300 replies to this topic

[CeeGee]

So sorry the I have been MIA. We have had a very BUSY couple of weeks. Got our DD moved, but GS is still with us for a bit. We started home schooling him and want to get him to a certain level before he goes. Plus, DD needs to find a job and all of that. Then we got her house ready and rented out. Then we had a pipe in the laundry room freeze and burst..... and on and on it goes! We have been very cold, but no snow until today.

So, I have been reading and trying to get caught up on the trail and I couldn't find myself! LOL!

[Mt_Rider]

6pm and it's MINUS 12 already. Yeah, we're going colder than 20 below easy.....


I'm in for the nite. the house is wrapped up. the Jupiter lantern can be filled if needed. The MrHeater can be hooked to the small propane bottle outside the window [has to be vented out that window anyway for O2 levels]. Have a propane heater in the basement/garage area the furnace goes out....and the pipes down their would freeze and burst.

The 23 below nite last week? My parents furnace DID quite. At 6pm...dark and frigid cold already. They are near their 80's and at 9pm I'm about to freak cuz the repair guy [thank YOU God, that one came out that bitter nite] is still working on it and their house is chilling by the minute at 6 below. BUT the guy had the part and got it running. It's due to be replaced next summer but till then, their lives depend on it.


You know....hpmh!..... I like our springtime blizzard/cold better instead of this early season stuff. We have a LOOONG winter yet ahead of us.


Wow, I guess W*Ho was just comatose today. LOL Oh well, we'll be back rolling tomorrow....since we outran that snowmelt. Upwards and Onwards!


MtRider ...tired of "weather"..... and ya'll stay safe!!!!

[Mt_Rider]

Oh hi Mother and CeeGee..... Mother, we're posting at the same time again...and again...and again.....

I'm glad to see you posting and safe today.

I'm afraid to tell you ALL that this stuff I'll be passing on to anyone EAST of me is deadly cold. Get prepared for bad DEEP FREEZE...even you all who are supposed to be much warmer.
--Don't go out without protection on ALL your skin.
--Never lay down you gloves...stuff them into your coat or in pockets.
--Don't bundle into layers if it's too tight. Outer layers should be a size bigger so all-too-important blood circulation can operate and keep extremities warm.
--DON'T mess around with numb toes/nose/fingers. Get them warm NOW!.
-- Frostbite is dangerous....and it's forever. Once you get it, even if you don't lose body parts, the effected areas will always be supersensitive.


--Hypothermia is the other cold danger. Getting tooooo cold in the core of your body. We actually have storyline planned for this too...but didn't get there yet. It doesn't have to be real cold to get hypothermia. It can happen at 50 above! Especially if you get wet....even from sweating, it's a horrible danger. Especially in wind. Be sure to layer clothing so that you constantly can unzip or take off layers so that you never become damp/wet. Very dangerous. Once the body gets to a certain point of cold, you canNOT think and you canNOT rescue yourself. It requires a hospital FAST!


BTW....Yesterday's scenes walking thru mud could not have happened without some real cases of frostbite/hypothermia. We'd have needed waterproof boots and gaiters to keep from serious cold injury. The choice to slug it out and deal with being too cold later would often be a fatal one.

Please be careful out there as this chill reaches all of you. We can't "write in" a happy ending IRL !!!!!!!!!!





MtRider Again....

Edited by Mt_Rider, 08 December 2009 - 08:28 PM.

[quiltys41]

Okay, I don't want to say it, but there is a warm wind blowing up here from the SW and at 7:30 pm the temp is now UP to 61!!!! It hasn't been in the 60's here for a few weeks. And tomorrow night it's suposed to get down to 16! There's mud up to my eyeballs out there in the back yard. Why do we have to keep writing our real weather??????

LOL Okay Mother ( and Mt. R.), I'll quit now. But it just really does seem that way.... I'm just worried with it going up into the 60's and a bad cold front coming...that usually spells for us here. Well I guess I will check back in tomorrow and see if Michael is waking us all up again....I am going to hide his little triangle LOL...


Q

Edited by quiltys41, 08 December 2009 - 08:36 PM.

[Mother]

Blessings to Annarchy. I see she gave us a day to clean up things and rest AND COOKIES too!!

CEE GEE IS FOUND!!!! I can only imagine what she thought when she was unable to find herself...

Snow coming down pretty heavy here and the temp is already dropping. No wind yet.

MTRRRRRR Hypothermia??? How can you even THINK of writing that in...You KNOW one of us is going to GET it if you do.....

Seriously, it's one of the things I have to be especially careful of as I have naturally very low body temp. Got my down filled jacket and insulated boots out.

I'll be back on the trail tomorrow if the puter is still functional,,,if not, you all stay safe out there and IRL too.....

[Leah]

I thought A_H putting in the book research about the Chinook winds was a nice touch.
Adds information some might not know and still keeps the story moving.
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Cold here too, my laundry cold water froze last night. It doesn't usually do that until February.

[snapshotmiki]

I just love this story and think that you all are doing a great job! I can hardly wait to get home from work to find out what happened while I was gone! Thank you all! Mik

[Mother]

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

[quiltys41]

I just love this story and think that you all are doing a great job! I can hardly wait to get home from work to find out what happened while I was gone! Thank you all! Mik

Wow, we have a fan! That's just so cool. Thanks Miki for letting us know you are out there reading this story. It's a lot of fun to do. And comments like yours make it all the much more fun to write!

Q

[Leah]

Brrr, sounds cold there too!
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Mother asked how to make or replace various things... I have a few links that may be worth reading.
Paintbrushes: http://www.potters.o...ubject10824.htm
Brooms: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/How-To-Make-A-Broom.aspx http://broomsbydawso...ke_a_broom.html
Wooden hinges: http://www.woodcraft...efcode=07IN04RL
How about paper and pencils or pens. Ink recipes http://mrssurvival.c...showtopic=25558
Paper from sheep poop - http://mrssurvival.c...showtopic=35297
Rubber bands and waterproofing from dandelion sap. http://mrssurvival.c...showtopic=34170
Plastic from potatoes - http://mrssurvival.c...showtopic=25984
Protection/hunting when the bullets are gone?
http://www.crossbowh...m/_sgg/m5_1.htm Building crossbows, arrows, knives, etc
Knife handles - http://mrssurvival.c...showtopic=32189
Smokers and smokehouses - http://www.squidoo.c...to-build-smoker
Grain de-huller, thresher, winnower, plans - http://www.savingourseed.org/
Repairing a Crack in Plexiglas - http://www.plasticge...plexiglass.html

[Mother]

great links Leah. I can't wait to check them all out.

Thanks for the info.

[Annarchy]

Thanks Miki, I look forward to reading what the rest of the group is doing. I end up sharing it with DH & MIL at dinner.

Protection/hunting when the bullets are gone?

I asked my DH about that. His reply was rather interesting. He said, 'if we had taken all our supplies of ammo, he says it would last 3 to 4 generations to use it up. Mainly because we are not practicing with it and only using it for hunting and protection.'

I know we have also brought bows and arrows which can be reproduced in most cases.

[quiltys41]

Thanks Miki, I look forward to reading what the rest of the group is doing. I end up sharing it with DH & MIL at dinner.

Protection/hunting when the bullets are gone?

I asked my DH about that. His reply was rather interesting. He said, 'if we had taken all our supplies of ammo, he says it would last 3 to 4 generations to use it up. Mainly because we are not practicing with it and only using it for hunting and protection.'

I know we have also brought bows and arrows which can be reproduced in most cases.

I asked mine about it too lol. He said if we had those hot springs out in the west, then chances are we had sulfur. And if we had sulfur, we could make black powder. I thought that was kind of cool so I asked how. He told me how we could make our own salt peter, the charcol and the sulfur. I wont put the mixture here for obvious reasons. But it can be mixed in the right amounts to come up with black powder for reloading. lol he thought we all knew abou that...I just gave him "the look". hehehe

Q

[Mt_Rider]

Yeah, and it just got colder, Leah. 'Course it's better if ya don't get shoved into a COLD Mt. stream.
Thanks for the links. I remember some of those MrsS threads. Cool!


Hey Quilty, I saw that episode of the original Star Trek!



Glad you are enjoying the story, Miki. It's been an unusual experience. But it's been so fun. I can't believe how much we have really FELT some of this happening [ok....my mother always told me I have a vivid imagination....lol ]. But it's made me look at some of my real prepping in different ways....the next best thing to being there, playing on this wagon train daily. I hope all you readers can feel some of that too.




MtRider [.....already knowing what a pain in the rear my MS is/will be....but it even shows up here in keeping up with the story... ]

Edited by Mt_Rider, 12 December 2009 - 01:23 AM.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Thanks Leah -
I better print some of them out seeing we will nOT have our computer atthe 'new homestead' in the valley when we will really need them. LOL

This has been a great ride for Lori an dI and we will be thinking about it for months after it is all over. :-(

What a great 'Family' bond we have made over this trip...................

[Leah]

Has anyone thought of what to use for brakes, to slow those wagons on the downhill sides?
There are brakes like rods to slow the wheels (and are wearing to them), but I vaguely remember reading years ago about wrapping thongs around something to slow the wheels down.

I did a little hunting and found these:
http://www.mullersla...wagonbrake.html
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Are any of these similar to the brakes you are using? (I know several of you have IRL wagons.)

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Most of us have the food type of brake on the wagons - Like on our buggy too.
But when we get to the part of the story where we need to get 'into' the valley we do have a plan in mind. Do you want to know what we are doing - can you keep a secert........

well, so can I LOL!

But yes great plan and it is good to see it in pictures, that helps a lot if you are not used to being around that kind of wagon. In the old days they 'locked' the wheels going down hills (like with the log in the pictures) But I always wondered wouldn't that way have worn a flat spot on the wheels sliding along the dirt like that? Even the one with metal rims?

[Mother]

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*!

[Leah]

Do you have the URL ?
Sorry about any typos, holding baby.

[Mother]

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.