow hides all the ground cover. They can be bred in good dairy lines or beef lines. Yep, Bro is definitely interested in participating in that project. Good. Cuz we need more fencing so we can rotate them to new pasture soon. Well, the new Valley members were installed in their caves. Sort of. My parents were quite impressed with their ‘apartment’. My dad kept trying out the doors, to see if they were really secure…especially the one that leads outside. [lions&tigers&bears…] My Maui adult children were quite grateful for clean floors [tho a bit uneven, of course] and solid walls. With the high ceilings, they announced that they didn’t feel claustrophobic at all. [whew!] Since we didn’t have the doors on those caves, they were too edgy to stay overnight though. They decided to sleep on our side until the doors could be done. Micah and Ben offered to sleep with Nathan so DD2 and SIL and boys could sleep in their cave room. DD1 was offered space with Machela and twins. Bro reacted as expected about the caves but thought the tent was fine. Rex, livestock guardian of that Maui side, adored my brother instantly. Bro has that affect, even on my shy cat. So he thought his group would be safe enough with him sleeping in the tent by the opening and Rex standing watch. GF, Janet and Jeff unloaded enough to begin life in their section of caves. Then they all discovered the large ‘hot tub’ on the patio ledge of the Maui side. Whooohoo…party! So much to do. So many people to bring through the coming winter. But….tonight it was glorious to sit with my family and friends. MtRider [featherbed…here I come! ]

Hi everyone. Some of you might be keeping track in Streams but...my DD1 was able to go home late Sat. Sheeeesh....home for Easter? Wow. I was NOT expecting THAT! But God is in control of this and THANK YOU all for your prayers. I was cut off from library access due to unexpected repairs [after driving here Thurs. I found them closed ] and then closed for the holiday. I havent' been back on line for a week. Thus, I had to post five segments at once. Not how I'd like to do it but..... I might be able to drop my laptop off to get looked at tomorrow. No one around here knows Macs. {sigh} I'm not sure it's cost effective to install a new internal modem....don't even know if that's the problem. With all the extra things going on for us personally .......2 separate out-of-town visits from folks, the FLU, my car malfunctioning, The SNOW, DD1's hospitalization, The WIND, Easter, the maurading bobcat,.... Sheeesh! Getting a computer fixed keeps getting a low priority rating. MtRider [going home with a FULL flashdrive ....ready to catch up reading a weeks worth of your posts! ]

{I'm not sure if my computer is going INTO the SHOP on Tuesday. If so, I don't know when I'll show up again. IF I'm not here for the HILL arrival, Daylily can just take her group in and Mt3b deal with N&P. But I'll catch mine up when I can. } Dear Diary - Another Arrival on Mother’s Lil HILL The rest of the family is almost here! I was seriously intending to stay home with the little twins and send the rest of the family to the HILL this week. BUT…… I’ve changed my mind. This is a very important time for developing our group into a new family. It is a time of making our history together. I believe that traveling to the HILL and being there together to welcome the rest of the MtRider Clan will make some of that history. And the HILL has become a sort of Rite Of Passage for Valley residents. It’s something none of us forget. Indeed, we still talk of it, don’t we? We all need to be there to witness their arrival to Big Valley. Besides all that, the break away will be nice. I haven’t even been going to the Lodge on Sundays for a couple weeks. Just using the day to catch up on SLEEP and REST. So we’ve enlisted the Witlocks, Tom and David again. They are earning their cows, for sure. They’ll be busier homestead-sitting for us now that our livestock has increased. We’re packing up to leave tomorrow. We’ve had word that WT#3 is close….should be arriving by Wednesday morning. As for being ready to host thirteen more people…… Hmmm…… We didn’t get my parents’ adobe house built, obviously, but my brother will do a better job of it. We enacted Plan B and scrubbed out the cluster of small cave rooms that my parents will need to move into. They are just east of our hot tub room. It’s got a large skylight and we’ve framed it with wood up there like Mother’s clan has done. So far we only have plastic sheeting to cover it but, hopefully they might have window glass or plexiglass. Dunno if they will have to winter there and build in the spring? We just installed their two doors yesterday. One to the outside ledge and one to the inside “hallway” …access to the hot tub and our area and to the Maui caves in the other direction. With the thick door in place, you don’t get much hallway noise. We had the little ones yell and scream to test it. Hmmm… might need a doorbell of some kind! We’d gotten a few of the Maui caves cleared out from ancient animal debris and accumulated rubble quite a while ago. Then that recent WIND came along and threw in a bunch of dirt and leaves and such. I just threw up my hands and figured we’d have a huge work party when they arrived. But those darling children surprised us this morning. They’d all been sneaking away to clean out the new debris. They have cleaned the large cave room and a couple small ones for the Maui group. And they cleared another large cave and couple small ones for the Bro clan. DadMtR and I were astounded and relieved. The children were so proud to be able to surprise us. Even Kaila and Kaylee helped and didn’t give away the secret. The darlings! They also dug up some wild flowers and got them planted in some….well, crevasses within the rocks. Natural planters, I guess you’d say. It will be a nice welcome if the flowers will tolerate the transplanting. They look fine so far. There are black-eyed susans, pale blue flax, sweet-smelling something that is yellow, etc. I’m not sure my brother will be able to tolerate the caves. He’s got the claustrophobia thing like Mother. I have claustrophobia but it’s only for tight places….not just cuz of feeling the ton of rock/dirt over one’s head. I love our caves. They make me feel very secure as long as they are nice and roomy! We light with the solar-charged yard lights that we brought. Just have to collect them and place them outside to recharge daily. We’d used them for years in Colorado as a Plan B for power outages. In the newer ones with the LED lights, the power usage is efficient and those bulbs don’t burn out. It is still a bit dimmer than I’d like…I like bright so my eyes can see better. But our log cabin was dimmer too. We’ll share what we have with Maui and Bro groups but I hope they brought a lot more. Their large inside hot tub area is totally dark. They’ll use the outside one for the summer and fall for sure. Mebbe winter? But it’s all so VERY dark out here on a moonless night for those who are used to city lights. The wagon train should be getting them used to that…..somewhat. I rather like it…until something goes BUMP in the night and you realllllly want to see what it is! I think Bro will set up a shelter (starting with a tent) under the ledge outside the caves. He might tolerate the big caves (our kitchen/living rooms) for periods of time. (We’ll see.) But NOT to sleep there. I’d imagine the Bro-group will be trying to do log cabins….[or adobe once they try their hand at that]….on their own land when they decide where. I’m thinking they’ll like that land just south of us on the other side of East River. Bro is more farmer than woodsman and North and East of us, the trees increase. Nice field and pasture area just south. Lesseeee, so much has happened and I can’t sit down to record as I would like to. Oh, we’re happy to report that the bedwetting has ceased. Hmmm, we’re not sure if the Official Family Day eased their anxiety or ……. If it returns, we’ll just deal with that again. The children are all moved into their bedrooms, tho not sorted out within. Hard to do that without any furniture. Kaila and Kaylee still sleep next to big sister but they love having their alcove for all their things. They play there but want their beds next to Macky’s. They all brought firm foam mattresses with waterproof covers. We’ll have to get bedsteads made by winter but it’s fine on the cool stone floor for now. Plastic tote boxes make up most of our furniture. And occasional stumps and convenient-shaped rocks. We split logs for rough boards and set shelves (on stacked adobe bricks) but we’ll smooth them better during the winter. Splinters are a common thing. OW! We’ve collected various stones that will work for sanding and smoothing. I even brought a hand-sized hunk of smooth coral that DH and I used in Colorado for wood smoothing. Well, I think we’re packed. Like a camping trip in our Conestoga. Even the little twins will ride their ponies till they get tired. Then the ponies will be tied to the back of the wagon. Same with Midnight for me. We’ll leave in the late morning after chores. Cassandra is going to be helping her son and nephew with the milking. She said she’d be happy to just use the milk for trying some cheese and that was barter enough to suit her. With four dwarf goats and three Dexter cows, she’ll have plenty to work with. And we really didn’t want to drop that upon the boys alone. If all goes well, the family should arrive Wed morning, do The HILL by Wed nite, and we’ll leave for our return trip Thursday morning. We should be back here by Thursday late afternoon. Looks like clear weather. Going to bed. MtRider […if I can sleep with the excitement…. ]

[Peeking in on the Wagon Train #3 ] Can we keep him? "Well, can we keep him?" repeated Denise to her dad, Bro. She wore her best pleading look. It usually works. "I want a little brother and I'll help make sure he's taken care of. He doesn't have ANYone!" Bro sighed. The subject of their discussion lay sleeping in the back of one of their wagons. A rascal by day, he was currently the 'picture of innocence'. "You are 19 years old. You'll go off and get married and I'll be stuck with him as a teenager. I just got you out of that stage!" he grumped. She stared at him like he had two heads so he continued. "Shall I remind you about that pesky kitten you got just before leaving for college?" He had her on that one, but in reality he knew he'd already lost this battle. Shalon [that's what he calls himself] had wormed his way into Bro's heart as well as Denise's. He was one of several more homeless children who'd been collected at the Rockin' J and sent on with this Wagon Train. Somehow from the first day out, Shalon had attached himself to Bro and Denise. "The kid's got survival instincts, for sure," he thought. Bro snorted and threw up his hands. "I don't know what we're getting into but YOU are going to help me!" Denise gave him a quick hug and a very big smile. Bro walked off grumbling about being too old for this. But he did go to speak with Mr Huges. "What do you know about Shalon's history and family?" "Pretty much nothing. The local sheriff deputy brought him to the ranch. He'd been scrounging food and living in an abandoned house. He'd even set up a garden there but some drifters moved in and tore the place up while he hid in a tree. After the sheriff's department rounded up the three men, a deputy began looking around to see who'd been caring for the place and planting food. Shalon wasn't too happy about being spotted and brought to the Rockin' J. " answered MrH. "Well he seems pretty excited to be going to the Valley." said Bro, confused. "I'm not sure he knew what he was getting into when they dropped him off with the Rocks," said MrH. "That makes two of us," muttered Bro. MrH laughed. "Can I assume you're considering keeping him?" "I'm getting outnumbered with Denise after me all the time. But….to tell the truth, he kinda grows on you," admitted Bro. "Yeah, he might as well make his home with us. He's very bright. And a good helper …….when he's not getting into trouble." MrH laughed harder. "He is a 10 year old BOY! What kind of trouble did you get into at that age?" "Hey! You've met my dad and mom. Not that much, I assure you," answered Bro. MrH just laughed all the more. Bro suspected he didn't believe him. Grma sat in a chair staring into the campfire. Grpa was already asleep in their wagon. She was so tired. She was so BEYOND tired that she didn't even have a word to describe it. She thought back to the days, decades ago in Iowa, when she and Grpa had worked day and night to get crops planted. She'd thought that was tired. Now in her early 80's, it just didn't seem fair that she was entering an even more difficult lifestyle with FAR less energy. Well, with four generations of their family living in Big Valley, she thought she'd just plan to do nothing more than rock babies and shell peas. No babies in the family right now but perhaps there would be more. She did a mental tally again…trying to keep the generations straight now that six more grandchildren had been added. Plus the original granddaughters and a grandson-in-law. This trip had surely given them all a chance to get to know each other again. Denise has grown into a fine young woman by now too. Grma's son and all her grandchildren have been very attentive to her and Grpa. If they could provide them with more ease, someone would see to it. Like carefully securing her comfortable glider chair into their wagon. Grpa had a comfortable chair too and since it reclined, he was able to nod off to sleep whenever he felt like it. These were situated just behind the driver's seat and one of the younger generation always did the driving. She and Grpa could sit and watch this beautiful country slide by slowly. Well, j-j-j-jolt and bounce by sometimes. J Their mattress was just behind the chairs and ready anytime either of them wished to lay down for easier resting. But she liked to stay up and watch. She'd already seen deer, elk, foxes, and even some mountain sheep through the binoculars that were kept handy. "I lived thirty years in Colorado and had to come all the way up here to see elk," she mused. { family joke IRL…Grma never spots the elk. } Sometimes she went to ride with Denise or Bro or one of the other granddaughters. They had all gotten very good with driving the oxen. Or was it that the oxen now knew this trail. The oxen were switched off each trip but there had been several wagon trains by now. Other than if the last of the Rock family were forced to retreat in the next few months, this would be the last wagon train. Mebbe. The pack mules would take occasional trips. John and Grpa have spent the whole trip so far talking and trying to work out any challenges of this new life. Grma kind of thought this trip was turning out to be a good mental exercise for them. They sat in the chairs in this wagon or Grpa might ride inside 'Bug' with John. Bug began as John's tiny, 8X16' aluminum trailer. The street wheels had been removed now and replaced with a set of large wagon wheels. There had been some attempt at adding a suspension system for this rugged trail. They also welded on a driver's seat and the hook-ups for the oxen pulling it. Now it looked rather like a stagecoach made from a large tuna can - sideways. But so far it was handling the trail and he had a nice place to sleep at night. Their covered wagon wasn't bad though. Except for the mosquitoes that found their way past the netting. And the lack of great restroom facilities. :rollingeyes: She was glad they'd brought a flushing 'camping device'. Grpa had picked up several of those, in fact. Grma started laughing at the thought of wrapping those 'devices' up for Christmas gifts this year. If they could just reach this Valley, she'd be ok. She could rest for a week, she promised herself. Arriving in August, they would be in the beginning of the harvest rush. Farming was a busy lifestyle and she'd thought she was retired from it. But, the alternative OUTSIDE was not even to be considered. Her thoughts drifted back to her family. She could hardly believe that they'd been able to gather everyone from all parts of the country after the chaos began. Up until they'd finally made it to this wilderness trail, so close now to Big Valley, she'd been regretting bitterly that they had not gone with their daughter and son-in-law on the first wagon train. But now that they had reached this relative safety, she knew the trip during winter would have been so much harder on her and Grpa. With the noteworthy exception of the Carterville fiasco, this trip was much easier in summer. But boy, she had thought they'd made a grave mistake when they hit Carterville. She made a mental note to personally thank Jerry's mom for raising such a fine son. Truth be told, she was pretty proud of the role her own son had played too. She wondered what it was going to be like to have all those grandchildren and great grandchildren around. Her daughter now has taken on those six new children. Some of them are not yet teens. Her granddaughter, DD2, has gotten them started on great-grandchildren. DD2's boys had been so young when they'd last visited Colorado and now they're 4 and 7. Kind of a handful but they've calmed down with so many adults to keep an eye on them and amuse them. So adorable and smart, too. Quite the entertainers when they weren't being hooligans. She looked up to see her aforementioned son approaching the campsite. "Are you still up?" Bro asked. She laughed. "I think I'm simply too tired to move from this camp chair," she replied. "But actually, I'm sitting here thinking of how blessed we are. Our whole family will be together. This Valley won't be easy but … {she shuddered}….it's better than back there. I'm SO thankful you and Denise and the rest made it." "We're glad too. I wish we could have talked Uncle and his family into joining us. But they have a good retreat place and have a lot of connections there. If it doesn't get too bad, they'll be OK." He added a silent, "I hope!" "Um…..," he continued. "What would you think of yet another grandchild?" "Are you talking about your GF's daughter, Janet or about Shalon?" she asked. Well, she got to ask both questions in one with that opening. J He laughed. "No I'm not talking about getting married to GF. Yet. So far we're good friends. Have been for years. We really don't know what will come of our relationship. So we decided to just let it ride until we arrive and get settled and ….then we'll see. I would have wanted GF and Janet and Jeff along anyway. Janet and Denise have always been friends. ….Uh, this isn't out yet but Janet is pregnant. Not very far along, obviously, so we have time to get them set up." He saw her look of concern mixed with congratulations for the couple. She said, "I wonder if we'll have a midwife out there? Joy Rock told DD2 and me that there are a couple RN's. I know our DrMtR has some special training for something involving birthing. If the baby isn't turned right. He learned an adjusting technique to urge the baby to get into position before the labor starts." Then she added, "but if you aren't talking about that, then it's Shalon. Are you going to keep him?" Bro just rolled his eyes. "Everyone keeps asking that…like he's a lost puppy that we have let up on the porch during a rain storm." "Well, he's sleeping in your wagon, isn't he? You kind of have let him up on the 'porch'. Life now is more than a mere rainstorm though. I think we're living in a tornado. And yes, I think it would be great to have Shalon for a new grandson. He's gotten very attached to you and Denise and he's quite the character. Reminds me of you at that age, actually," she concluded. "OK, OK….I give in BUT…. you have to promise not to tell him stories of what I did when I was his age. Deal?" "And don't tell Rebecca either!" _____________________________________ Shalon was nervous this morning. He mentally reviewed everything he'd done in the past twenty-four hours. Had he and GS's 1 & 2 done anything else they shouldn't have? He didn't think so. They all tried to be good but they just forgot when they were having fun. GS1 and 2 were younger but he liked playing with them. Why was Bro looking so serious? He looked over at Denise and saw that she had the strangest expression on her face. Was she….. Then his attention was drawn back to Bro. "We're nearly at the Big Valley and we need to talk to you," began Bro. "You are 10 years old. What was your life like before the deputy found you in that tree?" Shalon gulped. To remember back….back into the chaos….hunger….pain….. Bro saw Shalon turn pale and quickly asked, "Did you lose your parents recently after everything got so bad? I'm just asking if you are orphaned." He reached across and put a hand lightly on Shalon's shoulder. The boy nodded. "There's no one out there looking for you? Be truthful now." He shook his head hard and looked up at Bro. "Are you gonna kick me out?" His voice quavered. "No, we're gonna keep you!" answered Bro….and was instantly bowled over backwards, even falling off the log he sat upon, by the sobbing boy grasping him around the waist in a tight hug. He hugged him back. __________________________________________