mommato3boys

I was joking ok you, me and the benefactors. Ok so here we go...

That's okay Mt. Rider I think I covered it okay I just removed names and stuck with wagons. Ok so I think I am on the same page we have Quiltys group, Mother's Clan, You and DH, and Michael and Lori and we have lost everyone else right? Or are we the ones lost??? LOL that is what you get for not warning me I was lead wagon

Quilty I posted this over in the recipe thread but I thought I would share it here also. This is my RL & UNRL recipe for flour tortillas. I got this off of Hillbillyhousewife when Ms. Maggie had it. Since she is not longer the owner of the site I don't know if it is there or not. I mix up the dry ingredents and store in a zip lock back and pack it way with the camping food and away we go. It is just as easy to make them camping as it is at home. 4 cups white or whole wheat flour or half each (I use white only) 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder (optional) 1/3 cup shortening 1 to 1-1/4 cups water In a large bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder (the baking powder is not an authentic addition though it does make them lighter) Next cut in the shortening. When the flour is crumbly, add the water. Stir the dough with your fork until it makes a cohesive ball of dough. You may need to add an extra small spoonful of water if the dough is too dry. Be careful not to add too much though. When the dough forms a ball, knead it about 20 times. Then let it rest in the bowl for about 10 minutes. After it has rested, form it into 10 or 12 equal balls. Roll each ball in a little flour, to coat the outside of it evenly. Place a ball of dough on a sheet of waxed paper, or a clean, well floured surface. Roll the dough out into a a 6 or 7-inch circle. Try to get it as thin as you can. Loosen the tortilla from the rolling surface. This is why I use wax paper I can just flip it over and peel it off. Flop it onto a dry, hot skillet. Cook about 30 seconds, until the under side is dry, with a few brown spots. Flip it and cook the other side the same way. Transfer the cooked tortilla to a plate, and cook the next one. This goes pretty fast after you get the hang of it.

This is for Quilty. I got this recipe off the Hillbillyhousewife website when Ms. Maggie had it. This is a great recipe and works well on camping trips. I make the dry ingredents up in a zip lock bag and take it along with us. 4 cups white or whole wheat flour or half each (use white) 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder (optional) 1/3 cup shortening 1 to 1-1/4 cups water In a large bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder (the baking powder is not an authentic addition though it does make them lighter) Next cut in the shortening. When the flour is crumbly, add the water. Stir the dough with your fork until it makes a cohesive ball of dough. You may need to add an extra small spoonful of water if the dough is too dry. Be careful not to add too much though. When the dough forms a ball, knead it about 20 times. Then let it rest in the bowl for about 10 minutes. After it has rested, form it into 10 or 12 equal balls. Roll each ball in a little flour, to coat the outside of it evenly. Place a ball of dough on a sheet of waxed paper, or a clean, well floured surface. Roll the dough out into a a 6 or 7-inch circle. Try to get it as thin as you can. Loosen the tortilla from the rolling surface. This is why I use wax paper I can just flip it over and peel it off. Flop it onto a dry, hot skillet. Cook about 30 seconds, until the under side is dry, with a few brown spots. Flip it and cook the other side the same way. Transfer the cooked tortilla to a plate, and cook the next one. This goes pretty fast after you get the hang of it.

OH HOLY MOLY!!!!!! This is not good. OMG!!!!! SF where are you? P do you see your dad back there any where? Well motion him up here. Get those two ropes back there yeah those. Put a cowbell on it and tie one end to my seat. As soon as your dad gets up here hop on the back Tinker Bell and take the rope to the next wagon and tie it to the seat then tie the second rope to the seat and take it back to the third wagon. Be sure and put a bell on the second rope. Why? well as long as the rope is swaying from the moving it wll gently ring but if a wagon start to go over the side it will ring wildly. Put the bell in the middle of the rope. We are entering white out. Hey before you go throw me my coat and lap quilt. Get your dad his heavy coat also. Be careful. Raja come on boy don't stop we will get stuck...ON RAJA ON....Hey honey no I can't see anything. I know there are wagons ahead of me but I lost them I can't even see the wagon tracks. No I will be fine until y'all get the wagons tethered. I don't know how go of an idea it is but at least it will keep us all going in the same direction. HEY make sure they all have knives on them so they can cut the rope if a wagon goes over. I don't care if we loose a wagon I just don't want to loose lives. Come on Raja keep going...On Raja...good boy...Yeah I don't like this either but we can stop. Oh hey P did you get the wagons tethered together. Where's your dad? No I didn't see him ride by. Where did he go? Oh OK so he has riding back to see if he can find Mt. Rider. Oh geezzzz you scared me honey. Did you find her. What about the wagons up front what did they say? KEEP GOING??????? I can't see. OK I will stick to the left side. Will you go back and see if you can find Mother's group they are behind us. On the way drop these quilts off with N and W. P do you remember those hot hands and warm toe things we packed? Good now a million dollar question do you remember where they are? Well you are no help LOL go so go back there and get the clip board and look on it there is a content list for each box/crate and they are divided by wagon. Dang it SF you scared me again. NEVER mind P your dad just handed me hot hands and toe warmers. They are in W&A wagon A dug them out. Honey why don't you tie Tinker Bell on the back and climb in. Oh OK well please be careful. Oh did you see mother? NO?!?!?! What do you mean NO? She was back there? Well be careful. Wait...P look in there and get the walkie talkies and hand them to your dad. I don't' know if they will work in this storm, are the batteries still good? YAY at least something is working...ON RAJA ON. I feel like Santa...ON Dasher ON Dancer On Comet On Cupid...I just wish we were in a sleigh right now instead of a wagon. HEY SF do you have a gun on you...I know dumb question. Well if the walkie talkies dont' work fire off shots. Got your compass? Oh hush and humor me. P how was N handling the horses? Really? That good. I am so glad. What about W&A with the oxen. Yeah I figured the horses would do better than the oxen. No I don't think we will rearrange the order Raja is doing good as lead. I am afraid if we do the horses first then the oxen will drop back if we keep the horses in the middle they will keep the 3 wagon going. Are you warm of enough want to share my lap quilt. Do you think you can handle the reigns long enough for me to get these toe warmers in my shoes? How long to these things last? Hey your back did you find Mother?Oh good glad to know she is still back there. Mt. Rider was by her a few mintues ago wait do you hear something? I can tell if that is a whistle or the wind blowing? Mt Rider's donkey is not liken this weather she is acting up back there. I dont' blame her I don't like it either. Will you ride on up front and see if you can find out where we are going to stop. I don't how much longer Raja can keep pulling through this. I am afraid we are going to get stuck. You can take over when you get back I will be ok till then. (how the heck did I end up in front of Mother, Mt. Rider and Michael...next time warn me I am lead wagon )

SF woke me several times last night because I was screaming NO!!!!!! GET AWAY FROM THE PIGS!!!!!!!! I don’t know who was more scared last night me or the little boy. I know he just wanted to see the baby pigs. I totally forgot how over protective a sow could be. My heart is still racing even this morning. I finally gave up on sleep around 2 or 3 this morning. I knew SF needed a good nights sleep more than I did since he has the first leg of the journey this morning. I think I was up before Michael this morning. After the excitement of starting a fire with dryer lint yesterday I tried it again this morning. All I can say YIPEE it worked again. Coffee and cream of wheat was ready before sun up. The animals were fed and watered before anyone in my wagons was stirring. I think I will lie back down until lunch and try to grab a nap. I was getting some strange looks from guards this morning they couldn’t understand why I was up so early. Last night after the sows calmed down we remodeled the cattle cart again. We have separated the sows and put Rosy on one side and closed her in with 2x4s half way up the sides, she has calmed down but I am the only one that is dealing with the pigs, I won’t let anyone else deal with them. Pepper and Oscar are content to share the other side of the cattle cart. When we stop for longer periods the pigs will be put in a temporary fence all to themselves. Rosy and Pepper were 4-H projects and are used to being handled but not when they have their babies around. I wonder if we have enough wood to build another section the cart. We have the fencing. Will need to check on that, that way we can separate Rosy and the piglets and move the goats to a larger section and put the chickens back with them. The chickens are not too happy with the pigs, they liked being with the goats but we have moved them to separate cages and they are not liking it. You are right Mt. Rider sows are not pets and should not be treated as such. They are mean and will not hesitate to draw blood. Once they draw blood there is no stopping them. (IRL we had pigs growing up and even if they were bottle fed they still were mean as a snake when they had their litters) but they will provide lots of bacon/ham and pork chops. Raja did really well yesterday. Being team lead is second nature for him. He is such a big baby. SF told me that the rancher’s youngest daughter raised him as a 4-H project. So even though he is an intact bull he is tame and loves to be petted and loved on. Raja is partial to females. It seems the rancher’s daughter led her around by his bull ring and hand fed him carrots and radishes. It is hard to believe that he is only 2, it seems like he has been doing this for a lot longer. I am sore today and I guess that is what I get for being off the trail for a while. I have just got to get back in to routine. Today’s lunch will be easy on me…bean burritos, I had plenty of flour tortilla shells left over last night and the pintos are already cooked. Dinner is another issue. I am sick of food, nothing sounds good. I need to look at my menus and see if I can’t shuffle some meals around to get rid of this food fatigue.

Humm, Michael I do believe that is cheating but like Mother I want one of those. I hear Mt. Rider calling my name as she heads across camp with bag in hand. As I take the bag from MtRider I look at her like she has totally lost it. Dryer lint yeah right. I look at SF and he is grinning and says what can it hurt. So I go over get my little sticks and twigs pull out a little dryer lint and my flint. Ok here goes WOW I think I just singed my hair. Oh man I could have had a ton of this stuff just think of all that dryer fuzz I threw away IRL I had heard about using dryer lint but never tried it. Well when this little exercise come up I tried my hand at starting a fire with my flint FAILURE needless to say I remembered real quick why I had matches stuffing in every possible camping tote that we took with us. Hubby and DS#3 got a kick out of watching me. DS#3 is the marine so he was able to start the fire first shot, it took hubby a couple of tries IRL he got it going. So when I read about the dryer lint I tried this and WOW it really works.

Humm high altitude cooking requires more water. I wonder if we have enough water oh shoot longer cooking time...where is that cooking book (mt3b hands SF the reigns and climbs over the seat)...ouch stupid crate. Ok so here it is High Altitude cooking. For 3000 feet (I think that is what Mt. Rider said it would be) poultry needs to cook to 165 degrees, eggs take longer to cook, things dry out quicker when cooked uncovered. Reduce each teaspoon of baking powder by 1/8 teaspoon; reduce each cup of sugar by 1 tablespoon; increase liquids by 1-2 tablespoons. Cooking bread is going to be trial and error, more liquid, less yeast and less rising time. OH MY my head is spinning already. Maybe I need to stick to gardening and hire a cook. Gardening oh shoot did my PH meter come? What did I do with those unopened packages. What did you say SF? No I am not talking to you I am thinking out loud. Do you remember where I put those unopened packages...what? Yes now I am talking you you silly man OH on you. You know how I get I am trying not to think about what we may face out here I am jumping ahead and planning for when we arrive. I am looking for the PH meter to test soil with. It came? Wonderful what did you did with it? In the garden seeds?!?! No no that is fine I just never would have thought to look there. Yeah I know garden seeds, PH meter garden soil...yeah yeah I get. Oh move Boss, that is my seat, no I already told you you are not sitting in my lap, get down. Good boy. So honey what do you think? (mt3b smiling sweety at SF as she climbs back over the wagon seat and shooing the big lap dog out of her seat again) What seeds do you think we should start. Of course tomatoes is at the top of the list. I have those strawberry plants that we brought with us. I think I even packed the grow bags we could go ahead and plant one side and hang it on the side of the wagon. I am thinking we will only have about a 75-90 day growing season, maybe even less depending on how long it takes us to get there and how long it takes to get the garden plots plowed and planted. I am thinking we will have to plant short season items. We might can get some longer season items in like eggplants, winter squash, and melons. Maybe if I got them growing now in newspaper pots then I could plant the whole thing when we got there that way roots would not be disturbed. I know cucumbers do not like to be transplanted but if I plant the whole thing maybe they will produce enough for me to do pickles. What? Why are you looking at me like that? Wrong? I didn't say anything was wrong. Ok so I am on pins and needles. I am just a little gun shy so to speak after the accident and being back out here. You know I don't do well with the unknown and I don't like surprises. I know we will get through this and we will be better off I am just...well I am just nervous that is all. Give me a couple of days to shake of civilzation again and I should be fine.

Dear Diary, I am still in shock this morning. I can’t believe SF went through with the trade of the momma ox and Jack & Jill for a bull and pigs. It was strange seeing the cattle trailer and truck parked off to the far left of us this morning. Raja is the new bull and the rancher said he had been part of a team before and has pull wagons. But he is head strong and must be the leader of the team (just like a typical guy). SF and W/N have rearranged the oxen. They have put the bull on the lead wagon SF felt he needed to be the one to handle him for the first leg of the trip. Raja didn’t flinch when he was hitched up this morning but he enjoying all the attention this morning. The draft horses have had their hooves check one last time and are also hitched up. The other set of oxen are hitched ready to go. However, all the animals from the teams pulling the wagons to the smallest animals in cages are all restless. P has moved up front to the bench seat next to N to lend a hand if needed. W has a tight reign on his team of oxen but they are getting antsier by the minute. I see that Mt. Rider is having a time Roan. The sows are all tucked in in the cattle cart. Sow #1 is Rosy since she is a red and she has 6 piglets that are 10days old (4 males 2 females). Sow #2 is Pepper because she is black her piglets were older so they will stay behind. Then there is Oscar (SF has a warped sense of humor- he named the male Oscar as in Oscar Mayer bologna) Oscar is 6 months old. SF wanted a male that he could breed to the sows. This was the first litter for both of the girls. I guess SF got a good deal 9 pigs and a bull for a momma and 2 calves. Its funny the goats have climbed up on top of the hay and are looking down on the pigs like what are you doing in my space. Thank goodness the cattle wagon has a divider in it. Not only do we have the addition of the pigs but Wilma has 4 little biddies now. Maybe I will put Roo in with Lucy next and see if I can’t get another round of biddies before we arrive. I really don’t want more than one hen sitting at a time because we really need those fresh eggs. Betty seems to have recovered from the accident and is now giving us eggs again. How did the pioneers travel with new babies, both animal and human? I mean they were on the trail a very long time it really makes you wonder. SF is talking smoke houses this morning. Well it will be nice to have fresh bacon again. My mind has drifted off to the garden. I think tonight I will see about getting some starter boxes going. I am curious as to how these are going to work hanging on the side of the wagons. The lettuce worked out well and is still producing. With supplies being thin I want a garden producing as quickly as possible. I am thinking tomatoes, squash, and egg plant. At lunch when we stop I will pull out some news paper to make start pots with… Well I just heard those famous words…WAGONS HOOOO!!!! So this is it then...just over those mountains is home..... Move Boss you are not sitting in my lap...silly dog get down, that's a good boy lay under the seat.

Well a boy scout I am not. Although looking across the way Mt. Rider doesn't seem to be having any better luck than I am. I am getting sparks and the twigs, dry leaves and grass will catch but they will go right out. What am I doing wrong....gggrrrrrr Hummmm is it me or are all the guys standing around with smug look on their face. I think I will pass this little flint rock off to one of smug looking faces and see if he has any better luck than me. Tonight is a joyous night but a sad one also. We are all excited because we know this last leg of the journey before we get to our new home. But we are a little uneasy about leaving behind civilization. No more hot showers, no more ranches with running water, lights and internet to hook up to when we circle the wagons. We will be on our own come sunrise, wonder how many will sleep soundly tonight knowing what tomorrow holds. Well this evening before the fire starting contest I peeked at the packages that had arrived for us. I was pleased to see more seeds, as well as material. There were the chaps that I had ordered for the guys. I know once we start pulling up fencing for the animals these will handy. There were a couple of hand tools that we wanted extra of also a fence stretcher. There were also a couple of items for Christmas gifts. But to my dismay not all of our food order arrived. We have grain, dry veggies and more spices but the fresh stuff didn't arrive. I guess our order was one of those delivery trucks that were hijacked. Mother was telling us about what her son told her about FedEx, UPS and other delivery trucks being hijacked. I was sure hoping for that dry milk and yeast though. Oh goodie my books are in here, I noticed SF talking to J & J and another gentleman (I just thought it was a ranch hand) but it seems he owns the ranch south of the Rocking J and he is interested in trading what is left of his pigs(he raises pigs just for his family and hired help consumption) for Jack and Jill. It seems his ox had still born twins a couple of weeks ago and he was depending on having the calves. He only has the one female and she was bred to an bull from another ranch. I am not too thrilled with idea of taking Jack & Jill away from their momma since they were preemies. Seeing our hesitation the rancher offered to trade us one of his oxen for momma. Since he only has the one female so it will have to be a bull. SF, J&J and Mr. Mom (Mother's husband) are headed over check out the ox and pigs to see if it would be worth the trade. Unsure about this but will leave the decision up to SF. I know with the fresh food not showing up he is thinking the pork would add a variety to our diet once we get where we are going. Guess I will give this fire starting another go then I will go and pack away all our goodies that arrived. I suspect Michael will be ringing his bell before first light in the morning.

What the sun is up and Michael has been around hummm but it sure was nice to have a lay in this morning. Animals fed, goat milked, eggs gathered bless Lucy and Ethel's pea picken heart they still give us an egg or two a day. Animals hitched up and Jack & Jill on leads. N is going to walk them today to try and build up their strength they seem to be eating well so we will see how today goes since is a short distance. Lunch thank goodness for those left overs because I sure forgot to cook those beans last night. However they are now soaking and ready to cook when we stop tonight. Yes finally my BOB pouch paid off!!! (IRL I have a pencil pouch that I keep in my purse with this stuff in it and since I don't leave home without my purse...) Although not as well stocked at Mt. Rider I did have a whistle, a multi-purpose tool, fishing line and hook. Fire starter flint as well as one of those fire starter log stick (just one broke into pieces), bandaids, antibotic cream, flash light, emergency blanket, mirror, compass, power bar and pouch of water, a collaspeable cup and water purifying tablets. Like Mt.Rider I have not used my fire starter flint, I wonder if we will get practice sessions before the real thing? SF had to be the first one to blow his whistle. Jacob looked at him and asked him what part of the Boy that Cried Wolf didn't he understand, SF just grinned and said he just wanted to make sure it worked and he only blew it once not three times. Like Jacob we couldn't help but roll our eyes at him. If you haven't figured it out by now I will let you in on a little secret SF has Peter Pan syndrome. Yep he is a kid in an adult body.

Dear Diary, All three wagons have been scrubbed and are now free of mud. All the linens have been wash dried and put away the beds have been aired and I think I have removed all traces of mud and muck for now. However, while rearranging the wagons I was sorely disappointed in our supplies. The supplies that I had hoped to hold on to until the garden started producing will have to be used or it will be dry beans and cornbread until the garden produce. It is so good to be back with family tonight. The Fare-the-Well BBQ was wonderful. The "pow-wow" afterwards gave us all something to think about. I can't help but wonder what is just over that mountain but what bothers me more is will we be able to make it in our new home. Have we bitten off more than we can chew? P is hurt and will be of little help for another 4-5 weeks. All of our supplies didn't arrive, oh the grain and some basic supplies like seeds and a little material arrived but not the fresh food supplies that we were counting on. Well our cottage industry catch on. I know I am probably borrowing trouble but I am flat worn out and both tired phyically and mentally tonight so I can't help but have a pity party. Think I will close for now and go and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and watch the stars for a while.

Look Momma it looks like a party down there. We are all look out the windows and see just what Missy is talking about. As we flew over the Rocking J we saw the wagons circled fires going and lots of dancing. We all couldn't help but smile and the momma's tear up because once again we would have our families together. I don't think the van had comed to a complete stop before the hugs and back slapping started started. It is so good to be back among family. This has been a very trying several weeks. We were so glad to leave behind that small town and I am sure they were glad for to go. Although the mayor did finally make an appearance and make an apology as well as his daughter and boyfriend. They were all shamed faced. The media blizt had died down when we left only the local paper was still digging around but we got out without much trouble. Never been in so much cloak and dagger stuff in all my days. Marilyn was kind enough to call and warn us that it had leaked out that P and Missy had be discharged and were staying with the Mayor and he was going to arrange for us to be driven out of town to meet up with our group. So it was decided that we would fly out as soon as possible. We do have with us all the replacement harnesses that had not arrived when we left and a couple of extras and the vets did send along some stuff for the animals just in case we did have another "accident" Since we hid out much of the time I didn't get to do much shopping but I was able to get some seeds that I was not able to get before we left. I had hoped to restock on a good bit of the food but that didn't happen. I hope my supply order has arrived; it will last until the garden starts producing. If not it will be dry beans and cornbread for a while. Oh look SF there is Sasha and it looks like she had puppies. I will have to stroll over there and check with Mother. No you can not give her the rawhide bone. We agreed we would give it to Mother along with the treats so that Mother would have something special to give her. Oh no look SF W-A-N look like they have been through the wringer backwards. I hope the trip wasn't too rough on them. Wait slow down what is this about stuck wagons and stuck oxen? Rain? No it didn't rain where we were I think it went north. Everything is muddy? Well it will all wash. I think the plan is to be here a couple of days so we will get it all washed and aired out. We will start the wash at first light. The goat is pregnant? Well that is good news. How is Jack and Jill? Bottomless pits huh yeah well they are babies and that is all babies do is eat and poop. Yeah you are right they are getting fat. We may need to start letting them walk some at least to lunch in then put them in the cattle cart. We do need to check with the farm and see if we can buy some fresh hay for the cattle cart. Careful with the bag it has a surpise in it for the 3 of you. It is sort of a thank you for going on without us. No W the hammock is not for you it is for P. The doctor suggested the hammock because it will give with the bouncing of the wagon. Yeah we will have to tie it to the top of the wagon. No he is not going to stay in it all day his shoulder is just about healed but he still can not manhandle the teams yet. Yes that lime green thing on his leg is a walking cast. It is really light weight and thin his pants leg will go down over it if they are wide leg or boat cut. The last xray showed excellent progress. The doctor said in a normal situtation he would put in him a walking boot around week 4 but since we are out here he wants him to stay in the cast for a total of 6 weeks. No I don't think it will last 6 weeks either we will be lucky if it last another 2 weeks especially since they made it like a boot so that sand didn't get in under his toes. Yes the holes are to let air in. He can't stand it. Hey it was either lime green or hot pink or white. Well come on I see Mother standing over there holding Sasha back go enjoy your surprise before it melts it will be the last icecream you have for a while. Where is your dad oh I see him he has already moved over to around the fire with the menfolk.

P’s head injury was a little more serious than we first expected. Yesterday after SF left him he started complaining of a headache. Then around dinner time he was becoming disoriented but they didn’t seem too concerned since he had slept most of the day and he had been on pretty strong pain meds. Well around midnight he started having convulsions. They did a CT scan and found the blood clot. He is now in ICU and on blood thinners. But the doctor is concerned about giving blood thinners because of the broken leg; he is worried that it will impede the healing process of the leg. Early this morning the doctor talked to us about stabilizing him and flying him out to a trauma center that deals with head injuries. We had a conference call with a specialist at the center and it was decided that P would stay here for now and the doctor and nurses would follow a plan of treatment that would be used if he was at the center. If in 48 hours they do not see improvement then they will move him. Now I have said all of that to say CHANGE OF PLANS…SF and I will not be continuing on with the wagon train when it pulls out. We are taking a hotel room in town within walking distance of the hospital. We will stay with P until he is released and then join up with ya’ll then. W-A-N will take the wagons and continue on. Mother, I know this is asking a lot but would you, Mt. Rider and Michael sort of head the kids in the right direction. They know the routine of what to do and how to do it but I am sure they will encounter things they have no clue how to handle. A struggles with cooking from scratch so she will probably be asking a lot of questions. W&N know the basic care of animals but will need help with the wounded and if one of the horses throws another shoe. W-N-A you will need to make sure that Jack & Jill are put with their mother as often as possible so they can nurse. That is one area I am not prepared for…bottle feeding baby animals. Ya’ll will do well just keep doing what you have been doing and all will work out. I must go the deputy has our bags stowed and is waiting on me…oh wait…I need a cell phone charger, debit card and some emergency cash. Love ya’ll and be careful!!!! edited to add...(IRL we are making a short notice out of town trip and will not be able to post until we return on the 30th)

W-A-N We have the cell phone. The deputy came about 3am for us P has developed complications. Will call when we know what is going on. Take care of everything and give the animals exercise today. Love Mom

I think I am going to be sick. Please tell me we are finished with all this meat. Meat has been processed every way that we can possibly process it. Everyone that could get to their canner and canning supplies canned meat. Mother had everyone's grill and grates drying and smoking meat. And they are stuffed casings. I wasn't brave enough to go check that out. I think I was an offical coal mover...moving coals around to keep the canners going. Saintsfan was back from the hospital before lunch which surpised me, it seems P is doing rather well today. Well enough that he is complaining about the food. He asked us to bring him some sour dough biscuits and ham. The doctor is please with his recovery. P will get a smaller cast but it will be the first of the week before that happens. He told P to keep his arm in the sling and emoblized for two weeks and then he is to start the strengthening exerices for a couple of weeks then slowly work back up to full use. He said not driving the wagon for at least 4 weeks minimum. P will have to wear the cast until we get to our last stop then he will get a walking cast. Thank goodness we saved his walking cast from when had foot surgery we brought it with us. I wasn't sure why we brought but we are thankful we did. It will save us money. It has been decided that if he is not able to leave with us when we pull out he will stay behind and come when Missy and her parents join us. Which according to her parents it will be later next week when the doctor finally releases her. I am not sure of all the details maybe Mother or Mt. Rider knows. I don't know about you guys but I have had so many questions from the locals as to why we are doing this. It is hard for them to understand since they live in a "small" town. I had to relate our towns to places like Houston and Dallas. They seem to understand when I told them we were leaving our big cities for the wide open land where not many people were because things are going from bad to worse fast. They agreed with that. One lady told me that they have seen an increase in traffic through their small town of families looking for work. She said they are not staying long because they can't cut the ranch life where people work from sun-up to sun-down. She said the city slickers were soft. I had to chuckle about that since I am married to a city slicker but I have toughen him up some. The butcher from town was funny, he reminded me of those little chefs you see on the kitchen towels. He was funny. He kept slipping the dogs bones and Mother told him to stop spoiling the dogs and then she slipped them strips of the burnt meat. It was funny. The two families that lost their wagon received a welcomed surprise today. A flat bed truck pulled up during the meat processing adventure with two wagons on them. There were also yokes and harnesses to replace those that were beyond repair. There are still a couple of animals that will need to be replaced before we pull out but I think I heard Mr. J and Mr. H say they were on their way and should be here by morning. I didn't realize it but the mayor's wife and daughter and the boyfriend were here today. They were helping with the meat processing. The daughter wasn't too happy about it but mom made sure that she realized that her and boyfriend were responible for this mess. I think the mayor is to scared to come out here. From what SF told me when he got back the mayor is not getting a very warm welcome in town either. It seems he stays in his office alot lately. One of the nurses told SF that they had an emergency council meeting last night. The council let mayor know they were not pleased with him and the mess he caused. Not only is wife making sure we are taken care of but the council told the mayor he had to reimburse the city and county for use of the helicopter and all the deputies that were called out to look for his daughter. His lawyer has been in touch with Mr. H and Mr. J but I think they referred him to their lawyers which didn't please him at all. Michael & Lori wore the kiddies out today. I am sure there will be no problem getting them in bed tonight however there maybe some problem getting the kids in bed LOL. Seriously though the kids are still talking about all they found. Jack and Jill have gotten a clean bill of health from the vet and are cleared for travel. She did suggest that they ride in the cattle cart as much as possible. They needed to retain as much weight as possible since they are so small. Mr. Mom seems to think that Babydoll has gone to a buck. But he said it still too soon to tell if she is pregnant. Well the canners are being cleaned and repacked. The assembly line is being packed away. Everyone is enjoying their steak dinner. Camp is settling down for the night and guitars are being pulled out. It is a peace time of the evening. The sun is setting on the horizon. The birds are chirping and settling down for the night, the goats are cuddling up to one another. Mother have bathed the little ones and they are curled up and eyelids are dropping. Peace........warms the heart. I could sit here and soak this in all night.

Well my crew is still sleeping in except Saintsfan. He wanted to be at the hospital this morning when the doctor made rounds. He said he would grab a bite to eat in town but he left with his coffee cup in hand. Today is my melt-down day. That is the way I am I keep it together during the crisis but afterwards I fall apart. So I am standing in the wagon sewing the patch on and blubbering like an idiot. I have given up using tissues and just pulled out a cloth diaper and using it to mop my face with. Yes I brought cloth diapers even though we don’t have little ones. They are really multi purpose cloths. These are new and have not been used on a bottom yet. While I was at the hospital I was flipping channels…don’t worry there is still nothing on TV so we are not missing anything there…anyway I was flipping channels and it was bad news after bad news. More jobs loss, more foreclosures on houses, now all those that have lost their jobs are loosing their homes. They were showing pictures of parks being turned into tent cities because people had no where to live. State parks are being over run with homeless people. They are going there because of water and lights. Some parks are cutting off the lights to camping sites because they can no longer afford to pay the bills. I guess we left just in time. As SF told me last night when I once again tried to talk him into turning back…there is no going back. There is nothing there for us even if we had stayed who is to say we would not be living in a park now. He was right as much as I would like to delude myself our jobs were not all that secure and we rented so he is right we are doing what is best for us. So ya’ll are just stuck with me a while longer. The patch work is just about done so I think I will make me a nice cup of hot coco and pull out my Squanto garden book and dream. Need to pull out my sketch book also and plan my herb garden. I am glad that I have meals planned out for today. Hummm I think I will unearth my MP3 player and listen to some soothing music. I have quite a bit of Indiana flute music load on it. (even in IRL) Yep I need my “mommy time bag” and it is still in wagon #1. Off to the other wagon while the seam sealant dries, it is strong smelling can’t stand to stay in the wagon with it. Boss is making his rounds this morning. He is not a happy camper; I think he smells coyotes and he doesn’t like that. I heard them howling in the distance last night before I feel asleep. I am glad to see everyone resting today. The quietness this morning reminds me of my favorite song… I come to the garden alone While the dew is still on the roses And the voice I hear falling on my ear The Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own; And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known. He speaks, and the sound of His voice, Is so sweet the birds hush their singing, And the melody that He gave to me Within my heart is ringing. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own; And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known. I’d stay in the garden with Him Though the night around me be falling, But He bids me go; through the voice of woe His voice to me is calling. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own; And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.

Fine it wasn't Lori (I tired Lori I really did I thought you might enjoy a trip) Now on with the story... Since we don't need all of the tarping for our wagon we will gladly share. Ours was just has a big hole and a rip on one side so all I need is a about a 2 foot x 4foot strip to patch it. I am sure there is more than enough here to share. Wagon #3 is patched and has a new wheel. It is ready to roll. The cattle cart is repaired and it is actually better than when we started. They made it a little bigger to handle Jack and Jill the new twins. We are moving oxen to wagon #2 and dropping down to 2 draft horses pulling wagon #3. Wagon 3 is the lighter of the 3 so the horses will fair better pulling it. That will leave Tinker Bell for us to ride, she is the calmer of the 3. Trouble and Mister are not gelded so no one needs to ride them unless they can handle that much strength. Well the chickens are not to stressed as I thought they would be, we had a couple of eggs today. It must have been Lucy and Ethel, nothing seems to phase them they have been giving me eggs the whole trip. Wilma has the broken wing so she is giving everyone the evil eye and Betty is...well Betty is just sitting there I think she maybe in shock. If she is not better tomorrow I will get Mother or Mt.Rider to look at her. All the goats are back and they are very vocal about having their trip interrupted. I think maybe one of my females (Babydoll she is my youngest female and this is her first season) bred with someones buck while they were loose. I will have to watch her, she is a boer so I am hoping she went to a nubin. Tomorrow is laundry day, now that I know what is dirty and what is clean. My poor linens are getting yet another washing even the blankets will be washed this time. They have hoof/foot prints all over them. Also I will be repairing the wagon cover. Humm, I need to pull out the camping stuff I think I have some seam sealant in there. Well I am headed off to bed. I am bone weary and dog tired. Boss is acting weird tonight, he keeps popping his head out of the wagon and growling. I am not sure what is wrong with him if he keeps this up he is going to sleep with N tonight. Breakfast will be flapjacks in the morning. That is something we really haven't had much of and since we will have a little longer in the morning for breakfast I think I will do it up special. Have a chicken in the dutch oven buried in the hot coals cooking tonight. We will have chicken quesadillas for lunch tomorrow (will make the flour tortillas at breakfast in the morning) and chicken and broccoli casserole for dinner tomorrown night.

Dear Diary, As I sit here in the hospital this morning after relieving Saintsfan I can’t help but wonder what was I thinking to have talked my family into coming on this trip. Am I totally insane? We should have stayed home at least then P would not be black and blue and covered in bandages and plaster today. Bless his heart the bruises on his back are hurting but he can’t turn on his side because of the shoulder and leg. It is his left leg and right shoulder. Michael, W&N were working on our wagon when I left this morning. One of the off duty deputies picked me up this morning in his truck and loaded the wheel in the back and he is going to take Saintsfan by his bil’s place to see if they can weld it back if not they are going to see about finding a replacement. He was telling me about an old country store in the next town. He said if they didn’t sale it then it had not been invented. He said he knew they sold buggies so they should have wheels. We will see. Everyone here at the hospital has been so nice. I can’t help but chuckle when they speak of the “stampede” we had. The mayor did not get his wish, it seems the true story made it back to town before the injured did; hence the delivery of donuts to camp this morning. Those staying with loved ones in the hospital are receiving royal treatment. I don’t know which I am more upset over my son or loosing one of my draft horses. The vet had to put down Lady last night her leg was broke in two different places. Mister, Trouble and Tinker Bell are pretty cut up and bruised but they should be okay. The oxen were fairing well when I left this morning. Buttercup delivered twins last night, the vet thinks they may be a couple of weeks early. He said they were small even for twins but they seem to be in good health. They were up and nursing when he left. He will be back today to check on all the animals. Humph that was strange this lady just came in to check on P to see how he was doing. She introduced her self as Marilyn. She asked if I needed anything. So I asked about a craft shop that sells material. I explained that one of my wagon covers was destroyed yesterday and I needed repair it before we pull out or it rains. She said she would check around and get back to me. She looked familiar….. Well that was Saintsfan on the phone. We have a new wheel. I suggested that we turn around. He was a little shocked and when he told the other 3 that I suggested turning around they almost had a cow. Even P was a little upset with me but he is too drugged to argue much. I have been overruled we are continuing on. Just as we were about to hang up a delivery truck pulled up. SF was wondering when I went to the fabric store. It seems I received a delivery from town. It was enough tarp material to replace our shredded wagon cover. Come to find out Marilyn is the mayor’s wife. No wonder she looks familiar her daughter looks just like her. Hummm wonder what else people will be receiving. No matter the mayor is still in the dog house with me and if he knows what is good for him he will not step foot in this hospital room while I am here. I wonder how Mt. Rider is fairing this morning. She had a stress MS meltdown yesterday after giving us all a second heart attack by leaving camp and not telling anyone. Mother had worked a good head of steam and was about to light into Mt. Rider but went from being angry to panic mode in the blink of an eye. I bet Mother still gives her a good talking to. Don’t see Mt.Rider getting off to easy even if she did find my goats. People are making a few runs into town to pick up supplies. Lori just popped in to see P she is making hospital visits today. She said that repairs are coming along. There are still a few missing animals but the all the larger animals had been found. P said no one had to stay with him tonight. The doctor was just in and said he wanted to keep him a couple of more days. He said at least until the 2nd cast it put on. The break was a clean break so it should heal fast. The shoulder will be as good as new in a couple of weeks. He said P would be able to continue on the journey but he would not be able to handle the team for at least 4 weeks. He is going to put a walking cast on him and it will be just a short cast one that come just below the knee so he will be able to bend and straight his leg. My ride is here so I am headed back to camp wonder what I will find.

Oops I forgot to post here... Saintsfan + Mommato3boys - wagon #1 - pulled by oxen This will be the cook/first aid wagon/ and one third of food wagon. It will have the wooden stove we are taking, all of camping gear plus the food we need to use right away. It will also be our bedroom. It will also have one third of our ammo, guns and other protection items. Ds#2 (W) & Dil2b (A) - wagon #2 - pulled by draft horses some of you may frown on this but these relationships really happen in the day. He will not leave her behing even in real life so we will take her along in URL. This wagon has been converted so that it will charge batteries to run a small freezer and a small dorm room size refrig. As the wheels of the wagon turn it will charge the batteries. Sorry I can't leave behind the freezer of meat and veggies and I don't have enough jars or time to can them. This will also haul beds and another one third of our food. It will be a command station of shorts. W is tech sauvy and has been know to dig up dirt before it hit the msm. He is in college studing Network security. One third of the protection items will also be in this wagon. This will be A's bedroom Ds#1 (P) & Ds#3 (N) - wagon #3 - pulled by oxen This will be the overflow wagon. It will carry the rest of the food, canning supplies, wood, and building supplies need once we arrive like hammers, nails, and other tools. It will pull the small live stock cart which is basically a chicken coop on wheels. It will also house the goats. This has the rest of the camping stuff, extra propane for the camp stove, my sewing machine yes it is one of those that you pump the peddle to make it sew. It also has dishes and family items in it like wedding pictures, china, etc. Christmas decorations are also in this wagon. We opted not to take tables and chairs as those can be built once we arrive. We did opt to bring our mattresses. Those with bad backs will understand. Wash tubs, clothes line, tents, if it is used for camping we probably have it. We did bring a cradle which has been in the family forever, a couple of wardrobes that also have been in the family forever. In real life we do not have a lot of stuff, I am not a pack rat. Seriously I could pack everything we own in a 20ft or smaller Uhaul. I am taking my double rocker but leaving the couch and chair. So we brought just about everything because it all had a purpose. Visited sister and mother before leaving and was giving a butter churn that my mother used when I was little, rub boards, an old ringer that you turn by hand, and my sister gave me some the chickens that took roost in her yard. Found an old pull plow in the workshed it needs a good cleaning but still is in good shape. Also found hand saws and large sledge hammers. Also a couple of bil goats. 4 females two of which have been bred and 2 bucks.

Dil2b was falling apart before my eyes I just wanted to reach out and touch her (more like slap her and tell her to get her act together) that was until she told me everyone was accounted for except ds#1 and CG’s grandson. What P is missing WHAT DO YOU MEAN P IS MISSING……..There is yelling in the distance MAN DOWN!!! MAN DOWN!!!! The men take of running, Dread hit me like a ton of bricks OMG he is hurt and bleeding. Wait do you hear crying? Gently people we need a back board. Hang on kid I know he is heavy and we will have him off of you in a just a minute. He is not dead honey he is just knocked out. As the medics worked to get ds strapped on the back board and flown out CG’s gs was telling CG and Mt Rider how ds had thrown him to the ground and covered him during the stampede. There was really no where to go they were trapped. He was in tears the poor little guy. Ds is still out cold as they load up to fly him out. Let go of me Saintsfan I am going to rip that idiot to shreds. I don’t care who he is..not only are my favorite team of draft horses scatter but my goats missing and my oxen is now going into labor and I know nothing about oxen. But my son is…is…out cold…and 30 miles away and I can’t get to him One of the deputies was loading family up to take them in to town to check on the injured and it was decided that hubby would go into town and be with ds. We did something we had not plan on doing we pulled out the cell phones and sent one with him. I am so torn go to town to be with hubby or stay here and see how much damage was done. One wagon was dumped on its side so it will need to be righted and repacked. Thank goodness it was the one with the least in it. *$#%@ one of wagon’s wheels is broke. Great just great…wait till I get my hands on that no good sap sucker idiot that flew the helicopter in here. IDIOT I tell you IDIOT!!!! Wait was that Mother I heard surely she said heck right…Wow hummm Michael maybe you and Mt. Rider need to go and hold Mother back she is really worked up over there. I don’t think that was darn I heard come out of her mouth just then. As everyone gathers their families around them we all breathe a sigh of relief everyone is accounted for. The medical team has patched everyone up and it seems that ds was the worse one. The rancher has called his vet out to help look over the animals; there is no love loss between the rancher, the vet and the mayor that caused all this trouble. It was his helicopter that flew in and created this mess. It seems that the missing teenage girl is his daughter….idiot! The ranch hands are herding animals back this way. All the stuff has been fished out of the stream although some of it was a mile down stream by time it was found. Clothes will have to be washed yet again. Food will have to be replaced. The injured will have to heal and we are now officially behind schedule for how long we don’t know probably at least a week or more. Some of these horses and oxen are limping pretty bad. The rancher’s wife and a ranch hand has just arrived with a couple of vehicles for us to use to get back and forth town to get those that are at the hospital. Do you think AAA fixes wagon wheels?

What a wonder day it has been. The beautiful sunrise service just warmed my heart. Watching the children hunt eggs brought back fond memories of when my boys were little. The community meal well what can I say I was a little pig. There was so much food and such a wide variety...oh my. But like CG I am ready to get on the road again and I am ready to see my new home. All the clean fresh laundry is folded and put away. The bed linens are back in the wagons. Camp is bacisally packed away except for the thermoses and the coffee pot. The water barrels have been topped off and the shovels are ready to fill in the potty holes in the morning. We have rearranged the wagons yet again trying to brace stuff to keep it from shifting and making it easier to access to on the trail. We have basically packed one wagon with the stuff to be used once we arrive and are living out of just one wagon which seems to be working well. CG as long as the wheels on our wagon turn the freezer will work. The freezer is being run off batteries which are charged by the turning of the wagon wheels. A rustic turbine of sorts. Good night all....

Dear Diary...con't. Oops I have everyone a stir this evening. Like me they had lost track of time and didn't realize this was Easter weekend. Wow days run together when you are out here. We arrived at camp rather early and the weather was beautiful so I rinsed to wash that in the wash barrel. Even was able to get the blankets aired out. It looks like we are going to be packing away the long johns before long. The days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. The mornings are still cool so you need long sleeves until mid morning but after that you are taking off the layers. But once the sun goes down the heat goes with it. Mt.Rider and Mother are pleased we are making as good time as we are. Here I thought we were behind schedule be they seem to think we will arrive around the first of May just in time for planting season. I have been thinking about getting some plants going like peppers, tomatoes, and a few other veggies that transplant well but think I will wait a couple of more weeks. I really don't want them in starter trays for longer than 6 weeks. And if we are delayed any then they will be in the starter trays long than I hope. While I was trying to block out the pain from the migraine I was kind of planing my garden and thinking about the seeds I brought along with me. I wonder if others are doing the same. I mean when we get there we will be running low on food so we will need to grow food not only for summer but enough to get us through the winter as well. We will need pasture land for the animals and we will need to plant alfa and grass for the winter for the animals as well. I wonder what we will find when we get there? Are there others leaving towns and heading out like us? We haven't seen anyone other than our group but that doesn't mean they are traveling by train and cars. Saintsfan is talking about the house(s) and buildings that will need to constructed once the garden in the ground. Him and some of the men are hoping with everyone helping the gardens will only take a week to break ground then they will leave the planting to the women and children. The men will then start on houses and buildings. We are going to be pushing time they say between planting and harvesting. They want us under cover by winter. Many of the men are talking about multi-purpose building (barns/sleeping quarters) at first then building houses as the weather permits. Hummm sleeping with goats, chickens, horses and oxen on the other side of the wall...well I guess it will make gather eggs first thing in the morning easier but I am not sure I will need get the smell out of the bed linen. Dinner tonight was tacos with fresh lettuce. That was nice for a change. I have bread in pans setting for their last rising. They will go in the camp stove first thing in the morning. I have made peanut butter cookies, and more fried pies this time they are apple. I have about a dozen cornish hens I have been hording since we left. I knew we would spend Easter on the road and I wanted to do something special for Easter lunch. The plans are to have a community lunch tomorrow I think I will make 54321 sauce and cook some rice. I will rehydrate some veggies the guys will be delighted. I am also going to do a chocolate dump cake. I had hoped for twiced baked potatoes for tomorrow but my potatoes are going to seed so I will save them for when we arrive so I can plant them. Sasha has been extra antsy tonight Mother thinks her time is about up. I think Mother hopes she delivers the pups while we are stopped instead while rocking and rolling on the trail. I think she will probably wait until it is nice and quiet and things have settled down tonight. The spirits seem to be up in camp tonight. The guitars and banjos have been pulled out and everyone is sitting around the camp fire singing. I don't know if it is the break in the weather or if it is the realization that Easter is tomorrow. But is nice to see smiles and hear laughter tonight. Even in the benefactor camp there is singing and laughter. CeeGee is organizing the worship service for tomorrow. Several of us have brought old song books along with us so I guess we will pull them out. Who is that calling square dancing out there is that Mother's mother I hear...this I have got to see.

Ok so I am copying and pasting the sour dough biscuit recipe.... Ok here is my campfire sourdough biscuit recipe. 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup starter 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder 1/2 cup of butter or margarine. Iron skillet with lid Now for camping I mix all dry ingredents together and margarine together and store in ziplock bags. Then I add my cup of starter when I am ready to bake them. In answer to the question do I let them rise no that is what the baking powder and soda is for. lightly grease iron skillet, add 1 cup of starter and mix well and roll into balls...I always sprinkle flour on my hands to keep the stickyness down. Place in skillet and cover with lid set over hot coals and allow to cook check after 15 mins. I usually flip mine over so that they will brown on top also. If you have a camp stove you can cook them in it also. I use this recipe at home also. I just bake in the oven at 400 for about 15-20 mins. Yes I use an iron skillet at home also. Because they are don't hold their shape well they tend to spread out if you put them on a baking pan. If you work in more flour they get dry so I stick to the skillet.

Geez you guys are going to make me dig out my camping cook book aren't ya Ok here is my campfire sourdough biscuit recipe. 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup starter 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder 1/2 cup of butter or margarine. Iron skillet with lid Now for camping I mix all dry ingredents together and margarine together and store in ziplock bags. Then I add my cup of starter when I am ready to bake them. In answer to the question do I let them rise no that is what the baking powder and soda is for. lightly grease iron skillet, add 1 cup of starter and mix well and roll into balls...I always sprinkle flour on my hands to keep the stickyness down. Place in skillet and cover with lid set over hot coals and allow to cook check after 15 mins. I usually flip mine over so that they will brown on top also. If you have a camp stove you can cook them in it also. I use this recipe at home also. I just bake in the oven at 400 for about 15-20 mins. Yes I use an iron skillet at home also. Because they are don't hold their shape well they tend to spread out if you put them on a baking pan. If you work in more flour they get dry so I stick to the skillet.