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[mommato3boys]

Saturday July 17

Strawberry Day…next year we need to have a strawberry festival in the valley. I will have to suggest that to Chef and Mr. S.

V and her girls were here early this morning. I had just wrung one of the rooster necks when they arrived. He was a mean ol cuss. He would chase the other chickens and you if you would let him. Well after he tried to attack me I decided he would make good dumplings tonight. SF told me to go on and work on the strawberries he would just skinned the chicken feathers and all and set it in the cold cave. I told him if he would clean it I would get everything ready and just put it in the coals and let it cook while we did the preserves and jam today. As soon as he was finished he headed down the mountain. The guys were on weed control duty again.

The women folk got busy and made jam, preserves, and syrup. K and Abby picked more of the strawberries this morning. They are ripening faster than we can get them put up. (IRL V has more strawberries than she can handle she has a contacted the little mom and pops local grocery store and they have agreed to buy any extra she has it is funny in a way because she thought she had lost them all to the snow and deep freeze they had earlier this month) Between the wild strawberries and the ones we planted we have been able to put everyone 12 jars each of strawberry preserves and jam and 3 jars of syrup. We did the syrup first we started out with 8 cups of crushed strawberries, 2 cups water and 4 cups sugar. We brought that to a boil and then lowered the heat and simmered for 10 minutes. We poured the mixture through sever layers of cheesecloth pressing pulp with a spoon. (save the pulp for preserves) Measured juice back into sauce pan adding 1 cup sugar for each cup of juice, then you bring it to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes then skim off foam. (IRL I have always stop right here just poured this in sterilized jars and store in the refrigerator because it does not last at my house; however since we are in the middle of no where and I am posting my grandmother’s recipe and she always canned hers…) add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and stir pour in to sterilized jars and water bath for 10 minutes.

Next is strawberry Preserves. For each cup of fruit we used 1 cup of sugar and for every 4 cups of fruit we used 1 tablespoon cider vinegar. We diced the fruit and added the pulp from that was left from the syrup. We brought fruit and vinegar to a boil and boiled for 2 minutes then added the sugar and boiled for 10 more minutes. Added to jars and water bath for 10 minutes.

By now we were sick of looking at strawberries but we still have jam to make and we are going to use honey in this batch and use the same jam recipe that we used for the blackberries.

By late afternoon everyone was headed home. I was so thankful that A had handled lunch for the guys today. She even kept the twins and Zoe. I don’t know who had a harder day her or us. I know when I dropped off her preserves and jams she looked beat. She said she only had the younger ones and the oldest girl (she had stayed to help with the little ones) but like she said they were all out of routine and wanted to do their own thing. I noticed the girls were dragging when they climbed on the back of the buckboard. I swing by where the guys were working SF handed me a mess of corn. He said it is starting to come in. The field corn looks good but the white corn we planted is not doing as well as the yellow corn he said he would be surprised if we got 20 bushel off of the field. My heart sank We had planted 5 acres of white corn and he said we may only get 20 bushel not good not good at all. On average you get about 100 bushels per acre oh…..that is going to make us short on corn meal and hominy The white corn was supposed to be for cornmeal, hominy and canned corn. The guys love it when I stir fry corn. Hummmm. Hopefully this last rain will help. SF said we needed a week of good rain. Rain in July yeah right.

It is getting late the sun is touching the west mountain and we still have animals in the lower pasture. As we all started back towards home we could hear the dogs going crazy. SF and the older men road off to see what was happening. Connor was a little miffed that he couldn’t go but SF told him and Aidan he needed him to see me and the girls safely home. I handed Connor my rifle and Connor handed Aidan his 22 so they could escort us home. One was on each side of the wagon. As we got to the base of the mountain we heard gun fire but we could tell it wasn’t any of the guys they were still riding hard to go up the mountain. Connor told the girls to lay down and hang on. Thank goodness I had used horses today instead of oxen. As we pulled into the yard I noticed Beth was leaning over Abby. I was frozen in fear for only a minute then I leaped from the wagon and was in a all out run. Connor and Aidan took the wagon and the keep the girls there. R grabbed in mid-flight and said she was okay she just fainted after she shot the coyote.

Fear still had a hold of me all I was focused on was Abby, Beth and SF. R still had a hold one me and wouldn’t let me go. He finally got me to focus and it started sinking in coyote shot…fainted…she is ok. I thought I was going to faint then. Abby started coming around and SF picked her up and headed to the cottage with her. Beth handed Ray the rifles and went to fetch water. I looked at the animal and said that is no coyote that is a dang wolf. It was as bigger than boss and he is a black lab weighing in at 120 pounds. Ray looked at it and said no it was a coyote the snout was longer and thinner than a wolf’s. R agreed and said that means there is more coyote’s travel in packs.

After Abby had come around and both her and Beth had calmed down they said they heard the chickens acting up and the goats crying. So they went to check on them and saw a couple of coyotes trying to get chasing the baby goats and they shot in the air to chase the coyotes away because they didn’t want to hit the goats but then they went after the chickens again that is when Abby shot the coyote. Ray said he would stay over here and run night guard. SF told him to go ahead and bed down in the loft and he would wake him later that he would take the first watch. B told W he would take the first watch on the animals down there and R said they would just move what animals they had in to the cave they are turning into a barn and he and V&E would keep watch over there. Ray said he would bed down as soon as he took care of the coyote. It was decided that they would burn it since we didn’t know if it had rabies or not. I noticed that Connor and Aidan had gotten the twins in the house and unhitched the wagon. I told them to go with SF and get the animals up we needed to get them in the barn before it got to dark. Everyone scattered and headed to take care of business.

Dinner…what was going to be dinner. Oh crap I total forgot about dumplings and it is too late now. Well we will just have chicken Cesar salad. I headed to the garden and gathered a huge bowl of lettuce. I pulled out the bread and made croutons, we had left from lunch yesterday and headed to find cheese and dressing. I shredded half of the chicken, I will save the other half for dumplings tomorrow. Dinner was quite everyone was worn out and some of us were still shaken up a bit. I suggested the girls sleep in the front room of the cottage but they said with SF and Ray on watch they would stay in their tent.

Later I told SF I was surprised that the coyotes came out in broad daylight he said he was afraid something like this would happen they are getting braver and are not as afraid of us anymore. I asked him what were we going to do we couldn’t all go to the lodge tomorrow. He told me to take Connor, Aidan and the girls and go. He knew we had packages there and mail so we needed to pick them up. I told him we need to notify the Q’s he said he would ride over and tell them first thing in the morning and if I saw them tat the lodge I was to tell them.

Since we were not all going tomorrow we would just take sandwiches with us and I would make dumplings when I got back. I don’t when I actually fell asleep but gunshots woke me early this morning. It seemed Ray had gotten the other coyote. That still didn’t make me feel any better. This one was a female and we could tell she had pups but that she was drying up so that means they were 8-10 weeks old. I headed back to bed to try and get more sleep before heading to the lodge later.

[CeeGee]

What a week we have had! Sunday after we got back from the Lodge we all gathered for a light supper and a time to plan our week.

The “menfolk” told us that they had the wood cut to start the “big” house.

When we first arrived in the Valley, before the second half of our group arrived we built a small cordwood barn for the few animals that we had. We plan to enlarge it as we add to our livestock. We used an adobe like mixture to cement the logs in place. We used sod for the roof. We are really pleased at how fast it was to build and how well it has stood up to the elements. We then decided to use the same technique to build a stand alone house and a small house into the side of our south facing hill and face it with cordwood. When we first made our plans we were going to use the small house for the “bachelor quarters”, but now we are going to have to do a little rearranging. I am starting to hear some whispers about the possibility of some weddings in our future!

Bright and early Monday morning the guys started clearing the spot for our house and we “ladies” cooked a hardy breakfast. We scrambled some of the eggs that I traded for with some of our powdered eggs and wild onions. We fried some venison steaks, baked some biscuits and put out bowls of the wild berries that we had picked. Owen and Quinn really enjoyed the berries! Oh, the colorful smiles!

After breakfast, Ari and Chris headed over to the medical building to do their rotation. Even though we are only about a half hour ride to the Lodge and medical building, they decided to work at the same time so they can ride together. I am sure that Chris will spend most of his day with Chef in the greenhouse and Ari will do whatever is needed with the medical group.

The rest of us got busy on the house. After we had our spot cleared Major pounded a stake in the ground and MrGee measured a length of rope to tie to it. Then MrGee tied a stick to the other end of the rope and he and Owen drew a circle. Our house was under construction!

As Miz B, Janie, Quinn and I walked back to the outdoor kitchen Quinn started gathering up every stick that his little arms would hold. Janie explained to us that Owen had told Quinn that they needed to help us and gather up sticks for kindling everywhere they go! I had wondered where the pile of sticks had come from, now I know!

By Friday the house was shoulder high! Of course that is my shoulder so it is about 4 feet. We found some flagstone down by the river and we will use that for the floor. I am so excited! I have some wild flower seed that I want to plant on my roof…..wow, who would of thought that I would be thinking about PLANTING a roof! LOL!

[Mother]

It has been such a busy week that we had decided not to go into the lodge until tomorrow to pick up packages and even then not all of us will be going this time. C and L’s family hope to be able to move into the new ‘longhouse’ next week but it will depend on if they get the sod roof on the building. They have been working some long hours over there. Everyone has been here for chores but the bulk of the laundry, cooking, and clean up has fallen to just a few of us. Mostly L’s Mom, my Mom, the two expecting mothers and myself have been trying to keep up. And even then the mothers have been sticking the two toddlers in strollers and going over at least once a day to check on progress while Baby T takes a nap and us three matriarchs take a rest under a shade tree. Well, rest might not be exactly the word as we are usually working on vegetables either for supper or for dehydrating.

I am so grateful for the amount of produce starting to come from the garden. These long hot days have made things grow well but it’s been hard to keep up with it all. Most of the produce is being dehydrated but the cucumbers are starting to come in strongly and we’re starting to pickle them. For now we are just making a dill crock, using one of the totes. It’s a pretty effective use of our salt. With the coolness in the spring room the brine is keeping well. Later in the year we’ll be making mixed pickles using cauliflower, broccoli, onion, peppers, and cukes.

I’ve been using wild grape leaves in the bottom of the tote to help crisp the pickles. With a little garlic and mustard seed and of course dill, they are turning out great and will be even better after they have sat a couple of months. The problem is that we are using salt and vinegar which we aren’t sure we can replace. I know that there are a couple of old apple trees in the woods above the house and they look like they are fruiting. Even if they are not the greatest for fresh eating or drying we should be able to make vinegar from them. There is a small orchard at the Lodge though and Mr. S assures me that the fruit will be distributed to everyone that needs or wants it. We can use them for dehydrating if need be and use the wild ones for the juice for vinegar. Grinding the apples won’t be a problem but pressing them in quantity might be. I’m hoping we’ll be able to come up with a homemade press before they are ready, another thing to put on that growing list of things to do.

We’ve been working at getting an inventory going so we can divide the supplies between the two homesteads. Once C and L’s family get moved they say they are going to attempt to cook for themselves except perhaps to come here once or twice a week to make bread and other baked goods. They are trying to set up their hot springs for laundry as we have here but have had more difficulty with the drainage than we have. I worry about how they will make out over there with two new babies and moms who have already pushed themselves pretty far.

Those babies should be here soon. Both mothers are due the end of July. They joke about racing each other but I can see that even though this is not the first for either of them, they are a bit nervous with no hospital and probably not even a nurse in attendance. I wish we at least had a midwife here in the valley but I guess we’ll have to do with what we have. We’ve put together a couple of ‘birthing’ kits so we’ll be ready when the time comes.

We are all feeling a lot of frustration with trying to juggle between getting a place ready for the new comers and keeping up with the necessities of securing food for the year but I can understand the new mom’s wanting a place of their own for those babies to get settled in to. It can’t be easy living in the soddy with all the kids underfoot and with crowded conditions. We really need to do something to ease the sanitation situation too. Our sawdust/compost toilets seem to be working for now but we don’t want to get into a situation where we have to remove the sewage before it’s had a chance to compost.

I was out looking at the fruit in the orchard today. There are quite a few strawberries on our plants but they are not quite ready yet. It looks like we will be able to take some of the rhubarb by fall too. We could probably take it now but I tasted it and it’s pretty tart. If we wait it will need very little sugar if we mix it with other fruit. The Red Heritage raspberries are almost ready too. I’m amazed at them having fruit the first year but they are advertised as doing that. We should have a lot of them. I’d like to try my hand at making vinegar out of other fruit besides apples and the raspberries might be good for that. We won’t have domestic grapes before next year, likewise for some of the other bush fruits, but the wild grapes are plentiful and some of those grapes are bigger than I expected. Usually they are about pea sized but some of those around the hot springs are almost marble sized. They aren’t ready yet of course but later we should have lots of grape juice.

There are so many things I need to be out gathering. Soon the mustard, peppergrass, and shepherd purse will be going to seed and I want to be sure to gather some. The wild mustard seed can be used just like domestic mustard seed and the other two make a great pepper substitute. I also want to look for wild ginger.

I believe that Karen would go with me if she were free to go. She seems very interested in the plants and animals. DH and I and L’s parents had a talk with her last night. Well we talked and she wrote or signed. She’s starting to learn a few of the basic ones and it makes communication easier. She’s been working very hard across the river but we told her we wanted her to have a choice. Her and Anna could live there with L’s parents and use the loft for a bedroom or they could stay with us, using one of the rooms in the ‘bunk house’ or in one of the cave rooms if they preferred. We could see she was undecided and we told her to talk it over with Anna, that there was no need to decide right now. I have talked her into coming with us to the Lodge tomorrow. I sort of bribed her by saying that she needed to choose some books from the library for her and Anna to read. She really does love to read.

It will only be Dh, Mom, Karen, and I going tomorrow. The rest will be working either at the Hobbit Hole or across the river. I felt they all needed a rest but they say they have too much to do. I feel the same way. I really should be staying home and getting more done but I have a special letter I’d like to read to everyone and I am hoping that the spinners have our yarn ready. We have more game to bring them. Dh also is going to be talking to the guys who make the barrels. He’d asked about getting some for the cider and etc. He wants to check on their progress. I also have some comfrey root for CeeGee to plant. She can use the root in her healing salves. Because her plant won’t be big enough to harvest before late fall I’m bringing her extra to use now. I’m hoping she will give me “credit” for the possible future need of medical help. With two babies coming you never know.

Tomorrow will come early enough, I should get into bed but it’s so nice setting here under the tarp in the yard, feeling the cool breeze that smells like rain. It’s been hot and dry and if it doesn’t rain soon we’re going to have to divert the stream to irrigate trees and bushes or carry water to each. So far the fields are holding up okay but the trees and vines are looking stressed. Maybe we’ll be able to do that Monday.

[CeeGee]

Sunday Morning..............(IRL late Saturday night)

Sunday morning has come into our Valley bringing a beautiful sunny day. I know that we have so much to get done, but we all agree to take the time to today to go to the Lodge. We go to join our new community in giving thanks and to worship our God who has blessed us beyond measure.

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

[Mother]

It rained in the night and was still raining early this morning and I thought we would have to cancel our trip to the Lodge but DH had the guys help him put the surrey type top on the sleigh and said we would be fine. It was an ingenious affair that had a metal frame that set down in brackets around the outside of the box. The top was a heavy canvas that really did have a fringe around the edge but it also had heavy-duty clear plastic curtains that could hang down all the way round and snap into place to close the whole box of the sleigh in. It was too stuffy to have them on today but we folded it up under the front seat just in case as it was still threatening rain.

I could tell that Karen was nervous but I just squeezed her hand to let her know it was okay. I had her keep an eye out for various herbs and plants that we might gather on the way back and that seemed to occupy her mind.

We arrived in plenty of time to visit the library first and pick out books but I soon left Karen there with the promise I would be back to get her before the service and then went to find the women with the yarn for us. I was amazed at the amount of yarn they had been able to produce in a short time, certainly a lot more than we’d be able to turn out on our wheel. They were pleased with the haunch of deer and the prairie chickens I had brought in with me. I didn’t want to bring too much at a time to them for fear it would not keep in the heat. At least I knew they could dehydrate the deer if they wanted though I had to explain to them how to do it. They had been experimenting with various fibers and I was pleased with the mixture of Nettle and wool that turned out a bit like the flax mixture I’d seen in the past. Last week I had brought some of the hair we brushed from the Saint Barnyards and they had that spun as well. It was a bit coarse but looked like it was sturdy and, if I worked it up tight enough, fairly waterproof. I couldn’t wait to get started on several projects I had in mind.

I met DH coming back from talking with the guys about the barrels and he said we’d need to bring the bigger wagon in later this week or next Sunday to pick up at least one of the barrels he’d ordered. I would have liked to see where they were making them but it was almost time for the service and I wanted to make sure that Chef didn’t need help in the kitchen before lunch.

I found Chef in the greenhouse choosing some herbs for a salad he’d put together. I awed at the amount of plants he had in there. I knew that I’d have to get mine going soon as well or we wouldn’t have edible plants big enough to be usable come winter. We were still playing around with the venting on ours and I was interested to see that Chef had installed an automatic but non-electric thermostatically controlled vent in his. When I drooled over it and asked where he’d gotten it he smiled and said it had been ordered a year ago and by the good graces of God had been at the ranch when he’d gone back. It works with special waxes that expand when heated moving a cylinder that pushes open the vent. When the wax cools it contracts and the weight of the vent and a SS spring closes the vent.

When I went back to the Library I almost missed seeing Karen. She was curled in a chair in a corner, supposedly reading but I could see her relief that I’d come for her. She had a large stack of books, some I’d chosen earlier and some she’d chosen for herself and for others. We took them to the sleigh before going to find a seat near DH.

As always, it was good to be among friends and to hear an uplifting message. There wasn’t as many in attendance today as last week but then that was partly because our large crowd was missing and so was MT3B’s. I was overjoyed to see her there though and made a point of giving her a large hug. She seems tired but then I bet I do too. We all are working against time trying to get as much done as we can.

The message today reminded me that we really are God’s creations and we need to remember that His love and faithfulness does last forever. He will not let us fail here. I believe that others got the message as well because the songs of praise were heartfelt and full of joy. I was still hearing the songs in my mind as we went to lunch.

When the messenger had brought us our packet of letters from the mule train there had been one from Lois and I took time to read it to the group. It was so wonderful to hear from those we all loved and worried about. I’m tucking Lois’s letter in here to keep it safe with Leah’s.

Dear Mother,
We are doing okay up on our Mountain with family and friends all around. Some great farmers around here.
We also have the fields to raise the grains for man and beast, as well as the tools to do it.
We are fortunate that so many of the farms have been here for many years, and kept most of the old farming implements.

Dinners are usually for a large group so when cleaning a large batch of dandelion greens for cooking we wash them in my wringer washing machine.

Daughters business is doing laundry.

Our gardens are doing quite well. Berries are plentiful, fortunately the quince bush is doing well, so we won’t miss the lemons for canning. We have enjoyed beet greens and the spinach and Swiss chard.
Lois

I gave CeeGee her comfrey roots before we left and she assured me that if we ran into trouble with the births we could send someone for help. I told her that when they got further with their ‘stack wood’ home we were going to come to see it. We’d have gone today but it was already starting to thunder and we hurriedly got our packages and said a quick good bye and crawled into the sleigh. We were only just on the road outside of the settlement when we decided to stop to put on the plastic curtains in case it did rain. They weren’t too difficult as they just snapped on but it didn’t take long to realize that it was too hot with them closed and we opened the bottoms enough to get some air.

We did manage to stop on the way home to gather a large supply of Bearberry or Kinnikinik leaves. Better known to some as Uva Ursi. The leaves are used short term for all manner of urinary tract infections and disorders. The leaves are a tobacco substitute and the fruit, when just ripe can be used in a lot of ways, even as a type of wine. We’ll have to go back later in the summer to gather some.

The rain started just before we got back to the homestead and we found people coming from various directions to help us unload and unhitch. Karen and I made our way to the kitchen and found the women making pizzas. They were fast becoming a favorite Sunday night meal. Someone had the adobe oven heated for them and a big pot of beans ready to be put into the oven after supper.

We gathered chairs and went to the greenhouse to eat, watching the rain stream down the glass in sheets and listening to the thunder roll. It’s nice setting here listening to the conversation around me as I write. Someone mentioned that one of the Nigerian does was restless tonight so I’ll have to check her in bit. L said she was feeling restless too and we all laughed but I could see she really was uncomfortable.

If the goat isn’t doing anything that needs my attention tonight I’d like to work a while on the floor loom. I’m anxious to see how smooth it is to use. It looks like DS and DH did a good job with it and with the wall loom. I have a piece already started on the upright wall loom. It’s not as automatic as I hope the floor one will be but it gives me a lot of versatility with hand weaving.

Well, guess I better check that goat before it gets too late.

Edited by Mother, 21 March 2010 - 08:35 PM.

[Mt_Rider]

{IRL.....aaaaaauuuuuuuggggghhhhhhh.....this has been SO annoying to be without Internet service. I've tried several ways to get around it and keep sending in posts on this story. But my Mac computer isn't on speaking terms with the NOT Macs at our library. I've been forced to learn new technical things ! So my posts will be as tho I am writing a history of the past events...not in a timely journal format until I get caught up and....return to Internet connection. ...working on that!..... I'll be thrilled when I can finally read everyone else's posts here toooooooo! NOTE: It WORKS!!!! }





The New Children -- Settling In



Dear Diary

Let me take some time to recap some of the times and events since the night we spent at the Base Camp ....after bringing down the last of the wagons/carts, the cargo without wagons, and then the livestock. Obviously, everyone was completely exhausted and slept as early as we could eat and lay down.



Very early the next morning, Mother's clan and MtR's clan left for our cross-country trek home. This land south of our EAST River is primarily uninhabited as yet. On rest stops, we again tried to look for varieties of plant life that would be useful for eating or medicinally. There were various early berries to pick and that will help put fruit into our diet. We've noted the locations and we will be coming back on day trips for more...if we get a half a chance.



MrMtR and Mother's DD had a long discussion on plant identification. He's still trying to get up to speed with that. He'd been used to getting his herbs already processed into capsules and pill form. We kept trading off drivers so that everyone had a chance to stretch sore muscles from the heavy work yesterday. We have enough riders to keep the extra horses, sheep, cattle, etc herded. We had a bit of rodeo at that larger stream but finally they were all coaxed to cross. It was so hot that we stopped the wagons and many of us cooled off by splashing around in our clothes. More than one had to put a poncho or tarp across a saddle so as not to dampen the leather with dripping clothing.



{sigh} It's getting to that point for me .........when the mid-day hours are going to be dangerously HOT! That's the reason I stayed mostly under the awning we pulled forward over the wagon seat....staying in the shade. There's not much shade from horseback here. It helped that we were traveling north [and a bit west] and the wagon seat was out of direct sunlight. I am SO glad of the wide overhang of rock on our cave's patio. I'd hate to be locked inside for hours of each day. I kept my white sweatshirt soaked by wetting it from the waterbarrel on the side of the wagon. It's icky to slip on a COLD, wet sweatshirt over my tank top but it sure does keep me cool by evaporation. The gentle breeze dries the garment within two hours and I wet it again. I've also got my cool bibs which, when soaked, retain water for a couple days. They also work by evaporation. My mom has sewn me a lot of these and we've brought material and the polymer crystals that go inside them. The crystals are also used to ensure even watering of delicate plants, but I want mine for the cool bibs!



The Three Sisters Ford [so named for our very first garden which is near this crossing] was exciting. Although we were technically on Our Land for a while on the south side of the East River, we count ourselves HOME when we come to this side near our caves. We've been working on some crude fencing on that south bank and the Witlocks boys have managed to get some of it completed. If these Dexter cattle don't swim across the river, that is. We're hoping to use the river as a "fence line" but .....sometimes animals don't acknowledge that.



Anyway, as the first of Mother's clan began crossing with their wagons, the rest of us began to pick out the Dexters from the mass of other livestock and 'rodeo' them into the fencing. It would need to be expanded but it would provide shade, grass, and river water for now. The two herd dogs [Port and Starboard...so named for the sides they generally took when herding... ] knew how to bully their cattle and it was less problematic than I'd anticipated. Well, a few comical moments.... Hey, I knew that branch was there before it swacked my face....really! But I got that cow!



Tom and David [Whitlock...who'd been homestead-sitting for us] came out in time to join this fun. Their young energy was a great help to those of us who are older and were getting pretty tired by now. Nathan was glad to see them again and introduced his siblings. Good friends for our sons.



It's a reallly good thing that the banks of 3-S Ford are so VERY flat at this crossing. It's also been dry weather for a while now. The hayrack full of pigs and the grain wagons would have had trouble. We are all *quite* aware by now, of why the old time wagons had such large wheels. Having discussed the possibility of bringing such wagons with Nathan when he was here, we'd prepared four large logs ahead of time. They were lashed into a rectangle...fitted closely to the sides of the heavy metal grain wagons. Helped with buoyancy and stability. A function similar to outriggers for canoes. We'd temporarily sealed up those wagons at the grain door in the back. They would not have floated well and the logs made everything acquired but the river is not very wide. I wouldn't try that too often tho. The Conestogas float over much better due to their shape. These grain wagons are shaped like a square funnel and are thus, top heavy. Need to see about a bridge here!



We'd also had to do some re-hitching in order to have the pulling power to yank those grain wagons clear of the muddy river bottom after they'd crossed the deep channel close to the south bank. There is a sand bar in the middle, but then it's mostly solid rocky bottom and knee-deep water on the north bank of the river. The trout had long since fled the area....



The pigs! Oh, they were quite vocal about getting wet. Well, the mebbe not that but the whole process of river crossing anyway. The old hayrack did float easily, being made of wood. But it has no freeboard and the river kinda sloshed lazily across the bottom of the cages. .....Welllllllll, that was a GOOD idea. You can kind of imagine what the bottom of the cages [and hayrack] looked like after the pigs had been living there? Even with frequent cleaning, it was quite FOUL. So the washing of the river was welcomed by everyone ....except the pigs.



We decided to off load our pigs into the corral that was quickly set up with hog panels. These panels had been carried on the hayrack too and it took just a short time to pound in a few T-posts and wire them tight for stability. The ramp was set and the pigs escorted down to the grass. They were familiar with this routine, having done it a few times during the wilderness trip. They can be ornery animals and dangerous with teeth and feet. But there were no incidents. At least all this year's piglets were weaned by now and we didn't have a cranky, protective mamma pig. [YIKE] Then Mother's clan was able to drive the hayrack the rest of the way to Hobbit Hole to unload their pigs. Someone would return the hayrack later.



The donkey cart, loaded with our poultry, was next with it's large wheels. It went smoothly since both MM and Jack had crossed here. We had side riders with ropes attached to the cart...in case of twisting or tilting. We did NOT want to drown the chickens, etc. Yeah, they were also quite vocal during this process. But the river was in a slow, lazy stage so all was well. I made a note not to try this sort of thing when our dear river was in a turbulent mood. I thanked God again for the beautiful sunny days we've had for these tricky maneuvers on HILL and RIVER. Our current lives are SO dependent on the weather!



Then we all helped, on foot or horseback, to cut out the livestock belonging to Mother's clan and drive them across the river. They were pushed a good distance up the trail past our cave entrance path. We hollered goodbyes and as they disappeared around the bend to follow the river trail uphill and further east. Then we gathered the last of our children's livestock. With the cattle staying in south pasture, we only had a few horses, ponies, Machela's sheep and the guardian dog [Rex], and three milking Dexter cows to make the crossing. Three members of Mother's clan stayed to make sure all went well. The sheep had been sheared some time ago and their coats were growing thicker, making it a little difficult to cross. Air pockets remained in the fleece tho in this short crossing...oily as the wool is. They just didn't want to cross if not pushed to it. A number of us got wet in that rodeo event. But we were all laughing and in no real trouble. Machela was on foot by this time and made certain that her beloved woolgrowers were fine. I'm exciting to think of the potential uses for the wool.



We'd put halters on the equines already and several of them were led. We got our livestock going in the correct direction. Having been with all the others for a long trail and they now wanted to follow Mother's herds. Finally they were all driven/led through the narrow passage [which is usually blocked with a huge tangle of branch and bramble] between the westernmost part of our "C" cliffs and the river. Tom and David had put our horses into the stable for now, to keep down the chance of .....um, excitement with new 'invading' horses. Time enough for that meeting later.



We kept driving them along the river's edge down in front of our caves and squeezed through a second passage that opens onto the pasture of the Maui-side caves. We turned them loose in the acres of green grasses and closed up the passage. The fertile river silt washes into that area with spring flooding. The steady moisture of being near the river gives us very good grasslands. Our lessor number of livestock would reside in front of the Colorado caves and the children's livestock will be kept in the much bigger pasture of the Maui side. That should keep the grass from being overgrazed. If not, we'll have to build fencing elsewhere. Plenty of grass everywhere in this season. [Note to Self: need to get the haying done soooon!]



Then we took the donkey cart up the hill to the patio ledge. Big Dog and Nya-pup had been following us around since we crossed the river and now had to be shooed away from the bird cages. [AW geee, smelled interesting!] Those that had muscles left [NOT me!] unloaded the cages and let the chickens and guinea fowl eat thru the cage wires in the deep grass of the pasture. We'd keep them caged until they got used to the area as their own. Especially the more flight-capable guineas. Eventually those speckled birds would take to the trees naturally, unless we wanted to build a pen for them. Not likely to have time, so we'll have to take our chances, I'm thinking. MM and Jack were turned loose to the pasture after taking the cart back down to the riverside. It needed a good cleaning too. Whew!



Our Conestoga wagon was brought up by O2 and H2O [female oxen] who we did not send back with the wagons and oxen returning to the Rockin' J. We took a break to eat some venison BBQ sandwiches and a huge lettuce salad that Cassandra Whitlock had brought over earlier that morning. She also put a Valley-ingredient version of Dump Cake into a dutch oven in the firepit and ordered her nephew and son to keep it from burning. Threatened their young selves.....to hear them tell it! All was wonderful!!!!



By now it was late of a midsummer evening but we still hoped to get the Conestoga emptied. DH, Nathan and Micah were to leave again in the morning with that wagon. We have one more large pile of household cargo stowed back at the Base Camp under a tarp. Sure glad MrMother had thot to bring it DOWN the HILL for us tho!



As we tried to bolster our energy for a final push, we heard a HALOOOWWWW from below. Here comes several members of the Whitlock family trooping up our side path and ready to help.



"Sorry we weren't here earlier but the hay cutting took longer than we'd thought. Isn't that just the case with *everything* we do in the Valley?" said Cassandra. Her son, David piped up to inform her that the Dump Cake had NOT been allowed to burn.



With that welcome help, all three of the wagons were unloaded before dark and all the Whitlocks returned home with our immense gratitude. What a nice family to have as one of our near neighbors! We've long since arranged that David and Tom are each to receive a bred female Dexter. One of the beef line and one from the milking line of the breed. In exchange for past and future work. We convinced them that their family had long since paid off any debt to DrMtR.



One of the Percheron horses that pulled a grain wagon actually belongs to a relative of MrSmith. We'd be returning the mare with much thanks on the next Sunday. The other Percheron mare is the children's and both went to the Maui pasture for the night. The oxen were turned loose in the CO pasture.



I wasn't sure we'd be able to FIND anything that had been unloaded. But the 'living room' cave is quite large and everyone had stacked things neatly in rows so we could sort it later. Machela had been grabbing things she recognized and hustling them into the cave areas designated for their bedrooms. At least there were enough sleeping bags and their personal items had been stowed in specific bags in the Conestoga. The grain bags and buckets were carried [we never could have done that much this evening!] to the wide area on the west side of the living room cave. It was becoming a sort of pantry. Good enough for now.



Goodness.....where ARE we going to be storing the grain we harvest????? We've got more cats now....6 more 'barn' type cats and one cuddly fat 'house' cat. I wonder how my cat and Scarlet will get along? But there is still going to be a rodent problem. The buckets will be ok....mebbe.....but those sacks will be nibbled right through. We need to begin constructing some large wooden bins like we used to have on our farm. They must be very thick and tight tho. Durned mice can nibble and squeeze through cracks. Doubt we will have any excess food to share with the rodents this year!



Well, Kaylee and Kaila both fell asleep curled up on some quilts in the living room and Ben soon joined them. The rest of us gathered around and soon it was obvious that we'd all just crash there for this night. I handed out pillows and such and left a couple yard-type solar lights glowing .....tho the moon was quite bright outside. Big Dog and Nya the St. pup were on guard....{snort}....both snoring louder than young Ben!





MtRider [ nite, all! ]

[Mt_Rider]

{IRL...I hope I'm not making any bloopers....but hopefully we've meshed well in this event.... At least I can transfer post I type at home if I can drive 'in town' to the library.}

The Mule Train





Dear Diary,



I AM SO EXCITED * THANKFUL * RELIEVED * ....





Ahem, ...ok, I have to slow down and set down this story in proper order. First of all, I am still dreadfully behind in telling what ALLLLLL has happened since we got our new children. I'll have to go back and describe that later. Suffice it to say at this point, we have been insanely busy, tired and ....for the most part, we've been having so much fun. These kids have been homeschooled and are thankfully [!!] quite a bit different in their orientation towards each other and towards "family". Ranch life, having a military father, and a Korean mother has developed a sense of responsibility in them too....for which we are very grateful. We could definitely see that steadiness in Nathan when he visited the first time. Not that they are not yet children, of course....



We are slowly getting to know them...and they, us. I marvel at their openness about this union. Not that they'd had a lot of options and the older ones know it. The young ones just want a mom and dad again, tho they still cry about their other parents. DH and I have done this adoption-of-older-siblings before. We try to work through challenges slowly and with care for their routines and habits and customs. In the end, we will develop new customs that are a blending of each.



----- And as I think of that, I realize that we will have yet another blending with our first DDs [and family] as well. This will be the first time that DH and I will be living near our DDs as adults. Hmmmmm...... I think I'm glad we've had this time to adjust somewhat to *these* kiddos before the REST of the family hauls in here too.



OK....on with recording about the morning of the Mule Train Arrival. Micah came running up to the ledge as I was still trying to get the little girls to finish their oatmeal and trout breakfast. [Little children DO dawdle, don't they? ] On his heels was young Kelsey, one of my favorite messenger girls. She ran up and hugged me, announcing she had an important message that was going to make me very VERY happy.



Well with MS, I sometimes have to let my poor brain process a second or two before the thing hits me. I so completely did *not* anticipate what she was about to say. No clue to what might make me so happy. But Micah was already running to the overlook between the cave sites and hollering to DH. He was working in the Maui-side garden with assorted children this morning. "DAD, COME QUICK! THERE'S GOOD NEWS!"



THEN it hit me. I grabbed Kelsey and demanded, "Is there a message from the OUTSIDE?....Is there word about my family?"



She hugged me again and jumped up and down saying, "YES! They're all fine. They are all safe!" And this middle-aged, grey&copper haired, gimpy woman jumped up and down with her. Had to hang on to her for balance but .... Oh MY, it was a time to jump for joy and thanksgiving. Thank YOU, God!



My dear husband arrived, gasping for air but Micah had shouted the news to him when they crested the hill. And that is a steep hill if you take the fast path. He and I hugged each other and tears fell cuz ....our 'baby' girls were safe. Our dearest SIL was safe. Our GRsons were safe. My parents and brother and niece .........are SAFE AT THE ROCKIN' J.



Oh....oh my.....oh, I HAVE to sit down, my legs will NOT hold me up a second longer. DH got me to our outdoor table and I just sobbed out my relief. DH just kept grinning and patting my hand and surreptitiously wiping his own eyes. Our children were grinning and laughing. Machela was sitting on the other side of me, bawling and smiling and nearly squeezing the blood from my other hand. Suddenly the little twins rushed to us with oatmeal decorating their stick mouths ......and burst into loud wails. Naturally they were confused by the tears within the joy. Machela and I both laughed then and wiped away the tears while hugging the tiny ones close. We reassured them that their Grandparents and big sisters were safe and coming to live here too. The girls demanded to see them right now and were not happy when told there would be a long wait. Actually, I was in agreement about that.



Kelsey was seated and presented with one of the remaining cinnamon rolls from breakfast. A MrMtR specialty. We all got calmed down and began to pelt the poor gal with questions...which she gamely answered with her mouth full.



Of course it was Q's son, Jerry, who had been sent to lead the rescue from Carterville. Apparently the whole town and other travelers were in need of rescue and even my brother took part. As for what exactly happened there, we're told to get that information directly from Jerry. He'll be coming up for a visit soon and he'll let us pepper him with detailed questions. He and a few other riders came down the Valley HILL late in the evening leading loaded mules. They arrived at the Lodge the next morning and Kelsey volunteered to ride immediately with this important update on our family. I doubt DH and I had truly realized just how much strain we were under from the time Nathan had told us of that phone call and their danger.



The very best of this morning was the letters Jerry carried from everyone. Kelsey handed them over when we stopped jumping around so much. From Bro [a short note indicating he was bringing a lot of stuff I'd be happy about], my parents [long letter written by my mom], both DDs with "tell your parents ......." sentences added from SIL. Even some precious pictures drawn by GS2 and a greeting from GD1 written all by himself. Those last two were covered with X's and O's. Oh my, it took us the rest of the morning to read them over and over....aloud, mostly. Kelsey didn't *think* of moving on till she'd heard all this wonderful news too. She'd ridden fast to give this report and wanted to share the joy with us. She had to walk her tired horse back and forth in our pasture and eventually water the smoky colored mare. Machela helped her but they hovered close to our ledge patio.



This gist of the thing is that the family caravan was taken captive by the thugs in Carterville but were not harmed in anyway. They were badly frightened and the anxiety was certainly not good for my parents and their friend Jim. But they were getting a good rest at the Rockin' J until the wagons/oxen return. [Jerry and the mule train had crossed paths with them somewhat over half way here.] My parents expressed some unease about the rigors of traveling by wagon train. My brother wryly suggested he could plow out a road so that his TRUCKS could be used instead of animal power. [did I mention he moves earth around for a living?...among other skills...wait till he sees some of that wilderness trail! ] DD2 was really wondering if they'll be going from the frying pan to the fire.....she's NOT a camping sort of gal. But it's obvious that they are all very ready to be here, safe in Big Valley. EVEN if we're living in caves.



As for the mule train, they were able to bring in some early rye grain and some sugar for Chef. More importantly, about 5 pounds of salt per family and a few packages and letters that had managed to arrive now that the armed caravans were getting some things thru the chaotic conditions OUTSIDE. Kelsey said some bolts of cloth had been sent, particularly since some of the orphaned children had come with little but the clothes on their backs. Not much can be packed on merely a dozen mules. [They aren't even very BIG mules either. We need to breed up some of the large ones that formerly served in this capacity in our past eras. ] Anyway, we're all so glad that Jerry is back now and can help the Q's. We've heard they took on some youngsters too. Hope we'll meet the new folks this Sunday.



I think we'd have sat there chatting and celebrating all day if Machela hadn't gone to check on the goats in the stable [cave]. She RAN back to announce that two of them were birthing already! We knew it was imminent so we'd kept all four of them penned separately with thick bedding for the past several days. As often happens when bred at the same time, they ALL gave birth nearly at once. Kelsey fell in LOVE with the babies and begged to be put to work at Cleft of the Rock so she could earn a pair of them for herself. Deal! I *always* need more help weeding gardens/fields!



Kelsey's father is currently a woodworker, primarily boats. He'd learned the skill from his grandfather but previously, his real occupation had been computer programmer. They now live along the big lake, fairly close to the Lodge. While his late wife had been a 'shirttail' relative of MrS, they had been invited to join the Big Valley craftsperson group for his hobby skill of making small water craft. He'd already supervised the construction of two rafts that can transport goods across the lake using very long oars. He was now working on several medium and small boats that would navigate the rivers in Big Valley.



Kelsey's mother had passed away four years ago when Kelsey was 12. Her paternal grandmother had moved in and taken over the household. She has two brothers over 18 and a married sister/BIL [expecting their first child in a few months]. All work in some aspect of the new family business. They plan to have a cluster of three cabins and two workshops down on the lake side property on some acreage. But the majority of their claimed acreage is on the NE corner of the Valley....up the mountainside where they can cut selected trees for the business.



I know they kept their oxen teams for the duty of dragging the logs down from the mountain. They also have a few horses including Kelsey's beloved 'Shadow'. Other than a couple dogs and cats, they have no other animals. Their agriculture is limited to a very large garden which the grandmother supervises and everyone spends time helping.



Kelsey has been interested in our small goats since our wagon train began. She learned to milk from Mother and I and has often been around asking questions and helping. She's a born animal-lover but has a special affinity with these goats. I had definitely planned trade something so that she can begin a herd of milkers for their family. Mebbe one little doe from Grma goat and one from DaughterGoat?



I'm so glad she, as well as our new children, got to be here for the birthing. It's very neat to see the new babies born. Since Kelsey really hadn't been on messenger duty that day - just happened to be hanging around at the Lodge when the mule train came in, she got stay for the whole birthing and only returned to her parents homestead before dark. [I think the girl has her eye on our oldest son.... And she and Machela are becoming friends. Kelsey is only a bit older than Machela. ]



Anyway, final baby goat tally: Grma Goat gave birth to triplets this time ....a little male and tiny females. Her daughter also gave birth to triplets - three does. She had the twin does last time....hmmm, we LIKE lots of doe-babies! Twin One gave birth to a male and female set. Twin Two gave birth to a fine big buckling. Poor thing! She's the smallest of them all and strained quite a bit but none of them had needed assistance! It was a precious time and babies are always so CUTE! These ranch kids didn't even say "eeeuuuu" once. I saw Kelsey turn a bit green at one point tho. This was her first experience with witnessing the birth of anything.



OK, so three-four months from now, these bucklings will be breeding age and they come from that farm we passed by five months ago. Genetic records will be important, as will the genetic diversity. I guess we have the beginnings of a buck herd now.





I am so tired BUT HAPPY ...... I can't tell if I should lay down and sleep or go dance in the moonlight. {snort} I'd better sleep.



MtRider [....more family on the way sooooooon.....]

[Mother]

Yesterday was lost in a blur of activity starting with three baby Nigerians born in the night, Sunday night, to the last of our original does, 1 doe, 2 bucks. Then we were up before dawn yesterday because one of C’s cows, one of the multi colored ones, calved in the night and the blood brought the wolves to the edge of the clearing spooking everything in the pasture. They are getting braver and it’s not even winter. They probably have young ones to feed. Thanks to the dogs they wouldn’t come out in the open and scattered with a few shots directed at them. It was quite a job to get the animals settled though.

Almost everyone worked across the river yesterday trying to finish the fencing over there so we can move some of the animals across. Despite tying all the easily handled animals out on the surrounding grass and brush each day, our pastures badly needs to be rested.

Today was spent sorting livestock and getting the larger animals and those who were not close to having babies moved over the river. We should have just herded them down river, crossed them at the Cleft in the Rock and than back up but that was such a long trek that we knew it would take us all day and we didn’t want to take a chance of them getting into a garden or field there. It wasn’t easy but once we had a few of them going into the cave behind the falls the others mostly followed. It helped that some of them were ours and had been in the cave before but some of those cows were downright ornery and sheep,,, well what can I say they are SO dumb.

Our bull, two rams, the miniature/exotic animals, all the animals with babies and any that looked close to birthing, and the milk animals were all kept at the Hobbit Hole for now. C and L’s and family will be moving across tomorrow even though there is still work to be done on the ‘long house’. L’s brothers and SIL’s and Ben and Matt have already moved across. Some of the milk animals will go over after they have gotten settled.

Karen and Anna have decided to stay with us. Anna was disappointed at first as she is friends with B but Karen held firm on this, convincing her sister that she would be seeing the rest of the kids almost daily anyway and they would have their own room here and not infringing on someone’s privacy. Karen has insisted that she will help out wherever she is needed most during the day but we have all decided that we will not allow her to do more than her fair share just because she feels a sense of obligation to us for taking them in. We are all in this together and will all share according to our ability.

We have decided, when we start school with the kids, some subjects will be taught here, others across the river on alternate days. L is not happy about the kids not gong to a regular school but understands that it is too far for the kids to go to the settlement to attend something there. I suggested that we check with MtR about their kids to see what their schooling plans are. They are a lot closer to the settlement so they might be planning to have them attend there but if not, perhaps we can occasionally have sessions together, at least until winter.

We spent today trying to figure out what food to send across the river, and what to keep here. We finally just set it at half and half for most items except for the baking supplies, as we’ll be doing a lot of that here. If they run out they come for more. We took stock of the salt we had on hand. With what we had left and what C brought with them and the five pounds per family we got with the mules we figure that we will be okay at least through the winter. If the fifty pounds I ordered comes with the wagons bringing MtR’s family we will be good for longer but I am not expecting it. One thing that will help is that C and his BIL found a salt lick above their property. It hasn’t been used for a while but he says it looks like it has been used for years by the wildlife, probably in the spring and early summer. We should be able to drive the livestock up there periodically so they can get the salt and save on ours. If there’s one here, there are probably others in the valley but we’re still going to need a source of edible salt for us and I fear that will have to come from ‘outside’. It’s one of the issues I plan to bring up at our next council meeting.

I was so grateful to see material had come in on the mules for the use of the orphans. On Sunday, Karen and I chose some we thought would work for winter as we’d managed to clothe them and Matt and Ben with summer clothes already. I also chose some that we could make underclothing for them as well. Ben and Matt will be growing fast and we’re going to have trouble keeping up with them. I’m glad we will be having a clothing exchange at the Lodge. It will help us all to clothe our families with less work. Still, wilderness work is hard on clothing and if our family is any indication, we’re all going to have to be more cautious with it if we want it to last. We’re also going to have to replace some of it with skins and homespun soon if we want to augment what comes in from outside. That is, IF anything does come in.

Well, it’s late and I need to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day with all the moving. It’s sure going to seem quiet around here tomorrow night.

[mommato3boys]

Journal Entry for Sunday, July 18

After the ordeal with the coyote Ray came to stay at our place while Paul and I rode to the lodge. Kyle stayed While W&A went and B stayed while R, V, K&E all went. Next week we will rotate and someone else will stay behind. I am not all together today so we are going to the prayer service and picking up our packages, getting books and headed home. Everyone else is on their own today. The early wake up of Ray killing the other coyote has thrown me all out of kilter. I should have just stayed up but I hadn’t been asleep long. I couldn’t sleep while SF was on watch. The animals are all in the lower pasture today so the ones that stayed behind could take turns.

At the library Aidan and I were using sign language and there was the one lady that kept staring at us. Come to find out she was with Mother’s group and doesn’t speak. Mother mentioned she was learning sign language. I told her I had a beginner signing book back at the cottage I would get to her. It was for every day use so she would enjoy it. She was very shy but seemed real nice. I will have to make a point to visit mother and spend some time with her.

SF found me and we headed to the lodge. There was a message there from the boys. It seems they passed the mule train along the way and sent a message from my brother. It seems T has had enough he has one more delivery out our way so he is dropping of surprise for me then he is headed for Canada. He has some friends up there that own a hunting lodge and they want him to come up there. I am glad to know he will no longer be on the road. I just hope he can get there.

We had some packages that had finally arrived. It I have no idea what I have ordered and what I have received. I still have some packages I have not ordered that I need to open. I hope one of these has yeast in it. We had letters also.

It was time for church service and the girls were restless so Emma was the first one to fall asleep, she was in SF lap and Sophie was in my lap. Bother of them were sleep before the singing was over. Zoe was being an angel she was just cooing and blowing bubbles. K and Zoe had bonded so well. I hope and pray T will make it here soon.

I don’t know who was more surprised to learn that Beth and Abby wanted to stay another week Mr. S, or myself. I figured after the grueling week they had they would want to come and sit under Chef and learn to cook. Mr. S asked if we minded and we told him know they had been a blessing and the kids love them.

It was late after noon when we finally pulled back into the yard. The animals were still in the lower pasture and Kyle was watching over them. We noticed B and Ray were napping under a tree down there. Kyle waved as we started pass and jogged over to where we were. He said thing had been quiet and every couple of hours they would split up and ride up to the homesteads and check things out at 4 different homesteads. So far no signs for anymore coyotes. SF old him that we needed to send word to the Qs also about the coyotes. He said we didn’t see them at the lodge but that doesn’t mean they weren't there; we left them a note. Kyle said Ray was going to go as soon as everyone was back. He just didn’t want to go and leave us short handed. SF said that was fine. Kyle asked if we were going to post guards again tonight SF said it might not be a bad idea but he was going to take a nap first. Beth and Abby said they would stay and help get the animals up the mountain. Connor and Aidan hopped out of the wagon also. We told them we would see them at the top.

Dinner was going to be light, I had already planned on having chicken Caesar salad the lettuce was already gathered, chicken was cooked it just needed to be put together. Then it would be an early night for all of us.

Journal Entry for Monday, July 19

Since the root cellars were finished the men folk started on smoke houses. They want to get them up and going so that we could smoke some fish.

We started drying vegetables today and storing them in bins in the cold cave. I showed the girls how we were going to dry the beans, I gave them each a needle and thread and showed them how to put them on the string. I left them stringing up beans. I headed back to the garden to gather more squash. I sent word to V and her girls that they needed to check the lower garden. I saw A was out in the garden and had baskets of stuff picked already. We have baseball size tomatoes but they are still green. The yellow sweet corn will be ready to harvest by weekend.

At lunch everyone meet at our place to discuss what we were going to can and what would get dried. While everyone was finishing up their lunch I started reading the letters we got. There was also the reply from mother in there concerning the fire wood. 10-15 cords? I almost fell out when I ready she was going to put up 10-15 cords of wood. Oh man my calculations are way off. I was thinking 6-8 cords. SF asked me what was wrong and read him Mother’s reply. We were all speechless except for Ray he just nodded and said that sounds about right. SF asked him if he had ever used wood before he said no but his grandmother had and could remember his dad and uncles (there were 4 total) each taking two pick up trucks full of wood to their mother’s house each summer. They always gather her fire wood in the spring and summer so that it would be dry by winter. He said she had a fire place and a cook stove that she used to heat her house and then she had a summer kitchen like this one. Ray said she always had a couple of rows left when summer rolled around but since it was just her she used the cook stove more than the fire place. We asked where his grandmother lived. He said when she was alive she lived in Kentucky. Ray looked so said we didn’t ask any more questions but went back to planning the collection of wood. SF said we should start with dead wood and see how much we get from there. Ray said that with 4 homesteads it shouldn’t take long. I reminded him that P&N would be back then and we would have 6 homesteads that would need wood. Ray blushed and said he had forgotten about them.

I went back to reading as talk turned to wood. My sister had gotten a letter through and said they had arrived safely. At the last minute mother refused to go and went to stay with her sister. She said Aunt L made the suggestion. So they traded Aunt L got mother and Aunt L’s kids went with E to their safe zone. E said she has mixed fillings about it but there was no talking mother out of the idea. She said in a way it was go because mother would have never made the trip. She said the last 15 miles was horse back and pack mules. She was right mother never would have made that trip. She told me that she had heard from T and he was headed for Canada some time in August and he was going to try and deliver this letter to the ranch or a post office closer to the ranch in hopes that I would get it. She sent her love and pictures of her family. I was heart breaking to know I may never see them again.

The next letter was from a seed company I had ordered from they had been able to replace the trees that I had ordered and were shipping them out again. Trees? Oh geez what trees did I order. I need to find that information and see what all I have ordered and what I have received. One of the packages had baking soda another had baking powder there was also some cocoa in the package as well as some bark and chips. I finally got my order of brown sugar and powder sugar but it was only half of what I had ordered. None of our plumbing materials arrived nor the tools that were ordered. Maybe they are at the ranch waiting. There were more seeds and a couple grape vines and blueberry seedlings that looked pitiful. I will have to put them in posts and transplant them next year or the year after right now they are too small to put out. My strawberry plants were bigger than these blueberry bushes. Well at least I got them.

Some of the larger packages were fabric. Yes there is a bolt of heavy twill for pants for the guys. There were packages for the children that Mrs. Rock had ordered. She had ordered them shoes which I was so thankful for I had sent a list with P&N they had passed it own to T hopefully he will be able to find some of the stuff. Mostly it is shoes and coats for all the kids. Oh goodie this package is wool yarn oh my stars I ordered this before we ever left. I am so glad it found its way here. Needless to say it will make some good sweaters. It was like Christmas after lunch. I still had packages in the cottage I needed to open but I would get to those sooner or later. Right now I am going back to reading the letters. Some of these have been in transit for months.

[Mother]

Wednesday July 21

Well, C, L, and family are moved. Neither the camper wagon nor the conestogas would fit through the waterfall cave as it isn’t opened up enough yet so they were loaded and sent down the river to cross at Cleft in the Rocks. Everything else was moved across on the low cart that the sleigh came on and in the sleigh. We didn’t have to move everything at once but it just seemed better, while we had the good weather, to get it all over there. We will be bringing the milk animals over when they are set up to care for the milk and the pigs and poultry will be going over as soon as they get an area for them.

Thanks to some prior planning almost everything went well. Mom and I stayed behind and directed traffic from this end and L’s mom did the same at the other end. I don’t imagine it was an easy task over there with six areas and the storage cave to place items into.

Lunch was just sandwiches with fresh veggies and dip. It had been put into two big totes and set in the spring room. We thought about putting it in the waterfall cave as it was much colder there but the area was not totally closed in yet for security. It turned out that most of the family was across the river at lunchtime so we sent it over on the second sleigh load.

We had spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread planned for supper and once Mom and I had the greens fixed, the bread sliced and buttered ready to toast, and the spaghetti in the oven to keep warm we took a walk over to see how things were going. I had gotten used of being in the cave behind the waterfalls but I couldn’t help notice how noisy it was walking through. The family had gotten a lot of the big boulders rolled either to the back to form a wall there or to the front to form a sort of safety wall behind the falls but it would still be easy for someone to fall over if they were too close. We’d warned the kids repeatedly but still would not allow any of them to be on their own in the passage. I wondered how the horses had pulled the sleigh and cart across with out spooking. I could see that eventually we’d be able to get the bigger wagons across too but it was going to take more work and there was already enough to do.

I was amazed at the work that had been done on the homestead since I’d last been across. The roof was all on and the window openings were all fitted with screens and Plexiglas but some still needed shutters. The cook stove was installed in the kitchen but the fireplace there was still not built. The other wood stoves were in place but had no chimneys yet. There wasn’t much for furniture because, like our family, C and L’s family had decided to forego it in place of more supplies knowing they could build most of what they needed. The areas had built-in bunks below for the adults and the children would be sleeping on the floor in the lofts. Some of the unpacked boxes would be used for seating until they were emptied but mostly, like us, they were using lawn chairs they’d used on the trail.

I like the way they set up the kitchen. It’s obvious that someone had been watching carefully at the Hobbit Hole and had implemented some of the step saving techniques we have here and a few more. The cook stove is only a few steps from where the fireplace will be and there are shelving pegs already in the wall beside it to eventually hold shelves, floor to ceiling. There is a solar chimney built almost directly over the stove, not only to take away some of the heat in the summer but also to give natural light in the day time on the stove just like ours does. It would also most likely work to pull heat from the other areas if the doors were left open between them. A worktable was standing near the stove and I could see where eventually a dry sink of sorts might be built across the room from the cooking area. The whole cooking area sat at the back of the room and that left a large area for eating and relaxing yet still be out of the path of the outside door.

I daydreamed a bit about our own eventual kitchen but not for long as it was time to get back and start chores before everyone came back for supper. The wagons were just heading back down river for the crossing when Mom, Karen, and I left on foot. It took us about fifteen minutes to walk the distance but it had gotten so hot and muggy that I was almost ‘glowing’ when we got back, a Victorian term for sweating mightily. It was even hotter in the kitchen with the stove still hot and I almost hated to stoke it back up again. I did though as we’d decided to stick in a cobbler to make the meal special.

While Mom was making the cobbler, Karen and I went out to start the chores. She is getting really good at milking and seems eager to learn whatever she can about the animals. She is getting better at using sign but is still a bit shy about trying to get our attention when we aren’t looking at her. We headed first to the pasture to check on the animals there and found one of the fence wires down and several of the animals outside the fence, the dogs patiently keeping guard. We got the wire back up and managed with the help of the dogs to get all the animals back inside and accounted for but I couldn’t help but to think about how easily they got out in the short time we’d been gone. They could have probably gotten out back home too but there they would only be preyed upon by well fed coyotes, here it would be hungry wolves. Not to mention that they could roam for miles here without being seen by anyone. We will be moving them to fresh grass tomorrow so that should keep them content for a while. The current pasture really is taken too far down. With this latest heat, if it doesn’t rain, I’m concerned the grass will die.

I stopped to check the pigs and give them a bit of grain. Just in the three weeks they’d been all together they’d managed to ‘pigorate’ the whole area we’d put them in. We’ll be moving them as well but not planting the area until spring for safety sake. The earlier pig areas will be planted soon to winter crops. With a heavy mulch they should be fine. I have been babying some seedlings in the greenhouse since they got it closed in and they have grown terrifically in there with all that sun. It’s been hard to keep them watered but I believe my work will pay off in cabbage, kale, chard, and dozens of other fall crops. I noticed the flax was doing really well and I looked forward to a big crop. Once it was cut we would be able to sew winter wheat into the stubble. That would ensure a good snow cover to keep the ground from freezing too hard. That is probably going to be the only way we’ll get a winter crop here.

Karen and I were just finishing up the milking when we heard the wagons coming up the road. The rest would probably be here soon and I sent Karen in with the milk and to help Mom with supper while I went to feed the poultry and gather eggs. The others would take care of the larger animals. I was glad that we had the stream running through the pastures now as that meant we didn’t have to take the animals to the pond but there was still the bull to handle and though we had an ‘understanding’ I’m not sure he understood the same things I did.

Supper was something of a short celebration. Everyone was tired and no one wanted to be traveling back across the river after dark even if they were in the sleigh which we encouraged them to use tonight. We’d had them leave one of the Conestoga’s at the homestead for their use and they’d have the small cart as well. I thought L and her cousin both looked worn out tonight but they both said they were doing fine. I believe they were looking forward to sleeping in their own homes again even if those homes were small.

It was quiet tonight. Anna and YGS played a couple of games of checkers but the rest of us mostly just sat and made plans. Some of C’s family will be coming tomorrow to help move animals and help in the fields. Some of us will be weeding but the others will be cutting hay again.

I spent the rest of the evening working on the loom. DGD and SO worked on the other loom and the spinning wheel while DD taught Karen how to Tat. The guys were working on the plans for bringing water from the fresh springs to the kitchen and maybe hot water from the hot springs as well.

Just the thought of hot and cold running water to the kitchen brings a smile.

[Annarchy]

The last couple of weeks were busy. {IRL too} DH took off early in the mornings down to MJX's, the messenger had told him that the B's, KW & James were all meeting there to get things going. I spent the first days collecting grass, herbs and berries and drying them in the kiln, except the grass, that was spread out in the loft of the barn to dry. I did find a couple of apple trees along the tree line in the upper meadow loaded with little green apples. I harvested some carrots and peas, diced them and spread them out on cookie sheets while I waited for the herbs to finish drying. Then, set to gathering wood for the wood pile. DH showed up in the early evenings looking beat from working hard.

MJX had found caves near the hot springs large enough to make rooms and decided to build their house adjoining them. James and some of the B's men plowed their fields while other groups cut trees for their cabin. He mentioned M spent most of the day with X tending the animals and sorting through their stuff in their wagons.

The rest of the week was much of the same. Wednesday night, I separated Little Lady and her little one in the barn. I wanted to see if I would get any milk. Thursday morning, her udder was taught. Not much of an udder, someone must have made her a member of the IBTC, they are only about 2" long, if that. My hands seemed so huge when I tried to grasp and squeeze. I ended up stroking from the top down with my thumb and index finger to get a stream to come out. I managed to get about 2 cups before she got tired of me and began fidgeting. It was time anyway to let the little one feed. Chick-chick has been leaving me an egg daily in her nesting box and I put them with the milk in the kitchen cellar.

While gathering wood in the forest NE at the foot of the cliffs, I came across a massive grape vine draping the cliff completely covering what seemed like a small cave. I made a note and decided, for safety sake, I would wait until DH was with me to explore it. Needless to say he wasn't home 3 minutes before I began rattling off about finding it. They had managed to get quite a bit of their field plowed, a timber fence and their barn finished. KW would be coming back and staying with us until he was able to survey his land and find an appropriate place for his homestead.

Friday night both DH & KJ returned and we chatted around the fire pit for what seemed like hours before retiring for the night. By the time I got up Saturday, they were at the lakeside with their snorkel gear on heading into the water. I got my tea and watched as they went out. They were out there about an half an hour before J crested the hill coming up the road with a set of oxen in tow with their yoke and rolls of rope. The guys were all smiling as they hooked up the rope and swam back out in the lake. DH popped up out of the water then KW, gave the thumbs up signal and J began walking the ox. You could tell the moment the slack came out of the rope. The ox halted, then, their muscles began to ripple as they exerted every bit of strength they had for a couple of seconds, before instantly easing up. DH popped back up, another thumbs up and back down he went. This went on for about 5 minutes before the silvery white carcass of the planes cabin cleared the water near the shore. The ox shouldered back into their yoke until the wings of the plane barely broke the water line, when the guys stopped the ox and unhitched the rope. They gathered around the shore talking, laughing and pointing at it. J clasped DH's hand pulling him into a bear hug with a hearty slap on the back, rolled up the rope, nodded at me and headed back towards home.

We spent the rest of the day, scrounging around inside the cabin area. DH found and old rifle stuffed under one of the seats completely covered in rust. Anything made of cloth was unidentifiable, but the foam was still in tact on the seats. We found several pieces of luggage in the back with rusted locks and latches, we took the cases out and put them on the bank for inspection later. A large trunk in the back took all of us to scoot up and through the doorway and up to the waters edge. We all stood on the bank for a while looking at everything discussing and planning what we could use all the parts for.

Sunday we got up early and headed for Big D’s after feeding the animals. We didn’t let them out because we were not going to be there most of the day. James was tending their animals when we arrived. He ribbed GS about actually being early for a change. I smiled, shook my head and headed in to see Mom. {IRL: We had to go to take care of her last week.}

Big D was in the kitchen pulling out a roast while Naomi was preparing a salad for Sunday potluck. I was pleased to see the shelves in the kitchen were finished and James had enclosed most of them and made a door for the pantry.

As we headed for the lodge, MJX met up with us and followed us in.

Services were lovely, as usual, and DH had exchanged his books at the library. It was wonderful to see everyone! I needed the people contact after being alone most of the week and found myself chattering about this and that while everyone else did the same. One big conversation weaving in and out of each other with hugs and handshakes filtered in. We headed home mid afternoon, saying our goodbyes with warm hugs and hopes to see each other next week.

Monday we opened the suit cases and blackish muck gushed out. Metal things like nail clippers were barely recognizable, but the combs and brushes, buttons from the clothing and other plastic items seemed unharmed. We laid the stuff out to dry wondering who, when, and why.

The rest of the week GS & I busied ourselves gathering wood and grass, dismantling the plane, drying veggies and smoking the fish we've been catching. Saturday we took a break from our routine and went hunting to the north of us, up into the mountain side above the big falls. We saw several herds of deer, a few elk and a group of goat on the cliffs. We headed back toward home before we came across a 3 prong buck grazing unaware in one of the small meadows. He brought it down and we tied it on a sapling between us, then hung it in the barn after gutting and salvaging the internal organs.

All week I've been anxious for Sunday to come. The messenger had brought news that the mule train had made it in. I kept hoping for any of the packages I'd order before we left. Maybe we'd get the ones we ordered at the towns on the way.

[Mt_Rider]

Dear Diary -- Coyote Diner [no, that doesn't say 'dinner' ]



Just to catch up a bit for the past couple weeks….. The first thing we had to do was to send MrMtR and the older boys to fetch the rest of the cargo that was sitting at the Base Camp at the foot of "Mother's Little HILL". They left early the next morning after we brought the children home. They were able to return late the following day. They took the haywagon and our Conestoga wagon. They encountered no difficulty and spent the evening talking with others who had traveled back to retrieve cargo or livestock. There were enough to make the loading of everyone's wagons easy. I'd sent dried venison, and fresh vegetables from the garden with spices ready to be made into a stew.



During the two days that the 'menfolk' were gone, Mac and I sorted thru some of their things in the cave. She goes by 'Macky' or 'Mac' more than Machela, actually ……but woe to the one who tries to call our Micah "Mikey"… Anyway……we have no more than begun that huge task. But I don't care cuz the priority is surviving this winter. So we also spent a lot more time with the gardens. Some veggies were coming into full production. DH and I had really pushed to mulch heavily as we planted. I'd long ago discovered the difference in workload that one change makes. Besides, the water evaporation is slowed down.



Mac and I set up some hoop houses [ends open] for the beds that were more recently planted in a frantic attempt to enlarge our food production. Some of these need an extra boost so, on cloudy days and every night, we will be covering those beds with plastic. This will moderate any drop in temperature that might slow down the growth. Another lesson from our high mountain gardening years. But mainly, we harvested. So far most of the harvested vegetables are being eaten without much excess. We don't do menu planning. We prepare and eat whatever needs to be eaten before it might be wasted. With six more mouths to feed, I've put away my smaller pots and pans and dug out the giant size ones.



Actually, that's what we've been searching for in the piles of cargo that were unloaded onto our living room cave floor. Their late mother of course used a lot of extra-large kitchen equipment like mixing bowls, etc. Mrs. Joy Rock had helped Machela to choose which items to pack and knew the MtRiders made meals for two. Their large things are in here SOMEWHERE! Well, I have enough to get us by until we discover that box. Between my stockpots and 13" cast iron frying pan, we're in business. The children used their family's camping Dutch ovens [two #14s - one reg. and one deep] on the wagon trail so they are available to use.



AND, Nathan presented me almost immediately with the two very HEAVY packages that had finally been delivered to the Rockin' J for me. I decided very early during our wagon train that I needed to place an order. Now I have a #12 Deep cast iron Dutch oven [camping version with the lip on the lid] and a large cast iron 2-sided griddle. I've always wanted a large camp Dutch oven cuz the #8 I have is quite limited, even when it was just the two of us. I have a dome lid #10 also – an heirloom I'd never part with.



We're still using pie plates to eat, since I didn't pack real dishes. Saving space and weight. I'm not sure if they did either or if we'll need to take another look at firing clay. I wonder if we've discovered glazes yet? ……They brought more tableware…somewhere….. We are really going to need an inventory….and some shelving! Sheeeeeesh!



We found some books, slates & chalk, and such to keep the little twins busy. They have favorite twin dolls with dark, long hair and Asian eyes. They carry them around everywhere. Kaila has a stuffed black gorilla toy and Kaylee has a giraffe, which are also favorites. The girls are used to homeschool and we set them to some studies… fun puzzles and games which they can do nearby while we work. They are good helpers in the garden and we showed them how to weed beets and carrots. It's easy to tell which are the maroon-veined beet plants and the feather-tops of carrots. They have small hoes, shovels, rakes, and trowels which are not toys but of decent quality. The older children used them long ago too. Mac and twins were out there longer than I can stay in the heat.



On the morning of the second day, we were surprised by a commotion in the Maui-side pasture. We happened to be inside the palisade fencing of that large garden. Mac and I both grabbed our rifles and ran out the gate, locking the twins inside. We saw three …no, four coyotes trying to get past Rex, the protector for her sheep. Hmm, didn't take long for that word to get out….Lamb Special at the Maui Riverside Diner. NOT!



We spread out just a bit for different angles and called out our marked critter. Just then we saw a streak and Big Dog raced down the steep path to join Rex. She was moving so fast I thot she'd be head over heels. Note….these dogs had not been introduced yet, though they're aware of each other. By the instinct of their Livestock Guardian Breed, they worked together. Big Dog ran to chase off coyotes getting too close and Rex stayed in place to guard the sheep. With that settled, Macky and I both knocked down a coyote each when the shot was clear of both sheep and dogs. Big Dog had another one on the run and practically flew up the opposite cliff face. The huge paws splayed wide for grip, she loves the chase and gets excellent purchase on rock. Rex, freed up from the other three, quickly pursued and killed the final coyote. He then stalked around, checking his flock and making sure there were no other predators hiding in the tall grasses. I'll be glad when some of that grass is eaten down shorter. It's too easy for predators to sneak in close like this. We watched until Rex was satisfied and then Mac ran to her sheep to check them over and calm them. She made a BIG DEAL over the valiant Rex. I didn't expect to see Big Dog back soon. She doesn't have the stay-with-the-herd/flock instinct. Perhaps because she's a crossbreed. ?? She has the HUNT THEM TILL DEAD instinct. Well, I prayed that she wouldn't run into more than she could handle out there and returned to reassure the twins.



We skinned the coyotes since their fur is good for trim on winter hoods and hats. [doesn't frost up…I think] Began to smoke/dry the meat for dog treats. I rather hope Big Dog is not getting a taste for blood and raw meat right now in her chase. A dog that learns to kill livestock is a dead dog. Hopefully, she will know the difference and not self-serve duck dinner sometime. Boy….she and Rex were magnificent though. Glad we had small Nya-pup with us. She's not big enough for that game …..yet.



Big Dog finally came trotting back. I found blood on her front paws but her mouth was clean. The blood wasn't coming from her anywhere so… I guess she at least got a piece of it. I'm a little surprised since, being such a large and heavy dog, she can't sustain a fast run for long periods. Anyway, she seemed satisfied…except those coyote skins bothered her initially. Really bothered until she decided they were no longer ....um, occupied.



I spent a good deal of time processing that event during the next few days, knowing that we will have more like it. I do know my daughter can handle a rifle. They reported that their dad taught all of them the safe handling of all types of weapons since they were young. Even Kaylee and Kaila can shoot with a BB gun and small bow with supervision. We'll all need to practice working together. I'm afraid humans do not have that instinct to know who does what together like Big Dog and Rex just demonstrated. We might want to get some tips on that from a professional like Jerry? When the rest of the family gets here, we'll likely have to hold classes and my new children will be tutoring the adults. We can start my Grsons' training young though. Bro has some experience and my dad. Every farmer knows how to shoot varmints!



Too hot to weed now….I'm taking refuge in the shade. As I write, I'm a part-time participant in a "tea party". The dolls, gorilla, and giraffe are the other guests. Macky is cleaning our guns and turning the 'dog treats' on the grill.



Are we weird or what?



MtRider […..parenting, pioneering, and just plain surviving…..today, it's a good life. ]

[Mt_Rider]

{IRL….I hope this will be enough to catch-up for all the time I've missed due to Internet failure. I'm still using the library computer. Dh is SO swamped with tax clients (plus a patient with an emergency shoulder dislocation to fix late last nite) and such that I never see him. He is working nite security Fri/Sat tooooooo. So even tho the disc come TODAY , he won't even be here to install the thing till sometime into next week. Well mebbe he can do it tomorrow morning before he sleeps. If not, I'll keep writing and posting at library when I can get there between snowstorms. Yeah, yet ANOTHER one of those is looming on our horizon….. My driveway is packed with snow from the last one yet….. Sheeeeeesh! "Springtime in the Rockies!" }





Dear Diary -- JULY Activities at Cleft of the Rock!



Days and days have passed with a seemingly endless list of priorities. Gardens must be weeded, though that is just a bit of maintenance here and there by now. The fields are a different matter. The men have been attacking the weeds in the fields daily and are finally getting that somewhat under control. Some fields had been downright embarrassing! The big wheel hoeing implements worked very well with the three-tined cultivator attachment. We had gotten one from Lemans and the children brought the two that had been used in their big gardens. We could use a couple more! Hand work in fields is ……challenging! It has rained at regular intervals and, combined with the hot days of July, everything is growing so fast you can hear it crackle. Thanking God for this blessing!



One bit of great news, Nathan is opening a new field with the horse-drawn plow they brought. It will really help to have one of our own and not trying to borrow that important implement. They had sometimes used it to plow the gardens and sometimes it just sat as a lawn decoration. But it was in good shape and Mr. Rock had insured it was ready for use before they left the ranch. Nathan learned how to sharpen it and he'd getting practice in that. Virgin soil is tough!



Haying has been going much faster with a lot more help. And more scythes. But with all this livestock, we have soooooo much we need to do. The Dexter cattle forage well but if there is heavy snow, that isn't going to work. We wonder what the area south of here near the open hot springs will be like in winter. Anyway, I haven't been much help with this job. It's too much on my shoulders. And it has to be done on hot, sunny days. On the first Sunday, Mother's clan took a few minutes on their way back to Hobbit Hole to show us how to cut efficiently and rake up the rows. We watch the barometer and then hurry to "make hay while the sun shines"! Four of them cut until they feel like their arms will fall off. I "hold down the fort" in other ways. Sure do plan to set our new folks to work on haying as soon as they arrive. Hope they're developing good muscles on the wagon trail.



We've got several options within the caves for storing dry hay. The first is the large cave room near our barn cave. We've got that half full already. But a winter's worth will not all fit in there. The largest area we have is a low caves on the far side of the Maui pasture. There are two and one will be shelter for any livestock over there. The mouth of the cave is wide but a ledge will keep most weather out.



The other cave there is similar and designated for the hay. We could get quite a bit in there and it has the advantage of not being connected to any other cave. If anything did catch fire, it would not spread smoke or fire anywhere else. It has a wide opening which we'd have to fit with doors. Or a barrier gate and a tarp. It sets under a ledge somewhat but not enough to keep out blowing rain or snow completely. It's a long way from our side but seeing Mother's new sleigh, has me thinking of winter travel with the donkey cart. What a cool device they have! Something for Mother to travel in easily. We do have the large ice-fishing sled to transport things in winter. [I do not really want to dwell on the "impending winter" topic….it's a nice summer day! {sigh} ]



Harvesting has become a full-time occupation too. Both the early things from the garden and the wild berries and other plants. We've been pestering Mother and her DD for data on the plants we should be looking for. We take the Conestoga wagon out a couple times a week on family outings in search of wild things to harvest. Our many plant I.D. books are dog-eared and highlighted by now. [how EVER shall I go on in this life when my beloved highliter pens go dry? ] Even the small twins are learning some of the more obvious plants. They sure know raspberries and blackberries. Oh yes, we all know them. Apparently berry picking is not a new task for these ranch kids. Their family rule is that you pick TEN berries for the basket before you pick ONE [well, mebbe two…. ] for your mouth. It is so cute to hear the young ones counting to ten, getting louder as they reach the final berry before the treat. Wow, that's self-discipline we adults have to match!



As for putting up what we harvest, a lot of it is being dehydrated. We have that hot cave that is WAY too hot for me to spend any time in at all now. Whew! But it's a perfect place to dry things….both our laundry and the now infamous "leather britches". Everyone in the Valley knows what these are by now. I brought the trays from my dehydrator, a few of those hanging net contraptions with shelves that collapse flat, misc sheets of screen or mosquito netting, two nylon net drying racks for sweaters [that now have berry stains on them…{sigh}] and the mosquito netting for an E-Z Up craft fair-type booth….but I wasn't aware that the booth metal-parts-with-roof wasn't in the box package when I bought it. L Only the zip-on screening. {IRL} So in various ways, I have things drying/dehydrating all over in the drying room. The doorway is barred from critter entrance….domestic, wildlife and most insects. A very tight "hardware cloth" screen door fitted in, with adobe bricks filling in the odd cave opening shape. We lined the inside of the heavy screening with some light mosquito netting. So far, so good. I also have a large mosquito net [made for draping over a large bed with a big ring at the top to spread out the circle of netting] that could be used for outdoor drying room …under supervision…. Curious barn cats; dogs wanting the venison jerky; stray goats….. We'll use that when we really get overloaded with produce..





Laundry is another constant chore that must be done. Since we often save it till a rainy day, this hot cave is used for that too. Unless we worry about raising the humidity too much for food we're dehydrating. Then there is always room in the living room or under the wide ledge if the rain isn't coming sideways. I have my GrAunt's old clothes rack and it holds a lot of clothes. We always use it for some of the unmentionables that we'd rather not have in the strong sunlight. We do have clotheslines outside for towels and such that just need the nice breeze and sunshine to soften them. I still use the 5-gallon buckets to slosh the clothes around. I have gamma lids so that opening and closing is easy. Trying to find a clever "automated" way to jostle the closed bucket like on our wagon trail. Of course there is the plunger and the scrub boards too. We scoop up hot water from our 'hot tub' spring and dispose of the used laundry water in the crack where the hot tub also drains. We brought only biodegradable soaps and such. Haven't seen any bubbles or suds in the river…and we have checked. The smooth stone area around the indoor hot springs is a good place to wash but it can get slippery. It would not be a good place to fall. The room gets too hot now that it's midsummer so we have been hauling water buckets just outside…rolling them along in a child's red wagon. I bought a used old one with wood panel sides {IRL} and the children have a newer one also. The children brought a double tub arrangement with a hand wringer that clamps to the tub. A wash and a rinse tub. Not having to heat the water is an incredible energy savings. [mine and the wood stove's] {Nice to have writer's prerogative to park my primitive living near a hot springs! }



So…garden/fields…usual chores….finding things in the piles of cargo…..haying….harvesting wild edibles/medicinals…..livestock care…. What else?



Ah yes, we often go down by the adobe brick 'factory' and make bricks. Just a few. Coming in from a hot chore like gardening, we head for that area of the river. It has a great sandbar and it's safe for the little ones to swim there. And tired OLD ones…. J But before we get in to wash, we try to make a few more bricks. It's a sort of constant thing. I hope to make a time for Annarchy to come down and help us construct an indoor oven, an outdoor oven and a kiln. I'm just not too confident of the details. We have a LOT of bricks but we still hope to build a separate house for my parents after they arrive. At least now I know my contractor-building-expert brother is coming too. I'm only a brick maker. He [and the two old guys 'helping' ] can handle the technical wherefores and whatifs. So we all contribute some bricks each day before we play in the water. It feels so nice to splash around or sit in a lawn chair and let the shallow water flow past your feet. 'Course now that this Maui-side has livestock, we decided we had to fence off a swimming beach for humans. It's at the upstream side, of course. But one still remembers not to swallow any river water.



The hunters of the family are Nathan, Micah and …me, if I don't have to travel far. The fisher folk are DadMtR and Ben. Machela really prefers taking care of our livestock. The three older kids do all the milking of the cows they brought. And mostly the goats too, tho I enjoy milking my goats. We set up a milk/cheese room. There is a cave deeper down past the living room and hot cave. There is an even larger one if you travel the hallways towards the Maui caves but this one is close. They both have cold water flowing thru, running to somewhere. We have set up a trench for the tall milk cans [yes, the children brought milking equipment] to set in the cold flowing water. We plan to make cheese up in the kitchen and store the milk/milk products down here. It feels so good to be in the cold temperatures right now, I could spend all day there. [The heat is affecting how I look at things! ] Anyway, I'm sending Macky over to Mother some day soon to learn about a couple more cheese procedures. I keep turning extra milk into yogurt and sour cream and soft herb cheese as yet. I have the cultures [kept cold] for mozzarella and other cheese but haven't had the time to figure them out.



OK, 'nuff for now. I think that wraps up how folks at Cleft of the Rock have been spending our days lately.



MtRider […ow! Writer's cramp….holding the pen too long! ] [IRL….making up for time off without Internet service! L ]

[Mt_Rider]

{OK...one more and then I'm running home before the snow starts... Miss you all! }

{based on my IRL experiences….YMMV}



Dear Mt3B -- Ducks/Geese



I received your note! It's so fun to get mail, isn't it? I used to get excited over Email, for pete's sake! I love this messenger service. Their families are sure going to benefit now that we can all give the riders 'tips' ….in the form of our garden produce. I handed Calvin a bag of broccoli. I doubt it will make it to his house though. He doesn't like it and he's got a message for those at Hobbit Hole. I expect he'll try to trade the broccoli for something they might have extra….something more to his liking. Look out, Mother, it's the veggie-hater Calvin on circuit today. Calvin's mother likes the veggies we send though so he might bring the broccoli home.



As to your question about ducks and geese: Lets see, the big thing is that they need to always have water deep enough to dunk and flush out the nostril holes in their bills while eating. They can be raised without water to swim in but this is a must. Ducks and geese never met a body of water they didn't adore….even the lowly mud puddles. Even ICY water is fine for them….as adults, that is.



Ducklings/goslings do NOT have the oils in their downy feathers that keep them dry and warm. That only comes when they have fully grown out their adult feathers. If raised by mamma, her oils will transfer somewhat. She will take them for short swims if water is available. She will also get them out and dry/warm at proper intervals. They can all swim but staying dry/warm is the issue. If they are human-raised, don't give them any chance to dunk themselves in their water container. Fill it with rocks and leave only spaces for their bills to poke in and drink. Keeps the water less FOUL a bit longer too. If you are raising them, they are the messiest of birds. [They are not called water FOUL fowl for nothing. Hope for a large cage or else you might clean it up 3 times a day. They soak everything. Sheeeeesh….brings back memories! Mamma-raised is best but keep her and them protected from predators. Any turtles in the pond? Look out, they like duckie dinner! Any hawks flying overhead? …..



Now this is something I will address that is neat. Not the ducks…you have to protect them. But the geese that are in a band together will protect their goslings from aerial attack by getting them into the middle of all the adults. Each adult goose sticks his/her neck way over the middle like spokes on a wagon wheel. That group effort covers the little ones so that the attacking bird cannot see or reach them. Pretty cool, huh? Ducks are not that group-organized.



Not that the birds will always work nicely among themselves. Sometimes bird will take a dislike to another, even a baby….and they can be unmerciful. Can kill the baby or injure each other. Males during the spring mating season are quite pushy and prideful. If they will ever bite you, it will be in this season. And it does HURT though they have no teeth as such; only serrated bill…it is more of a pinch! OW!



Never make their aggression worse by excessive action against them. But don't take it from them either. I snatch their snaking head and gently hang on while they discover it's not nice to mess with me. Don't jerk and misalign neck bones! Let go and see if that will teach them. Keep repeating it but if they won't go away, I have dunked their fool head into a water bucket and held it there a few seconds. They can hold their breath, being grand swimmers and divers. But the loss of control bothers them. Let them go and calmly go about your business and they will fuss and preen and try to restore their dignity. If they are really getting out of hand, and you know how to do this in a way that is safe for yourself and for the bird, I'd pick them up and hold them for a minute. Oh the indignity of it!



Be careful of their legs…they can be fragile because they are hollow. And the wings are also. But the wings [especially geese] are very hard and can batter bruises upon you. AskMeHowIKnow… To pick one up for discipline or care, carefully wrap your arms around the whole bird pinning the wings SECURELY to their sides. [Note: this is if you can't get rid of the pesky thing….not that you should chase them around to catch them!] Maneuver the bird onto its back…tummy up. This will have a sedating effect on the bird….don't ask me why. I wouldn't leave them in this position too long…the sedation effect might slow down heart rate, etc too…dunno. Just takes a minute if you are making a point to an aggressive male. Domestic geese are heavy so make sure you CAN do this without losing hold on those nasty wings. If you do, let them down gently and start over. Be careful! If you need to do some bandaging or even just to put an I.D. band on their leg, sit down with the bird [works with ducks too…dunno about chickens????] on your lap. Once settled, you MIGHT be able to let go of the wings or you might need to hold while someone else does what needs doin'. Remember to release them to the ground gently so as not to injure a leg.



Eggs: Ducks/geese usually lay eggs by 10am. Some breeds of ducks [Khaki Campbells , Indian Runners ] lay nearly all year. They might take a short break in the fall while getting new feathers [they drop the old ones – molting - and you collect the quills for future pens! ] and a short break in late winter just before the full-on laying of springtime begins. Changes in weather sometimes throw them off for a day….like subzero weather sometimes. [but in subzero weather you often find completely frozen eggs that are cracked vertically from point to point and therefore are contaminated with feces… L …lot of those this winter IRL] Geese and many duck breeds are normally seasonal layers. They begin in Feb or March and lay loyally one egg per day until it begins to taper off in early July for geese. I believe some breeds of ducks can continue till Aug or Sept. I put the last month or two of eggs in a solution of one part waterglass [see Lehman's catalog] and ten parts water [I think] and it will keep unrefrigerated for 6+ months.



Eggs of both ducks and geese have a proportionately larger yolk than chickens so bakers love them. The average duck egg is like a very X-large chicken egg and I count the goose eggs as 2 chicken eggs for recipes. They also have a shell that will remind you of Wilma Flintstone making breakfast for Fred. Get out your chisel…. The inner membrane is quite tough too. The yolk also is more gooey…so you have to beat harder to mix it with the whites. The only way I truly like scrambled eggs is lightly done from goose eggs.



Geese are grazers…they like the grasses and will roam the pasturelands more than ducks but certainly spend a lot of time in water if they can. The heavy breeds of both will mate easier if deep water is available. Large breed males of ducks should not mate small breed females. The mating could injure the female, especially on land. Do NOT have an excessive number of males. They will kill the females in a frenzy of mating behavior…driven worse by the competition. [it ain't pretty ] About one male per 3-4 females is good. Geese pair off but are ok with up to about 3 females per male. The male might have one preferred female though. They mate for life but can take on another mate if theirs dies. Sometimes.



Ducks are fully water critters. They eat bugs and …even salamanders….I swear, I've seen them gulp them down whole while outrunning the rest of the pack who want to take this treat for themselves… It's like a rugby match! But for plant life, they are best supplied from the pond bottoms and creek edges. They will nearly get lost following a creek on and on…and they do NOT stay aware of what might be nearby wanting THEM for dinner.



Remember: It never has been a compliment to call someone a Bird Brain! Pretty dumb! Especially ducks!



Now for preparing to keep them this winter in the Valley….I have usually fed mine a "waterfowl' pelleted food which we no longer have available. Hmm….. My reference books [some in our Lodge library too] list proportions of foods such as milo seed heads, corn, soft wheat, soybean meal [for protein], alfalfa [also protein], dried skim milk, Brewer's yeast, oyster shell [can LIGHTLY toast their own egg shells], salt, cod liver oil, and add molasses. Rye, wild celery, wild rice, garden/orchard leavings, bugs gathering around a [solar] light, milk mixed in with something dry [otherwise they just play in it!], hard-boiled eggs. Always have grit available. Like sand/stones on the ground] for their 'craw' and calcium for the egg shell production [ground limestone, oyster shell or their own toasted egg shells. This will be a first for me too, doing proper proportions myself.



I do plan to continue free-ranging them during the daytime [except in bad winter weather] since I'm sure the river will not completely freeze over. They are quite safe as long as they are on open water that is large enough for them to be out of reach of the edges. They are healthier if they can forage some of their own food and bathe at least sometimes in winter and daily in summer.



Remember that while domestic ducks/geese do fly….it is not far and it is often more of a glide from a high place. I have had 1) a goose split herself open across the chest by hitting a smooth wire fence [died of shock…birds go shocky easy]. 2) I've seen one glide down from the hill top and slide UNDER MY HORSE'S HOOF…naturally mare stepped down just then. [no damage to bird's wing cuz I quickly talked the horse into lifting foot again]. 3) But the funniest flying incident was when a drake took off from the top of a hillock, not computing that there was a chainlink fence between him and the pond [I assume that was his destination]. His flight ended abruptly three feet later when his whole beak rammed tight into one of the holes of the chain link. And STUCK! There he hung [birds often go limp and somnolent when under stressssssssss ] until I yanked him loose. Not hurt at all but the Wright brothers had better luck than him! They are bred for things other than light aerodynamic bodies and …..brains! So they are not safe on the ground. [Guinea fowl are the exception to this in domestic poultry ….they fly very well and roost in trees. 'Course I don't think you can train them to come in at night…. dunno ]





Wow….you know, with this letter writing, we are going to have to figure out how to make our own Valley paper! Someone needs to begin that cottage industry or we need to write in erasable pencil and reuse the note paper.



So glad to meet everyone's new family and friends at the Lodge. Mt3b, I've heard you have two young ladies taking Rural Lessons from you. If they are apt students, it's a win-win. You get help and they get knowledge. Good for you! Good luck with the ducks/geese. Hope this helps and send any specific questions by messenger.



MtRider

[mommato3boys]

Well it was our turn for a smoke house. R&V have theirs built and W&A have theirs built. R built K one at the same time as he built theirs. Ray also built him one. So that left us and P&N.

The building will be 8 foot wide by 4 foot deep by 6 foot tall building and will be divided in half. One side will be nothing but hanging meats like sausage hams etc. It will have rods attached to the walls to hang sausage over and then hooks from the ceiling to hang large pieces of meat from. For the other side I will use the grill racks that we brought with us as shelves. The shelf side with the racks will be for fish, roast and chickens.

The house is being constructed out of adobe bricks and will have a tin roof. There will be 3 screened vent holes one on each side and one in back to allow the smoke to escape. The doors will be wood to also allow circulation.

SF has the older children making the bricks he showed them this morning how to make them and left Connor in charge. This will be a two day project for them and should be quite interesting. When I was in the lower garden this morning I could hear them arguing. Connor has helped make bricks before but Megan hasn’t and she didn’t want to do it his way. Can’t wait until after lunch when all her bricks crumble and the boys’ bricks hold together. Megan has issues with following instructions she has to do it her way. She will cow tail to W&A but does it with a lot of sassing. However if one of the other kids suggest something heaven help them. Connor has learned to let her do her own thing and then she will have egg on her face. I pulled SF aside when I went back up the mountain and told him what was going on. He said that if her bricks crumble she will have to redo them under Connor’s supervision since Connor was the one in charge and she didn’t do what he said, we both laughed because we can see it now. Like I said this should be quite interesting.

Today’s lunch was fresh veggies. The few days of picking I got enough field peas for a meal, they are just now starting to come in; we also have okra, squash and potatoes (little new red potatoes.) I am making corn bread to go along with all these veggies. Oh and mac & cheese the kids wanted back and cheese. SF surprised me with a red tomato. For the past few days we have had grape tomatoes but all the large tomatoes were still green. This one was on the last plant in the row and got the most sun. It looks yummy can’t wait to slice into it.

This has been a busy week for the garden. All of the early summer vegetables are in and ready to harvest. We have been gathering squash, cucumbers, zucchini, sugar peas, broccoli, radishes, and cauliflower. We dried, cold stored and canned just about everything. We have gathered berries until our fingers are pin cushions from all the thorns; they have been dried or turned into jams and preserves.

The field corn is looking good. Which we are most thankful for since that and the oats will be the main food source for the animals. SF and the guys started cutting come of the oats today. They were trying to get it before it all opened and we had a high % of field loss (that is where you leave the grain in the field until it is ripe and then gather it. You loose a lot that way because the seeds fall on the ground.) We will lay them on drying racks in the sun. The stalks will be cut, baled and used as hay for the animals also. They guys had a big pow-wow this morning and decided they would try another planting of oats. If they can get it in the ground by the end of the month then we would be able to harvest it around the first of October before it freezes. The guys are trying to ensure that we have enough food for the amount of animals we have. They figure we will have more goats, and pigs by then plus the chickens will need food. It is just overwhelming.

I am hoping that T can find metal garbage cans. We brought 6 with us we used them to store grain in for the animals and us on the way. But that is no where near enough to store a years worth of grain. We need a good many of them. I ordered barrels before we left and they were supposed to be delivered to the ranch but only two arrived. So I am hoping the rest are there waiting on P&N. We have put an order in with the ones making them here in the valley but we are way down the list so no telling when we will get ours. We have plastic totes also to store food in but we are hoping to save those for the cold cave. I have made several more baskets and we are in need of more of them. I have started a winter to do list and making baskets is on top of the list.

P will be pleased when he gets back his rice is doing well. It should be ready to harvest the first of October. If I remember correctly the stalks will turn yellow when it is ready to harvest. However, he will be disappointed to see that his water oats pretty much washed away. There are some still there but only about half of what he planted. Good thing not many of us are rice eaters. 100 pounds of rice last us a year so with what we have and what he will be able to harvest we should be okay for rice.

Things are slowly coming together. Mr. S has been out a couple of times checking on Abby and Beth. He has brought them rifles, shotguns and hand guns. He seems pleased with they have learned so far. SF has been working with them on using the hand gun. Beth is better with the guns than Abby only because Beth is not intimated by them. Abby is skittish when it comes to firing the shotguns but she is getting better.

Around 3:00 I rode down with SF to check the bricks and to see how many they got done. Just as we suspected the guys’ bricks turned out rather well. They followed directions and did what they were told to do. Megan however, had egg on her face when SF picked up the first brick and it fell about in his hand. He picked up every one of the bricks she made and the same thing happened with all of them. Afterwards he was none too gentle with her he called her on the carpet big time. But then again he has a way of knocking a kid down and building them back up. After he got through chewing her out because she did not follow instructions he walked her through the process again making bricks right along beside her. I think was killed her the most was when SF mounted his horse he told Megan she had to remake all of her bricks she had made and told Conner to watch and make sure she did it correctly. She said something obviously it was a smart remark (I couldn’t hear her she was on the side of SF and she was mumbling) and SF just looked at her and told her if she had followed instructions the first this would not have happened. He explained to her that our survival this winter rest on everyone’s shoulders even hers. We did not have time to waste remaking stuff that someone did not make correctly the first time because they refused to follow directions. She stomped off in a huff but I noticed she made sure that she did exactly what SF showed her to do. Teddy her younger brother started making fun of her but SF called him down and told him that he had better watch it because his bricks would be inspected also. We rode over to talk to W&A for a few minutes. SF wanted to stay and watch to see how Megan handled Conner being in charge. I had never been more proud of Conner, after the first few bricks (making sure she did them correctly) he pitched in and helped her remake her bricks. At first she snubbed him but then as the sun moved it ways across the sky she seemed thankful that he was helping.

It is a hard adjustment time for these children. And time is not something we have to give them right now. Everyone is expected to pull their weight and pitch it. From what W&A have been able to gather Megan has always been the leader and things were done her way. But here she is out of her element and has to follow other peoples lead. So not only is she dealing with loosing her family, she is no longer queen of the hill. I know we had some problems with Conner at first because he was used to running the show but he has seemed to be relieved that there are adults now that are shouldering most of the responsibility.

[Mother]

The days are too busy to even find a chance to write. Yesterday we moved animals to new pasture. That wasn’t easy, as we had to move some of the fence to enlarge an area to make sure we didn’t have to move them again. The rest of the day was spent in cutting the long grass around the edges of the fields for hay. We didn’t want any tall grass for the wolves or coyotes to get close to the fences or to encourage the animals to try to get to the greener grass on the other side. Cutting it served several purposes that way.

L’s Mom, Karen, and I took the kids out to pick more berries yesterday afternoon and most of the evening was spent on cleaning and laying berries out to dry. I noticed that the hawthorn berries are just starting to show color so I’ll have to keep an eye on them. We need them to use as heart meds replacements.

We discovered something just as important though. We had filled the buckets and returned them to the kitchen but then decided we’d take a few empty ones and go get more clay. It was cool under the trees along the stream and after we had filled the buckets we decided to follow the stream a bit further down. We had decided that the clay deposit was within our property and wanted to see where the stream went. We followed it deeper into the woods where it wandered a bit south and appeared to be headed towards the wooded area right below our fields. We were just barely able to hear the guys calling to each other while cutting hay when we came to a wide area that was sort of swampy but bright with sun. We started to walk around it and because I wasn’t looking for it, I almost missed the wild rice that was growing thickly throughout the whole area, beautiful heads of wild rice heads bobbing in the slight breeze. I was so excited because it is one of my favorite foods and though I’d planted some near our other rice it didn’t look as if it would do well.

I studied the rice for a while. It was just starting to flower good and if my memory served me right, we would have about four weeks before it would be ready and after that we’d have to harvest every week or so to get the most out of the stand. As I was trying to figure out how it came to be growing here I suddenly realized that we’d need to figure out how to harvest it. The natives used canoes.

We walked out of the woods near where the cutting was going on and surprised those working there but soon we were all back looking at the rice. Our son has some experience building scull boats and thinks he will be able to come up with some sort of flat bottomed boat that we can use but it’s a good thing we found the rice now so we have time to get it done. DD tells us that they had seen the swampy area when they were exploring the land before we came but never gave a thought to it containing anything edible. It is a wonderful find. As big as that stand is I wouldn’t doubt we could harvest 500 pounds if we are lucky. There will be a lot of work with the rice what with harvest and then winnowing, parching, and cleaning, but it will be worth it.

Thankfully, a couple of the guys agreed to go back up the stream to get the buckets of clay we’d left behind as they hoped to get in a bit of hunting on the way. The rest of us headed up to start the chores so that C and L’s family could get home to their own animals and supper.

Today, the crew turned the newly cut grass to dry more and then went to C and L’s to cut grass hay there. Mom and I were left to watch the homestead but we kept busy working in the garden. Neither Mom nor I was up to doing a lot of weeding but we managed to get a big pan of fresh peas picked and shelled and all the beans picked again. We will pick them a few more times but then they will come out as by then they will have slowed down enough that replanting with another crop would be more advantageous. We will treat the plants like hay and dry it for winter use. We already have another crop of beans growing and hopefully they will be ready long before winter hits.

While Mom worked on the beans I went to the greenhouse to make sure the seedlings were not getting dry. We had the solar chimney open and it was pulling fresh almost cool air in the lower vents in the greenhouse and it felt nice to just stand there a while. I ran my hand through the growing plants, gently moving them back and forth to help strengthen the stems. I would be transplanting them into beds as soon as we got them filled with dirt. Before I went to help Mom I watered the avocados and the herbs and other larger plants that would be wintered over. Everything was growing beautifully.

We didn’t have room for beans on the trays because they were all full of berries so Mom and I sat and laced them onto strings. I was unusually weary today and I ached all over but managed to get through taking care of the beans and shelling peas but I just wasn’t up to doing chores. For once I left it all up to the others and stayed in the kitchen, helping Mom with supper and taking care what little milk we hadn’t sent across the river. I knew the family was all tired too but as soon as dishes were done I came to our room and crawled into bed where I’m writing this now. I can hear the others chatting in the kitchen and the Anna and YGS still playing a game outside so it feels a bit lonely but I am just too tired to join them tonight. I can hear Mom getting ready for bed in the next room though and I know she’s as tired as I am. Tomorrow we’ll have to try to take it a bit easier or we will both be sick.

[quiltys41]

　

July 19 - the Valley

Well it's been a busy week-end around Mt. Dew lane. With Jerry back to help, we have gotten a LOT more accomplished. He and hubby cut hay and wood all week-end after doing morning chores with the children. They have been a big help also to me! Adam and Benjamin caught enough fish Friday to have a good meal. Plus there were some to get into the smoke house also. Not to be outdone, the girls got into the act and caught more. So we have the smokehouse going right now too and it's full of fish that was caught, cleaned (mostly lol), and put on racks by the children after hubby took the time to fillet them out for them. Adam was watching and learning while hubby did this and by half way, Adam was filleting fish like an old pro. So now when they go fishing and catch too many, Adam can fillet them out. I had thought about trying to can some, but we decided that it would be better just to smoke them and save the jars for other things.

They children have been doing most of the weeding in the gardens and in the corn field too. I have an adult go with them to the corn field since it is a good ways from the house. I don't want them down there alone without someone with a gun with them. Too many of us moving into the valley right now and that has the wild animals on the move. It would be way too easy for them to be down there alone and one wander through. I am taking NO chances with our children. You know, they have come a long way in a short time. I think they have settled in here just fine. Maybe it is all the love they are given and the remote location that also helps make them feel safe. I don't know, but what I do know is the younger of the two are starting to act like they are just kids that have belonged to this family all along. The older two are adjusting fine, just coming along slower. I do suspect that is because they are afraid of forgetting their real parents. I told them that it is no shame to keep them alive in their memories. It's okay if they do that and talk about them once in awhile. They seemed to be pleased that I told them that. And I think that Adam more than Ruth would rather forget ever having had that last day happen. He is still having an occasional nightmare, but hubby will often go up to him if he hears Adam call out. There is a very strong bond growing between the two of them. I am so happy to see that happen too. All part of blending a family.

Today brings more green beans out of the garden. I have put those on the screens to dry after taking the last batch off yesterday. You would be surprised how small they become after drying. I think you could fit half dozen quarts in one quart jar after they dry. Sure saves on the jar usage too. I am trying to get enough jars saved so that we will be able to can up some convince foods like stew, chili, spaghetti and meat sauce and the likes. It would make life during the winter a whole lot easier! We are slowing down on the flour usage too. Even with what Jerry brought us it looks like enough to last until next spring or summer. But if we are careful, it might last even longer. I am taking great pains to make sure that we don't get things such as pantry moths by storing it in barrels that Jerry brought much of his stuff home in. He emptied them out by putting all the stuff in his room, the barn, etc.. then gave us the barrels to use for what we needed them for. I am just glad he had the foresight to pack things like that. One of the barrels is water-tight so it is out under the edge of the roof to catch rain water in. Hubby rigged up a filter for the top so most of the dirt is caught, the big stuff and the smaller stuff settles to the bottom and we scoop water off of the top of the barrel. I don't use it for drinking water, we have a pump in the house for that, but it is useful for the garden, rinsing clothes or watering animals with.

　

July 23 - The Valley

Well we have been so busy here this week that there has been no time left in the day to do any writing. Jerry brought me some replacement kefir, so that was started in milk. It is some wonderful stuff kefir is. I'll talk more about it later. Let me catch you up on what has been happening on Mt. Dew Lane.

First, Jerry has decided to stay with us until he meets a gal and gets married. He sees no use to building his own place right now to be the only one in it. He says his talents can be better put to use right here helping his family for now. Which is fine by his ma! So, here he will stay for awhile. He isn't looking for a wife for now he says, there is just too much to do to get us all ready for winter. The nights are still not that warm here, not what we are used to anyways. It's enough to make me start on more quilts for the family in the evenings, which is why I am not writing much, just been far to busy with family things. I want two to three quilts for each bed. We may let the small children double up in a bed to help them keep each other warmer. Even with stacks of quilts, we look for it to be mighty cold by our standards.

Jerry, Adam and the hubby have been cutting hay anywhere they can find good grass to do so. They are packing it in the barn, just as much as they can get into it. We don't know if there will be a second cutting since there hasn't been much rain, so we will get it where ever we can. Same goes with the wood. They are getting all of the dead fall around the property and Jerry's too. That is all getting cut and stacked with some being made into kindling for the stove. Then they are starting on the larger trees around the homestead. They want that out so that it wont fall on the cabin should we ever get a bad storm. Pines are cut and left laying for now. The hard woods are what they are cutting to length and splitting up and stacking by the house. Next project for them will be moving the outhouse closer to the cabin for the winter months. I think we have enough rope to make it from the cabin to the outhouse and to the barn should a blizzard develop this winter. I don't want anyone going out without a guide rope on them so that they wont get lost or turned around outside. I think we will let the children help with chores if it is clear outside only. they wont need to be out in a blizzard for any reason.

The garden is slowly getting around to producing stuff. Right now it's mostly greens which are getting canned up, and green beans which are being dried. The children have taken it upon themselves to bring in fish to be smoked and they also go out and catch fresh for dinner some nights. And with all of us to feed now, that is quite the chore for them to do. They have even gotten to where they make a sort of assembly (or disassembly lol) line out of cleaning them. They have done good helping out around the homestead and we tell them so too. You can just see their faces light up when we tell them how proud of them we are. That we couldn't do this without all of their help, even little Esther and Benjamin's help is needed and praised. I have gotten about all of the berries I dare take without hurting the animal population around us. I have made juice out of the last of them figuring that if nothing else, if we run out of syrup or jelly, I will have the juice to make more if it's needed. We have also picked out as much local and natural foods as we can. I have tried to be as careful as possible not to take so much that we short nature or ourselves for the next year, but to get enough to supplement our diets with it. It is a hard and fine line to walk doing this. Since it is our first year here, how do we know what is enough and what is too much for us to harvest? Like I said, it's a fine line to walk.

Cherries on the tree are about ready and I have had Jerry and the hubby throw some netting over the part of the tree with the cherries on them so that the birds don't get to the fruit. We will need all the fruit we can get into our diets. Vitamins only last so long and then that's it. So I find myself wondering if what I am storing for the winter contains enough of this vitamin or that. I am lucky in that one of my nursing books that I had brought along contains info on nutrition and what is in different veggies and fruits. I am trying to balance out what us older folks will need vs. what the children will need to grow up good and strong. With the dairy products from the goats and our dairy cow the children had, that will give us plenty of calcium and Vit. D. The children and I both need those. And as for the others, I believe with the mix of veggies we are keeping, it will bring us good health. I don't want us to become like the pioneers of old and their poor health from their inability to feed themselves well.

And in with all the work we have been doing, we are making sure the children have time to play and just be kids too. We let them go swimming most every evening if they are up to it. Of course, we like going too! Jerry has a lot of fun getting in the water with his younger siblings and playing around with them, even though he is 20 years their senior lol. And they are getting a kick out of having such an older brother too. They are also aunts and uncles to children older than they are which was confusing to them at first until we explained it on paper so that they could see the differences wrote out. Jerry helped with that one lol. And we let them play around the barn and the yard. Hubby is watching for an old tire, but I am afraid those are too precious for folks to let go of. He was wanting it for a swing. So until he finds one, he took part of an older board and cut it to about a foot long and drilled two holes in each end by hand drill. Then he threaded a long rope into each set of holes and hung it up on a tree near the cabin so at least they have some kind of swing to use for now. Jerry thinks he can make other things out of wood for them to play on also. We were talking about that one night as we were wondering about the children and Christmas time and what could we make here at the homestead for them? I think hubby has already started making dressers or footlockers or some such for them for Christmas. I will be making each their own special quilt. I do that for each of my kids and they will be no different. Jerry though, he wasn't sure what to make them. So when I said something about having stuff outside to play with, he went off to his room mumbling something about measuring out some stuff...I didn't quite catch it all. It will be interesting though I am sure. His training has taught him how to make do with nothing at all, so having all this here to use should be interesting lol.

But all of us so far are happy here in the valley. Of course we miss all of those who didn't come with us. But as I have said before, we made sure they would never want for anything by stocking up the cave so well before we left. We had thought that we all would be staying there until the invite to come here came along. Now that there are three less of us at the cave, I am sure they will have more than enough. But I still miss them badly. Sometimes worse than others. I keep myself busy as possible so that I spend little time thinking about it. Or else I might be so blue and so depressed that I am of no use to anyone here. I wonder if sometime in the future, when and if things settle back down, if we will leave this valley and venture back home again? It's always possible I suppose. I count those who are here in the valley with their whole families very lucky.

Well, I do suppose I should return to working on Adam's quilt before it gets too late. So I will close out this entry and try to become more regular about it again.

Q

[Daylily]

HOW IT ALL STARTED

“I can't believe I'm doing this”, I said to myself as I looked out over the landscape. I glanced at Linc, my husband as he handled the team of horses pulling our wagon. He was doing it like an expert. He always did catch on to everything quickly. He was just intuitive about how things ought to be done. Me, I have to study things out and decide on the best method before I try anything new. That may change out of necessity though! I sighed.



I thought back to the weekend that our oldest daughter, Carrie and her husband Paul came to visit. Paul is originally from the Midwest. He and his Dad have talked about going back to farm as long as we've known them. I hated to hear them discuss it because I didn't want him taking Carrie clear across the country where I would likely never see her again. I hate traveling so I couldn't see myself going to visit them!
Anyway, Paul was all excited that weekend. He had heard (who knows where from) about a wagon train going West. Something about some wealthy folks supplying wagons and teams to families who wanted to get away from the populated areas and begin new homesteads. I listened enough to Paul telling Linc and our son Rick to know it wasn't for me. Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Linc brought up the subject.


“What do you think of Paul's idea?”

“What idea”, I asked, playing dumb.

“About joining the wagon train. Wouldn't that be great? We could get away from everything that's going on here and be safe! I understand the settlement will be somewhere in the wilderness area of the West. His parents are planning to go” . Linc was clearly very excited about the whole idea. I got that sinking feeling that I get when I don't want to do something and I realize that I'm outnumbered or at least out-talked. Linc is quite a talker!


I took a deep breath and said, “I have always told you that I will NEVER, EVER live where there are brown bears or grizzlies and I'm sure where ever this wonderful place it, there are bears! There are always bears in the west.” As far as I was concerned, that was the end of the discussion.


But it wasn't. We had a family meeting the next day with Carrie, Paul, Rick and his wife, Lena, and our younger daughter, Anne and her soon-to-be-husband, John. Paul's parents lived in another state. Paul gave us the low-down on the wagon train. As I looked around the group at all the faces, I could see excitement building and showing on each face. Except John. He looked as troubled as I felt. None of the others seemed to notice him or me and our lack of enthusiasm. I missed some details as my mind wandered. How could I leave this land that my great-great grandparents had settled? The new house that we were building? The orchard, the grapevines, the hardy kiwis that were finally bearing after 10 years?


I forced my mind back to the dilemma at hand. As I studied each person sitting around the living room, I though how suited they all were to this kind of life, except maybe John. Linc, my dear husband of 38 years and lover of all things old-timey. He had hung around with my two grandpas while they were alive and learned so much from them: gardening, blacksmithing, fruit growing, old methods of carpentry. He used to build houses for a living, does most of our auto repairs and could make practically anything out of nearly nothing. His grandfather built log houses for a living, supervising the building of the last one when he was in his 80s.


He had taught our middle child, Rick everything he knew but both are continually learning. They're not afraid to try anything. Rick's wife, Lena, is a sturdy farm girl, used to hard work. They met in college where Rick was working on a degree in electronics engineering and Lena a degree in agriculture.


Our older daughter Carrie and her husband Paul were a study in contrasts but got along so well. Carrie was outgoing and talkative like her Dad. Paul was quiet but had a great sense of humor. Both of them were hard workers and very frugal.


Our younger daughter, Anne, was quiet like me. She sat listening to Paul with rapt attention. Her fiancé, John watched her with a furrowed brow. Finally, he broke in and asked, “Paul, how do you know about this wagon train? For all we know, these guys could be crooks”.


Paul laughed, “One of Mom's cousins and his family joined the first wagon train. They tried to get Mom and Dad to go then but they put off deciding. Now this last one is heading out and it's now or never.”

Now or never? I swallowed the lump in my throat. Thoughts tumbled all over themselves in my mind. What about my Mom? She's 73 and partially blind. I can't leave her here. I'm an only child and there would be nobody to help her out. She lives alone about 5 miles from us and says she wants to be independent as long as she can. Would she go? What about Linc's 86 year old mother? He has 3 sisters and a brother to take care of her but how can we leave all his family?


I couldn't help thinking about my great-great aunt who went to Ohio in a covered wagon and wrote letters back to her sister, my great-great grandma. She never came back to see her family again. Her homesickness was evident between the lines in the letters she wrote.


Linc leaned back in his chair. “Well folks, we have some serious decisions to make in the next day or so. We don't have much time to make up our minds. Let's all take some time to discuss this privately with our spouses then meet back here in the living room in about a hour. OK?”

Carrie and Paul walked out to the foot bridge that spanned the creek. Rick and Lena headed toward the apple orchard. Anne and John went out to sit on the back deck. Linc and I walked toward the daylily patch.


I didn't say anything as we walked. Finally Linc spoke. “Well, Honey what are you thinking?”


“I'm thinking about Mom. Would she go with us?”


“Does this mean you'll go?”


I nodded. Linc hugged me and I sobbed against his shoulder. I hate being such a crybaby but I don't handle big changes very well. I'm usually fine after I get used to the new idea but it takes some time.

We talked about what we would take, and the logistics of getting our stuff to the Rockin' J Ranch.


We noticed Carrie and Paul standing in the driveway talking to my cousin, Loren who had driven up. We walked over to say hello. He pastured his horses on our land and had come to check on them and the electric fence. He complained about the general state of affairs and said he wished he could just get out and find some wilderness place to settle and start over. We looked at Paul. He nodded ever so slightly.


“Loren” Linc said, “I've got some good news for you!”

[quiltys41]

　

July 25 - the Valley

Well hubby and Jerry have about got my green house done! They started working on it yesterday evening after dinner and chores were done. They got it sort of laid out. Then this morning, they started cutting some of the smaller limbs to size that they had gotten from cutting down the trees earlier this week. What a great idea! They think they will have enough to make it fit since it isn't a huge green house, just a smaller sized one. But it is big enough to walk in it and it will hook onto the cabin once they have it all set up. That will save one side from having to be put up and they can use those pieces of Plexiglas for something else then. They are going to hook the other sided together then but it up against the house off of the kitchen and then cut an opening inside the cabin to it. I think they have plans for a door also for it. It will be one of those doors that are cut in half with you being able to open the top half to let in the heat and leave the bottom half closed. Kind of like you might have seen on a barn. I think it will work out just fine since most of the heat in the house is from the wood stove in the kitchen anyways. I just hope this will work out. Once they get it up, the first things I am putting in there is green beans and some lettuce. I will also take a start from a few of the tomato plants to pot up and set inside too. Then I will have to decide what else I want to grow in there during the winter. We may have to set up lights in there off of the solar panel that is out on the roof. We don't have anything hooked up to it yet, but it's been up there since he opened up the crate it came in and set it up. LOL we have gotten so used to not having anything electric that we just have stayed that way.

The children are now able to do their chores without us having to help them but we are still right there in the barn if we are needed to help them or they have questions. I had to laugh at Jerry the other morning. Esther asked him where the hens get all those eggs from. Knowing that we try to be as truthful with the children as possible left him high and dry as to an answer for such a young girl. He just turned red and stammered and looked to us for help. LOL here is this big manly man trying his best to answer a child. I got so tickled at that! Hubby told her that the rooster mates with the hen and that makes the egg inside of her. Which really isn't quite the truth, but it will do for now at her age. When she gets older and can understand about fertile and non-fertile, then we will explain it further. But just to see Jerry have such a hard time was one of those moments you never forget as a mother. Seems it was not that long ago that I had to explain the birds and the bees to him too. Oh how they grow up way too fast on you!

We had wanted to go to the Lodge tomorrow for services and to see everyone, but hubby mentioned to Jerry that something is getting into the corn field at night, so they are going to sit up out there tonight and see what it is and if they can run it off or if they will have to bring whatever it is down. I have a feeling it's raccoons, but if it's deer, I may have to spend the day dressing it out instead of going to the Lodge. I think the men will be too tired to go anyways. We can't allow ourselves to be eaten out of house and home by the local critters that way. Every ear of corn will be needed this winter to feed the animals with. And believe me, every ear out here counts! The more the wildlife eats, the more word spreads around it's out there and then comes more critters and they will eat it all till it's gone. The time to stop it is now. So they will take the tent down and cold camp. I will make them up a basket to take with them and a big pot of coffee that they can warm up with those warmer pack things out of the bob's. I will wrap it up with a quilt and such the best I can but I know by morning it will be cold. I suppose it is better than none, but we never thought to bring thermos jars with us. So have to make do the best we can. And I will pack some sandwiches and cookies to munch on. I can't let them sit out there all night without anything. I am kind of hoping that they do bring back a deer or two. That will meet our needs for a good six months as far as meat goes. With fish added in for variety, we will be just fine. Then they will have to get another one or an elk close to winter, or during it depending on how much meat we get off of that hog we will butcher too when it gets cold. I know I keep going over and over our supplies for food, but it really is needed. If I make a mistake on the calculations, it could be very dangerous for us as a family. I don't want that to happen. Nor do I want us dependent on anyone else for food. Oh and I was going to write down some things on kefir too and forgot. It is going to have to wait until another time because it is getting late and I need to get going tomorrow and get things done, like laundry, ugh!

Blessings to all...

Q

[mommato3boys]

Peeking in on P&N

You know something N. Yeah I know a lot Yep N you a real know-it-all. LOL P what you like to know I thought dad had the talk with you a long time ago especially with you being the oldest and all. All right you keep that up and you will be walking back to the valley. Hummmm…well P it might just be a bit faster than this wagon train. Why does it seem like this one is slower? I don’t know N but like you I feel like I have been on the trail for a year now. Yeah I guess it does seem that way. Mom started packing us up and gathering stuff up before Christmas of last year. We have been in WT mode for a while now. Like you I will be glad when this trip is over with. Yep the Rocks will be the last one coming in and most of their stuff is already there and waiting on them. Mr. Rock told me they expect to pull out any day now. I know most of the ranch hands that are still there wish they would go ahead and go. Yeah they are P but Mrs. Rock said they are trying to wait out the harvest. They don’t want to leave it behind. I suspect they will be there by Thanksgiving.

I glad Uncle T is headed north. I know mom will be glad she was worried about him. P you think he will make it. Yeah he is pretty sure he will make it; he is meeting up with another group and headed that way. I know he was disappointed he couldn’t get the stuff mom wanted. Hey N what do you think are in those crates back there that he got for her. Oh he told me, they are whiskey. Whiskey, all 3 crates? Nope only one case is whiskey the other two are bourbon and rum. What is in the barrels? Let’s see he said one had fishing poles, line, hooks, and sinkers and there is also a reloader in there. Along with some casings and some fishing weights and molds, he said mom would know what to do with them. No gun powder? (N looks innocently at P and grins) Well P it is like this I wouldn’t bounce too hard if I was you. You are sitting on about 10 pounds. What? Sit down P you are going to fall out of the wagon. N what in the h*** do you mean I am sitting on it. You see those boxes under the seat? Yeah there are two here that look like the wooden boxes that mom and dad gave us one Christmas. Yep that’s the ones I am talking about. N you mean to tell me they have gun powder in them? Yep that is exactly what I am saying five pounds in each. T and I split what little powder he had. I gave him half of my shot gun shells and he gave me powder. So that is why you went flying back to your place the night before we left. Yeah I couldn’t let mom or dad know or she would have had a fit and P you can’t tell her. Mom is not to know about this trade. Why not? Well you know she still does not trust T. That is true N she doesn’t but why wouldn’t she like the trade. It is not that she won’t like it; well she won’t at first until she realizes we have a reloader and the necessary materials to make more rifle shells. N something tells me you are not telling me the whole story.

Dang P you are as bad as mom. No it is not the whole story. I traded T my shot 30-06 and the 726 for bows and arrows. WHAT?!?!?! Are you crazy two guns for bows and arrows? Kid mom is going to have your hide when she finds out. P that is why I said she couldn’t find out, plus she had no say in the matter I bought and paid for those two myself. *sigh* N if you believe that then I know the sun has baked your brain these past 10 weeks. All right N how many bows and how many arrows? Are you going to keep your trap shut? Well N that depends on how many bows and arrows you got. Fine three compound and 2 recurve and 1 gross of arrows but an additional 2 gross of arrow shafts and 1 additional gross of arrow heads plus some mag lights and a case of batteries and a couple of dozen knives. Well N not a bad trade but you are right mom is not going to like the loss of two long guns. What is in the second barrel? I don’t know T said that one was for mom. He was upset that he couldn’t get all of her stuff. I think the only thing he was able to get was more yeast, baking soda, and baking powder. There two 25# bags back there one is soda and one is powder. There are some seeds, and 100# of charcoal. But that was all he was able to get food wise. Supply wise well other than the fishing equipment and the bows he didn’t have anything else. The booze was payment from a guy. And the bull? Well he said don’t ask about the bull he would tell me no lies. Great I hope it doesn’t have a tracking device. LOL What is so funny N? Well T said to tell mom not to worry about the chip that they took care of it. So what are these other packages of hers? That is stuff she ordered. Mrs. Rock seems to think a couple of them are seedlings since they are from a nursery and a couple of them are fabric. There is thread and needles also. How do you know all of this? Well P while you were helping Mt.Rider’s family load their wagons Mrs. Rock and tried to pack stuff in our wagon as tight as we could so I opened a couple of the packages and wrapped them in brown paper and left the boxes behind. I am curious though. About what? Well P there is that box back there with a lock on it. T didn’t give me a key to it. P you know something don’t you. Well T sent mom a key last trip and told her she would know what to do with it when she got the package. What do you think is in it? Which one the one wrapped up like Ft. Knox? Yep that one. Have no clue but T said we were to deliver that one to mom and no one else. Well all I know it is not heavy probably weighs about 5-10 pounds.

P I am so glad that this is the last trip. I wish Abigail and Elizabeth had been on this trip. What have you lost your mind? Now I know your brain is baked N. No it is not think about it they at least made the time pass faster. Well that is true between them and the kids the day sure went by faster. I wonder how Conner and Aidan are doing. No P the better question to ask is how mom is doing with two little girls. N was you as surprised as I was when mom refused to let them be split up? You mean you were surprised? P you don’t know our mother very well do you. I see your point N, no matter what we went through mom always made sure we were together no matter what. I guess I really wasn’t surprised after all. However, you may just have a point there. Mom never knew what to do with little girls. I wonder what she is doing their hair. OMG P you don’t think she cut their hair do you. I don’t know N I guess we will find out when we get there. P you gonna visit Elizabeth when you get back. Haven’t thought about it N I suspect we will see her and Abigail when we get back. They are staying with Mr. S at the lodge so we will see them when ever we make it down to the lodge. How do you think they are taking to their new life N? Well seeing as Chef is cooking for them and Mr. S is handling everything else they probably are handling the washing ok. You know N Abigail is not bad looking a man sure could wake up looking at that face every morning. What is your point P? Well I was just saying you two make a fine looking couple. What about you and Elizabeth? Haven’t given it any thought N. Sure you haven’t you have been too busy planning my future with Abigail. P if you know what is good for you, you will stay out of my love life. Oh so you have a love life now huh do tell. P you know a gentleman never kisses and tells. N you are no gentleman. P I am telling mom you said that. Well ok I concede that point; she did try to turn us in to gentlemen didn’t she? Yep at least we know which fork to use and we know not to wear flip flops to meet the president. LOL I will never forget that girl’s basket ball team wearing flip flops to the white house. I though our mother would have a cow right there in front of the TV. For weeks she ranted on that.

You realize that winter will come early this year. P do you wish we had stayed behind to help? Yeah in a way I feel bad about leaving them all behind to deal with the crops and all while we were gone. At least the payment for these two trips will be worth it all. N did you tell dad what our payment was? No I thought you did. Nope I didn’t. Well the extra land will be worth it.

Well P I am going to ride on up ahead and see how much longer before we stop for the night. It is getting late and I know Mr. H doesn’t want to travel at night. We should be getting pretty close to that stream. Hey N...yeah…tomorrow you drive the wagon. Why? Well I don’t like setting on a powder keg. You will be ok P it is well packed for shipping. Well if it packed so go then you can ride sitting on it. Fine P I will drive the wagon tomorrow. Good I had rather be on the back of the horse anyway. Ahhhh so the truth comes out. Oh shut up and go find out how much longer before we stop for the night.