Mother

What a day it’s been. I woke very early this morning to find it a bit warmer in the wagon but the wind blowing like crazy. Something was spooking the animals and I could feel the horses pulling against their ties on the wagon. I was out of bed in seconds and grabbing for clothes with DH right behind me. The wind was warm and it was fierce but when I got out the door I could see the fire in the circle was spewing sparks all over the place making the animals more spooked than the wind. I yelled for the watch to get some snow on that fire and went to horses to see if I could calm them while DH and the guys on watch got the fire tamed enough it wasn’t threatening to burn us all down and then I went to get hay and started putting it in front of as many animals as I could. Already there were others out with the animals and asking what was happening. It wasn’t long before we got the news from Mr. H that we had to get moving fast so as not to get caught in this low land when the snow started melting. After Mr. H left Michael and Lori gave us some info about the Chinook winds and what we learned struck terror. I don’t think I ever saw us ready to go so fast. I know that getting on the road has become routine for most of us but there’s something about fear that puts a fire under one’s tail. I was grateful that I had stayed up a bit late last night getting all but last minute things put away. None of us stopped for breakfast Being ready and being able to get out was two different things though. We had such big drifts around us that we couldn’t get half the wagons out with single hitches and ended up doubling up to break some lose. Then when we finally did get everyone turned around and into the lane we found it not so much mud as slush, slippery, gooey mush. Because I was the first to pull in when we circled I ended up being the last out. I was doing a last minute walk around the camp to make sure we were not leaving anything behind when I remembered that I had a big Dutch Oven buried near the fire with oatmeal in it. I went back to the wagon, grabbed a shovel and managed to get it uncovered and out of it’s pit but it was so heavy I couldn’t lift it and had to have DH put it in the wagon for me. One wagon after another got stuck trying to get out. What a mess, sometimes slogging knee-deep in heavy wet snow, sometimes getting splattered with water because of pushing a wagon. It was after six o’clock by the time they got to our camper wagon. I thought we were going to be okay despite being the last wagon and having to deal with the ruts of all the others but we had barely gotten headed in the right direction before the horses spooked by a falling limb and turned into the trees instead of down the road, sliding the wagon sideways. I got the horses stopped in time, thankfully, to do no damage but I was at a loss as to how to get us out of the mess. I had lots of advice but none of it managed to get us turned until Mr. Hughes showed up to see how we were doing. He took one look and asked if he could take the reins and I gratefully nodded my head at him. I had to chuckle as he came through the back of the wagon, the only way you can get to the front driving seat, and found Mom calmly sewing in her rocking chair. He actually stopped and tipped his hat to her but he was chuckling as he stepped over Sasha and puppies and finally made it to the front. I scooted over and watched carefully as he took the reins. He slowly backed the team, step by step, something that I had difficulties doing with them. He had the guys on the front corners pushing until he got the wagon backed a short way off the other side of the lane and then told them to get out of the way. When they were safe he yelled back to Mom to brace herself somewhere. He handed me the left rein and told me once he started the horses moving I was to just keep slapping the reins against their backs. When I nodded that I understood he gave a loud whistle to the team and hauled with both hands on the right reins as I added my calls and kept snapping the rein I was holding. The first thing I knew the wagon was going kitty corner across the road, down off the edge and I found myself falling against the side of the wagon, grateful that I couldn’t fall out. Then suddenly we were up out of the low ditch and headed down the lane in the right direction. I could hear cheers going up behind us but as the other wagons had reached the turnoff and were disappearing around the bend, Mr. Hughes grabbed the rein back from me and never let the horses even pause. He urged them almost at breakneck speed down the lane, only slowing when he reached the end. Even then he kept them going around the bend and into the logging road before he pulled the horses to a stop behind a wagon. I believe I turned to him wide eyed but then started to smile as I saw the pure joy lighting his face. He had loved the challenge and so did I; a shared moment of triumph. He stood, handed the reins back to me, tipped his hat, and then made his way back through the wagon, stopping long enough to make sure Mom was okay and to pet Sasha, before he went down the back steps. I swear he was whistling. It was only afterwards, when we had finally met up with the rest of the train waiting on the road ahead, that I realized how close we’d come to tipping the wagon over on it’s side as the horses pulled us up out of that small ditch. I shook for almost an hour after. The rest of the day was strange too. The wind blew so strongly at times the wagons were almost going sideways to the direction the teams were going. It was a fight to hold the teams. People walked beside their oxen most of the day and the herders had a terrible time riding drag with the animals. Their mounts really got a work out. Mr. Hughes didn’t want us stopping for the night until we reached higher ground so it was late afternoon before we pulled off the road just below the crest of a hill to avoid the full brunt of the wind. By that time the area he chose was almost bare of snow and I was grateful to see some graze for the stock. They deserved it after all they’d been through. I'm just glad that Chef is preparing a community meal for us all tonight. He figured that we'd all be tired and he's right. I can barely wait for chores to be done so I can set and rest my aching arms. I'm just hoping that I can make it through the milking. Then before we eat I want to check Mom. Her hand looks swollen and I believe she may have hit it on something during our wild ride. I am wondering how many bruises she has. One of the puppies went sailing too and I need to recheck him. Lots to do before bedtime.

That is awesome. Much more closed in that I was thinking. I believe she just might make it in that. It is so neat to have a visual like this Annarchy, (you are going to hvae art classes when we get to the Valley aren't you???) I'm so glad you posted it. THANKS! :bighugh2:

YEAH HOOO! I've got a ride to the homestead and so do several others. Big D has offered her buggy for some and the Chef from the B's group stopped specially to see if I would ride over with him. As soon as I get dressed in some layers so I can peel some in the greenhouse I'll be ready to go. Looks like we've got quite a few out there to head that direction. Mr. Hughes had a long talk with us just a little while ago though. He tells us that other than hay and some grain, we are only to take food that needs to be used now or that will not keep and nothing else. He knows this family and feels that they will be back and he wants to make sure they have what they need when they return. All the while I was listening to him I kept thinking of our son and his extended family, or others like him, and how they might need to shelter at this homestead. That's okay though. Most of us have learned to make-do with what we have. Okay, It looks like everyone is waiting for me.

Why is it, that on the mornings a person could be sleeping in, the DOG wants to go out early? It is cold out here dog! Thankfully not that bitter cold we've been having and the snow has finally stopped. It's actually pretty out here. While Sasha is taking her time I guess I could have a look at the wagons to see what we have to do to get them out of here. The wheels on a lot of them seem to be packed with snow. That's going to take some shoveling to remove. The problem will be where to put the snow when we do remove it. The area in the center of the camp is all cleared now, well if you don't count manure all over it is, and I suppose we can put it there but I believe some of the wagons are going to have to go across that to get out. Some of those drifts to the wind side of us are taller than the wagons. The one behind us bends right over the camper wagon. It's no wonder it got warmer inside with all that insulating snow. If this weather holds I suspect that we'll be pulling out tomorrow. The riders from the B's group that scouted ahead looking for us said that further down the trail there were clear areas with only a few big drifts to have to move or go around. Mr.H says after that we'll be getting into the hills though and who knows what we'll find there. With this temp the snow could last for a week or more. We're getting higher all the time and it's bound to be cooler. I'm really looking forward to going to that homestead today. It will be so much fun to see what people select from the greenhouse. I'm going to have to warn them not to clear pick anything though. That greenhouse could have been self propetuating for a long time already. At least some of those plants could have been. It deserves to be left that way. Who knows, the owners may have to come back if things get worse out there and if not, there may be others looking for a place to hide out. Might even end up being some of our own families. I wish I'd have picked more greens yesterday though but as it was it was difficult to get anything back with me on that sled too. When the Benefactor's Chef specifically longed for the kale and collards it was decided to send those bags to the other group and ours would keep the spinach and some of the herbs for a huge salad. It was great but I'm looking forward to some of the greens cooked with some bacon or ham with a touch of vinegar splashed on them…..MMMM MMMMM. Q looked kind of disappointed that we didn't have beans and greens and corn bread last night. I agree with her, that's going to be NEXT on the menu. I put a mess of beans to soak last night and we'll make that our community meal today for those who want it. We've still got corn meal left too and maybe Mom will bake a bunch of cornbread today while we're at the homestead. I keep thinking about the corn in the bin over there. I wonder how much of it we can get stored in the wagons. It would store more compact if we shelled it first but that's going to take some time. I didn't get to see the corn but I suspect from all the other food that was stored that it was flour corn. It would be nice if it were a heirloom variety, maybe Mandan Bride for a really nice fine corn flour. I won't be choosy though. Any corn can be used for flour. Some just grinds better than others. I wonder if we can use that mesh bird netting that's in with the garden tools to sling some from the bows in the wagons. Pieces of material or blankets would work too. It'll be kind of hard to walk in there but we can put up with that until we get it shelled and the husks will be good feed for the animals. The cobs too, though they will make great fire starters as well. Hmmm might have to talk to Mr. H about that. We discussed not being able to take a lot of what's there because of space and weight constraints. We also want to be sure to leave plenty and replace that note just in case others need it too. Mr. Hughes says that normally no one comes out here but occasional hikers or people who are lost, like us. Personally, I don't think we WERE lost. I believe the Lord knew exactly what He was doing when he had us take this 'fork' in the road. He said he thought of sending someone over to the homestead earlier to see if they would sell us something but figured they would be getting low on provisions themselves by this time of the year. He said that's the way it always is in these parts. Anyway, I hope today goes okay. It's not going to be easy to get people over there. I know I'm NOT riding that sled again. I have to admit though that it probably was less jouncy than riding a horse would have been. I really do think that donkey of MtR's has a warped sense of humor. It seemed like she was purposely going through drifts so the sled would have to ride up and over them. I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I guess I'm going to have to teach Sasha here to pull a sled. Hmmm I wonder if she already does know how. We know so little about her other than she was registered and from the looks of the pups they could have been too. They are such perfect looking Saints and growing like weeds. I noticed one of them up off its belly last night. Won't be long before they are running all over the wagon. THAT's going to be a problem for sure. Well I'm going to let MtR and Mr. H worry about how to get people out there and get the food back. They said they'd figure it out. It's good to drop that feeling of responsibility for a while and just worry about how to convince Sasha to do her job and come in out of this cold. Brrr. Sasha, we need to get back inside and get some breakfast prepared. Come on girl. Finally! Of course now she's all covered in snow. She's even got snow piled up on her nose where she was pushing it through the snow to vacuum up all the smells there. Goofy dog. It sure is quiet in camp. It seems strange not to have extra people or animals though a couple of the young guys from the other camp agreed to stay to help with security here until we're back on the road together again. They'll continue to bunk in our supply wagon with our son. They'll also help with hauling food back and forth. MMMM it smells good here at the wagon. I believe that Mom might be baking something or wait, I believe that's pancakes I smell. I bet she's throw nuts into them. What a perfect way to start a Sunday morning. Now if we can get CeeGee and DH and family to set up a small service I will feel my day is complete. A few hymns and encouraging messages are food for the soul. After what we've all been through the last couple of days we need that more than food. I wonder if Mom dug out the strawberry syrup we've been saving back. I hope so.

We DEFINITELY won't be taking it all, not in the greenhouse at least. The description of the greenhouse is actually a copy of a real greenhouse. It's pretty much self perpetuating so concievably if left alone would seed and reseed itself again and again until the stronger plants took over the weaker ones. The variety of foods that I mentioned is basically only a few of the possibilities. I left it open as I'm hoping that our wagoneers will post what THEY found there and took for the trip. I'm not sure how long the food in the root cellar could be expected to last as warm weather comes on. (we are going into spring in this thread). It might be a blessing to take all that and not leave it to rot for the next person. In any case, though we have used up a lot of our fresh foods and a fair amt. of our dried foods as well, we still have to watch the space and weight in our wagons. We might be able to fit them IN but will we be able to get them over some of the trails we might be facing as we near the Valley? It is the same with the hay and etc in the barn. There is going to be limited room. Wagoneers are going to have to be very cautious in their choices. Good point Leah, I love your input. Thanks!

((Hey, Annarchy's here but I've obviously lost CeeGee, CGA and who knows who else.....! HELP someone find them ) When I finally get my legs to work well enough to enter the house the first thing I notice is the old Jotul stove. I wonder if it’s the only form of heat in the house. It’s probably capable of doing the job. The room is still full of living room furniture and the whole thing looks just like the owner could return home any minute. There are even crochet doilies on tables and the backs of chairs. There is a door behind the stove and I go over and give it a tug….WHOA! I am hit with a brightness I am not expecting. As I look at the big attached greenhouse I wonder if it’s possible to move the whole entire thing to our new homestead. Nothing fancy about this greenhouse. It is pure and simply a vegetable production area that would give months of, if not yearly, produce. There is a small platform and then a couple of steps right outside the door leading down to a garden floor. I step out onto the platform. The greenhouse looks to be about 16 feet wide by 25 feet long. On either side of the door, all long the side of the house, are double rows of black barrels. I assume that they hold some sort of solution that stores heat as the air inside the greenhouse is quite warm, almost too warm. The walls are made of limestone and are about 3 feet high and topping that is an expanse of double Plexiglas that reaches the ceiling. The ceiling itself is also doubled but the top layer looks like regular corrugated greenhouse panels while the lower layer is smooth. The whole thing is covered with snow but I notice a rain catchments system and follow the pipes with my eyes from where they come through the wall and down to what assume to be an automatic, self-watering, underground watering system. I can’t see it because the whole floor area, except for a potting bench along the west wall, is covered with a riot of verdant green growing plants. It looks weedy to say the least but as I stepped down onto the soil I am able to pick out individual plants. There were weeds here for sure. I see lambs quarter, plantain, purslane, mallow, wild mustard, dandelion, shepherds purse, and that was just at first glance. I can just imagine what is growing in other parts of the greenhouse let alone what small wild plants might be growing under the lush top growth. The further I walk the more I can pick out plants. Some of it is actually too old and has already gone to seed but a lot of it looks edible. I can see a short row of kale among the weeds and another of collards. There’s spinach and beet greens and what looks like turnip greens too. In the corner I spot a high wooden bed set into the ground that contains what looks like mint. I don’t try to see what all is there. I go back up the steps and make my way to the kitchen and start looking around. I find some plastic bags and head back to the greenhouse. I make my way carefully through the plants to the kale and collard greens and start stripping off the larger leaves from the outside. When I have filled two bags of each I fill two more with spinach. I find some leek and pull a few of those and tuck them in a bag and set all the bags on the steps. I make my way to the wooden bed to pick some fresh mint and find a small area with herbs next to it. I break off some oregano, thyme, sage, and parsley and put them in a bag with a large amount of mint. I finally stop and look around. I decide that is enough for tonight. I’ll send half this to the B’s wagons and keep half to distribute to our own and tomorrow perhaps we can bring others back here so they can pick their own. We’ll have to be careful not to trample things as we pick but if we just have a few at a time it should be okay. Some will want the ‘weeds’ more than others. It will be interesting to see what people choose. Maybe you can let us know what YOU choose when you come to the greenhouse tomorrow.

HEY, it didn't snow THAT much ....did it? I can't find my walkway........

I hadn't even reached our wagon when the radio crackled again. I waited and then suddenly heard the unmistakable voice of Mr. Hughes. This time I DID yell as I keyed the mike and suddenly I was surrounded by people. YES! yes! THIS IS WAGON HO MEMBERS. WE AREN'T SURE WE'RE REAR WAGONS BUT WE'RE VERY GLAD TO HEAR YOUR VOICE. WE SEEM TO BE ON A LANE LEADING TO A HOMESTEAD. WHERE ARE YOU? The reply comes back clearly that they are at the end of the lane and are heading in our direction. Then a laugh comes across the radio and the words STAY PUT! STAY PUT....like we're going anywhere soon!!!! Suddenly we are all laughing and I feel tears slipping down my face. I don't care one bit. I'm just that glad to know that we are not far from being reunited. REPEAT THAT, YOU ARE BREAKING UP. ........YES,,,WE DO HAVE JEREMY HERE WITH US AND HE'S FINE, MISSING HIS FAMILY BUT HE'S OKAY.......... GREAT! I BET SHE'S BEEN WORRIED SICK. YES, TELL HER THAT HE HAS BEEN VERY BRAVE AND SHE CAN THANK ONE OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR BRINGING HIM IN. ...........OH THE HOMESTEAD! THE PEOPLE WE SENT OUT LOOKING FOR YOUR WAGONS CAME ACROSS IT JUST A LITTLE BIT AGO. THEY SAY THERE'S NO ONE THERE BUT THERE'S A NOTE SAYING ANYONE IS WELCOME TO THE FOOD THAT IS LEFT THERE. ............NO, THEY AREN'T BACK YET BUT ARE HEADED THIS WAY. THE LANE IS PRETTY DRIFTED THOUGH SO IT MIGHT TAKE THEM A WHILE TO GET BACK. ..................I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO TELL US TO STAY CLOSE TO THE RADIO, MOST OF US ARE GLUED HERE! YOU ARE STARTING TO BREAK UP NOW THOUGH. ..........REPEAT?.......GOING TO TAKE YOU A WHILE TO GET HERE? THAT'S OKAY, WELL PUT THE COFFE ON..........YOU'RE BRINGING THE COFFEE? AND THE HOT CHOCOLATE? YOU MIGHT HAVE A FIGHT OVER THAT. I SEE LORI LISTENING FROM THE BACK OF THEIR WAGON. LOL. HEY, CAN YOU TELL ME HOW MT.R AND MT3B, CEE GEE, CGA, AND THE REST ARE DOING? MT.R ITS SO GOOOOOOD TO HEAR YOUR VOICE..........YEAH, WE'RE ALL OKAY, MISSING YOUR DONKEY'S BRAY THOUGH! OKAY, I THINK WE CAN HOLD OUT UNTIL YOU GET HERE LOL. SEE YOU IN A BIT. Everyone just looks at each other for a few seconds before breaking into huge grins and handing out hugs. Strange that it seems more like a week than just a couple of days since we were on our own. It sounds like we were not far apart the whole time but on opposite sides of this small mountain. It takes almost a half hour for Mr. H and Mt.R to reach us and by that time DD and the boys are back and getting warmed by the fire. The snow is still coming down but it's tapering off and so far the wind is staying down. Someone goes to tell Jeremy that his parents are fine and already know that he's safe. He wants to go immediately of course but he's finally resigned to the fact that it's going to take some time before he can start and he and GS go back to playing with the Legos. It's a pretty joyous reunion when our 'rescue' rides into camp. Like DD and the boys, their party is covered with snow and they are stiff with cold. I couldn't stop hugging Mt.R long enough to let her get to the fire but she didn't seem to mind. MM did though. She started braying and prancing around and it was such a welcome sound that we were all laughing. It didn't take long for Mr. H to bring us back to earth by asking about the homestead. He had known the homestead was there but had purposely kept our route away from them for security sake. He suggested that if their party wanted to make it back to their own camp before dark that we check out the homestead as soon as everyone was warmed up and had something to eat. There was plenty of hot soup between us all so it wasn't long before everyone had a bowl in hand. It was nice to hear how those at the other camp had faired but it seemed that they didn't have a lot more feed for animals than we did. DD brought up the fact that there had been hay in the barn at the homestead and it wasn't long before a party was ready to go check it out. I wasn't planning to go with them, not being easily able to ride a horse, but MtR convinced me that I could ride their sled behind MM. I eyed it rather dubiously but finally agreed to give it a try. It took me a while to get dressed more warmly and even more time to get me installed on the sled but finally we were moving. I have to tell you, we hadn't gotten any further than the bend in the lane before I began to have serious doubts about this mode of transportation. Course it doesn't help that MtR is turning around laughing at me. GOOD, got smacked in the face by some twigs. Serves her right for talking me into this.

It was lighter in the wagon when I woke this morning and when I pulled back the heavy curtain beside the bed I could almost see across the circle to the other wagons. While the snow still seems to be coming down out there, thankfully, the wind had died down and it was falling more gently to the ground. I could see a whole group of young people standing near the fire with bowls in hand, the Dutch oven full of grain setting near the coals at the edge of the fire to stay warm. With the music and laughter coming from AH's wagon last night to lull me to sleep and now the break coming in the storm this morning to wake up to I felt that finally things might be turning around for us. That feeling didn't last long as I thought of the rest of our group being out there somewhere and maybe in need of help and I swung my feet out of bed despite the cold, still pervading the wagon, to see if the storm was light enough to send out riders. After I bundled into warm clothes and finally dry boots I tied Sasha on a rope and cautiously tested my muscles going down the steps before heading over to talk with the people at the fire. All four of our older grandkids was there with the rest and they were all too eager to go searching for the B’s group. I knew that it wouldn't be wise to send all of them out as we could still need the help if whomever we sent didn't come back but I also wanted to send enough to be a help to each other. I knew it was going to be more dangerous out there than they realized with the drifted snow and there was every chance that they would find wind further ahead as they came into clearings. I was hopeful that they would find the rest of our group just ahead on the trail but I wasn't taking any chances. I told them to start getting some of the chores done. I wanted to talk with some of the others but with a sinking heart I knew that the ultimate decision would probably be up to me as it was automatically accepted that I was next in line after MtR in that department. I let Sasha wander around in the trees at the edge of the wagons for a while, noting that the snow was coming a bit harder again, before going back to the wagon to discuss the situation with DH and Mom. We tried the radio once again and then DH and I headed to the other wagons to chat a few minutes with all the others who were out already. I knew that the young people were going to be disappointed but it was decided that only the oldest from the B's group and one of our young people would go and that our DD would go with them. I knew she was level headed, a good rider, and excellent with the young people. She also knows woodcraft and how to read a compass, which might be important to getting them all back safely if the storm picked up in intensity again. I was really undecided as that snow was still coming down heavily. I kept weighing our pros and cons in my mind. We had pretty much used our entire stock of animal feed and the oxen and horses especially were getting restless. Between us all we still had food to keep us going for a long time yet even if it was mostly dried stuff so I wasn’t worried about starving but I was worried about the problem of re-hydrating it. The problem of being able to melt enough water for the people let alone the animals was a tough one. It took an incredible amount of wood to keep the central fire going and everyone had been going further and further into the trees to get it. Thankfully DH had dug out our chain saws last night so they could actually cut more wood than just what was down but I could see the tension on everyone’s faces. I kept thinking that we couldn’t be that far behind the other part of the train and how dumb it would be if we were only a half-mile apart and didn’t try to get to them. I finally talked with DD and we decided it was worth the try and she went to get her horse. I watched as they saddled the horses and checked their weapons. They were carefully bundled against the cold and were wearing waterproof gear but it was hard to see them ride out into the snow. I could see them for quite a distance down the road before they turned a bend and were gone from sight. They had taken a couple of the radios with them and I was comforted when I heard DD's voice checking in a few seconds after that to make sure they were working. I clutched the radio to me as I turned back to the wagons and was surprised at the number of people standing in the circle or looking out the backs of wagons, watching the riders leave. I couldn't help but stare in wonder at all of them standing in a sort of united front as three of our people road out. We have all learned a new level of community these last few weeks but none more than this small group of people who have weathered this storm the last two days. We have become connected in more ways than just the physical abilities to work as a team. Young and old alike have formed bonds of friendship and the knowledge that we can depend on each other for our survival when things get tough. I bet that those with MtR have found the same thing. I was just starting to put the pot of soup I’d assembled onto a grate by the fire when I heard a voice on the radio that I'd kept beside me the whole time. I almost spilled the soup as I reached to grab the thing but finally got it in my hand. I keyed the mike and almost shouted into it before remembering I didn't need to raise my voice. It was DD saying something about finding a house and barn. I asked her to repeat that. I know we weren't told about any homesteads in the area. I was even more amazed when she said that it looked like it had been lived in fairly recently, like in the last few months, and that there was a note hanging inside a storm door. She said the road we were on was actually a lane leading to the homestead and that it ended there and what should they do. By then a lot of people were gathered around me listening. The radio crackled with static and I wondered if I was losing her but then her voice came back again wanting to know if they'd lost us. I told her I could still hear her and asked her to read the note to me. She told me to hang on and then there was silence except for some occasional static. Finally she was back reading the note. "To whoever finds this note. We have been called away, possibly never to return. We invite others to take shelter in our home. As we are leaving in a hurry and are unable to take all of the stored food with us, we welcome you to use all that you need. God bless whoever you are." She said it was signed but not dated. She said they had taken a quick look around outside but had not been inside the house. The doors, however, were unlocked. She said the whole place looked a bit run down, like it hadn't had a lot of care for a long time yet she could see what looked like a large established garden area under the snow and there were mature fruit trees as well. I looked around the circle at the wagons. Most of them were mired deep into the snow banks that had been thrown up around them. Huge drifts could be seen around some of them and the snow was still coming down though not nearly as thick as before. I looked back the way we'd obviously come in and realized that the B's group and the rest of our group was back that direction somewhere. I finally keyed the mike again, telling her to go on into the buildings to see what might be there and then to report back again. We all stood around waiting until finally she was back and telling us that the barn contained hay, what looked like a couple of wooden bins for grain, and there was a wire corn bin with a few bushel of un-husked corn behind the barn. They had taken a quick look in the house too and found some dried foods in the cupboards and an old fashioned pantry complete with bins in a big wall cupboard that contained flour and sugar and what looked like cornmeal. There were other things in there too but they didn't take time to check it all out. One of the young people had gone into the basement to shine his flashlight around and said there looked to be some jars of stuff on shelves down there. He said there was a door down there too that he figured might lead to a utility closet or something but that was all beside a ton of cob webs. I looked around once again, seeing the expectant looks on all the faces and finally told DD to come on back to the camp and that we'd find the B's group before we decided what we should do about the homestead. Then I turned away to go back to the getting the soup cooking. I noticed the others turned away too but we were all very quiet.

Bless dear Quiltys. She came and brought me some of my favorite teas. I was hoping she'd stay longer and chat with us. I miss being able to set around the fire at night and visit. If we still have storm tomorrow I want to be sure to check in with Lori, Annarchy, Big D and Q and the other women to see if they need anything or if theres something we can do together. Perhaps we can haunt the library and see if there's any suggestions for survival in the snow we've missed. Should have done that today I guess but I believe we were all too tired. I have been inside almost all day. I made an attempt to go out early this morning but made it no further than the bottom of the steps. I had Sasha on a long lead and allowed her to sniff around and then turned around and went back in, knowing that I was not up to fighting the drifts, the snow, or the wind. Sasha had no problems with going right back in as well. She seems to realize that she has to keep those pups warm with her body heat. I managed to send out several jars of the beef for the chili that Q had cooking over the fire and then soaked more tomatoes to put in the pot later in the day to stretch it further. Perhaps we will be able to make a stew tomorrow and do the same thing with it. I have the vegetables soaking tonight so we will have them ready tomorrow. We can use more of the beef with it or I have dried meat as well. With the extra snow that Q brought us Mom and I decided we had enough water to cook some of the dried fruit and put dumplings in it for a desert. I sent out a stack of bowls and utensils for those who didn't have any of their own and we've been washing them off and on all day as people brought them back. It's been nice to get a chance to visit with the extra people. Most of them are young and are viewing this as an exciting adventure. I had put some cream in a large jar, intending to shake it to make butter and when one of the young men saw it he asked about it. That started off a round of taking turns at shaking the jar. The cream really wasn't warm enough to turn properly but I knew they were enjoying the process. When the cream thickened to whipped cream consistency and was solid in the jar I decided that we could use it for the fruit dumplings and I stirred in a bit of honey to sweeten it. I sent it out to the fire along with the dumplings for everyone to have desert. When I peeked out a bit later I saw a big group of people standing around the fire. I hope they enjoyed it. LOL We rested late this afternoon and I even slept for about an hour. Very unusual for me during the day but at least I felt better when I got up. I'm not sure where all the wood was coming from but the fire in the circle was blazing cheerily and I could see a large pile of big branches laying along side. The snow was still blowing fiercely and I prayed that everyone was being careful to make sure they had a life line before leaving the wagons. I worried about DH being out in it most of the day but when he came for the milk buckets he said that most of the guys were hanging out between the tarps and the fire and that it was fairly warm there. Some of the younger men have volunteered to take turns stoking the fire for the night so there will be a warmer place to do the milking and such in the morning. They have agreed to keep the big tubs filled with snow to melt for the animals to have a drink. Some of them had slept this afternoon so they could take shifts. He also said that they had managed to get more of the wagons bermed with snow to help keep them warmer but that it was going to be hard to have to move it all again once the storm stopped. He said some of the natural drifts were five feet tall or more and that some of them were so swirled they looked like Dairy Queen ice cream cones with their curly tops. I smiled at that but I knew just how dangerous that wind could be. He also tells me the animals are hungry. They had the bigger animals outside the wagons for a while today but though the animals pawed at the snow there just is not much grass along here for them. I suggested that we feed them the straw we had left for bedding the pigs and chickens but he said they'd already done that and it was gone. With so many extra animals there just isn't enough to go around. They've given the animals a little grain but if the snow doesn't let up soon we are going to start having a lot of trouble with hungry animals trying to get loose so they can find their own food. I reminded him of the partial bags of rabbit pellets and sweet feed we have along and suggested that maybe they could use that to keep the animals content. But even fifty pounds won't feed them for more than just tonight. The goats were at least nibbling on the dead leaves and twigs of the branches that had been drug in for the fire. If the larger animals get hungry enough they will do so too if they can get to them. It is dark now and the light from the fire continues to flicker into the clearing. Occasionally, as I watch from the bed out the back curtain, I see a figure crossing in front of the flames, or notice sparks as they put a log on the fire. I’m glad I thought to put mixed grains, raisins, and boiling water with a bit of honey into a large Dutch oven and had the guys bury it beside the fire. It will be ready early in the morning for them to have a hot breakfast. DH and Mom are sleeping soundly. It was warm in here earlier as we'd had the oven going to make more biscuits for tomorrow but the chill was soaking in fast. I know I should be sleeping but I can't stop thinking of the rest of the group. I pray they are safe.

See, Q, you are NOT lost. You know where you are. With ME... Don't follow too close though cause I'M lost yet. How LONG will I be lost? (pssst,,shhhh, I know I'm going to be lost tonight yet maybe tomorrow too, maybe even the NEXT day,,,maybe not ...we can't end the snow tooooo soooon or we wouldn't have any fun trying to survive it but you can tell MrQ that we really appreciate his help )

I was just trying to figure out a shelter that we could milk animals in this morning when our son came to me and said he had a little boy in his wagon who was crying for his mommy. My first thought was of our GS but I knew he had spent the night in his own wagon with his parents and was still there. When our son said it was one of the B's people I was surprised. The herders have to be over 16 to be out without a parent or guardian. M. said this boy was about our GS's age and that he had just found out that there wasn't anyone responsible for him. I promptly told M. to bring him to me. I could see right away that the young boy wasn't dressed nearly warm enough for this weather and that he was still crying though the tears had frozen on his face. M. assured me that he'd been warm enough sleeping in their wagon as the boy had slept between him and another herder but that he got scared when everyone crawled out to do chores. I drew the boy into my arms and just held him for a minute or so, not even trying to talk to him. After a while he settled down and was able to tell me his name and that he'd wanted to be with his 'critters' and had wandered back to walk with them before the storm hit. One of the young men herders had scooped him up and put him on the saddle in front of him, thinking that someone was out there with him but not wanting him lost. No one found out until this morning that he was out there alone. Poor kid. Poor parents. They must be frantic. I just feel really bad that we didn't know about this last night. We still couldn't get anything on the radio so I gave him some warm tea with honey, assured him that he'd most likely be able to see his mom tomorrow and had DH bring him over to DD's wagon to stay with our GS. DD will see that he's kept too busy to be scared. By the time I got him settled DH was back to the wagon with the news that others were going to be doing the chores this morning, including the milking and he'd be back with the milk when they were done. He took the milk buckets with him and went back out into the blowing snow. I was relieved I didn't have to go out as I was pretty much done in from fighting the storm yesterday and last night. I'm pretty sure my family realized that and arranged it so I could stay inside, bless them. Mom was working on a huge pot of oatmeal for breakfast for whoever needed it so I started on digging out dried vegetables and several jars of the beef we'd canned earlier. I was glad I'd packed it carefully wrapped with extra clothes or they might have been frozen. Mom and I would make enough biscuits to go with it and have plenty of leftovers for sandwiches if anyone wanted them. As I'm putting away the jars I pull the curtain back on the window. Though it is still blizzard like out there it's light enough to see shapes through the snow. Several are working their way from wagon to wagon and I realize that they are tying ropes from one to the other for safety. I can see people have cleared a place in the center of the circle to get a fire going. They have pulled the big steel plate out of our wagon and set it up as a wind break. Must have been Michael's idea as I see him out there directing its placement, you can't miss his hat even in a blizzard. They also have a tarp strung between two trees and it looks like they already have a flame going. I'm not sure where they got the dry wood but it would be wonderful if we could get heat going to melt water and warm people and animals alike. And maybe to set my porta potty nearby to thaw so I can empty it. I wondered if anyone has come up with a way to dig latrines in this snow without them being blown shut again. I'll have to ask Dh when he gets back in. Ahhhh finally, they have a big blaze out there. That sure looks cheery. Looks like a couple of people are bringing out big tubs to melt snow in. Someone else is putting up another tarp so that it makes a sort of wind break. I believe they are going to milk in there as DGD has our cow waiting off to the side, or I think it's ours? I may not have to go out there and work but I really need to get busy. We have a lot of extra people to feed before the day is out. Wait! I see Mr.Q taking a big pot out to the fire. Wonder what Q has planned. I'll ask before I make the soup. Maybe we can just pool our resources. It's really good to see everyone working together. The tears start to come to my eyes. I know I'm tired, too tired if just the thought of not having to feed everyone single handedly makes the tears come. I think I'll take Sasha outside for a few minutes and see what is cooking out there. Might be able to add the beef to it and we can still make biscuits. It will warm up the wagon to have the oven going. The oven is only big enough to make 12 or 15 at a time but we have plenty of LP for it with that thirty pound tank installed under the wagon and another hundred pound one in reserve. Still, we had planned on using this stove only rarely if at all to save it for next winter or for emergencies. I guess this is an emergency. "Mom, I'm taking Sasha out for a few minutes. I'll be back in just a bit to help with breakfast. I'll let them know that it's going to be ready soon."

Don't ask me Annarchy, I'm lost. Oh wait, we're lost together. It's nasty out there, be prepared to get through two days in a hurry. LOL. Can't wait to see what happened to you and Big D and entourage...

Okay,,,,I KNOW you are going to groan.....But I think you LOST me!!!! Ahum...sorry, couldn't resist. MtR, it's going to be okay, Snow does that to a person. Especially blizzards. Just think of it this way....we are all learning that STRESS can make your fingers do what your mind tells them to do....

As our readers can see, our wagon's have gotten separated and are stuck in a blizzard that will last all day today and through the night most likely. (shhhh don't tell) I'd like to mention that even though these 'scenes' seem like chapters out of an interesting book, in reality they are meant to make those who are participating in this UNreality exercise think about what they would do in that situation. We have chosen not to let the 'wagoneers' know ahead of time what we are hitting them with so that they will also have to experience the surprise factor of any given scene just as in real life we can't always control what happens to us. That of course, makes for a few bloopers as each percieves the scene in their own way but that only adds to the fun. Our wagoneers will be writing their experiences as we go along but I'd like to invite the readers to make some comments here on how 'they' might handle the situation. Do you have any suggestions for ways we could handle this better? Is there something we COULD have done ahead of time to be better prepared for this scene? We need all the help we can get. We'd also like to hear how you think we are doing with this "journey". Are you enjoying it and are you learning anything from it? We hope so but would love to hear from you.

It was cold in the camper wagon. It's almost morning according to the battery operated clock beside me but you sure can't tell it from the light outside. Each night for weeks, unless we were where there were lights, I've put a lit votive candle in a small candle lantern on the small stove to give us a night light in case one of us has to use our camp potty. I ALWAYS have to but last night it was so late when we all finally got into our beds and I was so exhausted that I didn't get up once. Laying there snuggled into the quilts I realized that we might have a problem if this blizzard keeps up. We have no latrines dug and though I believe that most people have some sort of convenience in their wagons we're still going to have to have a place, away from camp, to empty them. I reach a hand out of the covers and pulled back the heavy curtain on the back door and look out but I can't see anything but icy snow hitting the plastic. The wind is howling around the wagons and I realized that it had been a littany all night, back ground music to the sounds of icy granules hitting the roof. We are lucky perhaps in that the sides of our wagon are solid wood and come up fairly high and only a couple of feet and the roof are canvas. As I look around I realize that the modifications we made are actually helping to keep us warm. We'd hung square metal mesh cubes from the roof supports over the bed and over the small camper stove/oven that sets next to the 'necessary' between our bed and Mom's. They are filled mostly with clothes except the one above the stove, which holds cooking supplies. These are serving the purpose now of holding the heat closer to the bed. I look forward to the front of the wagon where mom is still sleeping deeply and am glad we'd done the same thing in the front of the wagon even though it made it difficult to get in and out of the front to drive. I'm also glad we'd moved Sasha and her pups last night. The back of the front seat lays down to make Mom's bed and I could see the dog nuzzling her nursing pups there. I have an idea it wasn't all that quiet with her under there but we had decided her body heat would help add to the bed's warmth. Normally the small 12 volt refrigerator lay under there as it works standing up or laying flat but we'd moved it for the night. It now sat at the end of the seat with dozens of boxes and other items piled on top of it. At least the dog and Mom had a warm looking nest-like sleeping area. I hoped she was warm enough. We'd had to abandon the nice mattress that came with the wagon in favor of a more narrow one so we could gain room on the opposite side of the wagon for stacked totes. They went clear to the ceiling and were secured with straps. These contained some of our food supplies, the rest being distributed among the other wagons for security sake, but even without looking in them I knew that many were less than half full. Still, now they were adding their own form of insulation as were the vaious boxes full of this or that tucked under the bed. I was uncomfortable now that I was awake. Normally all our extra clothes, blankets and other material goods were laid flat under our mattress, giving it more cushion. We'd taken most of that out to hand out to the extra people and it wasn't nearly as soft. I was grateful for Q's offer of the extra quilts for them but I couldn't help worry about how they were. I couldn't help worry about everyone. We'd tried the radio several times during the evening and even late into the night and only got static. We must have a hill or turn in the trail between us and the front wagons. I can't believe that we'd be that far from them but then the area we were camped in didn't feel right. I hoped that we hadn't gotten on another track some how. Mr.Hughes had told us there were numerous old logging roads that branched off from each other in this area. The fact that we could hear that donkey of Mt.R's for a while last night but we hear nothing now worries me. That sound carries a long way. Well, from the sounds of the weather outside, this storm shows no signs of abating any time soon and we're going to have to figure out what has to be done to keep us all alive and fed if it doesn't. Sasha is whining and probably wants to go outside so I might as well drag myself out of this warm bed. Brrrrr I can see my breath in here. I hate to open the door and let out what heat we do have in here. What a job to get Sasha tied on a long rope and get the door open enough to let her out. The wind, which had died down earlier, is almost gale force again and blowing against the door. I almost couldn't get it open. I won't dare leave her out long. Oh great, I hadn't thought of this problem. The suitcase type camping potty we use had obviously been used a lot last evening is about half full and it's FROZEN! We aren't going to be able to empty it until it's thawed. Good thing we have an old fashioned bucket with a seat on it too. I let Sasha back in and dry her the best I can with an almost dry towel before letting her go back to her pups. The pups are chilled in just that short time and we'll have to watch them closely that they continue to be warm enough to nurse. The water in the coffee pot has ice on it too. Hmmm now that I think of it, the water wagon is with the other group. I guess we'll going to have to check in with Q, Annachy, Big D, Michael and Lori, and the others first thing this morning to see what they think we should do about making it through the day if it continues to storm like this. We're going to have to take stock of what we have and try to see how we can work together. The radio is still giving me static so it looks like we're on our own yet. That, of course, gets me to thinking of the situation with the latrines and it makes me remember what our little GS said last night. When Mom speaks up from her bed to ask me why I'm smiling I tell her to remember if she uses the outside 'facility' not to "pee in the wind or she'll regret it". We both laugh. A good way to start what looks to be another nasty day!

The wagons are finally circled. From what I can see we are in some trees. A couple of big pines are actually inside the circle. Somehow I thought we were going into a narrow canyon but this just doesn't seem right. For now, at least we have the animals, those we can find at least, all inside the circle of the wagons. We've managed to tie some but the others we'll just have to trust not to stray. Several of us are trying to get the cows and goats milked now. At least it's a bit warmer under them but my hands are almost frozen despite doing this with gloves. Mr Q and DH have gotten several people throwing a quick snow berm around the outside of the circle, up against the wagons to help shield the wind. I can just barely make them out by their greenish shake up lights that we handed out earlier. I had a whole box of them along for the GS as he's a bit afraid of the dark and I thought these would be helpful. I didn't realize how helpful they would be. We've reminded everyone of their whistles too. I can just make out the lantern they have lit to be able to see somewhat. I’m surprised it’s still it. Must be one of our storm lanterns. They’re pretty good. The wind is doing a pretty good job of throwing drifts up against the opposite side of the circle. I just hope the wind won't take it all off again. It's packing pretty well so maybe it will stay. This makes shelters under the wagon for some of the smaller animals and the covered cages of poultry. Their body heat might help heat the wagons a bit too. We made sure that anyone who stepped beyond the circle was tied to a wagon with a rope. It would only take a few steps in this storm to get lost. Some people are trying to get a fire started in the middle of the circle but it's not working. Wind is too great. Maybe once the snow is banked around us it will be better. We need to see if we can melt some snow to water the animals. Dehydration is serious for man and animals alike. They're going to keep trying but we can't afford to be out in this much longer without some form of heat out here. Mom and a couple of others are in our wagon getting a community soup and coffee heated on our small camper stove. Everyone brought what they could to put in it. We HAVE to get some warm food into these people or we're going to start having people go down. DGD is trying to go from group to group taking a count to see if we can account for everyone. She's also going to be checking for sleeping places and extra dry clothes and blankets or quilts for the extra people. I feel like there are a lot of people looking to me to come up with some plan. I know my family is but I'm so cold it's difficult to think. I have to get warm but I want to get these cows and goats milked first so they don't get sore. We can use the milk too but the wind is blowing it right out of the pail. We'll try to get as much into the wagons as possible though. Maybe we can get some of it heated up with some honey or sugar and cinnamon. That will help thaw us some. I have no idea if the other wagons are okay. If I could just…… AH MAN!!!! I forgot,,,,,THE RADIO! It's in the wagon! MOM? Turn on the radio and see if you can reach anyone. Nothing but static? Well it was worth a try. We'll try it again every few minutes to see if we can get out. How are you coming with food? Just about ready? Good. We've done almost all we can for tonight. I'll pass the word to come get food. Once we are all fed and warmed as much as possible with dry clothes we'll see if we can figure out sleeping arrangements. Oh good, I see the guys coming in from shoveling. Looks like everyone has about the same idea. Now if we can just get organized some. DH, do you and the boys want to get with DGD and gather clothes for the extra people? Take them into one of the wagons and see if you all can get changed. Then get everyone to come eat if they don't already have something in their own wagons. It's a bit warmer in there and if they eat in shifts it will give people a chance to warm up. Yes, I'm going in now. I'll see about getting changed too. I can change in Mom's bed area. I know a few of the others have already changed. We have to get people warm. brrrrrr. I'm so cold I can't feel parts of me. I'm pretty sure if I could I would hurt. Great, I can't get up the steps into the wagon. Oh DGS thanks. Yeah, I need a hand. Could you just give me a shoulder to lean on as I go up? Wow, it's warm in here compared to outside. Where's Sasha? I figured she would be in the way. She's under the bed? Hi there girl. NO stay there. I just wanted to check on you and the gang. Mom you are a dear to have thought of dry clothes for me. I'll go behind the curtain and change now. A towel? Yeah! I guess I DO need one, don't I. Thanks. No you all go ahead and start feeding people. I should be able to manage. I hope I'll be able to manage to change my clothes that is. I'm really colder than I realized. I'm glad these are all pull on or over things. I'm not sure I could manage buttons. The zipper on my down jacket is bad enough. There, got it. BRRRR it's really not all that warm in here, or at least not in this section with that curtain drawn. I wonder if we can get Mom to sleep back with us. I think the mattress is big enough and it would be a lot warmer. Well, we'll talk about it when everyone else is settled for the night. There, I think I have everything but my socks changed. I think I need some help getting the wet ones off. Guess I'll open the curtain so it warms a bit here and someone can set here to eat if they want. Hey, someone want to give these socks a pull for me? They are really only a bit damp as my boots are good ones but I want to put on these warmer ones and I don't seem to be able to bend over far enough to reach them. Thanks, yeah you can put these ones on too. That's a lot better. No, I don't think I want anything to eat yet. Let's get the others fed first. I will have some tea though if you have hot water. No, I'll just put some ginger and honey in it. That will warm me I believe. I know I should be out helping but there is not a whole lot we can do but get inside out of the wind and snow. I'll just set here curled up in the corner of the bed while I drink my tea. Maybe as they come in we can figure out where to put everyone. We've moved the animals out of the supply wagon and there's room in there for several guys to sleep with our son in there. We can put all the grand kids, except for the little K, together for warmth. That will leave a wagon for some others. I'm almost sure we have eight or ten extras, mostly Benefactor's people. Not sure we have enough quilts though. Thankfully each of our wagons has a small safe tent type LP heater if needed but I'm not sure how far those small canisters will last. We have a lot of them along but from what I know about these storms, they can last for days. We might have to be very frugal with the heat just in case we need it later. I best get moving again or I'm not going to make it the next hour or so until everyone is settled.

The day started out warmer than last night and yet it is just getting damper feeling by the minute. The wind is picking up and it's suddenly bitter cold. The sky is a deep lead color too and the surrounding light looks more like late afternoon though we've only been underway, after our noon rest, for an hour or so. I really enjoyed Michael's impromptu sheet seminar. Nice info there. Strange, there isn't a bird in sight. Something is going to happen. I hope it's not rain. With this cold it might give us some slippery footing and I'm not looking forward to that. It's a good thing I had the family get out their rain gear as well as the heavy winter clothes we are all wearing. Most of them are either walking beside their oxen or riding herd on animals. The oxen, in fact all the animals, seem to be acting strangely and will only keep moving while we are walking with them and the cows and goats keep bunching together. The horses are antsy too. It's all I can do to keep them going. They keep holding back. Usually they are so eager. Oh, great, SNOW FLAKES! Just what we need but they do look kind of neat coming down with that wind sort of blowing them here and there. They are huge and when I look closely at the ones landing on the front plastic they each have a unique pattern to them. It would be fun to photograph them. I always have liked the snow. This is getting thicker though and now the wind is really picking up. GOOD GRIEF, What is THAT? It looks like a wall of white up ahead. Is it FOG? I can see the wagons each disappearing as they go into it. Their animals are shying away from it though and some of the drivers are having trouble getting them to go through. Just what I need....What IS that stuff? Kind of looks like something out of a science fiction movie. Maybe they are just going around a bend in the trail. OH MY LORD, it's SNOW, a perfect wall of snow coming down so thick I can't see through it !!!! Hang on, Mom! I don't know how these horses will handle this! GET UP THERE BESS! YO BOB! I can't see a thing. The snow is blowing so hard against the front of the wagon it's packing there. I've got to get this plastic curtain out of the way! OH GOOD! Mom, can you get that tied back. BE CAREFUL!!! I DON'T NEED YOU FALLING OUT! Still can't see anything and that snow is really coming in the wagon. GO BACK INSIDE! WE DON'T NEED BOTH OF US SOAKED! NO, I THINK I'LL BE OKAY WITH THEM. THEY SEEM TO BE MORE RELUCTANT TO MOVE THAN ANYTHING. THAT WIND IS NASTY. GO ON BACK INSIDE AND GET WARM! Never saw anything like this before. HO BOB! GET UP THERE! One minute little flakes and now this swirling mass of solid snow that is already piling up around me inside the wagon and on the backs of the horses. I can barely SEE their backs let alone anything in front of them. Where IS that next wagon? I can't even tell if I'm on the trail yet. Even their tracks have disappeared in this blowing snow! MOM! CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING OUT THE BACK? ARE OUR WAGONS CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE? I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING OUT THE FRONT. I HATE TO STOP FOR FEAR THEY WILL RUN INTO US! Oh great, she can't see anything ot the back either. NOW what do I do? WHAT DID YOU SAY? I can barely hear her with this wind. YES, I DO REMEMBER THAT MR. HUGHES TOLD US THIS NEXT STRETCH WOULD BE NARROW. MAYBE I CAN JUST KEEP THE HORSES MOVING AND WE'LL EVENTUALLY COME TO THE AREA HE PLANNED TO STOP FOR THE NIGHT! This is rediculous. We've been moving almost an hour, or so it seems, and still no sign of the wagons ahead. MT3B's last wagon should be right in front of us but I just don't see it or even any tracks. WHOA! PULL UP THERE! STOP DARN IT! SOMETHINGS WRONG! THE HORSES AREN'T PULLING RIGHT! I THINK IT'S A BROKEN STRAP! OH GOSH, YOU SCARED ME COMING OUT OF THE SNOW LIKE THAT DH! I THINK THERE'S A STRAP BROKEN AS THEY ARE PULLING MORE TO ONE WAY. M? YOU ARE HERE TOO? GOOD! ONE OF YOU WANT TO SEE IF YOU CAN FIND SOME TRACKS AHEAD? I CAN'T SEE MT3B'S WAGON ANY LONGER. That wind has a real raw bite to it. My skin feels like it's being sandpapered with that blowing snow. WHAT? CAN WE GET THAT STRAP FIXED? YOU DID? GREAT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND ANY TRACKS? THEY HAVE GOT TO BE UP AHEAD OF US. WHAT SHOULD WE DO? CAN THE REST OF YOU SEE EACH OTHER BACK THERE? WHAT ABOUT THE ANIMALS? OKAY, WE'LL JUST KEEP GOING AND HOPE THE HORSES ARE FOLLOWING THE OTHERS. Dh and the others can see each other only if they travel real cose so we'll have to be cautious. Don't need anyone running into anyone. I'm glad they tied the cows to the wagons and managed to get the Nigerian goats into the supply wagon along with some of the smaller goats. I can imagine the mess that's going to be in there but at least they are secure. Good thing the poultry was all riding inside today. I wonder how the rest of the animals are faring. I know we have a lot more animals back there than just ours. I hope the riders are able to keep them all together. Okay, guess I'm ready to try this again. The others must be ready back there by now. GET UP THERE BESS, GO ON BOB! Come on! You can do it! That's it, there you go. Just that short stop has us setting in drifts. I'd feel better if I could at least see some tracks but if anything this blizzard is only getting worse. We won't dare give it more than another half hour or forty-five minutes before we are going to have to make a decision. It's getting darker and we'll need some light if we are going to circle. FIRST we have to find a place wide enough to do that and I can't even see what's on either side of me. WHAT MOM? THEY WANT ME TO STOP SO WE CAN HAVE A CONFERENCE. OKAY! Whoa there! Whoa! Boy, they don't have any trouble stopping but the wagon does. I think some of our riders are checking out the areas to the side of us. I can just barely see them moving through the snow. It seems a bit more open feeling here. DH? YOU THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH ROOM HERE? WE CAN TRY IT. WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? I SEE THE TREES? YES. I THINK THEY WILL GIVE US A BIT OF PROTECTON. NOT SURE I CAN GET INTO THEM THOUGH. DID ANYONE CHECK THEM OUT FOR DITCHES OR DOWN TREES? THEY DID, GOOD. OKAY, HERE GOES. YAH THERE, BOB, COME ON BESS, CIRCLE UP! THAT'S GOOD BABIES. CIRCLE UP! YAH THAT'S THE WAY! At least I can finally see the rest of the wagons. OH NO! Big D is having some trouble with her horse. Oh good, DGS is over there taking the horse into the circle for her. WHOA! WHOA I SAID! STOP! Finally! Wagons was sliding all over the place. Great, DH has hold of the horses. I'm not sure I can even let go of the reins. I'm not much help but I guess I better get out there and try. IF I can get out with all this snow around me. It's even on the seat; Mom's bed. OH NO! That's going to take some clean up. I'll just scoop out as much as I can now and then I better get these curtains down again so no more snow comes inside. Then I'll go see what I can do to help the rest get settled in. This is going to be one terrible night and the sooner we get the animals tucked inside the circle and chores done, the sooner we can all get out of this nasty weather and figure out a few things. Like how we're keeing warm for the night, where we're sleeping the herders who's wagons are ahead of us, and what we're feeding everyone !!!!!!

Good morning Michael. Yes, I'm up and around though a LOT slow this morning. I haven't seen Mt.R this morning yet but I seem to remember her saying that it was business as usual today. Except that she was hoping during our noon stop you'd give us that mini-seminar you were talking about last night. We all learn so much from these info sessions. I hope we can have them all the way to the valley. It's certain we're all going to be too busy to do much socializing after we get there though I sure hope we'll all be able to help each other as much as possible. Well, good morning Q. It's so nice to see you feeling a bit better. Yes, I know just what you mean by the guys doing the heavy work. I wouldn't mind doing that once in a while too. The problem is that the women in our family have always been so darn independent. I am having trouble moving around today so DD is going to be driving for me this morning for a change. She's been either driving their own oxen or riding herd. With the extra teams they've been taking turns with the herding. It's harder in some ways but easier too as a lot of the B's people are helping out back there as they now have more teams and animals too. I sometimes feel like we are leading a whole cattle drive the way they trail behind us like that. It really is strange to look forward and backwards along the train. Wagon after wagon trailing about 100 feet behind each other, riders roaming alongside back and forth. Then for hundreds of yards behind there is almost every type of livestock. Sheep, goats, cows, oxen, horses, even some poultry occassionally when it's safe to let them graze are being constantly herded back together as they stop to grab a nibble of grass or in the case of the goats, wandering over to a tree line to stand up on their back legs to pull down a leaf or twig. I always smile a little when I see a horseman pit wits with a wiley goat around a big tree but I know that it's hard on rider and horse alike. Unfortunately the same ones get the tough jobs like that back there. I'm glad we've got some fairly good herd stock but I know I couldn't take that zigging and zagging on a horse bent on corraling a recalcitrant animal. Well I better get in and help Mom get things stowed away for the day and get some already cooked beans ground up. Mom's got an idea for a bean loaf she wants to try. She's going to use the beans just like she would ground meat with seasonings and eggs and dry bread crumbs. I said I'd work on the beans for her. She's a game one but we all try our best to do what we can to lesson her need to do so much. I'm not much better off than she is though. I only hope when I get to her age I'll be able to do the things she does! Half the time now I feel like she's taking care of me instead of the other way around. You all take it easy today. (((( ))))))

I have been cold all day. The damp cold just seemed to soak in even with the plastic curtains down in the front. I finally convinced Mom to go into the back and set bundled in her rocking chair with Sasha and puppies cuddled at her feet. Laughingly she says that dog gives off a lot of heat and maybe we should consider making a bed for her under the front seat where mom sleeps. She's joking of course but If it stays cold like this I might just do that. I'm glad that we put insulated curtains up inside the front and back curtain. I wish I could have closed them today to keep out some of that wind that played around with us this afternoon. I've been eyeing the trees around us today as we've been driving. I've seen no animals but the birds seem exceptionally active. I watched them feeding heavily all day. That usually means a weather system coming in and that makes me suspect it could get really cold tonight. At least the horses have been very sedate all day. I think the uphill climb is giving them a good workout and it's taken some of the zip out of them. I'm worried that we'll have to hitch the team we got at the ranch with them. I know there's no way I can handle four of them and that would mean someone else would have to be taken away from herd duty and leave them short as I can't handle the riding. Well, okay, if I have to I CAN but I'm not going to be very graceful either getting on or off a horse and I'm not saying I'd be able to stand up afterwards. I really enjoyed Mr. Hughes info on tracks. I used to know a lot of them but I was glad to have a refresher course and Bear and Mt. Lion were both new to me. I would have recognized the Mt. Lion track as a cat but that's about it. I really am surprised we haven't seen more animals if only at a distance. I suppose the noise of our animals and wagons are spooking them. I was really glad when we got stopped for the night. Those of the family walking or riding were picking up wood most of the day and sticking it inside the supply wagon and under some of the others but it wasn't all that dry with the mist on it. We had a hard time getting the fire going even WITH matches. A couple of the grand kids finally found some dry pine needles deep under the drooping canopy of a big tree. They joked about it being warmer under there than in our wagons. I wouldn't doubt it. Most of those big trees will hold a lot of heat in their trunks and those big pines and especially firs will droop their branches clear to the ground, forming a sort of cave. I'm surprised they didn't find some animal in there getting warm. This morning we had put beans to soak and at noon we brought them to a boil and put them in the insulated cookers with dried meat and dried carrots. We are getting tired of the same old thing and had hoped the guys would have been able to bring in a couple of rabbits or even squirrel though some of the family isn't crazy about squirrel. It would have perked up the meal some. Late this afternoon DD found a big patch of lambs quarter and rode up to get our big dishpan to harvest some. I was surprised, as spring seems to be a lot further behind here than lower down. These were pretty small leaved but there was enough there to share with whoever wanted it. I noticed that only a few did. Some are just not used to eating wild yet but LQ is one of the mildest of greens and can be used just like spinach. Mom cleaned it while we were doing chores. She used some of the bacon fat we'd been saving and made wilted salad out of the LQ with a bit of vinegar and honey mixed into the fat as a dressing. It was a welcome change. It's nice to set here around the big community fire in the center of the circle but I believe I'll go in and check to make sure that the plastic curtains are all snapped down securely and that the inner curtains are tight. I wish we'd taken time to make snaps for them too so they would be held secure against the wagon box. We have Velcro there but with this wind I'm not sure it will be enough. Night all.

MICHAEL! That was brilliant. I love your coal keeper. I've always wanted one of them. They used to use them when they were traveling or they could be used to go "borrow" a coal from a neighbor when their own fire was out for some reason. Though sometimes that 'neighbor' was a long ways away, sometimes miles. I know where I'm going to get MY fire from next time.

It looks like someone really wants me to try to start a fire without lighter or matches. This set up is almost as nice as the folding camp cooking table I have in the supply wagon. I could start that fire more easily with one of our black powder guns but I guess that's cheating?? Oh well, Guess I'll go get my flint and steel can. (Mother comes out with a small tin. She gathers some carefully chosen tinder. Wisps of dried grass mostly, some small twigs, and a piece of pine with small twigs attached. She also chooses a large leaf, not totally dry though and a couple of good sized rocks. She takes a knife and shaves some really thin curls of dry pin onto the leaf, just a few. She takes a couple of small twigs from the edge of the pine and frays them on all sides with her knife until they look like tiny brushes. She lays them aside. She carfully bunches the dry wispy grass and lays it on top of the pine shavings on the leaf. She opens up the tin and takes out her flint and steel, not much to look at but they work. She strikes them together once to remember how it's done and just to see the sparks fly. Then she pulls out a smaller tin and opens it carefully. From inside she takes a small piece of previously charred cloth. It's a bit fragile and she handles it carefully as she lays it nestled into the wispy grass. She cradles the leaf around the whole thing and then settles the bundle with the chared cloth showing between the rocks on the sheet iron. She strikes a couple of sparks onto the charred cloth, missing the first time but landing one spark on it. She gently picks up the leaf and carefully breathes on the cloth. At first there doesn't seem to be anything happening and she blows a bit more. Then suddenly a tiny tendril of smoke can be seen coming from the chard cloth and then flames. She quickly sets the leaf down and picks up the frayed pieces of pine and holds them in the flame until they 'catch', then lays them on the small fire that is now burning into the pine shavings below and curling up the edge of the leaf. Now it's just a matter of feeding small twigs until the fire is established. Wahlah! ) (I wasn't sure I remembered so I had to try it IRL before I wrote ) Phew, that was more nerve racking than I'd remembered or maybe it was just all these people watching me. The real problem is that when you really need to start a fire like this it's usually when you are lost or haven't paid attention to your fire and if you aren't prepared ahead of time you are still lost unless you can make a bow drill fire starter and have lots and lots of patience. Having the flint and steel or being able to ID flint and having a good steel knife; Having the cloth already charred and stored away from damp; having DRY tinder (lint really does work well but so will frayed jute rope or cotton) and getting it all together BEFORE you even try a spark. That is the true test. I used to know why steel wool worked. Something about the Iron oxide in the steel wool reacting with the oxygen in the air? Maybe? sorta? I DO know that if you put a big wad of it in the end of a Civil War cannon and fire it.....flames shoot far beyond the end of the cannon and it's spectacular, especially at night. We used to use it to start fires in camp during reenactments but truthfully, it was faster and more fun to use black powder and a cap in the pistol to set off an instant fire. (Mother gather's up her supplies, checks to see that she's got a couple more pieces of charred cloth before closing it all back into the tin, and heads back to her wagon. ) Shasha,, you didn't have to spoil my dignified exit by trying to lick my face. Down dumb dog! DOWN! Not on my feet, move over. (Mother starts to giggle and then is outright laughing and finally turns to the group lauging with her) It's really not easy being saved by a dog ya' know! They think they own you from then on. I only hope it doesn't rub off on her pups! Hey, anyone want a cup of mint tea, I'm just going to make a fresh pot?

What a super suggestion Leah. Thanks. I have had trouble getting enough shavings. Hmmm maybe you should consider joining our wagon train. You could win the prize Please, everyone, be sure to add any tips like this that you think of. It helps to round out the learning process.

I was a bit saddened to crawl into the wagon seat this morning and take up the reins. I couldn’t help but look back at the ranch again and again until I couldn’t see the buildings any longer. I kept going over things in my mind trying to make sure we’d done everything we were supposed to. I made sure that we all gave Annarchy an okay to take on the care and breeding of the turkeys. We all agreed that we would only butcher them if there was an emergency need for food. Otherwise she would be free to barter the offspring when she had them. She insisted that she would agree to that but would always give to those in need. Bless her heart. She is such a nice person. I can see that she’s got the cage attached to her wagon but I’m not sure how they did it. We made a place for Sasha and her pups in the supply wagon with our son but she made such a fuss last night when we put her there that we had to bring her back into ours so she wouldn't keep everyone awake. She’s contentedly feeding her pups back there as we ride along today but I know that we’ll have to do something different shortly. I should have taken more time to check out the packages we got yesterday. I ordered some things for Christmas and though the box arrived, I didn't check to see if everything was included. I can't help but wonder what circumstances we'll be in by the end of the year. It's almost impossible to fathom being snowed into a valley that's difficult to access at the best of times let alone in the winter. It had been my hope that we would have been able to order supplies at least a couple of times before then but with our fresh supplies not getting here I'm not so sure there will be another chance. I sent a couple of orders in the mail today and will hope they have a chance of getting to us with the mule train when it brings our lost supplies but I'm not going to hold my breath that even the supplies will get to us. We finally got hold of our son yesterday by using our GS's lap top computer and the Rockin J's internet connection. It was wonderful to be able to 'chat' with him. They are almost ready to leave and will most likely be pulling out in two days. A lot sooner than they had expected but only because they could see how bad it was getting. They have opted to rent trucks and bring what they have with them. They are afraid that their things won't make it here if they ship it as the delivery trucks, UPS and Fed Ex and etc, are being constantly hijacked. I worry about them driving but at least they have some safety in numbers and their trucks are just non-descript older box vans so shouldn’t bring a lot of attention. They are also heavily armed if it’s needed. He says they've seen a huge amount of people pulling out of the city, loading their cars with all they could get in it, and leaving for other parts of the country. We talked a bit about the farm they will be allowed to stay in just in case they can’t arrange to get to the valley. J and J have already agreed to watch out for them and to help them any way they could. Just in case, I used a code we’d developed while he was being home schooled as a child to let him know where he could find us. I could only give him landmarks as I don’t know the exact way myself but I hope it will be enough to get him there if J and J don’t happen to be available when they get here. You never know. I worry more about them making it to the area if it's as bad as they say out there. It sounded really rough. It was hard to say goodbye to them, as this will be our last contact unless they can get a letter into the valley some how. At least he had heard from his brother overseas and found that he is doing okay. Our noon stop was really interesting. I was glad to be on the receiving end of the whistle, light and knife as I am guilty of not carrying much on my person during the trip so far. Since my run in with the cougar I have managed to carry the small 22 pistol most of the time but besides my multi-tool very little else. I just can’t handle the weight of too many items. For that matter, I probably wouldn’t get far from the wagons but J is right. We are going to be in some pretty wild country and even a short stroll in the forest might find us unable to find our way back. As I plan to do some wildcrafting I better dig out my small BOB. I don’t remember all that’s in it but it sure doesn’t have what MtR has in hers. I know it’s got a good Swiss Army knife, waterproof matches as well as a small Bic lighter, flint and steel in a small case with charred cloth as tinder (I think there’s some dryer lint in there too), a candle, 50 yards of fishing line with hooks, a plastic rain poncho, a couple of water purifying tablets, a small flashlight, a large bandana, a couple Band-Aids and two 4x4 gauze with tape, four aspirin tablets, two and several pieces of hard candy. This all fits into an empty Boy Scout mess kit. I have a tin cup and a water bottle tied on the outside. It’s not much but it’s better than my fingernails and teeth for survival. I’m glad we pulled into camp early today. I’m interested in the fire lighting contest. It’s been a long, long time since I had to light one without a match. Wonder if I can still do it. I won’t try the magnifying glass though I'm pretty sure I have one or two along. I’m pretty sure there won’t be enough concentrated sun with the way the clouds are piling up on the horizon. I know I’m not going to attempt the bow drill. I never could get that to work. Maybe someone will demonstrate it though and I’ll learn more. Maybe I’ll give it a try with the flint and steel but that would mean I’d have to get down to ground level. Not sure I’ll be able to get there. Might be a good idea to just watch from the sidelines from my lawn chair.

(Stay tuned in. There's a temporary glitch in production of this publication Just a minor one though. Wilderness Journey coming soon to this very forum. )