Annarchy

Thank you so much for allowing me to re-charge my cell phone this morning! There were a couple messages from my MIL, which I had apparently missed when I checked before. After they loaded their wagon, which James is driving, while Naomi and her are leading the way in the buggy, they managed to travel 15 miles the first day and stopped at a hotel in the suburbs. She said the staff was chuckling at their vehicles and 'get-up' but accommodated the animals by letting them graze on their back lawn. The next few days they traveled through the rural areas, hoping they could lesson the gap and meet up with our group before we got too far ahead, traveling 10 to 15 miles a day. Most nights were spent at motels they came across in the evenings, until they crossed into the country. When passing through the small towns, they inquired about our progress, hearing numerous stories filled with humor and drama. She said the roads they were traveling were clear and traffic was light without any setbacks, unless you count her breaking a fingernail. Nice to see you up and moving around Mt_Rider. Now, I'm going to go for another walkabout and when I get back, I think I'll make some biscuits and jerky/beef gravy for dinner before Services.

Got my MIL's messages, things had begun to get out of hand, the border was compromised and she was getting out while she still could. She took out all of her savings and investments and went on a spending spree with her maid and butler, cleaned out 3 Home Depot's garden center's seed supplies and bought as much supplies as Sam's would allow her to. James had access to the wagon and oxen and Naomi had the buggy, horse and saddle. It took them a couple of weeks to pack the wagon and prepare to evacuate the city. Mil = "Big D": Medical pathologist, carpentry, grew up in the 1930's knows the old fashioned ways of things. Maid-Naomi: Cleaning, and was trained in the art of manicures - crash course for the trip. Butler-James: Furrier, jack of most trades. 1 Wagon, 2 oxen; 1 horse & buggy with saddle. Shelter: 2 tents, 3 sleeping bags, down mattress, 6 pillows, comforter, 5 blankets, and 2 small hammocks. Security: 1 Shotgun, 1 Rossi .38, 4 boxes of shells for each Kitchen: Meat grinder Tortilla press 2 frying pans 2 stacking boiling pans Silverware, knives Plates, bowls, cups Clothing: 10 pr shoes 5 sweat suits 10 pr warm socks 10 shirts 12 slacks 2 kakis pants 2 rain coats 3 wool coats 1 wind breaker 2 umbrellas Bathroom/Sanitary: Makeup, hair curlers, hand mirror, brush & comb 5 cases TP 10 Salon nail kits & supplies 10 bottles of glycerin 3 cases of glycerin soap 2 cases of dial liquid refill bottles 15 cans of lysol spray 25 bottles lysol liquid 5 pure water filters 5 gal bleach 5 large bottles of laundry soap Food: 20 boxes Special K 20 boxes Raisin Bran 15 pkg single serve cereals 48 coffee mate creamer 25# dried milk 30 boxes mint tea 10 gal olive oil 5 gal cooking oil Canned Meats: 50 Chicken 50 fish: salmon, mackerel, & tuna 50 spam 12 hams 12 roasts 25 vienna sausage 20# jerky Canned Veggies: 20 corn 10 asparagus 15 spinach 15 green beans 10 peas 25 french beans 10 mixed veggies 10 carrots Canned Fruit: 10 peaches 10 pears 10 mixed 10 pineapple 5 strawberries 5 blueberry Dried Fruit: 5# each; blueberries, raisins, apricots, bananas, strawberries, & pineapple 50# masa 10# lard 20# corn meal 50# sugar 50# salt 5# corn starch 50# flour 5# yeast 5# baking soda 5# baking powder 5# each tomato, chicken, beef bullion Seeds: Spinach lettuce corn, white & yellow asparagus chamomile radishes onions zucchini egg plant okra green beans peas black eye peas acorn squash crooked neck squash pumpkin tomatoes, cherry, beefsteak & roma watermelon cantaloupe cilantro parsley jalapeno bell pepper long green chili basil rosemary thyme cumin sage garlic oregano 20# wheat Misc: 3 boxes books 5 pr reading glasses 10 cases cigarettes 25 gal Johnny Walker Red 8 pkg flint 5 gal lighter fluid 2 zippos 10 pkg 5 bic lighters 10 bottles vitamines 10 months worth of meds 4 wooden barrels - 1-water, 2-dry goods, 1 canned goods 1 10 gal plastic bucket used for storage on trip 5 plastic 5 gal buckets - 2 filled with package seeds, 1 filled with wheat, 2 empty for cleaning 1 small BBQ 50# charcoal 10 gal starter fluid 100 yds of rope

Good Morning! What a way to get the adrenaline flowing. I was returning from my walkabout when I heard such a blood curdling scream from the field, I hustled into view just in time to see the laundry go flying. then, that hush, you could have heard a pin drop. Mt_Rider was flattened out and people were running to her rescue. Oh My! Is she OK? Then, MrM assured us she would be. I was very glad I had put up our laundry before I went out, and headed to lend a hand with the re-washing. Silly animal, seems to have a mind of it's own most of the time. LOL My MIL left another message, "Big D" had just arrived in town and is going to spend the night there. She was greeted with open arms and Mrs Mayer said they would make sure they were escorted to our location tomorrow. I'm looking forward to our Sunday Services and then will be filling my day helping out where I can to help calm my excitement.

We've been painting the inside of our house which has taken every moment I have available. Hindsight, I should have started weeks/months ago. I'll grab a pen & paper today while we are on the road and catch up on the last couple of days and post it later. Thank you all for your wonderful writing skills, it's exciting to see 'what happens next'.

Good morning, I was sitting behind our wagon reading, haven't gone for my walkabout yet, I needed some coffee first. I strolled over to the main camp fire and sat there warming my toes. A little on the chilly side this morning. Gazing across the field glistening with dew mesmerized by the sparkling bits capturing the mornings sun. Wonderful idea Mother, I think I'll take your idea and try to capture the quiet ambiance of this place. The last couple of day I spent re-arranging our wagon, storing the supplies I had picked up. We yolked our oxen and walked them around to keep them from getting lazy. They seemed OK with it and seemed rather anxious to get moving. Once the word went out we were moving, we helped some of the others pack their things. I am grateful that we are moving away from all the attention to someplace we aren't under constant scrutiny. Today, my plans are, checking on the animals, letting GS808 sleep in, do my walkabout and draw a little. Then, make sure everything is ready for the arrival of MIL who said they are about 20 miles away from us. [iRL: 6 hour drive to bring MIL home with us.] I am so excited! Gotta go, if I want to accomplish everything on my ToDo list...

(Mother, you are such a joy.) Cala Vasita (MIL/DH call it that.) 2-3 1/4" Sliced zucchini 1/2 cup diced onion 1/2 cup diced tomatoes 1/2 cup corn 1 Tbs tomato bullion 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 - 1 cup of water Salt & pepper to taste Saute onion until opaque, add diced tomatoes and saute slightly. Add corn, bullion, zucchini and water. Simmer until zucchini is tender, stirring occasionally making sure it's not burning. Sprinkle cheese on top when most of the water is gone, cover and let set 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Prep time, 5-10 minutes, cook time on a fire, appx. 10-15 minutes.

I spent the evening of our "incident" around the campfire listening to the songs and watching people coming and going, while I sipped a cup of coffee, then crashed. Hypothermia had taken it's toll on my body even tho I had warmed up, the body still needs time to recover from the restricted blood flow. A good nights sleep in a warm sleeping bag was just the ticket I needed. Morning broke and I woke with thoughts of concern for our injured and the repairs that needed to be done, to be ready to travel when the time arrived. GS808 & I talked about needing to ask Michael about helping with the repairs to the tongue of our wagon. Seems the bolts gave way and did not damage the wood, thank God. I joined in the prayers and relished the songs of the morning which continued to comfort my fears throughout the day. I was delighted to catch myself humming them, remembering the words with the tune floating through my head. I went to town with one of the deputies and checked on everyone at the hospital, but was unable to visit P and mommato3boys because the Doctor was in the room at the time I was there. I left and walked to the grocery store. The owner let me plug in my cell phone to recharge while I browsed. They were very talkative and told me stories of the town folk and mentioned how the Mayor's daughter wants to marry that boy she was with. I took advantage of the conversation and offered to trade that beautiful diamond ring for supplies. He was excited to take the deal, saying it would be a perfect fit for her. He gave me a whole uncut rack of ribeye, 5 canned hams, 3 heads of lettuce, 8 zucchini, a dozen avacados, a dozen tomatoes, 2-5# bags of onions and 2-10# bags of potatoes. I purchased several more cans of veggies, some canned tuna and mackerel, 5# of salt and a couple bags of ice. Then he offered to have one of his employees give me a ride back to camp. *Score!* He asked me how we were doing and I told him we had some people in the hospital, our animals had bolted and a few were injured but we have skilled people that were getting the situation under control. When I arrived back at camp, I checked with Mother to see how things were going. She told me Mt_Rider was looking for me about a tanning class. We also discussed taking care of the ribeye I brought back from the market. Ribeye steaks for all tomorrow night and we were going to marinade the short ribs to go with, complemented with cala vasita <spelling? my spanish sucks >! Makes me feel good that we could all enjoy the benefits of that 'pretty ring' God provided. Without any one having to feel guilty about it. Fair trade. I checked with Gunslinger808 to see if he had a chance to talk with Michael. He said he was going to but got busy helping out with the animals and repairs. I checked my voice mail again while heading to visit Mt_Rider and MIL is on her way, I'll have to go back to the "Preparation" Thread and post what she's bringing.... lol. She'll be here by Monday [iRL: until some time in January (finished repainting her room toady)]. I met Mt_Rider on my way and she wants to tan the oxen hide. I told her I needed to see what we were dealing with and I'd be back after finishing my walkabout. It was nice to hear she was feeling better, but to me, she didn't quite look like she was up to parr. We said a quick prayer and praise and parted with a hug. Evening came too quickly and after a full day I sat by the fire drinking a cup of mint tea and retired and morning seemed to come too soon, I woke just before dawn and got up. I sat by our little camp fire stirring the coals for quite some time thinking about all that had transpired in the last few days. Wondering how we will fare when there is a threat with no type of outside help. There were enough coals left from last night to make a small mound and place a medium sized piece on it to smolder until I got back. I finished my reading and went for another walkabout with a song Grandmother would sing in the mornings to me, Rise and shine give God the Glory!! playing in my thoughts. The ravine by the stream was so beautiful, all things considered. I saw quite a few animal tracks, dog/'yote, otter, deer, skunk and maybe raccoon, that one was pretty faint, and of course ours, scarred a few dove sitting next to the water and saw a couple ducks swim behind some reeds and then made my way back to camp. Finding hardly any one up I moseyed to quiltys41's wagon. Seeing she didn't seem well either, was very concerned about the TIA. (IRL: MIL had them frequently after Da died.) I was very concerned but she didn't want to go to town to the hospital. I found Mother and we decided to store/prep the meat because we were going to take care of the oxen meat toady and I need to take care of the hide. The skin had been removed by the time I got there. I took it and laid it out to flesh it, using a knife being careful to not cut or tear the skin, then stretched the hide out by laying it on the ground flesh-side up, and punching wooden stakes at intervals around the edges and driving them into the ground close to the edge but not so close that the skin would tear and without stretching the hide beyond its original size, to prevent it from shrinking. For the leather we needed to flip the hide over so that the hair side is up, then mix up a slurry of wood ashes and water and rub it into the hide well and let it set until the hair starts coming loose when you pulled on it, which may take a couple of days. After we get all the hair shaved/scrapped off we will want to prevent the hide from getting stiff if it gets wet, we'll make a tripod of sticks and drape the hide over a small smudge fire and smoke the hide until it becomes a nice buckskin color turning it over as necessary for the smoke to penetrate all parts. As the sun began to set, I strolled over to the main campfire and sat for hours gazing into the fire loosing myself in the flames. Drank a cup of tea and headed for bed.

[iRL: I typed it all out and my computer restarted... ]

Took me a minute to figure out what you were referring to.... OH MY

We were bringing up the rear Friday, finding ourselves lagging behind we continued to mosey along, I put the leash on Frank for a few minutes during our rest stop for lunch. Typical ferret ran here and there checking out all the new smells, then ate some kibble and climbed back into his hammock. During one of my walkabouts, I found some dry wood and packed an armload in the wagon. Breakfast was oatmeal with a handful of dried blueberries, walnuts and a teaspoon of honey. By lunch we were more interested in the break than eating and busied ourselves checking the oxen and the wagon wheels. The trip has left some noticeable dings in them, but they still look fairly good. Later in the day Gunslinger808 spotted a couple pieces of flatware and a coffee cup on the edge of the road and commented that he didn't have to be in the water to find stuff. We picked them up knowing someone was missing them and looked forward to hearing the 'story' around the campfire. Gee, thanks for sending the kid to us. He came running up to us like the world was on fire and shoved that snake skin in my face, then with glee, stretched out his other hand which had the snakes brain in it. Ewww! "Ok, Ok, I'll show you." I responded. After a few minutes we had the skin scrapped off, washed and flattened on a piece of cardboard I had been using to separate my canned goods. He told me he wants to make a knife sheath out of it and I explained to him we would need a piece of leather to make it thick enough. Excited he left with instructions to let it dry completely, then bring it back and we would finish it. Pulling in around dusk, we unyoked the oxen and let them graze with the rest of the animals. Gunslinger808 headed for the library wagon while I set up our tent and BBQ. During the drive, I had taken a dried ancho chili, a can of tomatoes, minced onion, powdered garlic, oregno, ground cumin, olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper and put it to soak in a mason jar, then later took some cornmeal and ground it fine to make some masa for corn tortillas to make a batch of enchiladas for dinner. I boiled enough water for coffee, and simmered the sauce while making the tortillas. After frying them, I opened another can of chicken and mixed some of the sauce into the chicken and rolled them up, putting them back in the frying pan inside some aluminum foil to bake. Humph...no cheese, awwell, they were good anyway. Early Saturday morning I went for my usual walkabout after my morning reading. There were a few areas down stream, around a bend that had a nice patch of cowslips. To my surprise I also found some shepherds purse for the medical stash. (It is an astringent used to check gastric, uterine and pulmonary bleeding, to treat gastritis and enteritis and urinary & kidney disorders. As a compress for wounds, eczema and other skin disorders, and tastes sorta like pepper.) As I was returning with my haul, I grabbed a few of the dandelions in the field near our wagons to make a nice spice in the cooked cowslips later. I did some laundry, hung it to dry and went to visit with everyone and see what the plan was for the weekend, helped a little with the milking and feeding some of the animals and went back to see what I had in the way of 'pot luck', looking forward to Easter services. The rest of the day was spent being amused at all the hoopla over the eggs, children running here and there to show off their artwork, it brought such joy to me. I certainly felt the cinnamon rolls were extravagant! Ummmmm.... as my mind started going through all the foods I could be making, but haven't yet. Sunday it was a delight to have most everyone up at the crack of dawn and sharing the beautiful colors that lit up the sky. Services were outstanding and the sound of the music seemed to echo around us. I brought a tuna casserole, (1 can of cream of mushroom, 1 can of cream of celery, some onion, salt & pepper, mixed in some egg noodles and topped with bread crumbs.), for the pot luck and by mid afternoon, we were lounging next to the wagon. Today, with everything re-organized and re-evaluated, I have begun to be concerned about our remaining food supplies, hoping there would be enough to last. (Checking my list and crossing off the supplies we've already used.) I discovered our supply of jerky is dwindling, DH will just have to buck it up and eat chicken. Even in this situation, he won't touch my fish. I bet he would if it was all we had to eat. Then... everything went haywire. The bliss and serenity of our trip was shattered. The sounds of sirens and the helicopter sent our oxen reeling. They thrashed so violently they broke the hitch and the bolted off dragging it behind them as we stared at the malay developing around us. Gunslinger808 asked if I was Ok, and jumped off the wagon to help where it was needed. I checked on Frank finding his cage buried under everything. What a mess, thankfully not as bad as I was seeing unfolding around us. The next thing I knew, the wagon jolted and almost toppled over as another wagon smashed into it with a team of oxen bolting out of control. Through all the screaming and yelling, I heard DH telling me to get my dive gear. Frantically, I dug through the piles, pulled out the dive bag, stripped and pulled on my wet suit and headed to the stream. As I got to the edge of the ravine, I could tell this was going to tax my abilities, but wanted to make sure no one was stuck in the wagon that was upside down in the water. After assuring no one was left in it, I began collecting all the things I could find and swimming them to the shore. BRRRR!!!! About a half an hour later, the stuff was scattered along the bank for a mile or so and I was reaching my hypothermic point. My fingers were numb, I was slurring my speech and shaking like a leaf. As I made my way back to our wagon to warm up, I could see that we weren't going anywhere anytime soon. Still shshivverrring, I crawled into our wagon and stripped again while trying to find something warm to put on and seeing if I could make a quick fire to warm back up.... brrrrr...rrrrr..rrrrr. I really felt embarrassed when DH came up behind me and told me I was mooning the camp in my undies..... you think I cared at that moment? He helped me warm back up and took off again to help assist everyone. After warming up a bit, I climbed out and started assessing the damage to our wagon. The impact has shattered a couple side panels but I think we will be able to use another board to reinforce them so it will be able to make the rest of the trip. Looking around at the wagon train, all I can think of is "Wow... what a messs" .... shiver.... then headed back to the ravine to help bring up everything that was pulled out of the water.

Waking up at the crack of dawn, I found myself stiff from our journey. Quietly I edged out of the wagon and sat by our little camp fire, stirred the coals to see if there was enough to start a small fire to fry a couple corn tortillas and to heat some water for a cup of coffee. I put my water on and did my morning reading, listening to the yawns and stretches as people began to wake up and Michael talking to Bill. After wrapping my bible in a large ziplock to make sure it wouldn't get wet, I put the tortillas aside for lunch. Rummaging through our supplies, I took a hand full of jerky, some cumin, oregano, tsp of tomato bullion, pepper and put it to soak in a small ziplock with a little water. By that time, most everyone was up, camp was being cleaned and the animals were being fed. While DH hooked up the oxen, I took a moment to pull out my sewing- a quilt patch, needle & thread- knowing we will be going through the plains and boredom is sure to come knocking. I spent most of the day propped up on the sleeping bags, sewing and being hypnotized by the sound of the wagon train as it made it's way down the road. Sometime around noon, we stopped to check the animals, wagons and eat. I made rolled tacos for lunch and mixed up a very small batch of biscuits for dinner which I baked on our cook stove in aluminum foil. -If any one needs to use some foil, I brought 750 sq ft of it.- The sun is setting and I can see the front of our train beginning to circle. . . . . . . time for me to start planning dinner..... biscuits and what?...

It's been a busy day. People running back and forth to see the new new addition, children squealing with glee about the possibility of babies from that BIG dog. Wagons rattling, animals complaining about the pace that's been set, and a general overall resignation to our situation. I've noticed more of our people walking next to the wagons now, scanning the areas around us as we travel. Gunslinger808 calls it 'situational awareness'. Brain tanning furs produces soft and supple fur. After skinning the cat, I scraped all the fat and membranes off being very careful not to damage the hide. I used one of the shelf boards we were using in the wagon, as a level surface for scraping it as clean a possible. Then, I washed it in my bucket with a little shampoo and added a capful of brown bottle Lysol to stop any bacteria action, rung it out and stretched it out, inspecting it to make sure it had been scraped as clean as possible and tacked it to the inside of our wagon cover to dry. Yes, Mother, I took the brain and put it in an extra ziploc bag I have and put it in our ice chest to keep it cool until the skin is dried out some. Later in the day I smashed, squished and mashed the brain in the bag, so I would be able to use it later. Later tonight when we have stopped and settled in, I will rub the skin with the mushed brain to cover all the skin with it, and roll it up for a couple hours to cure. Then, the excess will need to be wiped off and hung up to dry out a bit more. Not too dry or it will stiffen up. Then, I’ll pull the hide back and forth over a strung up rope to finish working it while it finishes drying. Viola…. Just a note, if I had salted it first, it would have dried it out too much making it harder to work and finish plus it would have required a second soaking to make it soft enough to work with. Salt is good to use if you don't plan on keeping the fur and want to make buckskin, leather etc. (IRL: We did this with cow, deer, assorted small critters and snakes. ewwww!) Mt_Rider, I will try to make sure you are able to watch next time, but in the rush of the moment, I wanted to salvage as much as possible, seeing the poor thing had died. I've been thinking about making some necklaces out of the 19 claws I salvaged. Seems the dog got the best of its paws and I was missing one in the end. mommato3boys, I miss my microwave too. Last night I thought how easy it would have been just to pop that pan in and it would have been done in - what 3 minutes? or less. DH was complaining he needs another book, again. I am so grateful you are organizing that wagon Lori. He seems to be spending less time searching for a new book each time he takes off. My goodness, where has the day gone, the sun is on the horizon and we are still rocking along.

Seeing that everyone was unhurt, I surveyed the cat. Pulling out my knife, I began skinning it, to salvage anything that might be of use later. I'll tan the hide and can use the claws, anyone care to use the meat? Then, cleaned myself up and sat by the fire, listening as everyone began to get up and ready to head out. Thinking..............of all the what ifs?

Stephanie, I hope all goes well and we see you soon. While putting everything back into our wagon, I banged the inside of my left ankle on the folding step stool. ~ouch~. I got a nice little blue spot that turned dark brown later as I continued preparations for leaving. Luckily, it stayed numb and I forgot about it until I sat down for the evening. I keep telling myself "don't touch it!". Yesterday, we followed everyone bringing up the rear. I had made DH stop to check our oxen because one appeared to be a little slower than the other. Seems a stone got lodged under the mud, from the ditch we crossed, in it's hoof. DH dug it out and cleaned it up and we continued on, attempting to catch up. By the time we caught up, it was well past dark. I checked on Mother and the benefactors to see if they needed anything, helped Gunglinger808 unhitch the oxen then crawled into our sleeping bag. DH said he was good with jerky again, but I am sure he must be getting tired of it by now. We had snacked on the jerky at lunch and augmented it with some nuts. My biggest regret is not having a nice thick slice of beef to put on my barbeque. Those poor oxen, I think I've drawn the cutting directions on them, in my mind, a thousand times on this trip. I almost regret not going for one of those deer the other day. We could have field dressed it, smoked the meat for the trip and tanned the hide for a nice jacket or blanket. Awwell, I'm sure we will see more later. I've been thinking about our 'guest' that seems to be following us. Did someone leave one of their animals behind? I'm almost positive it is not a bear, a bear would have attacked by now and wouldn't still be following us. The only other possibility, is a dog or someone who wants to join our group, but doesn't have a wagon. I've also considered the way things are disintegrating around us, that even the animals are feeling it. I am glad I brought my little planter of Chocolate mint, I snipped a runner yesterday and steeped it today for some tea. Ummmm, it hit the spot. Today we fared well, my ankle is letting me know it is there, only when I sit still. I can still walk on it and there still is no swelling, just a little bruise. Hurts worse than it looks. (IRL-Thinking, I wish I had a tuning fork. We are painting the house, floor to ceiling for MIL's arrival. Darn step ladder.) Soaking in that hot shower, took away all the aches and pains of being jostled around all day. Wish List: Bag of potatoes, corn on the cob, beef, beef...and beef.....lol. Tonight, I'm using another can of chicken, mixed with one small can of tomato sauce with a chopped slice of onion. BBQ time 15 minutes, enough to heat it up and the water for a handful of angel hair pasta to pour it on. Time to rest and prepare for tomorrow............

I finished working on our laundry and my shoes, stringing a line and hung them to dry, (IRL-my dryer belt broke) On the last of my cell phone battery, I checked my voice mail. MIL had found a wagon and is on her way. She will be catching up with us soon. Her voice mail said something about Mexico, gangs and she found a wagon, buggy, maid & butler. *Sheesh, no matter the circumstances, this Lady know class.* Then, the battery died. Fishing yielded 10 trout, 3- 5lb bass and 4 catfish. After soaking them in a brine marinade, I smoked the bass and trout for storage and fried the catfish coated in cornbread. I had found some 'cowslips' and boiled them like spinach and sprinkled some margarine & salt on them. DH had shown up at my fishing hole in his shorts with snorkel, gear & wet suit and dove in. He found a t-shirt, but it was almost dissolved. Then, he came out of the water saying it was very cold and said "Here" as he stretched out his had to me. In it was a 1 caret diamond ring! Praise God! It doesn't fit my arthritic fingers, so I added it to my "Trade" stash. SWEET! We slept in Sunday, then watched everyone milling around. I took it easy, sitting in my chair most of the day. I couldn't have the wonderful effects of Chiropractic and was slightly depressed, until Gunslinger808 surprised me by pulling out my "Hang Ups" inversion table from under the wagon. He'd hooked up a mount for it while I had been busy loading all our stuff. He's such a sweetheart. Anyone interested, you are more than welcome to borrow it. I drank some Chamomile tea and laid down as the sun was setting. I saw him leave with his Surefire flashlight heading towards the Library to trade another book. As the day replayed in my mind, I drifted off to sleep hearing laughter and other conversations around the campfire.

"Good Sabboth to you too," sauntering up to my wagon from doing a walk-a-bout for a couple hours in the woods and surrounding areas. "I could hear AH singing from the hill on the other side of the road. Now it is stuck in my head." The patter of feet woke me before dawn and curiosity got the best of me. As it turned out, there is a den of possums about a ½ mile away. During my stroll, I followed the stream for quite a bit, keeping a lookout for bear signs. The wild life is abundant; I came upon a small heard of dear across the road, startled several pheasant out of a bush. –Adrenalin rush – and found a nice place I'm going to fish while the laundry dries. I am feeling great, however, I came across a mulberry tree on my walk, that was coming back to life and it's pollen immediately made my eyes water. We must have passed some on the road the other day. Now that I know, I'll be extra cautious to watch for them. This fresh air is clearing my head and reviving my strength. Time to string my line and start my laundry…..

After hearing AH calling to anyone about his coffee cup, I felt guilty for savoring the cup DH had so generously given me when I woke up. I hope you forgive him, he'll find any solution if it seems easy. Complements on the brew though, it was much better than my instant I've been using. We followed the train down, but back here, we had to avoid the groves in the moist soil from everyone who was in front of us. Good thing the area we needed to cross was big enough to steer to the side to avoid getting stuck. DH walked beside the oxen to calm them as we traversed the ravine. I could hear things shifting in everyones wagons. A quick look in ours assured me that the ropes and bungie cords had held. My stack of food cans are a neat jumbled mess. We've settled/parked down wind from everyone with Mother's wagons and have taken time to set up our little tent. We made sure we left some distance from the rock face in case of falling rocks. With the temperatures still dropping at night and the day temperatures getting warmer, we didn't want to take the chance that we'd be in harms way. The ground is a little rocky, but I managed to find some pine needles to put under the tent for cushioning. I took a 'walk-a-bout' and also found some dry dead wood and moss for tonight around and under some fallen trees. DH took the first pot of warm water, a small candle and another book he traded in there an hour ago. At this rate, he'll be done reading everything in the 'Library' before we get to our destination. After careful consideration of our food supplies, I decided to make some chicken enchiladas for dinner on our little bbq. Heated a pan with the canned chicken, added some cumin, dried onion, salt & pepper. Opened a can of green chili sauce and put 1/4 in the mix to fill the tortillas and poured the rest on top. It should go good with the last of the refried beans from yesterday. I don't think we could trust them not going bad another day. (Looking around at who's animals might enjoy a snack of left overs...) Frank is faring well. He has spent most of his time in his hammock. I took him out with the leash, but he promptly came and tried to climb up my leg. I carried him around letting him 'see' all that is in our immediate vicinity, then, took off his leash and put him back in his cage. ....Did you hear that?....... <SNAP> <CRUNCH> <rustle> ........whispering I ask him "what is it?" DH (Gunslinger808) takes off packing..... . . . . . ...He returns signaling 'all clear" and sits down by our tent and tells me he noticed some deer tracks. Nothing serious, but he also noticed some 'dog' type tracks following the dear tracks. He said they were big, but wasn't sure if it was one of large dogs in our caravan or wolf. {IRL: Someone just knocked over a cement pedestrian garbage container, across the street from us, after I typed this. Do we need to be careful of the trials we are creating?}

ckraus111 & nini2033a

After climbing into the sleeping bag yesterday, with warm dry clothes, I passed out and didn't hear anything until daylight. I dug out my drover, which I should have done yesterday. Thanks for reminding me about my Vit C Mother, just what the Dr. ordered. I may be feeling fine today, but we'll drop back with you, until I'm sure yesterday's sneezing was just allergies, we don't need to take any chances. Let me know if you need any more bandannas, I have a large quantity I've been using for my quilt. DH scrounged a cup of coffee for me from somewhere, while I tidied up our area and am reassessing our food supplies meal planning...

Well, the rush of the morning left me dragging most of the day, however, the promise of a warm shower kept me going. I got completely soaked with the reigns today, so when DH woke up and took over, I managed to change and hung up the wet stuff on a nail in the wagon. I'll use the fire tonight to dry my shoes out. I ended up having to walk a bit coaxing the oxen to keep up with the pace. They wanted to graze on the grass at the edge of the road. <aaaachooooooo> (I hope that's just alergies.) We had some of our beans I cooked last night for lunch, then, I mashed the remainder and made refried beans on a corn tortillas this evening with a handful of rice. Luckily, the ice chest is keeping some of the refrigerated items sorta cool, but everything is completely defrosted now. Habby Biirfh day... <aaaachooooooo> Humph... going to go lay down for a bit.

Our wagon fared well, even though I thought some of those potholes were going to shake it apart. After we stopped, I unhitched the oxen and walked them to the grassy area beyond the parking lot and staked their ropes to one of the cement parking stops, giving them a couple buckets of water. I checked their hooves and found one had a piece of asphalt stuck in the center. DH helped me pick it out with his munti-tool. They've settled down and are chewing their cud now. One of the oxen is beginning to take a shine to me, he's letting me scratch between his eyes. DH went out and did a parameter sweep, he's keeping a close watch on a few areas. Says if it comes to it, one of the warehouses is big enough for us to pull our wagons into out of the rain. We're going to set watch for the night, he said he would relieve me around midnight. We greased the wheels and made sure they were good to go, but noticed the wear of this trip is already starting to show a bit on the bands, just some dings and scratches so far. And the hole in the side of our wagon must have come from the ricocheted bullet from yesterday. Thankfully it missed anything critical as it passed through a stack of towels and out the other side. We used a twig to fill the holes. I fired up my bbq using some of the wood we didn't burn last night, that I stashed in the wagon when we set out this morning, and took the last of the hamburger from our ice chest, fried it up making stroganoff. I used a can of cream of mushroom soup, a small can of mushrooms, some Worcestershire sauce, dried minced onion, a couple handfulls of no-yoke egg noodles, the last of our sour cream I had frozen for the trip and a little salt & pepper. DH is using the chest as a chair now, reading another book in the light of our fire, he traded earlier from the 'Library' wagon. lol. I set up our tent next to the wagon, then, heated up my bucket of bath water, using the water we were able to 're-fill' with yesterday, and bathed. We're saving the unopened bottles for drinking, just in case. Then, calculated that there was enough of wood left over to cook a medium pot of beans for tomorrow, while I'm on guard duty tonight. Hopefully, no one will mess with us. We've got about 5 servings left over of the stroganoff for anyone who would like some. I don't think it will be any good after tonight and I would rather not throw good food away because it went bad. Mother, I am so glad to hear nothing was broken. Thanks Q for going with, you never know what these people will try to get the best of us.

If you'd like to warm up a bit there are a couple pieces of wood large enough that wouldn't break. Oh boy, I get to eat eggs again!!!!!

Just look at the way those animals respond to him! Amazing! They calm right down and do what he wants them to. My oxen are gonna get jealous. LOL

Good thing I brought those jars of plum jam. At least I still have a couple for DH. He would be hysterical if it had been his last jar. All in all, our wagon seemed to fair well. The canned goods fell over but the extra towels kept them in their area. DH walked for a bit but during the ruckus, climbed up and took the reigns to keep an eye on things. Seemed to him things were under control. AH, your rooster was late this morning, didn't you see me next to the little bbq fire? Had coffee warming while I studied. I'm an early riser too, wasn't the moon gorgeous as it set this morning? Brilliant oranges, yellows and reds. Mr_Rider, we have some Band-Aids and neosporin ointment if you need it for your blisters. Just say'n. CGA, I'm not allowed to eat the eggs yet. I want to keep up on my health issues, don't need to have a stroke or heart attack on the trip. But, I do make a mean 'over easy' egg, also have a few mexican dishes I could make with them. But, I am sure PCS has some that are better. Will the extra fit in your freezer? I would like to say, I am impressed how everyone is handling their animals. I'd help, but I'd get in the way. Frank stuck his nose out once and retreated back to his hammock, giving me one of those looks like, "how DARE you!" Silly ferret.. DH gave me the reigns about noon and crawled in back to read one of the books he heisted for the day. I think I just saw him head back to the 'Library' for another book. We checked our load, un-hitched the oxen & are letting them graze. After watering them, I cleaned out the bucket filled it and warmed the water on my bbq and took a sponge bath. (what a rush of memories) DH did the same. We have a medium fire pit in the middle of the wagon ring. I collected some dead wood from the surrounding woods and am sitting off from the fire, breaking it into 'fire size' pieces. Coffee is on and so is a pot of water for tea or cocoa, I have some extra cups for anyone who may want some. Anyone know what PCS is cooking for dinner tonight? If she's too wore out, we'll munch on some of our jerky for tonight.

I was tidying up the house today, and decided that I'd go ahead and take the coleman cook stove and 10 gal of fluid, thanks to your suggestions. Also stuffed in a couple hand held mirrors, (Vanity *Sheesh*) they are also good for signaling and just maybe starting fires? And 2 compasses. DH was delighted that the wagon was able to handle 5000, he promptly filled it with a couple crates of guns & ammo. I told him he would have to keep an eye on our oxen to make sure he wasn't stressing them. I also snatched up my 8 potted tomato plants and bungeed them on top of his cases. I know I'm forgetting something important... DH grabbed the 2-way radio and the extra batteries, for emergency use only, tho we know after they die, that's it. I also grabbed my quilt in progress to occupy my time on the trail. I grabbed my back brace out of the drawer 'cause packing has taken it's toll on DH has no problem with providing security, after all those years as a LEO, it will help him stay on his toes. We stuffed the hi-lo jack next to the ammo crates and I grabbed my purse. We let the oxen graze the grass in our yard all day and they are content chewing their cud tonight.