Mother

Quiltys, first of all, I would ask you NOT to post your dream of a homestead here but wait instead until we get the new thread going. It can be part of your DEED that way. All of you can be working on this if you want but please don't give too much away here as there will be some more info coming in that thread you might want to use. Also, that valley is 10 by 20 MILES, not acres. That's 128,000 acres. A vast difference for sure. It's BIG!!! That will give you an idea of how far between homesteads there might be. An 80 acre plot could be 1866 feet on a side if it was square. (as an aside, according to the site below, an acre was the amount of land that could be plowed in a single day by an oxen or technically in a morning as the oxen had to be grazed all afternoon to recouperate.) Find out more here..... http://www.sizes.com/units/acre.htm This is almost as much fun as getting to the valley was,,,,,,

Thank You for posting that Annarchy. You are a blessing to our group of Wagoneers and to Mrs. S. (((((Annarchy))))))

Leah, you have been reading my mind about the four corners thing haven't you? Stage coach stops often turned into the corners and branched out either direction from there. In the small village I grew up in we had a church on one corner, a school on the other, and for a while I lived in the former post office that was kitty corner across from the former general store/gas station. Houses all up and down the road from those areas. CeeGee, CITY girl!!! Never had a PET . It's a good thing you decided to come with us. We can correct those things you know. Our valley is going to be "country" for a long time......and I just happen to have a few "pets" that will need homes soon. I would like a church in our valley but until it can be established,,,,,are you going to 'ride circuit'? I know the valley is only 10 mile by 20 mile but....... AND are you going to do home weddings? It looks like there might be a few of them in the valley soon.

It's so interesting to read about all your earlier lives. I do have a few comments though... QUILTYS,,,,You BETTER be there after the first of the year,,,,I already 'misplaced' a couple people in a snow storm....I'm NOT going to lose you just when we are ALMOST home.... Michael, what an interesting life you must have had. I can see why each of you agreed to come along on this journey. I almost can't wait until I 'see' all your homesteads. I know I've been dreaming mine for years, every since I started studying pioneer living ohhhh maybe 40 or more years ago. My criteria is going to be difficult,,,,I want it ALL. Woods, streams, pasture, HOT SPRINGS, and and and....I'm going to have to use a BIG notebook to get it all down so I can take it along when we finally get into the valley and start looking for land. I'm going to join Annarchy at the fire over there and start my list.

(see I WAS back in a flash...was just sprucing this up and getting it okayed. Don't want to give away TOO many secrets you know) Well, as everyone can see,, MtRider found the KEY and gets the last word in the Wagons Ho Wilderness thread....for now.... !!!!!!! I do have to admit.....it was not HER fault that you weren't allowed to 'see' your new homestead land. It was mine! I wasn't being selfish though....*I* haven't seen it either The reasons for my suggestion were varied but one of the main reasons is that I felt we've done such a wonderful job on the Journey I'm sure the Big Valley thread will be even better. I felt that the new thread deserved more attention than it might get with the holidays taking our attention elsewhere. This way we can focus our attention on family and celebrations without feeling like we need to run to the thread to see what is happening. While we are taking this 'station break' you will have time to dream of your ideal homestead. (like we haven't been doing that already ) You don't know exactly where you will be locating your homestead in the valley but you can think about what you will be looking for, once you DO get there. Do you want pastures, fields, a nice mountain stream, be near the lake, or be in the mountains at the sides of the valley? Do you want to be on the north side or the south? East or west? You will all have as long as you need to travel around the valley looking at possible home sites. Maybe you will have a list of your criteria. Maybe you will feel more comfortable closer to the main village, maybe you would rather be more isolated. Whatever it is, you will now have time to really give it thought. Please,, don't post that info here. We'd like you to keep it for when the Big Valley thread opens. For a while we will be together as on the trail and we will be able to interact with each other, but for how long is up to each of you. As you find your ideal places you will move there to begin your new homesteads. At that time you won't have as much interaction with each other and you may want to switch to a journal form of writing, as some of you have already done, except for those specific times we plan to be together or for emergencies. It will be a sort of chronicles of our day to day trials, tribulations, joys and accomplishments. That way we can all enjoy the process as each of us ‘builds’ our lives in the new land. You don't REALLY think we are going to just let you just set at your homesteads though, do you?.....Don't worry, there are a few things in the works already to make life 'interesting at the homesteads. In the mean time, as MtR said,we can chat here in the comments and maybe post some of the recipes we will need on the homesteads. And that dear wagoneers,,,,is your homework for over the holiday break...LOL

Memories ARE precious aren't they. About hanging on that cliff...........more info coming very soon. Keep the fires burning I'll be back in a flash....(well okay maybe not a flash LOL)

"""BAREFOOT IN THE SNOW""""" That beats me It seems that a lot of us going on this journey are more experienced than it first seemed. That's going to be a plus when we try to figure out what we want for our 'homesteads'. I keep thinking of the fifteen acres we live on now with our goats and chickens and our small solar system and springs and wonder why I would even consider leaving but if I were facing the downfall of society and the hungry hoards, I'd go to a safer valley in a heartbeat, especially with family and friends who have the collective experience we're finding in our group. MRS S. IS THE GREATEST!!!!!! No wonder the Benefactors came here to choose!!! LOL

What fond memories you both have Annarchy and MtR. Some of each of your memories are mine as well. I lived in a very small community, about 300 + people but mostly farmers. Not only did word of misdeeds arrive home before you did but we were just as apt to be scolded by the neighbor as our parents. Community socials and church activities are high on my memory list and small town festivals were many and varied. My parents ran the local welding shop and at one point sold and serviced travel trailers and motor homes. I was at home as much in a tent or coach (truck camper) as I was in a house. Cooking over an open fire is one of my fondest memories. We had a huge sustenance garden and my mom butchered chickens with us children helping every year. I used to go with my brother to hunt pigeons under an old railroad bridge and we would skin them instead of plucking them to be put in the freezer. My Mom prepared them by roasting them with strips of bacon laid across them. I remember my Aunts and Uncles getting together at Thanksgiving and the uncles would hunt rabbits, bringing home trunkfulls at a time and helping with the skinning in my Aunts back yard. My mom canned and froze everything we grew or hunted and tons more besides. And she did this all the while working in the office and keeping the books for our welding shop. Spending time almost every Sunday on my Aunt and Uncle's farm (I was considered a 'town' girl) I gathered almost all the memories that MtR has of farm life. We actually grew up only about an hour from each other. Wish I'd have known her then. Our memories of catching lightning bugs is the same as well, along with playing Red Rover, Green light Red light, tag, Mother May I, Hide and Seek, Jump rope, and Jacks. Fishing in the 'crik', going after the cows way up the road and riding the lead cow back, getting dumped in the manure pile if you weren't fast enough getting off, playing in the hay mow, and a snowy sleigh ride on a moonlight night behind the neighbors horses. I walked to school (3 mile up hill both ways )[ahem...okay 1 1/2 blocks through the neighbor's yards] until my high school years, and then it was the bus. My mom was the 4H leader so the memories of the fairs are very strong in my mind. There will most likely be no need for 4H in our valley as the children will be learning and living how-to but we could have 'fairs' and festivals just the same. Just for fun. Maybe every year to celebrate our entrance into the valley. In some ways life in the valley could be similar to those childhood memories. But it's possible that our children wouldn't have the luxury of innocent childhood as long as we did. I know that pioneer children grew up fast. I'm really looking forward to our next thread in this Wagons Ho Journey. It will be fun to see what 'memories' are going to be 'built'. What skills will we learn, what knowledge will we gain? What will our individual 'homesteads' look like? How will they function? Will our ideals of the perfect homestead turn out to be so perfect? Only the 'wagoneers', soon turning ‘homesteaders’ know, and they don't know for sure Stay tuned in for the next episode of WAGONS HO!

What a wonderful night it has been despite the tiredness. Cee Gee and family pulling out their guitars and singing all those wonderful tunes for us to join in. One of my favorite memories from youth was singing around the piano or around the campfire with my family and friends, days spent in chorus in school, and Sundays in the choir. I know that we will most likely be spending a week or so together when we reach the valley while we are looking for the perfect homestead land but I also know that we see very little of each other once we have gone to live on those lands. We have formed such a bond with each other that when we do get all together it will seem like being with family. We have everything packed and ready to go tomorrow morning. Breakfast is in the insulated cooker and Mom has biscuits made for lunch. I am finally able to just sit and relax and feel the companionship of the group sink into my soul. The words to Amazing Grace run through my mind as I sit here watching the fire glow. It has almost become our theme song. I'm sure in the months to come it will echo around us again and again as we remind ourselves of His grace and love. I look up at the pass we are to climb tomorrow. There is just enough moonlight to see the shadows it throws. They say it is not as steep as what we went through today but will be narrow and rocky. That could be a real threat to our camper wagon with it's wider stance. We've managed to skim through other tight spots though so I am not terribly concerned. Like almost everyone else, I guess my mind is more on tomorrow and what we will find. I keep picturing our homestead in my mind but it's hard to do more than visualize the buildings without the background of the land. I have heard Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones talk about it and from what I heard it is big and beautiful but almost untouched by man. I can't help but feel that it must be something like what the pioneer found when they went to Oregon, a vast wilderness waiting to be tamed. I ask myself, do we really want to tame it? I am used to country life. I have lived among stands of trees surrounded by vast acres of fields but they are nothing to what I've experienced the last few weeks. I look at the mountains surrounding us. I see the huge trees and acres of wilderness and I feel unprepared for the enormity of it all. Still, despite the niggling fear, I feel the enticement of a new life before us. It will be hard for me to sleep tonight. I feel like a child on Christmas Eve, wondering what will be in my stocking in the morning. Will it be candy or a lump of coal. Hmmm. maybe it SHOULD be a lump of coal this year. Well, like the child waiting for Christmas, the sooner I get to sleep, the sooner Christmas will come. May we all be blessed this night.

This has been a day of ups and downs in more ways than one. This morning it was those steep climbs that we all worked to get up. I got out and walked the horses twice just to keep them from backing down. Then our noon break was SO much fun. I am STILL laughing over the football game. Sasha is too. In fact, even after the rough terrain this after noon I am still smiling. The tension has been pretty high lately and laughter was just what we all needed to get us through the afternoon. And a tough afternoon it was. Twice we had to hitch our riding horses to my team and we double teamed the oxen more than once. It was just so slow going to stop every half hour or so and rehitch everything. I walked more today than I have in a long time. I'm just so grateful that Annarchy or GS came to take Mom up with the ATV every time we had a walk. I would have gladly hitched a ride too if I hadn't been needed with the teams. We didn't have to ditch anything but no one except the puppies rode and everyone walking or riding carried something from the wagons. The cows and bigger goats accepted their packs fairly well considering that only the cow had been forced to do so before. Even Sasha had a pack on. The library wagon is carrying serious weight and had the most problems. Yet not one of us was willing to lose those books as they are one of our best links to civilization that we have. We all worked together to get it up that last slope today. If the climb tomorrow is worse we may have to hand carry some of those books to the top. We had talked at noon about the possibility of us leaving thing behind but someone brought up the problem that a littered trail this close to our destination might give our location away to an inadvertant hunter or hiker. Mr. Hughes said that might not be a serious problem depending on what it was doing in the world out there either now or in the future for we might be leaving trails ourselves if we go in and out. According to Mr. Jones, they are hoping the supplies we'd ordered earlier will still reach us in the next few months . Unfortunately, there was supposed to be some communication equipment in those supplies and as they never showed up before we left we are left with a breach in communication with the outside world. If the supplies never get there, someone from the ranch is going to try to get to us with some word. No one asked or said but I suppose if no one ever shows up we'll have to make some decisions. Now we are stopping early and a lot of us are disappointed but so tired we can hardly complain. I don't believe there is a one of us who wants to be stuck somewhere on a mountain side for the night. I see animals and people alike dragging their feet. It's too early to do milking chores but he animals are being tied out to graze instead of being herded. The horses are too tired to go after strays and the people are as well. We really did need this early stop even though I don't believe we made five or six mile today. So close. We didn't start anything for supper tonight as Chef said he was preparing to feed anyone too tired to feed themselves. Poor guy, he's worked as hard as any of us and he's already got the fire going and is setting up spits for haunches of venison. Mom is in the wagon, resting I hope, and the family doesn't need me to help them with the animals so I believe I'll go give a hand around the fire. I have some kale left from the homestead and though it's getting a bit wilted, it would still be good cooked with a few potatoes if Chef has enough that aren't needed for seed. My Dutch Grandmother called Boeskool (Boerenkool Stampot traditionally). She served hers with gravy, mustard and sometimes sausage. Maybe we can add some carrots to stretch the potatoes. I hope everyone takes advantage of Chef's offer and if they've made something ahead of time perhaps they will share it pot luck style. It will ease the burden on him some. Oh boy, I'm not sure my legs are even going to take me over to the fire. I wonder if I lift my pantleg to show a little leg, I could get a lift....yeah right,,, people will be running away from my hairy leg. I think I'll take my trusty folding chair along. Maybe I can sit and peel something.

One the road again....I keep wanting to sing that song every time we leave a place. It's Michael's fault though, he started it . It does feel good to be starting on the last part of our journey. There is an excitement in the members that has been missing since we first started the journey. When I look back on it though, the excitement started already yesterday already. There was the rest of course, that helped, but then there was the smell of fresh meat cooking, bread baking and the smell of seasonings that gave us all that sense of home. And then there was the affirmation of CeeGee's message to us. Yes, the excitement definitely started yesterday already. I really enjoyed working with Chef yesterday. He's nothing like my idea of a chef. He's good around the fire, not just from the trip but natural as if he's been doing it all his life. I know why they asked him to come along. Actually, I believe he worked for one of the Benefactors and volunteered to come. His larger hand grinder made quick work of the meat. Between the two of us we concocted a spice blend for the liver sausage and it turned out great. I was so glad that Annarchy came over to clean the casings. I'm glad to note that a lot of others watched the proceedings carefully. The sausage keeps so much better with those than with the material ones. The grinder had a sasauge stuffer attachment that made it a lot easier to fill them so it went very fast. The sausages should have been allowed to chill before we boiled them but it didn't seem to hurt them any not to and the few hours of smoking they got should help preserve them at least long enough for them to be used up. At first, no one wanted to take one of them even though we offered them to everyone. That is, until we cut into one and gave them 'samples', then the went like hotcakes. I made sure that Annarchy got a nice large one for all her work. She made it look very easy but it's harder than it looks as it takes a delicate hand. She is a real asset to the group. It looks like we are pulling over to stop for lunch already. A bit early but we got on the road early this morning. It really is pretty up here. The goats are all having a ball climbing those 'hills' as Michael keeps calling them just to keep me from panicking. Some of the guys are up there with them. Hmmm wonder what they are picking up there. Looks like I'm going to find out as they are bringing some down. Oh good, Dh has the horses tied. Guess I'll go see what they found. "Oh wow, this is Ostrich fern fiddleheads. See the beautiful emerald-green color and the brown papery look to the stem. They have that pinwheel look to the head and these little leafs along the stem. I read where it was growing in this area. These are young enough that we can use them as a salad or we can cook them for an almost asparagus-like dish. How much is out there? Good, lets go get some before the goats get it all." What in the world? "MtR, what are you doing out of bed? OH it is SO good to see you moving around. Here, sit down before we knock you over with our hugs. You are still a bit shaky. You want to do WHAT? RIDE? Are you sure, I know that helps to reset those MS nerves but are you up to it? You know of course that I'M not going to ride with you but you are NOT going alone. Maybe ever again if we have any say in it!. Yes, I know, you've learned your lesson .....again..... . Hearing you laugh tells me you are mending. Praise the Lord. Just take it easy, okay?" I hate leaving her there but I want to get some of those ferns. They are nutritious and we all can use that. They'll be good for Mt.R. She's in good hands though. I see that MrMt Rider has the donkey saddled next to Midnight. Seems he's as determined as we are that she does NOT go alone. We don't need her learning another lesson AGAIN!!!

I can see that our day of rest has done us all good. I loved the encouragement I derived from today's services and was grateful that CeeGee was able to speak with us. The singing was so soothing. I went to see MtR right afterwards and she told me she'd been listening to it and felt it gave her a great measure of comfort. She is in a lot of pain but how much is from the Hypothermia and how much from the MS is debatable. Whichever, she is at least able to keep her temp stable and now we'll just have to watch for fever or congestion. At Mt.R's request I went to see Mr. Hughes and we had a conference with Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones. It was decided that we would move out as planned in the morning. I mentioned that all of us were concerned about having to leave some of our meager possessions behind because of weight but they couldn't give me a lot of encouragement. They have not been through this way for many months so we will not know what we are facing for sure until we come to them. They did say they felt the last pass would be the most difficult and that should be on Wednesday if all goes well between now and then. We discussed a few alternatives for getting the wagons up the trail so there are options but not a lot. I stopped to thank CeeGee for the service tonight and then went to MT3B's wagon to thank her for the papers and to explain that the cage wouldn't fit in the wagon but that I might want to borrow it after we got to the valley until we could get something built for the dogs. It was so sweet of her to offer. I just hope it still works out that she can have one of the puppies after they are old enough to be weaned. We never know what we will run into when we get there. I know I was not prepared for another dog at this point, especially such a big one despite the fact that we had several along already. DD's Saint and Sasha have become fast friends at least. In fact, Sasha seems to get along with all of the animals and most of the people. She is still pretty protective of me yet though and of her puppies. She also seems to be becoming more protective of Mom too. Probably because Mom is always giving her treats. LOL I had a chance to talk with Q for a few minutes about MtR. I feel like her, that MtR will be up and about long before either of us would manage to do in the same circumstance but we worry that she will do too much too soon. Quiltys is as worried as the rest of us about having to leave stuff behind and I tried to assure her that the guys would be doing everything they could to get all our gear to the valley. I'm not sure I sounded convincing. Annarchy was setting near the fire when I went through and I took a few minutes to sit with her. She mentioned their ATV and made the offer to try to use it to help others if they could. I told her that maybe they could talk with Mr. Hughes and see what they could work out. We are so close now and have worked so hard to get all our things this far. I know one thing that is helping us is the fact that we have a lot less food than we had before. We will all walk if needed and there is the possibility that we can use some of the riding horses as pack animals if we can figure out a way to keep the livestock together without them. It's now late, I am snuggled into my bed and should be sleeping as it will probably be an early morning but I find myself listening to the words of tonight's hymn in my mind. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; 'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

Sorry Leah, I was referring to the link you gave for the brakes. I just spelled the name wrong. Muller instead of with an e. If you will check out the other information on that site you will find a wealth of information.

Cyndi and Paul Mueller live very near us and we've had the opportunity to spend a weekend with them at the museum I used to work at. Paul is an accomplished musician and singer and Cyndi is extremely knowledgable when it comes to crafts of the past. You will find a lot of info on their site. She is also a member of Mrs. S though doesn't post often. Their site is very informative. The wagon brake info will give us all an idea of how our brakes work. Some of these brake set ups DO wear the wheels badly. Our 'camper' wagon has rubber tires on it and has standard brakes on them but both the wheels and brakes are taking a beating these last few days. I only hope we MAKE it into the valley.....*groan*!

Morning came way too soon but at least we are to stay put today and rest. We need to give the animals a rest before the last big climb we will be facing the next few days, and giving MtR a chance to rest as well. She is really wore out this morning. From what Mr. Hughes said this morning we should be getting to the valley by Wednesday some time. In some ways I wish we were pushing on to get there early but according to Mr. Hughes these animals are going to need all the power they have to get up to the pass into the valley. At least the fire was kept burning last night and it's going to be great for people to do some cooking on today. Last night I had no trouble controlling the temp with the coals and won't have to do any baking today but now we have the heat to dehydrate some of the extra venison that the guys brought in yesterday. Some of it could be smoked as well. I'm concerned that MT3B's freezer will not get cold enough without the wagons moving to freeze the meat though it might keep it cool for a while. The one nice thing is that we can just let the meat hang with it's hide on if it's cool enough. They have been field dressed and the livers, hearts, and even tongues saved so they should keep well for days as long as we are still in this cool weather. That way we can butcher it as it's needed. I have an idea that Annarchy has asked that the brains be saved to be used in tanning the hides. I hope so, those hides could be important to a lot of people one of these days. I have suggested though that if a person wants a hide, they have to do the tanning themselves. I'm sure that Annarchy would be glad to show them what to do. I have asked for the livers, hearts, and tongue that no one else wants as I will make liver sausage today with the excess to be divided between any who wants it. Chef and I will be working together on them as he wants to learn. I'm glad as he has a wonderful meat grinder that makes finer grinds than mine will. Between us we have plenty of seasonings and to stretch it I believe we'll use a bit of oat or corn meal. I suggested that we clean the intestines to use as casings but I got the 'look' from so many people that I decided I probably couldn't get anyone to do it for me. Probably just as well as deer intestines are sort of small and not as strong either. We can use some of our tubes made from material, like the ones that AH made earlier. Still, everyone is going to want to learn sooner or later about using ALL of the animal. As soon as I get the liver sausage started I really HAVE to go into the wagon and figure out what to do with the puppies. They won’t be three weeks old until we reach the valley but already their eyes are open and they are starting to creep around, mostly still on their bellies, but I’m afraid they will trip one of us and send us sprawling. We are going to bring in our four foot galvanized washtub and see if Sasha can get in it with her pups. If she can, we might be able to push one end under the seat yet and let her crawl in and out the open end. If that doesn’t work we’ll have to find something to block off an area to keep them confined. I would prefer the tub as we are out of newspapers and have been using an old blanket, which we’ve only been able to wash once. Dog/puppy smell is starting to permeate the whole wagon. If we can use the tub we will be able to line it with dry grasses we find along the way and it will be easier to take it out and empty it. I am doubly grateful for the linoleum that whoever built this wagon put on the floor. At least it’s easy to clean. I also need to have the guys do some rearranging in the wagons. So far we’ve not had to leave anything behind on the trail but I suspect the supply wagon will be too heavy to get it up the last incline if it’s as bad as it sounds. I do not want to have to leave my beautiful wood cook stove behind so some of the other stuff is going to have to come out of there. Because the camper wagon is bigger but has less weight in it, I’m hoping that some of the items can be moved in with us for just the climb. The top of the cook stove has been DS’s bed so far but a lot of the things at the back can probably be redistributed. With our food supplies lower than when we started there is room in several places. I guess that maps out my day for now. I hope that the CeeGee’s will be holding services today. I will gladly drop what I’m doing to attend. If not, maybe we can get a sing along going tonight around the camp fire.

The fire has died to a deep red bed of coals, just the kind that makes wonderful cooking coals, yet as always, It's past the time when most people are willing to cook on them. I should be in bed but as I can't sleep I am sitting here baking bread in my camp ovens long after everyone else but the guards have gone to own slumber. It is one of my most favorite times, watching the coals in the dark and the only thing that would make it better would be a couple of marshmallows to toast on a stick. I have some secreted away but even though I have a recipe to make them, I am saving the boughten ones for a special time. I can smell the bread starting to bake. It is made from sourdough as I am also saving the yeast for another time but the starter I have makes light crusty bread that's perfect for sandwiches. The ovens I'm using are meant for stove tops and it takes a little experimenting to get the right amount of coals beneath each but I've used them many times before around the fire. Two of them are double ones that hold two large loaves each and two are single camp types so I can get a lot of dough baked at once. The loaves should be done in a half hour or so but the buns are almost ready to take out. I have a tray of cookies to go in after them and then later I will finish baking a double batch of muffins. That should hold us for at least a few days. It's amazing how the family can eat with all this fresh air and exercise. The camp is quiet except for the occasional sound of an animal or the guards talking quietly as they pass each other. Too quiet. It allows me to ponder on how close I came to losing my dear friend today. It's one thing to learn second hand that she was almost lost in a snow storm, especially as she was trying to find us, but quite another to have her placed, literally, into my hand, almost comatose. I have fought for and won many a small animal's life in my work with wildlife rescue and with the farm animals but this was too close. Way too close. And for a string of fish. It's hard to be angry though. I am too thankful to God for bringing her back to us. Too grateful that she is doing much better tonight. Well, hi there Sasha. Did Mom let you out? You getting tired of those kids of yours and need a break? They are growing like weeds aren't they. What are we going to do with them, girl? Hey, get down,,, no I'm not going to 'wash' them goofy dog. You like your ears scrubbed don't you. Okay, hang on, I see you have your lead. I'll take you for a little walk. Let me take these buns out first. Nope, can't have one of them, they're too hot yet. Maybe when we get back. Let's go see if MtR is still awake yet just to sort of check on her. If it's dark at their wagon we can always sneak away quietly but I'd feel a lot better to know all was well before I go to bed. It never fails to amaze me how closely we have been living with our neighbors these last few weeks. The wagons aren't even ten feet apart and almost every sound carries from one wagon to the next in the quiet of the night yet we've all managed to give each other privacy without forfeiting the security and necessary help. It is going to seem really strange when we get to the valley and have homesteads that are perhaps acres or even miles apart. I understand the valley is really big. Perhaps we can arrange a primitive communication system. Bells, whistles? Smoke signals maybe Okay, maybe that wasn't as humorous as I first thought. We have the radios but it's doubtful that the batteries will last forever. Well, it's quiet at the MT's wagon. She must be doing okay. OH OH! I smell my bread. Come on girl. Time to go back to your puppies. All right, you can have a bun. And yes, you can stay here a while longer if you want and keep me company. So tell me,,,, what kind of dog house are you going to build at the new homestead. Goofy dog!

The day started out great but has gone down hill since then. When I saw MtR's condition I knew she was in trouble. Q was right there, bless her, and between her and Mom and I, we got those wet clothes off her and into the quilts. Before we got her even covered Mom had the stove going with water heating, not just for tea but for the warmth it could give. God bless our instant LP gas. I got out my special warming tea with black tea, cayenne pepper, ginger, and elderberry flowers in it. I laced it heavily with honey and we managed to get some of that into MtR. All those things are warming and stimulating. I was really glad when Mr.MtR showed up so promptly and took over her care. I was able to concentrate on getting hot food ready for her as soon as she could take it. I knew they wouldn't want to feed her until she'd warmed up some as the cold stomach doesn't produce enough enzymes to begin to digest food. It's the same reason you never feed a chilled animal, baby or adult, anything but warm clear liquids without first warming them thoroughly. I only wished we'd had a tub full of warm water to put MtR into. That has worked wonders for baby animals in the past to bring them around slowly. I opened up a jar of chicken broth and brought it to a boil. Then I slowly added a small amount of slippery elm powder and whipped it until it dissolved and began to thicken. Both are very easy to digest for cold stomachs and extremely nutritious. I turned it down low and let it simmer until it was needed. I was glad to see that someone had managed to rub down MtR's horse and now had a blanket tied onto him. He was still tied to the back of our wagon. DD showed up within an hour and made her way to the front of the wagon, prepared to drive and within a few minutes after that we were moving again. It made it difficult to keep the stove going with the movement but by that time it was nice and toasty in the wagon and MtR was getting testy. A good sign and I figured she was warming enough to turn it off. Having had hypothermia myself in the past I knew she was going to be in some serious pain afterwards and more especially with her MS she was going to have trouble with her body not responding to the brains commands. She was going to be in for a tough time of it. By ten she was doing better and resting but not comfortable. I told DD I could take over driving but she said she was fine with it so I just settled beside her on the seat, leaving Mom in her rocker, and MR.MtR beside MtR on the bed helping to keep her warm with his own body. When I checked back an hour later they were both sleeping. How they slept through some of the tight places we went I'll never know. We had pulled everything off the outside of the wagon we could and had even removed the strange looking mirrors that had been on the sides but we still scraped in places and a couple of times I thought we would go over a ledge but with DH leading the horses and DD at the reins we did fine. We didn't dare stop if we were to get off this bad stretch by nightfall but I kept hoping we wouldn't lose one of them off the bed. I'll wake them at noon to make sure that MtR gets something hot in her again and then she can sleep more if she's able. For now, it's just good to set and let someone else do the driving.

great links Leah. I can't wait to check them all out. Thanks for the info.

Well, we're off to a good start this morning, thanks to Michael. I believe I would have slept in and missed the meeting this morning. Michael's right, this thinner air is getting to me. I keep yawning but I'm not sure if that's lack of oxygen, because my ears are full, or if I'm just plain tired. Maybe all three. I'm a bit worried about these "hills" we're facing today. They seem to be amounting to the same thing as those "little ditches" that we crossed earlier only these are "BIG DITCHES" Yesterday we no more got up one with a little help from others than we were trying to hold the teams back down the other sides. At least I learned from Mr. Hughes in our ride through the snow that I had to be more forceful with the horses in both physical strength and in voice to make them do what I wanted. I do not believe in swearing so I laughed at the looks on people's faces yesterday when they heard me using my "teamster" voice with the words like,,,"get up there you lovely pieces of horseflesh, I'm going to brush you silly tonight if you get up that hill, Oh beautiful, get a move on." I found those words are just as effective as swearing if you use the right tone of voice. I must have found the tone 'cause those horses gave me all they had. Bless them. Breakfast this morning was raisin and nut muffins. We soaked dried beans last night and this morning have them cooking with some dehydrated carrots and seasonings in the insulated cooker. When we stop tonight we'll put them in one of the big Dutch Ovens with tomatoes, onions, and whatever else looks good and let it simmer. We'll have that with fresh corn bread, slathered with butter. We're going to have Spotted Pup for desert. Rice and raisins cooked to a pudding consistency with milk is one of my favorites and the rice complements the beans and corn making them a perfect protein for our bodies. If I can find some greens when we camp tonight they will make the meal even more nutritious but this high up and this early in the year it's hard to come across enough for our whole family. Thankfully we still have plenty of dehydrated greens to add variety. Some members tried their hand at fishing the stream last night but had no luck. When I talked to Mr. S, Mr. J, and Mr. Hughes about our meat supplies this morning they agreed that we'd better stop and hunt if possible or fish at the next big stream we came to. I've been thinking a lot about our food lately. We are going to have to be very careful of our nutrition level as our food supplies dwindle. According to Mr. Hughes we only have a week or so until we get to the valley and once there we should find plenty of wild spring edibles and a variety of wildlife to flesh out our supplies though. I am very much aware of the problem of having enough energy to clear land, put in gardens and fields, harvest wild plants, and hunt for meat all the while trying to build homes for winter. That’s going to take a lot of extra calories for us all. It's such a glorious morning. I see Annarchy is smiling too. I believe it's going to be a great day.

While setting around the fire tonight I was amazed at the questions that were being bandied around. I thought I'd write some of them down and maybe some of us could put our heads to gether to find the answers. What will we do for brushes when ours are worn out? (tooth, hair, scrub, animal, etc) What about brooms? What about clothing, bedding, towels? Can we produce all we need and how? Diapers? Pins, needles, scissors, thread? Shoes and boots? What about kitchen things, cast iron, dishes, bowls, containers, knives, etc? What about books when ours have been worn out by repeated readings? What do we do about windows if we didn’t bring any along? Hardware for homes, latches, hinges and etc. How about paper and pencils or pens. What about soap, shampoo, dish soap, laundry soap? What do we do about rope? Harnesses and metal fittings and horse shoes? Protection/hunting when the bullets are gone? Axes, saws, tools, and etc. Salt, soda, Baking powder? Sugar? Oil? Fire starting when the matches are gone? Lighting, especially for traveling, when the batteries and bulbs are done? Cultures such as yogurt, kefir, cheese, etc., how long can we keep them going? HMMMMM, makes one think.

Oh how wonderful to see this FLAT grassy area. After all the hills we've been going up and down today I began to wonder if there was such a place. Look at the stream. It looks so clear and clean but with the chill that's in the air and the snow still clinging to shaded spots I bet it's icy cold. I'm glad that I placed our laundry in big garbage cans with soap and water this morning. They have been agitating all day and will only have to be rinsed to be ready to hang out. I'm almost too tired for that even. Perhaps we'll just empty the soapy water from them, wring them a little, and put fresh clear water on them to let them agitate more tomorrow and then perhaps at noon hang some in the wagons to dry and the rest hang out tomorrow night. We've done that several times on the trail so far and it seems to get the clothes cleaner than if we do it by hand. I will miss the 'automatic' washer when we are finally stationary full time. After all the travel days we've missed I'm sure we will want to push on tomorrow as early as possible. The closer we get to the valley the more I find myself torn. I find myself getting more excited but I also find myself thinking of the miles between us and what we left behind. Our families, advanced medical facilities, ease of purchasing food and supplies. Since we left the ranch we've not heard anything about what's going on in the world behind us. We may not hear anything for months or longer. In my mind I know that we have done the right thing. In my heart there is this nagging 'what if'. Every time that thought comes up I tell myself that it's only because of my family. If our youngest son and his family were with us I would not even be considering 'what if's'. If I knew that our oldest son was doing okay it would be fine. I have studied, lived, and breathed the life we are headed for almost my whole adult life. I just wish this trip had come about thirty years ago. Well, it's our turn to circle up so I better stop wool gathering and put my attention on getting us in the right place. Strange how it seems so routine now. Yet in just a week, that whole routine will have to change yet again. Are we ready? I'm not sure.

Thank you Mik, It's great to know we have a following. I'm really proud of what everyone has accomplished so far.

Good morning Michael, You seem in a good mood this morning. Yes, we're almost ready to go. Just finishing up our breakfast. Nope, nothing special, just cornmeal mush this morning with left over bacon gravy for some of us and fruit syrup for others. Good morning MT3B. Chilly morning isn't it? You seem to be feeling better today. Just take it easy yet though. We're all a bit wore down and will need to take good care of ourselves. Well, back to work for me. Stay safe today. It sure does look to be a nice day for traveling. I only hope it goes smoothly for a change, especially if we have to push the miles today. I better go help with the milking so I can take the milk inside. We still have to get last night's milk skimmed and put in the can to make butter along the way. I still can't believe that Annarchy traded me those beautiful doilies for that butter. I would have given it to her but I will treasure them. We're all going to need those civilized touches in our homes to give us a feeling of normalcy. I'm glad I got up early enough to make some biscuits at the central fire. I got a chance to chat with Chef while I was making them. He's quite interesting. I also noticed that he has different people helping him every day. It seems he's teaching as many as possible to do their own cooking. When I asked him what he was going to do when he didn't have to cook for a big group any longer he just laughed and said he doubted that his services as a cook would ever be done away with but if it was, he would be content to just homestead himself. He has plans to build his own place just like the rest of us. He said if he got bored with that maybe he'd open a restaurant but he was laughing as he said it. He's going to be having another pot of veggie stew on for supper tonight if anyone is interested. He also wondered if any of our group needed more vegetables. He's rationing them as he wants them to last but he's not stingy with them. The horses look to be frisky this morning. Dh is having trouble getting them to stand still to be groomed. I hope that's not an indication of how they're going to be on the trail. Beautiful sky but can't stay still looking at it, got to get busy.

Today almost seems anticlimactic after what we’ve all been through. Driving the horses today seemed easy. Even with the hills we’ve encountered they both behaved themselves but I can see the trails starting to narrow up ahead and I’m not looking forward to that. My mind wants to wander today. I keep thinking of the greenhouse at the homestead. On the bottom of our Conestoga wagons are sheets of Plexiglas that I hope are all in one piece yet. We were careful to pack them with layers of foam between and a piece of plywood on top of them but everything in those wagons sits on top of them and we walk on them daily. From the beginning it has been my intention to have a greenhouse for winter vegetables. With my allergies and our big family it is only natural I guess but besides that, I know how important it is to our well being to have at least fresh greens. We’ve been asked if our group could continue with some of our mini seminars, either at noon rest periods or in the evenings. We don’t have a lot of time left before we reach the Valley but I was wondering if a couple of question and answer sessions might not be in order. I’ve had questions from people on everything from what do we do when our toothpaste and brushes are gone to, how do we sanitize water when the purification tablets are gone, to what are we going to do for paper and pencils, to how do we live without chocolate. Maybe we should gather a list of those questions and try to answer them before we reach the valley. The Valley! That thought brings me back to thinking about greenhouses and root cellars. I keep trying to come up with a way that I can stretch the use of our Plexiglas. Originally I intended it for a small double paned greenhouse as well as windows for each of our homes. It’s a scary thought to realize that we may never get to bring windows, or other modern materials on which we’ve come to depend, into the valley. Seeing the way the homestead was set up made me realize that it would have been better if we’d had more time to think of what might have made life more sustainable in our new homes. I have become more appreciative of the small things, like those ears of corn that might be more reliable in this climate than the ones we brought along. I wonder if we need to do a seminar on how to isolate our seed crops so that the seed stays pure. We could all probably use a quick course in that before we start planting. Yes, we definitely need a question and answer session or two. Oh boy,,,, this looks like a place I better put all my attention on. I can’t believe that we will even fit through this. I always worry as our wagon is wider than the rest, especially with all we have hanging off it but with all the stuff hanging off the other ones it looks tight for them too. Looks like even the teams are leery, they are all slowing down. GREAT! looks like a bend up there and then down hill. The wagons are going out of sight as they go through this tight place. OH OH! Now we are stopped. Wonder what happened that I can't see. That's some of the B's wagons up there. I think I just saw Chef's wagon go through. "I don't know, Mom. Oh wait, here comes someone." ........"It looks like we're going to be here a while so we might as well hand out some lunch. The Chef's wagon has broken a wheel and is blocking the path. No, you rest that hand, I'll get the horses tied to DD's wagon ahead and then be back to take care of it. I need to move around anyway." This could be a long day for everyone. Already the guys are all headed to help with the wheel. Guess I better check the air in our tires before we start through. These rubber tires are going to be a hazzard if they have to go over sharp rocks. I'm glad we brought along the wire wheels that were originally on this wagon. We can always change them if we need to but it's going to take some work. Wish we'd done it sooner but so far these rubber ones have given us a bit of cushion for riding. Brrr, still chilly out here.

I am awake early again today. Even yesterday when I could have slept in I couldn't. We are moving out today and though I know we are all ready there are a few things I want to do before we start. For one, I need to check on MT3B before we leave. SF came to me yesterday saying he thought she was sick and would I come check on her. When I did I found her feverish. My first thought was that she'd gotten hypothermia but then I realized that if she had we'd have known right away. I suspect a couple of different things though. One, and the most likely, is that she plain and simple has been overdoing for days and is worn out. Our bodies react to those stresses. The other is that it's been not quite two weeks since we left the ranch and I'm hoping that she didn't come in contact with a virus while there and it's jut presenting itself. In either case we're going to have to isolate her as much as possible. We can't afford to have our wagons separated with sick people again as we are all just too tired to handle that. Still, I was extra careful to wash well and use hand sanitizer after I was there. I sent some of my special tea to her and perhaps that will help. It contains, among other things, Elder Flowers for the fever, Mullein for it's mild anti-viral properties and it's ability to soothe the lungs, St. John's Wort for not only it's sedative properties but also for it's antimicrobial and antiviral ones, and Ginger to warm her and as a carrier for the other herbs. I'm sure that it will help her no matter what is going on but we'll have to keep an eye on here. I told SF that he should ask CGA or Quilty's to check on her as well as they might have a better idea of what it might be. I also need to check Mom's hand again before we leave and make some compresses for it. I've still got a lot of comfrey left and that heals faster than anything I've seen. I gave her some willow bark tea last night and then in the night some of our precious supply of anti-inflamatories even. She didn't want to take them but she couldn't sleep for the pain and I insisted. I guess I better get moving instead of just setting here looking out the back curtain with a cup of tea in hand. I hear Mr. Hughes talking to Chef, probably getting coffee. I suspect that we will be pulling out soon.