Mt_Rider

WAKE UP MICHEAL......sorry Lori. A group gathered around the Amishway Homesteaders wagon scatters with grins and laughter. First time on the trail that Micheal didn't have some sort of wake-up call for the rest of us. {I hope he's not sick this morning.... } Well we'll continue down the trail today but small groups will take the hired taxi to town. Sign up for a time slot, as the taxi is hired to shuttle us back and forth every hour until dark. EVERYone home by dark, please. The wagons and the herds of livestock must continue down the trail so make sure someone is driving every wagon. Check in and out with MrHughes in town so we make sure we're all safe. Just a precaution, mind you..... It's recommended that we stay together in groups of about four. AND.....you DO have to account for how much STUFF the taxi will hold. [MtRider's note-to-self: Talk to Mr.J&S about the taxi making extra runs tonite just to haul STUFF ] I woke *finally* feeling "normal"....my MS normal, mind you. Just comes and goes like that. Will have to limit activities or I can knock it back down again quickly tho. {hmph!} (IRL too!) Best get packing up; milking goat; MrMtR is harnessing the oxen and has my Roan ready too. .....hmmm, did I eat this morning? MtRider heads for the [people] feed sack....

...MtRider stumbles out of the wagon using two canes rather than her usual one. {sigh} Where did we put the privies this time? Oh, got it....heads out that way. I've been feeling the MS fatigue/brain*fog all day and actually since late yesterday. {also IRL } So I've been resting. Heard a rumor that Mother was doing the same. Figures. She and I both have health/stamina issues. Quilty, how are you holding up? Annarchy? Your MIL is coming???? That's great. Tho I hope the trail will be ok for her and they arrive without too many adventures. [Adventures make for great times of storytelling around the fire but they are NOT really all that fun to live thru them. I can't figure out this donkey. She's never been actually braying this much before. I wonder what has her riled? Roan doesn't seem to be affected but it's getting on the goats' nerves. I thot my milker was giving up but I got more milk yesterday and this morning. ...Maybe just the rest days. Ducks/geese were certainly glad to stretch their legs for that time. Big dog is oddly calm. I thot she would drive us all crazy but, mebbe she likes the trauma/drama of a full campsite like this? Never can figure out the dog either. I'm not sure I'm up to sitting up around the fire tonite. Just going to eat and lay back down. I hope we can make up the miles and hit the next prepared campsite tomorrow nite. Um...I *think* it's a park one with showers again but.... .....muddled brain can't remember the sequence without my notebook. Glad to hear those in the 'ill camp' are recovering. I hope we don't have many Second Round folks. Here is a distance hug for (((((Mother)))) Get well, dear one. No problem Momma23B. While your Dil2b's misstep injury had my DH get out the adjusting table one more time, *I* got in line too. Seems I missed the first opportunity. ...muttering something about "the cobblers kids go barefoot" I felt a lot better after getting "lined up." Hope Dil2b is feeling better. She really mashed her shoulder. Ow! Nothing reacted as broken when Mr.MtR touched the bone with his tuning fork. Huh? What's that do? Oh.....welllll, if you suspect even a minor hairline fracture, it's a way to tell without XRay. See he gets the heavy fork vibrating real strong by rapping it on a surface, then touches the end to where the suspected bone is. It's REALLY easy to tell a break. If the injured person shrieks and calls DH a lot of names....meaning "It REALLY hurts when you do that, Doc! "........then it's a break. Cuz if you can imagine the vibration along fractured bone.....OW! Doesn't further displace the bones tho. AND it doesn't hurt at all if its just a muscle/ligament/soft tissue type of injury. Low tech way to find fractures. He's found them with the tuning fork and sent one person BACK to the Xray folks for a second look and...they found it that time. [iRL] Oh yeah. The Benefactors are planning to get some of us into town soon for supplies...and a look at civilization again. But they are cautioning that it might get canceled if MrHuges and his team do not think "civilization" is safe enough. IF that would be the case, we'd still be able to send a limited number of shoppers to fill "wish lists"....to some extent, anyway. No guarantees of what will be available. But the town we are bypassing with the wagons is a good-sized one. NOT taking our wagons/critters thru that one, for sure! So begin to check your inventories. If you forgot to pack something; didn't know you needed it. If you'd like to share your lists so we can all compare and not forget something ourselves....? -I want IceCream! -More T.P. ...the longer I DON'T have to deal with the ...um, reusable kind, the better I'll like it. -More pipe tobacco for Mr. MtR.....don't want him to run out... -never did find him a decent rain coat....and if I can't find one here, I'll have to place an order to ship to The Last Post Office Box [last town we pass with postal service...some weeks away]. -oh! M&M's! I want plain! hmm, have to think...what have I reallllly wished I'd brought? MtRider [....did I mention I want ICE CREAM? ........ ]

MtRider crawls out of her tent [we put up the big canvas one for this layover] and rolls her eyes at Micheal. "I'll have you know Mr.MtR is in the tent laughing his head off. Why you might ask? Your SONG!!!!! That's what HE sings to me when he wants to be irritating in the morning." MtRider heads off the the clearly labeled latrines with flapping sheet walls. Hey, all the comforts of home! ======== Much later, I'm having a quiet chat with MaggieMay [donkey] when all of the sudden we're hip-deep in doggies. Miz.M decided it was a party and fortunately used the mouth end instead of the kicking end. HeeeeeeeeHawHeeHawHeeHaw ...with very nasal tones, of course. She's, blessedly, a quiet donkey so no one had heard her yet this trip. It brought everyone running. That and the howls of laughter from the afghan chase and....er, Steph's unmentionables....which we won't mention, of course.... nope, *that* part won't be mentioned... Not that it needs to be mentioned cuz durn near EVERYone was already gathered and saw..... (((Steph's memorable laundry day))) MtRider makes note to self about washing unmentionables in private.... {giggle} Huh? ORANGES? Micheal, that's just the VitC shot we all need. So strange that they can taste like CANDY after only a week on the trail. Wonderful. Mr.MtR has his adjusting table dragged out of the Medical Wagon and is set up under the tarp yonder. If anyone feels the need for um, realignment after a week of jostling on the trail. He's going to don mask/gown and visit the 'ill camp' too. Make sure the lymphatic system is working on any folks with bad congestion. He says the poultices y'all applied this morning were just the thing to get the stuff loose. Now he can trigger the body to pump the gunk thru. Sorry to hear so many in the other camp are feeling so ill. Meanwhile, I am sorting thru our tornado-strewn wagon. Does anyone else have the mess like mine? Somehow the hurry to leave in the morning and hurry to get some sleep has left my wonderful organization in a terrific mess. I'll be a lot calmer if I can find things again. I assume you all have heard my hollering to the air by now...when I can't find something? It's one of those things that irritates the heck outta me. Gotta be able to find what I KNOW I put down right here!!! LOL That idea of starting a bucket of laundry each day to slosh in the wagon as we go down the road is great. But there are some things that don't fit in one bucket. With all the rain/mud, there is plenty to wash and dry today! woooooeeeee.....just lookie all the clothes lines with laundry. Good thing we parked in some trees to tie them up in. Then I'm gonna take a nap....or go on the nature herb walk with Mother.... MtRider [ ...smell the Springtime in the air! ] Oh...hey lookie everyone! Momma23B is heeeeere! MtRider runs [sort of] to greet the incoming wagons. [oops....we've got sick here so watch the spacing, folks] I'm so glad you made it. Did you happen to see Mommadogs? I'm getting worried about them!! Whoa, you have brought some great, strong young men with you. Young muscle and energy is definitely needed. Nice to meet you all. And GF too. Pull up your wagons. Not too close to the quarantine camp. You can see the "facilities". they made it they made it

....so Micheal keeps insisting.... Benefactors are talking about staying here until Monday morning. We'd be taking a break Sunday anyway. There is some flexibility in our schedule. With some folks being sick, the hard week we've had, and ....well despite no modern bathrooms, this is a nice place. The stream over there likely has fish, btw. And the water for laundry [biodegradable soap, please] ...and not dumped back into the stream either. So....someone from their camp should be over with the announcement later. Hope y'all sick ones feel better!! I think I'm going to bed.....verrrry tired....MS not liking this. Adrenalin running out... ARE WE HOME YET? MtRider [staggers back to her tent to spend time with lonely cat....who wants to play "string"... Nite]

I am sooooo glad it finally stopped raining. That's a clear sunset tonite. Pretty too. The next stop is in about 10 minutes. Now this is an awkward entrance. We need to go off road a bit -- including going down into a ditch and up the other side. Don't panic...it's a very wide ditch so our wagons are not going to be standing on their nose as we go down it. But, we should stop here and secure anything that is loose. Including children. Might want to walk them thru this. Then it's on thru a lightly wooded area and finally near those rock cliffs over there...well, you can't quite see them yet....but that's where we'll stop for the nite. Sorry...no facilities here. Latrines will be dug. If the cloudy weather didn't allow your shower bags to heat up, fill them from the kettles over the fire. ...uh, make sure they are not too hot when you pour! Q? Anyone else come down ill today? MrMtR has dug out some VitC that we stocked. Also some lozenges. We're ok so far. Keep the fires contained cuz we are in the trees. Nothing too ...extravagant. Watch for overhead branches. MtRider [...I *think* I am stuck in this saddle today.... ow! ...um, serious....I need help moving these frozen legs offa here....iiiieeeeee! ]

MtRider comes up as Quilty is making the announcement. Smiles a little to notice how folks around the breakfast fire unconsciously move apart just a little as she spoke. I agree. In fact the Benefactors have the beginning of sick folks too. Just a couple. They have an RN and a couple EMT folks but I don't believe they have any who are herbal-knowledgeable like so many we have here. Quilty, go ahead and organize partial quarantine measures with the rest of the illness-medical folks. I'm certain the lead group will send back the wagon containing the ill family to join our "ill wagons" too. A security team will bring up the rear, a ways back from the ill wagons. Keep your spacing further between all wagons. Keep your spacing between folks as we gather....like right now. Let's cut down on real hugs. [there are some real huggy folks ..LOL ] Send me a list of who is back there cuz I need to know where we have holes...like in livestock herding, etc. It's raining again this morning but might clear up later...according to the direction my barometer is heading. That will help. Everyone try to stay dry and warm. Feels chilly today...or is that me coming down with something? As far as meds, it's early spring but Mother and anyone who recognizes new shoots of something usesful, be sure to teach the rest of us how to see it and harvest it. Keep our "pharmacy" supplied. We all need to know this basic stuff. But while you're learning, don't concoct anything on your own without checking with one of our experts. Mr.MtR knows herbs...but his come in bottles/bags...not still with the roots on them. LOL But he can help diagnose and his techniques include bringing down severe fever without the cold water baths. [let the mild ones run their therapeutic course] Also can help the lymphatic system of the body keep pumping and draining the excess. Important for early recovery. Also knows manual techniques to free up breathing, including asthma. But if he goes on calls, I might need a sub driver for our wagon. He has some lab equipment with him but can't really set it up on the trail. It might be necessary to send folks to the nearest town for testing/whatever if it gets beyond what pallative care will cure. Let's try not to mingle with the townsfolks but... Micheal....would you be willing to have the things you are hauling in your buggy shifted to elsewhere [we'd find room], and use the buggy to transport anyone getting severely ill to town? It's a contamination risk if you're driving. And we can just send a whole wagon if you're uncomfortable with that. We would be sending security with the buggy if someone had to go. Parents of children...if you have one or two sick and others healthy, how do you want to handle that? If worst comes to worst, we will have to stop and just treat the sick for a few days. After a certain percentage of us are down, we just can't risk any more. So it is excellent to think of quarantine early. Thanks Quilty! MtRider [rushing off cuz still have to milk a goat...]

Micheal---> :frying pan: Sheeeesh! Don't startle me like that. [MtR walks off a ways grumbling .... ] but HEY, aren't you just all prepared to lend a hand to whatever situation comes up? Good for you to be right where you are needed....on our wagon train AND IRL! MOTHER! You are no help! CGA is also an RN.......I knew that! MtRider shuffles thru the paperwork for the wagon train...yep! RN! Well good cuz we know that we are going into a rough, primitive lifestyle and there's a bounty of things that can cause an owie. Yeah, glad you and others are keeping an eye on our poor PCS [and I wish IRL she'd get a working computer! ]. Now, I'm REALLY getting concerned about this wet, chilly day. I heard that sneezing Anarchy & Mother's GrS2. Mother, how are the TWO Grsons now? Gonna keep you busy but please take care of yourself too. All you caretakers....let us know if you begin to feel the effects of caring for the sick/whatever. We'll get volunteers to give you some break time. That means you too, Quilty! Sheeesh, we don't need our own personal epidemic. Then the towns would really shun us. I was so moved by the Happy Birthday celebration. It's been a miserable day.... with the kids having to be in the wagons most of the time. I'm so glad you thot of such a neat candle ceremony. Y'know, we are going to have to think up new traditions and ceremonies for the important events of our lives. They are the things that distinguish our families/communities from all the rest. It's part of our identity and ....well, we left some of that behind us. {pssst...Steph/MrS....is your son old enough for a small pocket knife? I've got a stash of some assorted ones. } Such a neat family you have. I'm glad you're with us. We'll take roll call in the morning to see if anyone is feeling poorly. But we'll need to make only 8 miles tomorrow. Due to the alternate routes. The day after that will be 12 miles again. ....Please don't get sick for that day.... My barometer is not real clear on tomorrows forecast either. Could go either way. Let's hope for sun cuz the tents are going to be wet in the morning for packing...yuk! Hey, CeeGee clan....you folks doing OK? And where is mommadogs? She was joining up with us late...I hope she can find us after we've been taking a detour these couple days. Yoohoo...mommadogs... And whoever put together that big pot of chilli and cornbread for passing around tonite...whoohooo! That was wonderful to warm us up. Thank you! MtRider [wondering how Micheal is going to wake everyone tomorrow.... ]

Blood thudding in my veins hard enough to give a headache. Loud in my ears. Praying everyone will be safe on this dangerous morning. Why-o-why do people need to add violence into their already-challenged lives? ...into OUR already-challenged lives. Throwing things into the back of the wagon. Will try for order later. Check for all defensive equipment. Tent is down and stuffed in. Bedding quickly follows. Protein bars/water bottles stuffed into pockets. ...rain gear today. Dh and I discuss a possible change, with him on the horse patrol today...but I honestly do not have the physical strength for the wagon team, if anything should cause them to bolt. He's gotten quite good at maneuvers with the oxen so we will keep things as is. At least the cat is getting used to her comfy cubbyhole [cage] in the wagon. Don't need her yowling. Pick out the donkey's hooves quickly. They're clean. Same with horse....Roan, wake up and lift your foot, you oaf! I don't have time for this! [MtR getting very tense easily this morning...... ...really hate being scared! ] [some time later down the road......] Whew....glad of the early warning. Like Mother, I will be so glad to *just* be dealing with the four-legged versions of predator. Even tho a whole wagon train like this can't be stealth-silent, we did pretty good this morning. We may have to think about wrapping some of the jingling things on our wagon and on our harness. LOL....but I don't suppose we can wrap shut the goose honking mechanisms. Or my dumb donkey. Fortunately, she doesn't let out her loud bray very often. But she certainly didn't like being hurried this morning. Things should be done in the proper order...according to her. But "equine cookies" are a wonderous bribe. Good thots, Stephanie. I'd imagine that is going to be an increasingly obvious issue. My dh is a private person and needs long hours of quiet pondering to keep his 'balance'. At least driving our wagon affords some of that for him. Sort of. ....heehee, so if you wave and he doesn't "see" you, now you know why. He's off "visiting other planets of the universe". lol Now for the good news and bad news: Its beginning to rain and looks to be a fairly nasty day. The good news is that trouble-makers rarely like to bother much in their activities. Unless it's a trained/disciplined group, they'll probably all just go home and not try any pursuit of us. Especially if we are not trying to enter their town. Of course we're still watching our backside. MrHughes's security and some of ours like Mr.Fire are taking turns some distance back.....keeping an eye. Last report was that all is still clear. No towns are on the route today. We altered enough to avoid them. But instead of 9 miles to the park for tonite's stay, it will be 12 miles. In the rain.....nearly all of it on gravel roads.... Likely we will be arriving quite late. Sorry to push so hard this early in our shakedown. But.. OK, stay alert folks. There will be low visibility in dreary weather. Coordinate with our partner group....cuz we're kind of melting into one group now. Get to KNOW what their men and women look like. We're realizing that was another mistake. If we're coordinating security, we all have to recognize the others on our team. Live and learn. Live and Learn. But be extra careful that none of the children [or livestock] wanders around today cuz it's getting foggy too. We are on public roads...tho low population ones with these park lands on our right-hand side. Last wagon has to have the red flashing strobe light....don't want a car rear-ending us! All medical folks [Mother, Quilty, MrMtR, Firegirl, ...who else? ] - get together and coordinate your team too. On this day, make sure to encourage folks to take the time to get dry and warm from time to time. Whatever else you think will stave off the ill effects of chill. Use some of the air-activated chemical warming pads that we brought along. {Don't tell the guys that some of them were designed for ...ladies time. lol } ...and we DO have hot showers in real bathrooms tonite at the park....if we can reach the park. MtRider - It's going to be a looooong, wet day.

Firegirl...In Real Life.....this is an UNreality Scenario. I set up a scene of total CHAOS. I set up a goat being grabbed by a normal dog. If you'd like to write in a different dog along some safe perimeter of the wagon train that day...that's totally fine. We are all writing this story. The scene I tried to write did not include any way to shoot a dog that was in the middle of getting attacked and driven out by probably FOUR of our huge, wonderful livestock dogs...PLUS crowds of children and their parents pouring out to see our odd caravan. AND the other large animals going nuts due to the dog fight and spinning and causing their handlers no end of trouble. Cows, horses. I tried to paint a picture of absolute bedlam. Either I didn't convey that to you or...................If your DH is a veteran officer, I'm sure he found your rabid dog was a separate incident outside of the goat-attack bedlam. OK? This is FICTION! We are trying to learn things. One thing we learned is that the climate of crowds can change rapidly. That our herds and our people were not as prepared as we could have been. FICTION. We have many authors in this story line and sometimes it will not quite match up. Doesn't matter. We are to learn things. Maybe things that WILL actually matter some day. Mr.Hughs is insisting all CONCEALED CARRY folks keep firearms concealed. Because society has not yet disintegrated into lawlessness yet. That is a reminder that tho we are sort of doing a WildWild West-type thing, we STILL must be abiding by the law in the lands that we pass thru. If your dh [in the story or IRL] is legal to carry open with badge....then that decree does not apply to him....right? BTW, a side note, I have endured the 28 rabies shots [ required at that time ] In Real Life. It would be very good if a rabid dog was dead. Now can we please move on and learn some serious things AND have some fun? MtRider [.....MS flare and fatigued and late calling my mother.... IN REAL LIFE! ]

Hi CGA.....pancakes at midnight? Mmmm, they smell good. Yeah, I'll have one for a midnight snack. I am SO tired but can't quite settle down yet. I've been in meetings with the Benefactors [Mr.Smith & Mr. Jones] and their man Mr.Hughs. Mr.H is really in the Trail Boss position for our whole train. In charge of getting us to the destination. He's a rancher type but also has done lots of security type work. Although we got thru yesterday without Tooooo much lasting effects, [and by the way, I heard your goat was going to be ok? Thank goodness for the LGD's! Good dogs!] And Mother's adult GS1 is back in camp. GLAD it wasn't any worse. MrMtR says the bruising is going to be rather spectacular. Ow! Anyway, no one is happy about how that trip thru that town went. Big towns require a different strategy. As tensions are likely to heat up more and more, we need to do better. Pretty obvious it's an area that we didn't put enough preparation into. Thus, the planning meetings ALLLLLL day for me. .... but hey! I ate REAL well today. those folks got some goodies with them and a chef. We do too but poor PCS hasn't been able to show her stuff much due to that danged snake-bit leg. She's just barely managing her wagon some days. (((PCS)))) Sorry, I keep getting off subject. Anyway, as liason for our group, I've got a set of plans I'm to share with everyone back here. We looked at the routes AGAIN and might have found a way around a couple of the larger towns....at the expense of more miles traveled. But herding animals makes this a lot harder than just getting oxen teams thru with the wagons. Our herds are vulnerable. And the curious children of the towns are vulnerable too. Thank goodness none of them was hurt when the livestock was spooked. I saw at least two of our men and one teen grab a local child and hand them quickly to a frantic mom on the sidewalk. THAT was some quick thinking! For the towns we will pass thru, more effort will be made to announce our passage. The local police/sheriff will instruct folks along the route to contain their dogs and children. We will have a cart and manure-cleaning team at the very end. And ALL guns will be secured until we reach the open road outside the town. Now, the exception to that last decree will be the folks who are legal to carry concealed in this state. [You should already know if you are legal in this state because we went over it at the last meeting before we left. ] Those that are carrying legal....concealed means CONCEALED! Unless a PERSON [not an animal] is threatened, Mr. Hughes does not want to see anything showing. The town's folks are nervous enough about large groups of [admittedly] STRANGE strangers. Sorry folks, we just can't afford to get one or more of us getting caught up in a legal issue along the way. Few more weeks and we'll be out in the boonies enough to relax ...on *that* at least. They were impressed overall at how our group was able to squelch down the chaos once it started. Injured were tended. Panic in the crowd was calmed...enough. Livestock gathered and ready to move on again. No wagon collisions... So it was mostly things that just hadn't been planned for adequately. Frankly, [no, not the ferret... ] I don't think anyone expected the tension that is out here. But we can sure learn from this and improve. One thing I suggested was to BE a parade. EVeryone loves a parade. Free entertainment. Who plays music...cowboy songs? Hand out a piece of candy/balloons to the kiddies who are behaving. [ Mr.S&Mr.J will take care of that purchase before we get to the next town.] Also, plan to have someone walk one of the calm [without horns, please!] goats along each side of the sidewalks to greet the kids. [so kids don't have to come up for a closer look] If any of us have 'period costumes' we can dress up. And mebbe Micheal can put his magic act to good use. AND we will clump our two groups together from now on...so that we have more people tending to each side of the livestock. Even the Benefactor folks will be on duty for the IN TOWN traveling. That will free up anyone called out to Play Parade & Magic Show. .....if looking like a PERFORMANCE will help our PR, then it's worth a try. Tomorrow calls for off and on rain. We might have some trouble with the goats...those that don't like getting wet. Mine aren't so fond of being wet but they tolerate it. LOL 'Spose we could carry an umbrella over their dainty little heads. Tomorrow nite, after about 10 miles of travel, we're in a National Park. A group camping area with electric outlet posts {a few} and real bathrooms again. The park service agreed to turn on the power for us [normally not open for camping in March] ...in exchange for a donation from the Benefactors. Y'know, I'm impressed with how much 'homework' Mr.S&Mr.J had to do before we started on the trail. It will be nice to have some luxuries if the weather will be nasty. Hey, did I hear that Stephanie & clan finally caught up to us? I was getting worried. Well, thanks for the snack, CGA. Oh guard duty. {sigh} Yeah, it's pretty much doubled permanently. Some folks are going to have to catch some sleep in the wagons during the day. Except traveling thru towns, of course. Then EVERYone is on duty. Mr.Hughs is coordinating with our guards too. You notice their wagon circle is right next to ours. LOL.....now we look like a Figure 8. MtRider crawls into the tent to sleep at last...........MOVE OVER, you stupid dog! That's MY sleeping bag!

MtRider is not seen on Roan this morning....has anyone seen her? Roan is tied to the back of their wagon with the donkey. ....Yes, she was at the women's bathroom briefly this morning..... MtRider sticks her head out of their wagon and lurches with no grace to sit beside Mr.MtR .....displacing BigDog in the process. Dog is willing to retreat to the bed made of deep foam pads just behind the wagon seat. "Ugh!" is her only comment. Mr.MtR doesn't even try to hide a grin. She whaps him on the shoulder and digs into a bag for an energy bar and a water bottle. .....this day does not bode well. And where ARE we? A bit more awake and functional after protein, I am trying to figure out if I can ride up to have a talk with MrSmith&MrJones. Yeah, in a minute. This had not been a good morning. Not surprising results of nearly 2 full nights of not sleeping....and running my head off for a week to get things done before leaving ....AND the first full day on the trail AND a lovely discussion around the fire last nite.... So the MS said ENOUGH! I simply could not function this morning. So I staggered out the the tent and to the restrooms...and then crawled into the wagon bedding nest to sleep again. Oh sheeesh, it's been 3 hours since that ...um, "rooster" crowed. Leave it to Micheal to bring along a fake rooster. [mumbled something about giving him his triangle back.... ] Good thing DH does know how to milk my goat...tho neither he nor she are too pleased about it. She's nearly going dry anyway and will need to be freshened at the end of the trail. I don't want her too full with pregnancy when we reach the final climb over the mountain pass tho. ..dang! I need a potty break...of course. Involves crawling OVER Bigdog [and she feels that she's SO comfortable that she doesn't want to move over ] and into the center of the wagon where the potty chair is situated. Better than finding a wide tree... After putting myself a bit more together, I am finally able to hop off the wagon and unhook Roan from the wagon. DH already saddled her but I pull her out of the way of the slowly rolling wagons to put the bridle on and clamor aboard. [still exibiting lack of grace here ] Meander slowly up towards the head of the first group. After some discussion with the Benefactors, I turn back to spread the word. There is a large town coming up and the city police will have to escort us. There seems to be no route except on the residential streets on the outer rim of the town. The police chief was agreeable enough but the officer assigned has been showing attitude. He's not happy about the extra bother and seems to think our animals will be unmanageable. .....UM..... He may be right. Lets call a halt here and try to secure any animal that can be. Lets get EVERYone out and walking that is able so that the livestock herds have as much supervision/protection as possible. Ah, Mother'sMother is going to drive their oxen with Mr.Mother close at their heads. That's the idea. Steph's clan and CeeGee's is spreading out to help. I'm very worried about neighborhood dogs coming out to "have fun" or fight with our herd dogs. Secure any problem dog [like mine] inside your wagons! Also small children. I'm leashing my 4 dwarf goats and need someone to walk them so they don't spook and bolt. Oh Thank you! I've got be on Roan cuz she may bolt....stupid horse doesn't like strange dogs. And I've no idea how donkey-dear will react. Let's make a corridor with the animals/wagons between the lines of folks walking on either side of the street. At least they blocked the traffic till we go thru. They used to drive cattle thru the streets....a VERY long time ago. Folks are not used to such a thing now. What else can we do? Anyone? I think we'd be safer going thu Main street. Do TRY not to run over any children who are too curious! Sheeeeeesh! Everyone ready? ...OK lets move thru slowly. The first block was uneventful...and then word spread that there was a parade or something to watch. People poured out into the sidewalks and streets. The children were not all supervised...tho we heard a couple screeches for children to return to the yard. One large woman thundered out, "William James Micheal Hancock, get back in this yard immediately! A boy of about 10 ran to answer that summons without delay. Well the street got narrow due to the onlookers. A dog ran out barking but was retrieved quickly. The sheep strayed into a flower bed...and also were retrieved quickly but not before setting off a loud protest by the flower's owner. I'm next to a wagon. Annarchy! Do you have a jar of homemade jam or something quick that I can ride back and hand that lady in compensation? Whew, thanks! She was well, ....astonished when I thrust the jar into her hands from up upon Roan. Just as I was wheeling back to monitor this right side of the street, a large dog ran out into the goat herd and CHAOS ensued. The Pyrs and Anatolians surrounded the strange dog who had indeed grabbed an unfortunate doe. At that point all hellatious hooey broke loose. Someone fired a shot ...in the ground, as it turned out. No one ever found out if it came from our train or an escorting officer or an onlooker. But the screaming mothers ran for their children and sirens began and .... Our animal herders were quite remarkable. The wagons came to a stop while many rushed to untangle the herds and dogs. The strange dog had high-tailed outta there and the 2 LGD's that had pursued a ways, had all returned to guard stance. It was quite remarkable to see how the animals crowded around those dogs, knowing where their safety would lie. A cow kicked someone...who is that? Looks like a leg injury. DH and Quilty are heading for the person on the ground. Some idiot in the crowd is shouting that the person was shot. I holler back that the COW KICKED HIM AND WILL YOU PLEASE KEEP THE DOGS AND CHILDREN BACK OFF THE STREET? I did see that one happen. OW! A man I recognize [Mr.Hughs, head of 'security' for the Benefactors group] is riding back to our group. His message is to wait right here until their group passes through. Then they will send folks back to help safely herd our group thru. This is the first real interaction between these two groups. I know that MrS & MrJ hired many folks to assist with herding their livestock and for security purposes. Now they are sharing that to get us out of this mess. We've got many blocks to go. With the calming of the animals, most of the crowd has quieted. But it's plain that we are troublemakers and aren't their lives hard enough these days without having this riffraff wild and loose in their neighborhood? And WHO is going to clean up all this animal poo. [not exactly the words used, mind you.... ] OK, on the manure issue they have a point. Mr. Hughs and I discuss sending a team with shovels and cart to clean up....and we begin to spread that word thru the crowd. It's not helping the temper much. And then one man, bless him, hauls out a large wheelbarrow and rakes and shovels. His two sons and one teen daughter are with him. "Never mind that," he says. "If you're going to feed a family from a garden these days, you need fertilizer. I never had it delivered to my door before. C'mon kids. Lets collect this black gold." Maybe we should ask that family to join us! ....and we still have 7 miles to go? Camp tonite is scheduled to be in a farmer's pasture...rented for the night by the benefactors. We're allowed to fill up the water wagon with the hose at his well. The little green porta-pottys are also rented. No hot/cold running water tonite. But most of us have the black bags with shower hose. We'll get a few of them up and ready for showers anyway. We'll need it. At least we'll be a looong way from this town. So where were YOU when the CHAOS hit today? I know there were many acts of heroism & quick thinking. And who got kicked and how is s/he? And how is the goat...tho I saw her up and running after the dog let go of her. Any other casualties? MtRider [i'm going to sleep for two days after this... ]

just finished with my goats...I'm on my way..... MtRider. [....an' wishing right now I wasn't ridin' quite so much..ow! ]

Mommadogs...Of COURSE you can still join us. In *this* UNreality, we can always swing to pick up another member! Can you get your wagon packed in a few days? Some of us had to kinda throw things in anyway...and after all my careful planning initially... MtRider [....I'm *always* bringing CGA with me on primitive excursions, LOL ]

The very thing, CGA!!! -------------------- So OK, the Benefactors got all the permits, etc for our expedition by saying we are a re-enactment group. They actually are filming this magnificent event. That's how we're allowed on the roads in such a large group. But along with the wood-colored paint on the wagons, y'all will notice that the Gore Tex wagon covers are a dull grey/brown/tinge of green color. Once we're out of the spotlight, so to speak, we're going to try to STAY out of the spotlight. For obvious reasons of discretion. But the last of our journey will be miles and miles of lightly forested wilderness land. It's just getting thru these initial couple weeks. We are winding thru the least traveled roads tho. {siren sounds from behind our wagon train as we're shuffling along the blacktop road} Who's our rear wagon right now? Can you just tell the sheriff's deputy that our permits are in order and Mr.Smith and Mr.Jones way up leading the Benefactor's wagons have them? Yes, please. Shutting OFF the siren will be MOST helpful with our animals. Thank you! and wipe sweat off the brow. So we're to be escorted around the town and on down to the turn onto the gravel road. Well, that might be a good thing. MtRider [ soooo glad that Roan did NOT kick that deputy's blaring squad car.... ..think I"m gonna ride in the wagon a while and take a nap! YAWN! ]

It's still dark of course...but considerable less dark than when the 'alarm clock' went off nearly two hours ago. Yes, we're getting off just a *bit* later than we'd planned....but we kinda planned that. Everyone/every critter has eaten. Had another dog fight this morning but...it will settle out soon. Had a few child wailings...crisis of a mild degree, thankfully. Everyone is excited but it's also stressful. That too, will settle out soon. We're harnessed and packed and mounted and.... As I'm looking ahead, I see the Benefactors group beginning to move forward. The first wagon...2nd..3rd...4th...and so on. Takes a deep breath....it's our turn. I'm mounted on my Roan-horse. Fat&sassy Appie. Pathetic mane/tail but good powerful butt muscles for what lies ahead. lol She's a bit antsy. She loves to be with other horses so this is exciting! I've had to twirl her a couple times already but she's getting calmer. Whoops...our turn. {snort-chuckle}....and I think to myself.... "Oh I might as well do it...." Spin Roan to face our 21 wagons [plus buggy & carts] and holler in my deepest gymnasium voice: WAGONS HOOOOOOOOO! Whooo, that was fun! The call was answered with an loud assortment of whoops, yiiihahs, etc. As well as my MM-donkey's BRAY (must have startled her), ......and the assorted cackling/honking/barking of any other animal that sensed the excitement and portent of the moment. We are on our way......... The day dawned lovely. The snow from that last storm is still over much of the land. But the roads have melted off nicely. We will be on this gravel road for about 1 mile [watch our for the low spots...puddles! Then we need to use a blacktop road. We've chosen one that is not real busy but we will certainly be sharing it with car traffic. 4 miles of that. At least it won't be bumpy and the pulling of wagons easier. We'll have to pass thru the outskirts of a mid-sized town in the 2nd mile. Then we can once again return to the less traveled gravel roads. About 2 more miles and we've got a stopping point in a National Park for tonite. A big meadow and....down the trail a ways...there are real bathrooms! That's only 7 miles for our first day. But it IS a shakedown day. Getting used to routines. Getting used to the labor. Getting muscles stronger. We'll build up to about 15 miles a day. Barring ...um, adventures. So making camp early will give us time to talk tonite around our grilled meat and beans and pies....Did Micheal mentions pies. LOL..I told CeeGee she could have more wagons and...she's hauling deer in them. We're going to be up half the night trying to turn a lot of that into jerky. It will last in coolers of ice for a while. We will be near to towns for a while yet. CeeGee....MrMtR grabbed 3 sets of breeder rabbits yesterday. Two are Rex and ...not sure what the third set are. I'll gladly trade some venison for a rabbit breeding set. How's everyone else doing???????? MtRider [VERY glad to have extra padding on this hard ole leather saddle.....I usually use a bareback pad only... Ow.]

If you are just joining Wagons Ho....take the time to see how we began this trip: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?sh...t=0&start=0 All is very dark....the sun is not even close to rising yet....a few clinks of harness, the stamp of a horse hoof, bleating goats {of course}, and far off, a dog barks three times. Then our beloved blacksmith starts ringing his danged Come-&-Get-It triangle and hollering: "RISE AND SHINE FOLKS....RISE AND SHINE....WE'VE GOT TO HIT THE ROAD BEFORE DAYBREAK!" "MICHEAL!"...gasps MtRider from inside her tent. "Sheeeeeeeeesh! You'll give some of these folks a heart attack." Including ME, she grumbles to herself as she pulls the pillow off of Mr.MtR's head. He, of COURSE, slept thru that racket. Well, today [it IS "day" isn't it?] is THE DAY.....we're leaving in about an hour and a half...wagons and teams hitched. Children fed/rounded up for last minute "bathroom" . Breakfast + coffee/tea/hot cocoa consumed. Cookfires doused. All other animals watered/fed/in place. Roll call done...everyone here????? How did your morning go? MtRider [ Micheal ------> :frying pan: ..... hmph! ] *****DON'T FORGET THE SHOUT SESSION TONITE [iRL - MONDAY NOV 2...times posted on previous thread]*******

MtRider rushes from wagon to wagon taking ROLL CALL..... [reading back thru EIGHT pages of posts...] While checking everyone in.... Firegirl.... Did you figure out how to get to SHOUT tomorrow [MONDAY] nite? Way up by the top is "shoutbox". Click that and you're in. Type in the white square and hit "enter" and it will appear up in the lineup of postings after a moment. PM me or someone if you can't get in. CeeGee...you know, with adult children, they are each eligible for a wagon too. If I'm understanding your "clan", you could have 4 wagons. Up to you. [heehee....look at CeeGee scurry around to collect MORE stuff! ] Mebbe see if CGA has any more cages of poultry breeder sets. You'd have eggs! CGA... ....great on the pigs! How is your DD taking this ..um, change of scenery and routine? Will she enjoy the ride? ((((((DD))))))) Let us know if you need help. Glad your dear sis is coming too. AH.....wow, what a nice send off from your friends. And a buggy! woohoo! Mebbe some of the older ladies would like to ride in a buggy with some suspension taking the bounce out. How smooth IS that ride compared to our wagons? [MtR has added LOTS of padding to her wagon seat! AND a backrest! ] Mother... well she's got nearly her whole clan talked into this. WELCOME Mother'sMother! And all the rest of y'all too. We've heard so much about you as Mother was determined that you should all come with her. OK...tell me if this is accurate but here is the... WAGONS HO ROLL CALL: MtRider & MrMtRider 2 adults ** 1 wagon and 1 donkey 2-wheel cart [donkey tied behind the wagon] =================== Mother & Mr.Mother -- DD&DH and DGS2 ----DGS1/SO ----DGD/DH----DS ----Mother’sMother! 10 adults/1 child ** 4 wagons and 1 camper wagon ==================== Micheal & Lori [aka: Rusty & Emma] 2 adults ** 1 wagon and one buggy [horse tied behind the wagon] ===================== Firegirl & MrFire & 2DS/ 3DD 2 adults/5 children ** 2 wagons ==================== CrabGrassAcres & DD ---- DSis/DH & 3 teens 3 adults/3 teens/ 1 special DD ** 3 wagons ==================== CeeGee & Mr.CG -- DD&nearly SIL and DGS ----Oldest Son Gee ----Youngest Son Gee&SO 6 Adults/1 child ** 2 wagons ===================== Stephanie & MrSteph & 5 DS/ 2DD 2 adults/7 children (2 teens? ) ** 3 wagons ====================== Anarchy & MrA [ not DM-I-L????...she’s welcome!!! ] 2 adults ** 1 wagon ====================== Arby 1 adult ** 1 wagon ======================= PureCajunSunshine 1 adult ** 1 wagon ======================= Quilty & Mr.Q 2 adults ** 1 wagon ************************************************************ Special Wagons: -Water Wagon -Medical Wagon -Library/School Wagon -Blacksmith/Farm Equipment Wagon -Cook Wagon ************************************************************ But some folks aren't here yet????? Have you decided to come/not come??? ...or are you joining us further down the trail? There is still opportunity for ANYONE to do that!!! MIA....Bluegrassmom...where'd you go? Gulfcoasttruth... ready to come along on an UNreality trip to keep us honest? Leah...you can come along without a full packing manifest..LOL [MtRider is *still* working on her list... ] ....and in case y'all are wondering, the encampment over yonder is our wonderful Benefactors and their clans. They will be breaking trail and we'll ....... kinda be eatin' dust. 'Tis the way of things. But they have made this possible and we're grateful for that. Hey Micheal! Are you excited yet? MtRider [...no sleep last nite except a nap; hard to sleep tonite when we've already had 2 dog fights and one horse kicking the daylights outta the old shed....and DH *finally* got here ....he'd gone down to get our breeder rabbits and I thot he'd NEVER arrive back up here in time! ....don't even know what rabbits he got from our goat/rabbit breeder. Just GLAD he's HERE!!!! Whew! ....and of COURSE the man is already snoring along side BigDog in our tent..... ....mebbe I will go to bed cuz it's going to be WAGONS HOOOOOOOOOOOO before dawn. ] Meet us on the new thread.... WAGONS HO - The Journey http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=37456

I'm putting this in again to make sure everyone sees it. I hope y'all will be able to come and won't be so tired from our first day of traveling. MtRider [prolly be up all night trying to remember EVERYthing..... sheeeeeeesh! ]

TWO IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1) On Monday night we will be having a Wagons Ho meeting [....ahem, in the SHOUT/chat room - cool idea was Micheal's! ]. It will be the end of our first day on the trail and we'll have some talkin' to do. See how things went. Clear up any problems. Sooo, bring your plate,fork and mug and meet at the bonfire. Our cook PCS [just letting her know] and volunteers to help her will be serving cowboy beans and grilled meat. This will be the leftovers from everyone's freezer. Don't know what else she may have the energy to concoct for us. The time to meet will be {cuz I can't get inside from feeding my REAL LIFE animals till then} ................................. Eastern: 9:30pm Central: 8:30 pm Mountain: 7:30pm West Coast: 6:30pm Anyone else.... does not compute in my brain. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+**+*+*+*+*+*+* 2) I know we've been pushed to chose between this and that; what to leave/what to bring.....and how to stuff it in. Here is one more option. Our route for the trip has us thru fairly heavy population [tho we skirt around any major cities] for probably the next two weeks. This will mean we can still purchase some items. But keep in mind that due to CRISIS that spawned this immigration of ours, shortages are all too common. We can't be sure of what is still available. There will continue to be small towns, ranches and farms near to where we are passing for another few weeks after that. Perhaps getting eggs and milk might be an option. But nothing is certain. Not going to be a Walmart. Another option is for acquiring those items that become totally obvious once we begin to really live this more primitive lifestyle. As we pass near enough to a small town, we would be able to contact any mail order companies still in existence. Such as Lehmans, etc. You'd probably have wire the money [adding to the cost] unless you kept a bank account open. We have opened a post office box in the very last ..um, small village.....VERY small. But it does get regular postal service. You would have the item(s) sent to that postal box and we'll also pick up our last mail {& send letters} from loved ones at that location too. From time to time we hope to be able to send couriers back to this post office and continue some sparse mail contact with our loved ones....for as long as that is safe and feasible. Beyond that village, the rest of the trip is wilderness....and the faster we get beyond the increasing violence, the better it will likely be for us. IMHO ********Does anyone have a block & tackle, come-along, winch, that sort of thing? Make sure it's accessible in case we have to change out/repair a wheel. Or haul wagons out of the mud/snow. Plenty of good rope too. Micheal and Mother [or Mr. Mother] must have thot of this! Firegirl, how's your butchering coming today? MtRider [trying to do three things at once and be in at least 4 places at the same time. AND find my flashlight that dropped outta my pocket 2 days ago -- I NEED that! whooooeeeee! ]

Well there are times in the UNreality that we just can't make it make sense. CGA: gal, your goats have already freshened. Cuz this is the last week in March. ....so, what did your 'girls' have? The LOAD: 2,000#? 5,000#? 12,000#? Welllllll, see I'm trying to work this out to the best advantage. I spent a LONG time talking to the Benefactors when we started. They agree that they have no wish to be bogged down with a wagon train that is overloaded. There is huge weight savings in modern plastic containers [as opposed to wooden barrels and crates..oye! ], and the light Gore-tex wagon covers, and the steel/solid rubber wheels [non-inflating but a bit more grip]. They agree that having a lighter wagon bed is also a good investment. Since there is likely going to be some river crossings, the wagon beds provided by the investors [can't say for anyone's personal wagons acquired as extras ]..... will be a strong but lightweight metal alloy [does that make it titanium? ] AND they are seamless. Therefore, that 'boat' shape will be put to good advantage. AND they thankfully put in a lot of attachment points for the stuff we want to tie on the sides. And for stabilizing ropes within the wagon bed. Mother? Or anyone else good at weight calculation? Where does that put us in our weight limits then? LOL....while we're at it, I suppose I'd attach at least a small solar collector to the wagon and have some lights. Not that we'd be traveling after dark. Solar lights are not that bright. But it would afford some interior lighting and a bit of exterior. Even bringing the usual solar yard lights would do that much. BTW, since the Benefactors have stretched so far to provide this excellent transportation, I doubt they will wish to hear of any problems *now* due to overloading. We can always bring something and plan to ditch it if the weight does prove too much over a certain terrain. The roughest area is going to be some low mountain passes right before we drop into our new big valley home. But at that point, we could lighten the loads and send some folks back to pick up the rest with a second trip. While the rest of us get to planting! First thing to do when we get there. Wish this winter hadn't lasted quite so long..... {Pssst: I love the UNreality of those wealthy Benefactors and paying for our modern conestogas! } Some really good last minute ideas here. I'm throwing in the empty feed sacks/stove pellet sacks too. Even to put up a quick goat shelter and safe place for poultry at nite. Packrat here, and I've got them saved too. We've nearly got the donkey cart completed. Several cages can fit on there. One axle cart with poles on either side of dear, compliant [hopefully] donkey. Add more axle grease! Add more carrots for bribery! Where on earth did you find THAT wagon, Mother? You could put a REALLY nice bed in there for you to lay down and rest so you don't get sick. And another cot for me too. Or maybe hammocks ....with no real suspension system to speak of. If you've got the team and driver to pull it, you're allowed to provide your own. I'd guess that with all your families, you'd find the means to acquire that. ...and DO be sure to bring your Nigerian Bucks. My 'girls' will appreciate it! You've got quite a bike there, CeeGee. If we have any disabled/older folks... I'd still like to bring my disability scooter with a solar charger for battery....but the thing weight a ton! I'll stick with my light wheelchair. Something ELSE to hang off the side of the wagon. Firegirl, yes, the Benefactors will allot you two of their wagons/teams. You can acquire that other wagon as well if you have driver and animals to pull. If it's got rubber tires, make sure you bring extra and the means to change the tires. Our off-roading will be rough. Lemon cukes are heirloom and I have a few of them. You might try to find some of these. I'm bringing rhubarb and definitely garlic. Garlic is pretty easy to grow. I've got 3 varieties. MtRider

Oh my...so much to do; so little time left. I'm glad you all are taking precautions. OK let's see..... RE: weight limits.... Ahhhh! I *finally* found where you quoted the 2,000 lb limit. No, that was just one example of an exercise for school kids to compute. {sorry for confusion} I'm going to defer to Mother's expertise here. I'd like to think we could take 12,000 lbs as the freight haulers did but....we certainly don't have a dozen oxen. We're not experienced enough [even with our recent instruction/practice] to drive a team of that many. But what we do have is the option to change out oxen teams. I've requested 6 oxen [3 teams of pairs] so that I can rest/graze some while others pull. Sooo, like the pioneers did, make your own choices based on the data. Reminder of approximate wagon size: "The wagon beds were 16 feet long, 4 feet deep { plus the area above the wood under the hoop cover...but don't stack heavy things high or your wagon will tip! } and 4 feet wide and shaped like a boat. That's about 256 cubic feet of space." Go back to the first post and look at the pictures again. RE: wagons/oxen or mule teams provided by our benefactors...... yep, like Stephanie reported. One wagon/team for a family up to four. Additional wagon provided for each additional four members IF a driver can be supplied by the family. However, if you want to obtain your own additional wagon [cart, carriage, buggy, hay rack,......] and can get the team for pulling it, there is no limit on what you can supply yourself. I'm trying to convert some mountain bike wheels into a cart for donkey to pull.... Loaded with ducks/geese pen and food. Another word about our wagons: Mother mentioned touching the wet canvas top and it will break the surface tension and cause a leak. [...any of us who are old enough to have camped in old canvas tents know this one] BUT...due to modern materials, our wagon covers are made with Goretex....breathable/waterproof. Lighter than the original cotton(?) covers...which would be very heavy when wet. Also the wagon bed is made from modern materials {...um, somebody help me out here...what WOULD we use in our era? A tough plastic? Light/strong/flexible metal combination? What would the hoops be made of? Fiberglass? Jointed/bungee-corded like modern tent poles? ..... } ----The point of this is better durability AND...lighter weight. <----so we can pack more weight and get by with it. How else could modern migration be improved? What old ways will be better to keep? {Gotta love those wealthy underwriters of this project! LOL } RE: Packing wet tents.... I've set hooks in the back of our wagon (still under the extention of the cover...see how it sticks out like a porch roof?) so that I can hang our tent(s) up to dry/air out. Or get very dusty..LOL And I'm having second thots about using the big canvas one until we arrive. Might just bury that in the load and use the smaller nylon ones. CGA & Water tank: That's sounds perfect for our Water wagon...thank you! Lets start getting that filled...couple of the kids that needs to be kept busy can do that. [note to self, make sure the oxen teams for the water wagon get changed out frequently...especially in rough terrain. WE do have a trained driver for this wagon who can handle more oxen than two.] LOL @ Micheal. Anarchy, what a wonderful drawing. I'll just bet the folks in history did some of that too. CEEGEE, Welcome....and hurry gal! Pack that wagon! CGA & geese: WOW, I've spent hours looking up different goose breeds. I thot I knew a lot of them but....not! I'm really interested [iRL] in the Cotton Patch Goose and the Embdens [i'd heard of those at least] I'll definitely take you up on sets of both of them. Since the Embdens are so big, mebbe I don't need to deal with turkey's which I'm not familiar with. Bad enough the rabbits will be somewhat new...at least the butchering. Trying to simplify and reduce feed costs so we did not replace our geese as they grew old and died. Now...I find I miss our geese. I'm glad you're bringing guineas...they are great watch critters...setting up such a fuss from the safety of trees. LOL I also spent a good deal of time today looking up European (lighter version than American) snath&scythes...IRL, cuz I want one to be able to feed goats/ducks. Pretty much a MUST-HAVE tool for our trip. IF we're going to be harvesting livestock hay and field plantings of grains. Mother mentioned something we should have brought up before. Although we have the time [unless we're delayed by something] to take this journey slowly for the animals sake, the shift from normal will very likely set the poultry off their laying and ...I'd imagine, adversely affect the dairy critters too. Will we lose the milking entirely, Mother? Or can we build them back up to full milking once we arrive? That's something to plan for. Possibly needing to 'freshen' the milking animals before you get milk again. The poultry will need time to adjust and then they should lay again properly. SO figure this in to your food amounts. Trivia note: Did you know that an "ox" is defined as a steer [castrated male beef-type cow] that is over the age of four years? Considered too tough for eatin' by then. THANK YOU, Mother for all the pertinent data!! Whew, do we know what we're getting into? Did our pioneer ancestors? ....prolly not. But we know what we leave behind and have hope that we will find better at the end of our arduous and dangerous journey. MtRider [....sheeeeeesh, I'm not packed....too much delightfully interesting data to research.... AND I'm adding snowshoes [i made them years ago], and child's plastic tobbogans for dragging heavy loads [i use them all year] ...and snow shovels ...it's been snowing here! ]

MtRider rushes in where others from Wagons Ho are gathered ...a meeting about the livestock is in progress..... Folks, I'm afraid I have an announcement that is worrisome. We're gonna have to speed things up. I know we've been waiting for the weather to be a bit warmer...spring is nearly here. But with all the various crisis that have happened in the past months, I believe our situation is getting risky if we stay much longer. Now I know we've all got last minute packing [sheeeesh, I know I do] and last minute decisions like how many and which animals to bring. These are VERY important decisions. I doubt any of us realizes how important those choices will be to us later. So I don't mean to interrupt this meeting at all...... But if you are getting animals, get them now....this weekend. I have reason to think that we should push our leaving date up to this coming Monday. We might still have a late snowstorm. But since it's the last week of March, we should be OK. If we run into weather, we'll just have to wait it out and continue on after it clears. That MIGHT mean it will take a bit longer on the trail than our estimate of 60 days. I do not trust the crowds that have been able to view our preparations. They've been jeering at us but they've also seen some of what we pack...tho we've all tried to prevent that. Lately you know it's getting dangerous to even go to shop in groups of less than four or five. Violence is getting worse daily, it seems. People are getting scared and desperate. They are ....well, waking up. We can't wait for better road and traveling weather. In short, it's time to leave. Hurry and get the final packing done. Gather at the meeting place on Sunday nite. We'll be sleeping in the wagons with the livestock here. We leave at dawn....or rather somewhat before dawn on Monday. We *will* post guards. In fact I suggest that you post guards at your own sites starting from tonite. Let's not take any chances at the last minute. There will likely be a few more joining us along our route. I've told them we'll be happy to see them. Oh, and CGA? I wouldn't mind a set of geese {do you have any African Grays?} .....and mebbe turkeys too. Gotta add fencing wire to my stack of things to pack....enough to lock them up safe at nite. Just how BIG a cage is needed for a turkey? Or can they be herded? Do you have any guineas? Mebbe I'd want them instead of the turkeys?....and I have to run down and get the rabbits...should have done that earlier.... Got the cages ready under the wagon for shade. MtRider [...Hard Times...things are getting tense...be glad when we're a ways out on the trail and only dealing with wheels stuck in mud and burned food and mosquitoes and.... ]

Yeah, Mother. That's how I've been thinking about it. I have a quick bug-out list. I have a detailed list to take out if wildfire threatens. I've been wanting to have a list to refer to [when the chaos of the crisis does not induce clear thinking] for if the leaving was permanent and the destination was primitive. This is helping me construct that list. Remember categories that I might not think of on my own. Who knows if migration becomes necessary. But I want to have a LIST. [obsessed with lists...lol] Yeah, it does get serious if one REALLY had to do this....re-invent the wheel. Or at least have to have AH hammer it outta scrap metal. Would we really want to scrap the modern industries if it were our choice? Doubt it. Especially those of us who are old/ill/have tiny ones in our care. SO much of our modern society is marvelous. ....but fortunately, of course, it isn't our choice. Unless someone really goes up to the wilds of Alaska interior or something. ....now in my younger years..... ...mebbe. Anyway, this certainly has given me a greater appreciation and respect for those pioneer forefathers and mothers who DID live this out. Without plastics and electronics. Tough and determined and blessed. MtRider .. [better get finished packing or AH will be starting off without us.... ...and who has herding dogs to keep the sheep/goats/etc together on this trail? ]

So...Our Special Wagons might be a case of all your eggs in one basket...eggs being fragile, and all. Well, back to the old drawing board. LOL Lets keep the Special wagons [hope the water one doesn't break down!] and yet, disperse some of the basic, vital things. ...Seee, try to edit down our lists and now we're talking duplication. ....lol Do you think we are very used to accessibility and would be rather shocked if we had to arrive with half our stuff due to a river accident or some such? I would. Many pioneers traveled to areas that were trading zones and they could buy some things later. But some ended up in the booonies and it would be years before they'd even get on a trader-with-mule route. Good thot on the well drivers. A mountain gal like myself wouldn't think of that due to our geography. It's a LOONG way down to our water....thru granite. Homesteader General Store: and barter/rent major equipment. That's the beginning of a civilization. Specialization. Hope we have a population base big & diverse enough to support specialization. It improves life so much! ...did you say your garden plow is pulled by a horse? LOL I was thinking of those human-powered big wheel ones that have so tempted me in Lehmans'. Modern Stuff : communications like 2-way radios, even CB's would work too. Anyone bringing a typewriter...manual one? [blackberry/soot ink?] Solar-collecting lights. Greenhouse [uV stable & cold flexible...unlike one I'm dealing with IRL] plastic. Definitely Thinsulate. And GOOD footwear. Gloves! Folder knives and multitools. Weather forecasting equipment...tho that isn't necessarily modern. [barometer, thermometer,etc] The storage things like barrels, boxes, and bags are all strong and light weight in our modern times. [course, theirs were often home-made] I'm counting on this making up some of the weight difference. MtRider [.....packing snowshoes, snow shovels, snow goggles, etc...can you tell our Mts are getting early winter?]

Tell you what, Mother. Can you also post the list of things you deleted and the reason why? I think that would be very instructive. I'm putting up even the kitchen sink in mine and ....well, I'm not sure for this exercise I'll ever get around to pruning it down. But if I had to pack our vehicle with just what it would carry....or WORSE, our horse & donkey.... Well this IS a big part of this Scenario for me. That said, it's obvious that we will all chose differently as to what we will prioritize. AND after we'd been living in the woods for a few weeks/months...we'd ALL likely have *different* ideas on what is absolutely crucial and "why did I leave that behind and bring this ole useless thang?" [i redid my Evacuate for Wildfire list immediately upon returning home after 3 weeks gone....before I forgot what I'd learned is truly important. ] Anyway, one of my criteria for bringing *some* things is calculating the energy/time saved in our initial weeks/months in the new lifestyle. It's been mentioned that if we merely do not have to learn "to raise the sheep/shear the wool/card*spin*weave*sew" for a year or two, it would be a big relief and further energies can be spent on getting the garden in or hunting meat. These are my transition items. Things that will eventually be discarded [used up/broken/whatever] but deemed worthy of their value before that happens. Even solar charged batteries will eventually wear out & not recharge again. This sort of thing is often found in the Sci-fi stories of colonizing other worlds...where it is a one-way trip. I'm always fascinated by these stories and their choices and their consequences. And we all live with the choices of what to value and what to discard every day. On the other hand [i keep bouncing back and forth on this....part of the value of the exercise] if we need to get down to SERIOUS basics and are not ABLE to bring out the kitchen sink......then we are down to Water&Food, Keeping Dry/Warm&Cool/Clean, Injury&Illness solutions, and Safety. Little else matters if those issues are not addressed first. Hmmm, I think I have my parameters now to look at my list again. Those basics first and then adding some Transition Items and then....a few luxuries that won't break the oxen. Steph and others...that would be fine if you just make additions rather than completing the whole list. Anything forgotten. In those days, I'm sure if any of the folks knew each other before the trail, they were asking each other if anyone was bringing this or that. Saves room if the whole camp can use AH's gardening plow.... LOL MtRider [....my leather working kit is definitely going. Edit under "TOOLS" ]