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Post by kaijafon on Mar 18, 2017 16:13:14 GMT -6
oh my bees and more bees!!!! I can taste the honey now! haha!
thanks so much!
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Post by pbbrown0 on Mar 22, 2017 12:03:46 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 25
That evening the family was in a different mood. They seemed energized but relaxed. The discoveries of the morning had been amazing and fascinating, but they were also reassuring. They now had a renewed confidence that there would be plenty of food to get through the winter. It was just a matter of managing their time and getting it gathered. Michael knew it was more complicated than that. Their goat herd had grown to almost twenty now including the young kids. He wished now that they had more. He wanted to talk with Liz and Cathy about increasing the size of the flock of chickens, for the same reasons they needed to increase the size of the goat herd. Of course a larger herd and a larger flock would require more time and effort to manage them. Without fences they would need to be herded by people moving them from place to place to prevent over grazing, and more winter feed would need to be gathered and stored.
Josh finished a design for a bee hive made from the log stubs. These were the short sections of logs left after the long trunks had been cut into the proper lengths needed for building the cabins. With the design worked out all of the men pitched in to help to get several hive containers built and transported to the area near the wild hives. Cathy made a mixture of honey and crushed buckwheat blossoms diluted with water to 'paint' the openings to the hive enclosures. This was to lure the swarm scouts to a perfect new castle for their queen. Cathy had to reassure Jenny's parents and Jeff, too, about the process. The idea of Jenny and Cathy being out there in the woods with swarming bees sounded very scary to them. Cathy explained that during the swarming the bees were very focused on their own activities unless something or someone came threateningly close. She and Jenny were only going up there to observe when it happened and to make sure the luring solution for the scouts was fresh at the right times. The time when the scouts reported back to the swarm, and the swarm moved with the queen to the new location was probably the calmest time in the life of a hive. Cathy and Jenny actually managed to establish three new hives this way as the larger wild hive had apparently produced two separate swarms within a span of several weeks.
Everyone had gotten pretty comfortable with their watch shifts now, but Liam and Colleen had agreed with Pete and Beth to periodically swap out on the early night and late night shifts so no one would be completely excluded from the evening gathering time in the lodge. Josh had also convinced several of the watchmen to alter their routes coming back to the lodge in the daylight hours or when the moon was bright so they could gather more information about their surroundings. It was on one of these diversions from his normal route back that Doug noticed several deer leaping out of a low area when he was passing nearby. It was a spot fairly low on the eastern mountain near what they had been told was the eastern edge of the old Van Hoosen land. He looked around the area surrounding the low place and realized that there were actually signs of paths that had been made into this low area where the vegetation was thinned or missing. When he moved down into the low area the vegetation there was also sparse and appeared over grazed at least. It was not a large area, but it was large enough that there should have been either a few trees or at least patches of other vegetation. Instead it was just a small empty spot in the forest. He was puzzled about why there had been a group of deer gathered there with no cover in which to hide and so little to eat. That night he brought it up during the evening gathering.
Pete knew immediately that that Doug had found was a salt lick. Somewhere in or on the mountain was a salty layer of sediment that the ground water and runoff had been dissolving. When the salty water seeped into this low area it would accumulate and the evaporation would leave a concentration of salt in the soil. The animals would come and scrape plants out of the way so they could lick the salty soil. He thought this had probably been happening over the course of many years, so they should be able to harvest plenty of salt there while still leaving plenty for the wildlife.
Lucy spoke up to ask a question. “I'm sure someone knows this already, but help me understand. How can we separate the salt from the dirt so we can use it in our food?”
Beth explained the process. “First we take a lot of dirt and stir it into a big pot of water. Then we boil it and skim off anything that floats. That should kill any micro-organisms that are dangerous. Then we wait for all the sediment to settle until the water is really clear. We can pour or scoop out the clear water and filter it through layers of cloth to catch as much of the remaining impurities and minerals as we can. The salt molecules actually break apart into atoms that cling to the water molecules so it will not be filtered out. Then we take the filtered water and boil it, again. When the water is all boiled away the salt crystals will be what is left. There may be some small amounts of rare earths or other substances also dissolved in the water along with the salt, but it should not be a problem if we start with salty earth and let the water stand until it is really clear. Jeff and Josh used a fair amount of salt for curing the dear hides, but they used a similar process to clean and recapture the salt for future hides. They ended up with virtually the same amount of clean white salt crystals that they started with.”
Michael added to the discussion. “now that we know where the deer go to access the salt lick, we now have another area we can watch so we can be more selective in harvesting deer. It will still require some hunting skills, but the deer can be monitored coming to both the salt lick and to the buckwheat field to gain a better understanding of the composition of the deer population in this area. That salt lick is some distance from the field of buckwheat, so together they can help us understand a lot more about the various groups of deer and their movements. We can be more confident of how many deer can be harvested without harming their population. Things are really looking better for our food situation this winter.”
Unknown to Michael, Josh had been talking with Jeff about the bow he and made, and together they had finished a second bow so Josh and Jeff each carried one on their afternoon watch. Doug had made a few more arrowheads, so they were both equipped to hunt the larger game. Jeff had also made several arrows with only fire hardened pointed wooden tips for smaller game like rabbits. After about a week they both talked to Michael about their observations, and what some of the others had observed. Michael pointed out that with it getting to July the antlers on the bucks would be filling out, though still fuzzy, so it would be easier to spot the older bucks. He recommended harvesting a couple of the older larger bucks to assure the vitality of the herd. By mid July Josh and Jeff were very busy curing two more buckskins and a collection of rabbit pelts. The cellar was also getting stocked with salted and smoked-dehydrated venison and rabbit.
It was a Sunday evening, near the end of July, when most of the community were gathered around and Beth asked for everyone's attention. “This new watch schedule has been really great, but we all need to make an adjustment. Rose must not be allowed to take watch duty anymore starting today. Regardless of what her calculated due date may be, babies have their own timetables and are notorious for picking their own birthday. I am going to insist that Rose must stay near the lodge until further notice. After the baby comes she will not be able to take watch for quite a while either so we need to count on some schedule adjustment that is more than just temporary. Rose, don't you dare feel bad about others having to take your watch responsibility. Your number one priority is to take care of that precious baby that is coming. As for the rest of us, we are all family here and it wouldn't be much of a family if we weren't all doing our part to take care of the children. Now I know this means the rest of us are going to have to fill in, so we need some ideas about how to do this.”
Jeff surprised everyone by speaking up immediately. “Since it is going to take some juggling around to cover all the shifts; I am willing to take two shifts as long as one of them is a night shift. I don't want to be on watch during two day shifts, because I just feel like there is too much I want to get done during the daylight. At the same time I don't think it is a good idea to take two back to back night shifts, because that is too risky for keeping alert for that long at a stretch in the dark.”
“Jeff I think you have some good ideas there, except for one thing.” Michael jumped in. “You nor anyone else should be allowed to take two shifts everyday. If we let you do that, I know you would be trying to burn the candle at both ends and that isn't wise. Beth I really appreciate your determination on this, because you are exactly right. I think that if we divide the days up into slightly longer shift lengths so we can keep the same daily schedule, the starting and ending time of each shift will be creeping around the clock and messing with everyone's rhythm. If we shorten the shifts and break the day up into more frequent changes, we start loosing more time getting to and from our positions, and that will end up keeping everyone's schedule in more turmoil. I think we all need to look at keeping the shifts on the same schedule, but we each need to look at taking a second shift about once every four or five days. We just need to avoid anyone taking two daylight shifts or two back to back nighttime shifts. We will need to post the schedule for each week so we can keep track of who is on when, but I think we can work out an agreeable schedule for everyone.”
It took a little juggling, but everyone was satisfied when they worked out a schedule for the next couple of weeks. That would take them into early August. Michael did not raise the issue at this time but his concern was growing about the heavy harvest time that was coming and the extra care that would be needed for their new baby. He decided that they probably would need to back off on the time spent on the new cabins even if they were not finished by winter. He decided to stop working on both at the same time and just finish one if they could. He kept hoping their friends would somehow return at least before the weather turned bad. At the same time he had this sense that there would be others finding the Haven before next spring. If all that happened they really would need more living space. He decided that he needed to keep his head and heart in the right place, and not let himself slip into worrying. He felt like every since he came to this place God had taken care of him and those who came here better than he had imagined. He just needed to hope, trust, keep working hard, and leave the rest to God.
The last evening of July Michael was surprised by a bit of a celebration. Doug and Liz stood up announced that It was Jenny's birthday and she had just turned sixteen. Much to her embarrassment they made a point of telling everyone just how proud they were of the kind of young woman she was becoming, and how much she was learning and contributing to the whole group at the Haven. They invited everyone to come congratulate her on reaching this milestone. Michael was watching as everyone seemed to crowd around her. He noticed that in spite of her usual embarrassment she was smiling and laughing much ore than usual as she was taking in all the attention and hugs from virtually everyone present. While he was watching and waiting for the crowd to thin before offering his own congratulations, Jeff stepped up and spoke to him.
“Michael, I need to leave to take my turn on watch, but there is something I need to show you and talk about with you tomorrow. I checked and you are on morning watch tomorrow, but I really need some of your time as soon as you get back.”
Michael turned and looked at Jeff. He did not know what Jeff had on his mind but it seemed rather important to Jeff. He had said he wanted to show something to Michael and then talk about it. It apparently was not an emergency, but he seemed to want to get this done fairly quickly. Michael could not get a read on what was going on from looking at Jeff's face, but his curiosity was really piqued. “Okay, Jeff. How about we grab something to eat when I get back and then we can go find out what is on your mind. You be careful on your watch.”
“Thank you, Michael I will.” He turned and went to gather his gear before leaving the lodge. As he was stepping through the door he turned to glance toward Jenny before closing the door behind him.
Michael was watching Jeff leave and said a silent prayer for his safety, before turning to offer his congratulations to Jenny on her birthday. He gave her a hug too, but stayed to talk to her a minute about how he noticed and appreciated her hard work. He mentioned specific things he noticed like her diligence with the needlework in the evenings, and her extra effort with Cathy in learning how to work with the bees to provide honey for the group. He noticed that tonight rather than frequently glancing down, she was looking him right I the eye. Furthermore, her eyes were expressing an uncharacteristic sparkle. He was impressed that she was taking all the birthday attention so well. He was pleased to see that she was gaining more confidence and beginning to overcome her shyness.
Colleen had the early night watch in the northern area tonight. She just had time to congratulate Jenny before coming to relieve Liam. Liam stayed a few extra minutes to chat before leaving, but his training about the importance of watch duty prevented him from staying longer and distracting her from this responsibility. Before he left, he related to her that Josh had seen a considerable amount of smoke to the north of the mountains earlier in the day, clearly more than a camp fire, but the wind had been steady from the south and it was thinned out by the time Liam had come on watch. He had still been very attentive before sundown and was alert to smelling the air for smoke, but it seemed to have disappeared now. Colleen disliked having this posting on a night like this, there was a cloud cover tonight and no moon in the sky. She would have to be almost on top of someone to see them, so she was having to wait and listen carefully. The thought occurred to her that the clouds and possible rain to the north may have contributed to the fire disappearing north of the mountains. They could use some of that rain a little farther south, to as this had been a dry July .Having to move quietly from the first one lookout area to the second in the dark was no picnic, even though she knew the surrounding woods. She had just picked a new spot to sit again and listen. She was listening to the slight wind in the leaves concentrating to notice if there was a change in the gentle rustling sounds that would signal something other than the wind moving. She noticed a shift in the sounds and became more alert. Then, just as she realized the change in sounds was only caused by a slight shift in wind direction, she froze in place and stiffened all over.
Colleen smelled a fire. The whole world around her seemed to be in slow motion now. She was definitely smelling the faint whiff of a fire and she turned her head to look in the direction of the wind shift. Even in the dark there was no hint of a fire glowing, but the smell was there. It was either getting stronger now, or she was just tuning in to it with her focus, so she waited. Could it be the wind shift was bringing a hint of smoke from the earlier fire? Had that fire managed to stay lit and move closer through one of the narrow valleys? Or were there people lighting a fire nearby? In a few minutes the smell was not as strong, but it was still there. Then she started smelling something else. Something was cooking, like some kind of meat. Someone not a part of the Haven group was here in their inside the safety zone. She knew she had to find the source now, but she had to stay hidden and silent. At least she would be able to follow the source of the smell even though it was dark.
Her progress was painfully slow, trying not to make a sound stepping through the forest in the dark. She had to stop and listen, too, to be sure no one slipped up on her in the dark. Finally, after about twenty minutes, she spotted it. There was a faint glow ahead between some trees. Now that she was closer she had to be extra careful. She worked her way closer from tree to tree to stay in the shadows of the trees. The fire was putting out very little light, but she wanted all the cover she could find. When she got close enough she saw that someone was clever enough to have dug a fire pit so the fire was less visible. There was still some light escaping and reflecting off the surrounding trees. She was slowly scanning the area to learn what she could.
She saw a hunched over figure move slightly between her and the fire. It looked like someone was turning a stick over the fire. Colleen shielded her eyes from the fire and tried to look around more. She eventually made out the shadowy shapes of several more people, each one huddled against the base of a tree or a fallen tree branch. Then she caught a movement on the other side of the 'camp'. It looked like the barrel of a rifle sticking out from behind a tree trunk. Someone was standing guard and they had a gun.
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Post by kaijafon on Mar 22, 2017 12:21:54 GMT -6
oh wowser!!! Colleen best be careful!!! Thank you for the MOAR!!!! Ok, she was north of Haven but which way did she move to the find the fire? Are these people now between her and Haven or did she move away from Haven? thanks again!
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Post by ydderf on Mar 22, 2017 12:44:06 GMT -6
Thank you. A question if I may. I'm labouring under the thought that buckwheat flower honey is very strongly flavoured is it edible?
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Post by pbbrown0 on Mar 22, 2017 13:51:47 GMT -6
Kaijafon, She moved east by northeast. The Haven Lodge is south by southwest from her. The group she found is in a narrow valley that winds to the northeast between two mountains. The lodge is up hill and on the south slope of a third mountain from where she found the intruders. ydderf, Yes to your question and your implied question. Buckwheat honey is dark brown. It does have a strong flavor but it is edible. Typically it is used more sparingly as many people perceive it to be sweeter as well as stronger than other honey. By the way, in my experience raw honey (not buckwheat honey) is much sweeter and a bit darker than most commercial filtered and pasteurized honey. Also buckwheat honey is far richer in anti-oxidants and natural antibiotic properties. I like it when readers are interested enough to ask questions.
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Post by papaof2 on Mar 22, 2017 14:48:00 GMT -6
I like it when readers are interested enough to ask questions. Perhaps you are doing thought-provoking writing?
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Post by kaijafon on Mar 22, 2017 14:57:13 GMT -6
Kaijafon, She moved east by northeast. The Haven Lodge is south by southwest from her. The group she found is in a narrow valley that winds to the northeast between two mountains. The lodge is up hill and on the south slope of a third mountain from where she found the intruders. thank you! that is what I was picturing.
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Post by freebirde on Mar 22, 2017 17:05:48 GMT -6
Intense red neck drink, sassafras tea sweetened with dark honey. Not for anyone that have weak taste buds. I prefer it hot/warm, but have drank it cold. Don't drink it anymore, DW doesn't like the taste or smell of rootbeer, licorice, sassafras, or anise.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Mar 22, 2017 22:05:21 GMT -6
Best morning wake up drink is fresh coffee sweetened with honey and a little milk.
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Post by 9idrr on Mar 23, 2017 20:16:33 GMT -6
Best morning wake up drink is fresh coffee sweetened with honey and a little milk. That'd go well with a hot roll in bed with honey.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Mar 25, 2017 0:09:09 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 26
With painfully slow and careful movements Colleen began to back away. She had to get help, and she needed to hurry, but she must not be discovered. She had to force herself to go very slowly, when she wanted so badly to run as fast as she possibly could. This is exactly what they had been afraid of encountering. There was a sizable group that had made their way closer to the Haven, and they were well off the public roads. If they kept on following along this valley between the mountains, they would pass within a quarter mile of the lodge. Even if their attention was not drawn toward sounds and activities near the lodge, and that seemed like more luck than they could reasonably hope for, this group would at least discover the old farm house. Even a cursory look at the garage/barn at the farm house would alert them to the likely hood of more scavenging possibilities in the area. The worst part was that this group was armed and they were using at least some stealthy practices. That meant they had at least some level of cunning in their methods. Once Colleen put some distance between her and their camp, she did pour on the speed. When she got to the lodge she practically ran into the front door making a huge thump.
Within seconds several people were tumbling out of bed into the great room. Colleen was so out of breath she could barely speak. Liam wrapped his big arms around her and got her to slow down and catch her breath. He told her to rest and breathe. There was time to get ready, but first they needed to understand the situation and think it through before rushing out into the night. Rose got Colleen a cup of water to drink and had her sit down. Then she started a pot of coffee for everyone. When Colleen settled down she explained what she had discovered.
Those who were awake had several questions for Colleen and she answered those that she could. It had been very dark and the group she found did not make it easy for her to be sure of their numbers, but there were at least eight or nine. Once she determined they were armed, she decide she needed to get back as quickly as possible to give everyone more time to prepare for what ever might happen.
The questions slowed down and Michael spoke up. “I'm just thinking out loud here, so everyone feel free to add your thoughts. We have two possible types of threat here. Long term threat is that some outsiders discover where and what we are, then move on to tell even more outsiders about us. I am bringing that one up first because if that happens there will be no way we can effectively counter it short of abandoning this Haven. The second and more immediate threat is that there are a number of them and they have at least one gun. They may have only one or they may be very heavily armed. We just don't know. I think Colleen made the right decision under the circumstances to report back immediately instead of hanging around to learn more details. She was alone in a very dangerous and uncertain situation. Her staying longer would have likely increased the chances of her being detected with no guarantee that it would yield more useful information before daylight.”
“We know that this group is clever. The kind of fire they made is not very common, even for people who know how to build it. It takes considerably more work to build and people don't do that without thinking. The way they were positioned was not random, either. It would be more natural for at least a few of their number to draw closer together to feel safer. Again, that was a deliberate security choice they were making. The really crucial thing we do not know about this group is the nature of their mindset. They may be strongly inclined toward aggression or toward caution. If their first response to contact is aggression, then it is moot whether they are a gang of marauders or just being hyper defensive. It puts us in grave danger. With them having at least some arms, we want to control what they know about us and keep the upper hand until we find out more about them. If they are non-aggressive and only trying to survive we must not make the mistake of forcing them into a desperate defensive posture. On the other hand, if they are a ruthless group, we must not make any mistakes in protecting our family.”
“Michael is right. We don't know if they are friendlies or bogeys. Reading them the wrong way, or being too slow making that read can turn out badly.” Liam as usual cut to the chase in few words.
Michael took a deep breath. “Here is my plan, so far. We need to be ready for the worst. Things here need to be battened down in case things go badly. We need to get a group of us down there and be in position where we have a clear advantage. We need to be ready to meet any aggressive move on their part with a decisive response. Then we can try to parley from a position of cover and strength. Your thoughts?”
Josh spoke up first. “We need as many as we can spare to meet them before they even get close, That will help us keep the advantage there if we can. But, we can't put all our eggs in one basket. Even the best laid plans sometimes go horribly wrong. We must have a plan to protect our children if that happens. Also... ”
“I want Jeff to stay here to guard our families!” Everyone stopped and turned to Doug. “Don't read this the wrong way. Thankfully he is still asleep, and didn't hear me say that. If this goes like we hope, don't any of you dare tell him this was my idea. Right now we are talking about hardcore survival. You all know what Jeff did to save me and my family when we first came here. In an absolute worse case scenario he would protect my family ... all of our family as fiercely as anyone I can imagine, and as for his taking care of them in the aftermath – well, I just know he wouldn't stop with merely protecting them in a fight. I would want him here to take care of a lot more after the fighting was over. He may be young, but he is determined, clever, and hard working. You have all seen how he is. You know what I am saying. ”
They all paused and pondered the weight of what Doug blurted out. Pete put his hand on Doug's shoulder. “Okay, Doug. I think we all understand where you're coming from. Oh, I don't know if this is what Josh was about to say, but Beth is on the southern watch and she doesn't know anything yet.
“Okay, Pete, why don't you get Jeff up so he can get on down to Beth and let her know the situation and the plan. That way they can be back here shortly after we leave. I'm afraid we need to get more weapons out to make sure everyone is armed. Rose you need to get Cathy, Liz, and Lucy up early. We need all of the children down in the cellar with you, Cathy, Lucy, and Jenny before we leave. Colleen will have to go with us to make sure we find their camp quickly. Liz can wait up stairs until Jeff and Beth get here, then those three can spread out to keep watch outside the lodge until we return. Let's plan to leave here in one hour.”
Before they left, the six who were going to meet the intruders had gone over the map Josh had made with Colleen pointing out the area where she found the campfire. The plan was for them to get in positions partially surrounding the camp so the people could be watched and covered from multiple angles. It was also important that if it came to shooting they would not be shooting across the camp toward their friends. They also wanted to get in position before the intruders were fully alert, but they decided to wait until near daylight before attempting any parley. They needed to be able to see clearly if any of the intruders tried to slip out of the camp.
Pete had awakened Jeff and told him briefly what was happening. He was quickly out the door to go fetch his Mom from her watch near the old farm house. When he and Beth got back to the lodge, Jeff was surprised that the others had already left. He wanted to hurry and catch up thinking they needed as many as possible to protect the Haven. Having missed the planning discussion, he only had received a few snatched of information about what was happening.
“No, Jeff.” Rose stopped him. “Colleen went with the rest of the men, but a decision was made that we need you here with Beth and Liz to guard the Lodge, just in case.” Rose was firm in her voice, knowing how most teens were rather impetuous, wanting to rush off to chase after whatever blip showed up on their radar screen. He would need a steady adult to keep him grounded and properly directed during this crisis.
Jeff paused and looked at Rose for a moment. “Okay, Mrs. Green." His expression did not lose any of its intensity but a sober determination was now showing as well. "Mom, I'll get Rufus and we will watch from the north side of the lodge. He will be able to hear and smell someone coming from that direction even before I could. You and Mrs. Brennan spread out on the south side to make sure no one slips in our back door. If either of you see or hear anything give a little whistle, then both of you ease back toward the lodge. Remember to stay under cover as you watch, but also if you need to return to the lodge. Rose, I think you need to get down to the cellar and keep everyone else calm until this is all cleared up. That is your greatest strength. They all sense your love and confidence, and that is what they need, right now. The most important thing is to protect the young ones if things go badly.”
As Rose turned to usher the young ones along with Cathy and Lucy down into the cellar, she thought about how she had misjudged Jeff's competence in this crisis. He might still be a teen in years, but this past year had changed him considerably. Apparently Doug had already seen that, and made a very good judgement about protecting his family.
It took a bit less than an hour for them to locate the camp trying to move slowly and quietly as they got closer. Michael had told everyone on the way down that if things went badly and they had to pull back, everyone should pull back to the north away from the lodge and then west up the face of the mountain to the west. They began carefully encircling the sleeping group, fully aware that at least one was awake and listening, but the fire was out now so it was harder to see those who were sleeping. As the sky was gradually growing lighter they began to see a number of people curled up next to trees and logs. Liam spotted the lookout that appeared to be a rather thin young man, maybe in his early twenties. He was leaning against a tree a few yards apart from the rest of his group on the north end of their camp. Liam worked his way wide around the group and hid behind a tree not too far from the lookout. Just as Liam got into place the lookout stood up and walked over in the general direction of Liam. Everyone was holding their breath as he walked right past Liam's tree. He slung his gun over one shoulder before stopping and unzipping his pants to piss. When Liam heard the zipper again he vary calmly spoke.
“Okay, son. I don't want anyone to get hurt, so you move real slow and put you hands on top of your head.” The young man stiffened and turned slowly. He had a look of both fear and anger in his eyes. Liam had circled the tree so he was partially behind it from the lookout, but he held his gun at a down and ready position. Michael had also moved closer by this time and he spoke softly from behind another tree, causing the lookout's gaze to snap to the direction of his voice.
“We just want to talk to you, young man. I think you already understand the need to be extra careful about strangers these days. What is your name?”
“My name is Bill. We don't want any trouble we are just trying to get to a safe place.”
“You can call me Michael. Where did y'all come from, Bill?” Michael was still mostly behind his tree from the lookout and was not sure if the young man actually knew which tree he had for cover.
“We came from a... we came from the N...northeast.”
“Okay, Bill. Whatcha say we try this again. I know you don't want to give too much information, not knowing who we are, so let's trade. I'll give you some information, and you can give us some information. First, you and your group are pretty much surrounded and we are all armed. We don't want anyone to get hurt; your people or our people. We're just being careful. That's all. My friend and I are here to parley, but the rest of our group is watching to make sure no one slips up behind us while we talk. Now nobody wants anyone to get hurt, but unless we can work things out... well... there are just too many guns in nervous hands right now. Someone is bound to get hurt. Second, you are camping out on my land and you are obviously armed and I don't know you. So, you can understand why I would need to know if I should treat you as friendly or unfriendly.”
“Michael, is it? We don't want anyone else hurt either, but we've already had to deal with some people that are the kind you are better off not believing what they tell you. How do I know you are telling me the truth?” Bill was standing a little more poised now. He still had not put his hands on top of his head.
“Now, Bill, I see your point.” Michael stepped from behind his tree and held his open hands out to his sides. He turned slightly so Bill could see he had a pistol in his belt. If you are not the leader of this group, I would like to talk to whoever is. When my friend Liam over there told you to put your hands on top of your head, you didn't. The fact that we are both armed and we let that slide should tell you that we don't want to jump to trouble if there is a way around it. One of our scouts found your group several hours ago when someone was cooking over that small fire pit y'all made. So you see we have had plenty of time to get our plans together and assess your group's strength, and even take out your sentries while everyone else was asleep. Why don't you ease that gun off your shoulder and hand it to my friend Liam over there. Then you can go and quietly wake up your leader so we can talk more and hopefully avoid anyone else getting hurt. Remember we have friends who can see what you are doing, so don't put your friends at risk by getting them all stirred up when they don't need to be. Let's just keep this a calm parley between the leaders for now so no unhappy mistakes are made.”
“I would get him, but he … hold on. I will get someone who can talk for the group.” He held out his gun for Liam to hold and walked quietly toward the camp. It was gradually getting lighter now and they could more clearly see the forms of people sleeping near fallen logs and tree trunks. Bill stooped next to a body laying near a fallen log, and tentatively reached out to the person's shoulder. The moment his hand made contact the sleeping leader jumped to their feet. Bill held his hands out to calm her down, at least Michael guessed it was a woman from what he could see. They spoke back and forth for a few minutes until the leader suddenly gripped the sentry's shoulders. After a couple of more seconds he pointed to where Michael and Liam were standing. They both turned and began walking toward the Michael and Liam.
As they got closer Michael realized he was right about the leader being a woman. He also noticed her clothes were filthy and her hair was short and uncombed. He also thought he could see a scar running across her left cheek. It was hard to be sure about the scar in the dim light because her face was smudged with dirt. Suddenly she threw her arms wide and began running at them as she shouted, “Michael!”
“Rebecca? Is that really you?”
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Post by kaijafon on Mar 25, 2017 2:50:59 GMT -6
Was NOT expecting that! thanks so much!
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Post by papaof2 on Mar 25, 2017 8:29:34 GMT -6
Intense red neck drink, sassafras tea sweetened with dark honey. Not for anyone that have weak taste buds. I prefer it hot/warm, but have drank it cold. Don't drink it anymore, DW doesn't like the taste or smell of rootbeer, licorice, sassafras, or anise. My grandmother introduced me to sassafras tea with milk and sugar when I was perhaps 6 o 7. I'd drink it now if I could find it.
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Post by kaijafon on Mar 25, 2017 11:13:30 GMT -6
and here I've always thought that "Sassafras" was ME! "not so fast, Sassafras!" was a saying I heard quite often as a kid.
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Post by ydderf on Mar 25, 2017 11:20:16 GMT -6
Nice twist thanks for the update. The talk of sassafras tea makes me wonder why no one is marketing it. Seems to me there is a market out there.
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Post by freebirde on Mar 25, 2017 11:34:02 GMT -6
Intense red neck drink, sassafras tea sweetened with dark honey. Not for anyone that have weak taste buds. I prefer it hot/warm, but have drank it cold. Don't drink it anymore, DW doesn't like the taste or smell of rootbeer, licorice, sassafras, or anise. My grandmother introduced me to sassafras tea with milk and sugar when I was perhaps 6 o 7. I'd drink it now if I could find it. Look in fence rows for the trees. It has a tri-lobed leaf and you can break off a twig and smell it. The best time to get the roots is in spring when the sap starts to flow. Clean and de-bark the roots then allow to dry. The leaves can be dried and powdered to make Cajun rue. The rue taste will change with the time of year the leaves are picked.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Mar 25, 2017 14:06:11 GMT -6
Hey, wait a minute, freebirde. Who said you could hijack this thread and turn it into the Sassafras thread?? Just kidding. That is one of the great things about this board. We can actually discuss the ideas that are penned and share new ones. I actually want y'all to do that. If you have thoughts about things I have included or even better things related to what I included that I might have overlooked (like using a car hood for a sled); Please let everyone here know about it.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Mar 25, 2017 14:12:04 GMT -6
FYI: The next several chapters (still unfinished) will jump to following only the group of five that went for help, so you won't be hearing about the folks at the haven until I can bring y'all up to date on this subplot.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Mar 25, 2017 18:44:39 GMT -6
UH, OH. I just googled Sassafras because i I did not know what the leaves looked like...
Drugs.com states that it is in the process of being banned by the FDA for any uses even as a fragrance, because of its carcinogenic potential.
Kaijafon, does that mean you're out of here???
Many years ago I remember my uncle grumbling about the FDA banning saccharin as an artificial sweetener because it could cause cancer in lab rats. He was a medical school professor and he said that if the FDA had used sugar in the same concentrations as the saccharin in their lab tests, all the rats would have died before a cancer cell could divide in two.
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Post by freebirde on Mar 25, 2017 21:43:22 GMT -6
There has been talk of banning it for about forty years. I've said before "Labs cause cancer in lab rats". One thing the fear merchants don't mention is one of the reasons there is an increase in death from cancer, heart disease, and stroke is the fact people are living long enough for them to happen. We didn't use the root bark, but the root itself, shaved or cut into small pieces. And I remembered wrong, the leaves make Cajun file (fee-lay).
Now back to the story!!! I don't want this thread derail or hijacked.
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Post by kaijafon on Mar 26, 2017 7:30:30 GMT -6
HA! I'll just go on the 'dark web'
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Post by pbbrown0 on Mar 26, 2017 13:32:09 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 27
The five friends hiking down the mountain side to the Van Hoosen farmhouse walked for a while without speaking after leaving Michael behind. They were not following a trail so they were moving in a loose cluster. Jacob was roughly in the lead and Steve was slightly behind the rest of the group. Finally Rob broke the silence. “Guys, I know Michael has done a lot to help all of us, but does anyone else think he is going overboard about this business of staying at the house 'until we come to get you'? Do you really plan for us to go along with that, Jacob?”
“Rob, we are his guests and he invited us into his home. Just because we are all working to keep things functioning doesn't entitle us to everything he is sharing with us. Without his generosity we would all be in dire straights. If there were not so many of us to provide for, he would not even need our help to sustain everything. It is his home, so we must respect his requests. I think he is mistaken about his fears for this trip, but I also think as his guests we must respect his wishes.”
“I just think Michael is over the top sometimes with his paranoia about being found. I sometimes wonder when he talks like he is being humble and inclusive about our input. You know how he tries to make it sound like we're all in this together. It's just that – well, sometimes I get the feeling he thinks he knows some stuff that he can't possibly 'know'. He's just making his own guesses like everyone else. He acts like that is the only safe place left and there will never be any recovery.”
“Come on, Stoner. You know as well as anyone how bad things can happen with all the troubles that have developed out there. What if he is a little more cautious than you would be? He's just trying to watch our backs, and he's also trying to watch out for everyone else, too. Think about it, Rob. Just suppose that his guess is right. Our harmless trip to the county seat could end up creating a threat for everyone who stayed behind.”
“Guys, please, it isn't going to help anything getting all worked up about who is right and who is wrong.” Tricia was getting uncomfortable about contention between her two buddies. “Balance in a group is a good thing. We need those who are more cautious to keep us out of trouble, but that has to be balanced with the courage to not be paralyzed by our fears.”
“Look, people. I know Michael is rather unorthodox in a lot of what he does...”
“You mean, like refusing to use a chainsaw to cut down a tree?” Rob smirked as he interrupted, Rebecca.
Rebecca kept her composure and continued. “I think we should be careful in characterizing Michael as merely paranoid, and there is nothing remotely fake about Michael. He doesn't 'act like' anything. He has been shaped by a considerable quantity of life experiences. I am not saying he can predict the future, but he was the only one of us who was even close to being prepared for what happened to all of us. I think he is wrong about the authorities not being able to help in this situation, but we still need to give credit where credit is due.”
“Rebecca you are right. Actually all of you are right. For now our responsibility is to find what help we can for everyone in our group and get safely back to our friends and families with that help. That is where our focus needs to be.” Jacob was eager to get on to their goal with out any divisiveness or distractions among their team. Even though he was not expecting any serious trouble on this trip, something about the tone of Michael's final word's to their team had made him uneasy about their venture. He just wanted to get this done and get back to his family as quickly as possible. Without realizing it, his pace quickened as they made their way to the vehicles they had hidden in the woods near the house.
Jacob's SUV was not a large one, but it was larger than he had wanted. With three children they needed more space than was available in most of the less expensive sedans. He would have preferred a hybrid, but the manufacturers were still trying to balance out the fuel efficiency against the extra weight of batteries, electric motor, and generator they require. That meant the size and weight of the passenger space was being kept at a minimum and were really designed for four 'average' sized people. Jacob had instead chosen an SUV that got what had once been considered reasonably good gas mileage. This allowed him to squeeze the required car seats for the two youngest into the back seat and still have room for Phillip. It would be a snug fit for five adults, but they would not be traveling far today. Fortunately he had a full tank when the power went out and the cars had been sitting up for only a few months in cold weather. When they got his car uncovered he was relieved that it started with little trouble.
He was driving cautiously and staying alert, but the road was clear. They were in New Sidon in less than half an hour. Seeing it in daylight for the first time in month left them stunned and speechless. Virtually every door, whether on houses or businesses, was either standing open or off its hinges. Some houses had been burned. A few places had windows boarded up, but all were standing open and vacant. Less than six months before, New Sidon had seemed like an idyllic peaceful village, but now it felt like they were driving through ghost town that had met a violent end. Jacob slowly turned off the main road and drove toward the Springfield's house. Before they even got close they could see it had burned down. All that was left was a partial brick shell. They made another turn and headed toward Mr. Henderson's place. He had not been exactly friendly in their last encounter, but Jacob figured if anyone was left in town, Mr. Henderson would be. Jacob pulled to a stop in front of the gate by the road. It was still intact, but the iron fence sections to either side of the brick pillars supporting the gate it were flat on the ground. The front door looked to be intact and most of the windows were heavily shuttered. There was no sign of a fire, but there was a gaping whole in the brick wall near the front door where a window had once been. From the bricks scattered in the yard, it looked like a bomb had exploded the window.
A few seconds later they were back on the road heading toward Princeton. Jacob was shaking his head as he drove muttering to himself in French. Rebecca was in the front seat and managed to pick up the words André Maginot and then later something about a foray d'Ardenne. She had no idea what he was mumbling about, but he was clearly troubled like everyone else. There was also frustration and anger in his voice. As he quieted down she was in a position to see a determined but controlled anger dominating his demeanor. The anger was something that she was unaccustomed to seeing in Jacob. Everyone else was very quiet as they drove on. They came to larger town about twenty miles down the road called Sylvan. Jacob did not slow down, but everywhere things looked the same as they had in New Sidon. There were houses and businesses burned or standing empty. There were even some buildings with large holes in the brick walls like at Mr. Henderson's. The worst part however, was that there were no people. Where was everyone?
About a half hour later Steve spoke up. “Does any body know where exactly we are and how far it is to Princeton?”
“The river is not too far ahead and the road splits before we get there. About two miles to the left of the split is Rock Point and Princeton is about fifteen miles down the road to the right. We should be to the split in maybe five minutes.” Rebecca had answered from the front passenger seat as she was more familiar with this part of the county than some of the others.
“Okay” Steve responded. “Jacob, would you slow down for a minute or two?”
“Why? What is wrong, Steve?”
“Nothing is wrong, Jacob. I just want us to think a minute before we rush on into some bigger towns without thinking. We just went through two smaller towns, and it wasn't a pretty sight. The towns up ahead are bigger so there is a better chance we will find people still around. Hopefully that is a good thing, but it also increases the chances of running into something not so good. If you remember fuel is an issue, and we have seen a lot of abandoned cars already, so the fact that we are driving down the road means we will grab as much attention, good or bad, as there is to be grabbed. I for one would like us to go slower to give us at least a chance to spot who is out there seeing us, and maybe we can get a clue as to whether we want their attention or not. Remember the last time Rebecca came through here she got a lot more bad attention than good attention. Am I right?” Rebecca barely recognized that Steve was asking her for confirmation of what he said. His comments had reminded her of the terror she had felt in being caught in a riot with people beating on her car with rocks and bats. In her mind she was replaying memories that she had tried hard to forget during her time at the Haven. Jacob conceded Steve's point and slowed down, but only slightly. He was still eager to find out what the authorities had done to stabilize the unrest and provide help for the general population. Up ahead he could see where the state road they were on intersected the high way running along roughly parallel with the river. Just a moment after Jacob saw it, Steve again called out, “Stop. Pull over right here for a few minutes, if you will, Jacob.”
This time Rebecca was the one asking why. “What is it now, Steve? Did you actually see something, or do you need to talk to us more about things that are in the past?”
Steve was surprised at the impatient irritation and in her voice. He decided rather than analyze it he would deflect it. In a little boy voice he whined, “Please, mommy, I need to go pee real bad. Can we stop, please, please?” Everyone else burst out laughing, but Rebecca ducked her head in embarrassment. “I'm sorry, Rebecca. I was just playing with you. I know you didn't mean it the way it came out. We're are all a little eager and anxious about what is ahead. Do you see that tight clump of taller trees over there to the left? The truth is I am going to take a precaution and hide an emergency cache over there. If everything goes well we can easily pick it up on our way back. If for some unforeseen reason things go horribly wrong we will know where we can find a little bit of food, water and emergency survival supplies for our trip back.
Steve got out of the vehicle and grabbed his pack out of the back. He trotted over to the trees, and in about ten minutes returned with a much smaller lighter pack. “Obviously I know where I put the cache, but I want everyone here to know this. Remember what that cluster looks like, and where it is relative to the intersection up ahead. Inside that cluster there are two oak trees that were so close together that they have joined together at the base. The cache is buried on the north side of the double oaks. Okay, I guess it is time to find out what the authorities have cooked up for everyone.”
“If you had known Steve as long as Tricia and I have you would not have been surprised at this.” Rob was in the back seat addressing Rebecca and Jacob in the front. “Steve is a bit of a camping survivalist. He persuaded a group of us to plan a camping trip during the Thanksgiving break as a new adventure. Then the blizzard hit earlier and harder than expected and everything went downhill from there. That's how we wound up with you guys. If it had not been for Steve, Tricia and I would not have made it.”
They were going slow as they approached the intersection. The main lanes of the road to the left of the split toward Rock Point were clear, but there were half a dozen cars in that direction sitting at odd angles along the shoulders of the roadway. They had some fender and bumper damage, but it did not look exactly like they had been wrecked. They all thought it rather curious, but they did not see any sign of people around. Jacob continued on to the right toward Princeton by common agreement. As they drove on there were occasional abandoned vehicles on either shoulder. Some looked like they had been stripped or otherwise damaged, and some looked to be in decent condition. Agan a few had some fender damadge, but without any signs of being wrecked. Most of the group were watching the road ahead for signs of activity. Steve was watching the areas out beyond the right of way for signs of anyone or anything in the nearby fields or woods.
Finally after about half hour Jacob suddenly slowed. They were nearing Princeton and had just passed a curve in the road when Jacob spotted something ahead across the road. There appeared to be a roadblock up ahead with two large vehicles on either side of the road. One of the vehicles was blackish and the other was white. They weren't exactly trucks, but they were much larger than a basic large SUV. The road block looked like the kind of red and white barrier arms that cold be raised and lowered across the road for a check point to require someone to stop before being granted access to what was beyond.
Rob was suddenly agitated. “Okay, this is not cool. This is a state highway and those do not look like state troopers to me.” Rebecca tried to calm him down. “Rob I have seen a few vehicles of that sort recently. I can't make out the markings on these two, but some of the small cities or larger towns were given access to some vehicles designed for multiple uses as mobile command centers, riot control, or SWAT vehicles. I remember seeing one similar to those during the riot I had to escape on the south side of Princeton, last fall. We are all aware there have been armed marauders out in the outlying areas, so they are probably here making sure none of them get into Princeton. This is probably a good sign that things are getting under control.”
Jacob agreed and Rob conceded that Rebecca's explanation made sense. Tricia did not comment, and Steve simply commented, “This is why we came. We need to find out what the authorities have done to get things under control. We need to be calm and take this one step at a time.”
Jacob proceeded slowly down the road to the checkpoint. A few yards from the barricade he pulled to a stop as five men in uniforms approached the front and both sides of the vehicle. Rebecca was saying quietly that she did not recognize any of the uniforms. In fact the uniforms were not uniform. Some were black, some were navy, one was a dark brown, and they were not even of the same style or cut. The insignia were varied and were too small to clearly read. None of the men were wearing hats. The only thing that seemed similar was the fact that they all wore tall laced up boots. Also the sentries were not holding sidearms, but instead held short barrel SWAT team style weapons that none of their group recognized. One of the men motioned for Jacob to lower his window, then asked him where he was from.
Jacob began to explain. “We are from this area and have been struggling to survive since the power went out. We are headed to the county seat to see if we could get any help from the authorities.”
“From precisely where in this area is your group?” Jacob felt the hair on the back of his neck stiffen. There were too many variations of accent one could hear among the resident in this area for the sentry's accent alone to worry him, but the odd way that question was worded combined with numerous other details set off an alarm in the back of Jacob's brain.
“We are from various places around the county. Our group actually only met by chance after the power went out, and we have tried to help each other survive. There are some very dangerous people out loose, and it is much too risky to be alone.” Jacob was trying to keep calm but he suddenly felt It would be best to not reveal too much about their group.
“Each of you need to step out of the vehicle.” Jacob's face showed a moment of uncertainty until the uniformed guard snapped, “Now!”
The intimidating demeanor of the armed sentry was effective and the group started climbing out. As they were doing this Rebecca was looking more closely at their uniforms. She could not find anything identifying them or the law enforcement entity that sponsored them. She looked to one man standing back a little from the front of Jacob's car and guessed by his demeanor that he was in charge, so she spoke to him. “Sir, none of you have the uniforms of the county sheriff's office or the Princeton Police Department. I do not recognize any of your uniforms. What agency are you from?”
He looked at her for a moment and answered, “We are part of a joint task force.”
Rebecca was not satisfied. “May I see some identification?”
“We will get to that later. Right now you need to step away from the vehicle so we can check for contraband.”
That statement pulled a trigger in Rebecca's legal training just as the sentry near her was reaching past her to open her car door. The door was still shut, but her hand thrust out to hold it shut preventing him from opening it. Suddenly he kicked the back of her leg as he swung his arm striking her across the face with his forearm, knocking her to the ground. He was raising his slung weapon to slam it down on her face as Steve dropped across her on the ground to shield her from the blow. The short stock of the gun smashed down into Steve's back and Steve both heard and felt a rib crack.
“Stop!” The officer in charge shouted and came running around the car to stop his sentry. “Get up! On your feet!” Steve struggled to his feet grimacing at the bending movements, but he also was helping Rebecca to her feet. Even then he remained hovering over Rebecca with himself between her and the belligerent sentry.
The officer in charge spoke to Steve now in a angry but controlled voice. “You will learn there is a cost for interfering with one of my men even if it is to protect your podruga.”
“Please forgive the misunderstanding, officer. She was not being defiant.” Steve was looking over Rebecca's head to the officer in charge and he placed his hand over the back of her head and drew her face slowly to his chest. “She was trained as an American lawyer and was not yet aware of the changes that had to be implemented.” Steve also had his other hand on her arm and was gently stroking it to calm her and make sure he kept her attention. “We have been completely without communications since the power was first lost. She simply did not know about the new rules. It will not happen again, I assure you.” Steve was taking a very contrite tone with officer, and it was also clear it was painful for him to breathe.
“Very well. I hope for your sake that you both learn quickly. Now step away from the vehicle. It will be confiscated. The fuel is needed and there are too many who would wish to steal it.”
Steve's mind was racing now. What a perfect example of double speak. 'We will confiscate it (steal it from you) to prevent it's being stolen by someone else.'
“Sir, we have some personal items in there if we might be permitted to keep some that are not useful for your purposes” Steve raised his eyebrow slightly. “Of course you must confiscate the weapons. There is a very … useful one in my pack, the tan one. We only had them for self protection in the wilderness where there were marauders but no police. We will obviously no longer need them here.” Steve held the officer's gaze to be sure he got the message. Unknown to the others Steve had a brought in his pack a Kimber 1911 which Michael had sent with him. He was not as keen on keeping that weapon as he was hopeful about keeping some of the other less obvious items in his pack. He also wanted this officer to have a positive attitude toward him and his cooperative intentions. Fortunately he had played his hunch about the hiding his main pack back on the road to Silvan and New Sidon. It appeared now that it was going to take a lot of patience and resourcefulness to get back to it.
The officer had two of his men take everyone's back packs out of the vehicle and continue to search the vehicle for contraband. The officer picked up the small tan one and looked questioningly at Steve. Steve nodded, and while the other sentries checked the vehicle and the other back packs the officer reached into Steve's and found the pistol. He looked again and also pulled out a large folding knife. The officer glanced around and tucked his own pistol into the back of his belt before placing the Kimber in his own holster. The folding knife went into his pants pocket. The officer brought Steve's pack to him and said, “I do not find much else that is useful here, but someone else may. You can keep this for now.” Steve was glad his strategy had worked so far. Two things in particular that he was glad to still have were the small coils of paracord that were tucked into various pockets of his pack along with several small but strong carabiners.
While the search was going on Rebecca whispered very quietly to Steve, “Who are these people?”
A few moments later Steve began whispering with his words spaced out very widely so as not to draw attention, “Foreign – Peace – Keepers. You – must – cooperate – until – we – can – go – home.” He was also periodically gasping and grimacing to emphasize the painfulness of breathing with his broken rib(s) so the soldiers guarding them would not realize he was whispering to the others.
Jacob was on the other side of Steve and heard what he had said. “Patience.” was all he whispered in response.
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Post by udwe on Mar 26, 2017 20:50:29 GMT -6
Wow! I really hope nothing like that happens here, but I guess anything is possible.
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Post by kaijafon on Mar 27, 2017 16:46:53 GMT -6
UGH !!! WE'VE BEEN INVADED!!!! time for some guerilla warfare!!!
Thank you for the MOAR!!!
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Post by brucearmstrong65 on Mar 27, 2017 19:38:15 GMT -6
There has been talk of banning it for about forty years. I've said before "Labs cause cancer in lab rats". One thing the fear merchants don't mention is one of the reasons there is an increase in death from cancer, heart disease, and stroke is the fact people are living long enough for them to happen. We didn't use the root bark, but the root itself, shaved or cut into small pieces. And I remembered wrong, the leaves make Cajun file (fee-lay). Now back to the story!!! I don't want this thread derail or hijacked. One of the best lines from the series The West Wing dealt with this. Margaret, Leo McGarry's secretary, was talking to the Surgeon General: Margaret: Red meat has been found to cause cancer in white rats. Maraschino cherries have been found to cause cancer in white rats. Cellular phones have been found to cause cancer in white rats. Has anyone examined the possibility that cancer might be hereditary in white rats? Surgeon General: Let me tell you something, I'm not a hundred percent sure we've ruled that out. Also, FYI, Amazon has sassafras tea both in tea bag and liquid concentrate form. Probably not near as good as the "real" fresh-grown thing, but who knows? We return this hijacked thread to your regular programming.
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