Surprise treat

Every night, before we bed ourselves down, I leave out a bowl of milk for the fairies. Steve thinks it's silly and a waste, but my Grandmother passed the tradition on to me. She told me that in the time before the caves, people often left offerings for the fay folk. Even people who didn't believe! In the time of the caves, things became very scarce, so the ones who didn't believe stopped the offerings. Many of those bloodlines have now been lost. The ones who kept the old traditions were protected, and even helped by the fay. Whether or not that's true, or just the ramblings of an old woman, I don't know. But, I do know we sometimes enjoy secret visits by the fay.

It is true that most of the time the milk is gone come morning, with footprints in the dirt belonging to any number of animals. Usually the cat. But sometimes, the milk is gone, no footprints left behind, and something else in it's place!

This morning we awoke to sugared petals. We've decided to use some of our precious sugar to make a cake and put the petals on it. I can hardly wait for evening meal!

Which brings me to our next surprise of the morning- all the chickens are laying again! One of our girls keeps us in eggs no matter what is happening in the world. But the others... well, sometimes they need a bit of convincing. But while Ian was waiting for morning meal, he came across not 1, not 2, but 5 eggs! This evening's meal will be a veritable feast.

Stopped yet again

My poor little boy is sick. He was up most of the night before last with stomach troubles, and spent yesterday in severe distress. Steve spent most of the afternoon scouting the area for food and herbs. Ian spent most of the day complaining. He does not make a good patient!

This morning he is still complaining of a sore stomach and his appetite isn't back yet, but I suspect he is on the mend. We've decided to stay put another day, hoping he'll be right to travel tomorrow. With all the illnesses we've endured, granted most of them were me, I feel like we're not going to make it to the township until the end of Summer!

Long days

We've put a lot of ground underneath our feet in the last few days. I'm still feeling rather unwell, but the concoction of herbs is making some difference. At least I have some of my energy back. May and I are still experimenting with different combinations, hoping something will finally work. She's been invaluable these last few days, though. I'm not sure where we'd be without her.

Unfortunately, we now suspect something got into our food storage. We've all been sick with stomach issues for the last 3 days. With my compromised health, I seem to have gotten it the worst. Ian appeared to have been the only one unaffected, but this morning even he woke up in pain. We've decided to press on, albeit at a much slower pace.

At least the weather is cooperating. It's been lovely- sunny and warm. None of us have really been in the mood to fully enjoy the long days, but it does seem to ease even the discomfort of cramping stomach muscles.

The nights are beginning to warm up as well, a sure sign that summer isn't far away. Last night, I lay awake listening to a pack of wolves howling in the distance and the screech of an owl overhead. I love the sounds at night, and I've missed them over the cold winter months. Nature seems so quiet during those long nights.

Parting ways

Joshua's tribe headed East over the mountains early this morning. Our start is taking much longer. We'll be heading South, but I'm slowing us down. I simply don't have the energy.

May, Joshua's healer, made a new concoction of herbs for me, but it will take a few days to take affect. She made a hard decision to continue South with us rather than stay with her family and travel East. She wants to visit the township to speak with the healers there. She may even stay there to learn as much as she can. She's quite young, but seems to have a talent for healing. It will be nice to have her with us.

System shut down

I'm currently finding things very difficult. Just putting a thought together is almost too much effort. My traitor of a body has decided to remind me, once again, how completely wrong I am.

A number of years ago, I fell ill. With a great deal of effort, I beat the disease back, but it took it's toll. I wouldn't describe myself as delicate by any means, but it does take a lot more to keep me alive than I would like. I'm on a plethora of herbs and medicines in an effort to keep my body running- even if it's only ever at a percentage of what others around me experience.

Normally, I don't spend much time thinking about it. It's just the way life is sometimes. But at times like now, when the herbs and medicines refuse to work, I start to feel sorry for myself. A waste of energy, sure, but I think sometimes we all need a little bit of inner coddling.

We were due to part ways with Joshua's tribe this morning, but my rapid decline in muscle function last night prompted his healer to convince the group to stay with us another day. She's experimenting with some of her kit to come up with a solution to my problem. Everything I have tried so far has failed, so I'm deeply grateful for the input. It's now even more important that I reach the township, though, as I will be able to consult with some of the most talented healers I know of.

I'm so tired, it's hard to think.

Recovery

We're about to separate from Joshua's tribe in another couple of days. We've been traveling along the foothills for the past week, and we've almost reached the the pass where they will go through the mountains, and we will continue South.

Steve and the kids will be sad to part ways with Joshua and his tribe. They've all managed to make good friends, and are not looking forward to saying goodbye. As for me, I've spent most of the last week in the back of our wagon sick as can be.

What I thought was a bad case of allergies- everyone was suffering from sniffling- quickly showed it's true colors, sapping me of my strength and rendering me completely useless. I barely had enough energy to crochet. And to make matters worse, it was the hottest week since last fall! Running a fever in hot weather is no fun at all!

I'm finally feeling on the mend, though, and can move about again. It will take me a bit longer to come all the way right, though. I hate feeling so useless!

Spring Rain

We've been pushing pretty hard to get into the mountain passes. There was a flyover in the valley where the drop had been made, and we needed to put as much distance between us and the valley in case the soldiers came back. There hasn't been any movement from the air, though, so we're feeling a bit more confident that we weren't spotted.

The grueling pace took it's toll on us quickly, though. There have been quite a few disputes lately. People just seem to be on edge. Being tired and hungry isn't helping.

This morning we awoke to find that it had rained overnight, and is still misting a bit. It wouldn't be a problem, normally, however our carts are heavily loaded with the goods we scavenged from the drop and so are sinking into the ground made soft from the rain. We attempted to press on, but a close call has changed our minds.

One of the young girls was driving her cart too fast down a slippery slope. It started to slide, and she panicked; showing her inexperience. She locked the wheels up, which made the cart slide completely out of her control and tipped. Luckily, she hadn't done a very good job of hitching her horse and the animal is scared, but uninjured. As for the girl, she'll be fine, too. She has some bruising, and she's moaning like she's dying, but we're all agreed that her injuries are superficial. The cart may never be the same. She managed to snap two wheels nearly in half, and the framework is warped. With all the goods we're moving, though, we can't afford to leave it behind.

At least we're getting a day of rest from this. Time to marvel at the signs of Spring. One of my favorite are the return of so many birds! Their happy songs make even this cold, grey, drizzly day seem magical.

Feeling the strain

Steve decided he wanted a day of his own. You know, to tell his side of the story. Personally I thought I was doing him a great justice leaving out all of his whinging about fixing things being stuffed up and the kids...

So I stayed away from DOTTY to allow him sufficient time to put his thoughts here. I don't know what he did with his time, but he certainly didn't use it to share his thoughts here. Meh.

We were planning on moving on today, but everyone is feeling the effects of dust and whatever else was contained in the transport. We've decided, unanimously, to take one more day to attempt to shake off the congestion and exhaustion that's plagued everyone for the past 3 days. We're cutting it close; it's only a matter of time before a city patrol happens across the dump site. We're betting that they have more important matters, though. They'll need a full force to battle the Southern township. 

Stuff!

Despite much discussion, crying, begging, and threats, Steve held firm that we were changing our course of direction. And although his reasoning is sound, and if I weren't so swayed by emotions I would agree with him in full, it still hurts to be leaving my family to the wolves.

Not that I could do anything about it.

And if we continued due south, we'd be walking right into the soldier's and almost certain death and/or slavery. So we'll be traveling east with Joshua's tribe until we reach the foot of the eastern hills. There we will part company, and while they continue east, we will wind our way south through the valleys to arrive at the south easterly side of the township. Hopefully we'll find it in tact, and will have been able to skirt the main front of the potential fighting.

Unfortunately, it will put us several more days behind the soldiers. I was eager to be on our way. Even I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up free supplies, though!

When we told Joshua of our plan to join his tribe until we reached the foothills, he begrudgingly told us of why they had made camp in the valley in the first place- there was to be an interception drop.

Occasionally, the Skyrates will intercept a supply train to the cities. They, of course, get first pick of the containers, but then they will drop the rest in a valley for the Neobedouins to have a go at. It's first come, first serve, so when a tribe learns of a drop they keep it close to their vest like the most precious of secrets. There's a lot of potential profit to be made.

This was no exception. We are very lucky to have happened across the valley when we did. We agreed to let Joshua's people have first pick, but luckily this was one of the biggest drops I've ever seen! We're struggling to get everything onto the wagons.

In the excitement of so many riches, I somehow cut my foot. It's not too bad, but it hurts and is slowing me down significantly. I think that's the worst of it at the moment- I have to move so much slower than I would prefer. I'm positive that it won't take long to heal, however. It takes more than a little blood to keep me out!

We'll be here at least another day sorting out how to travel with our new found riches before starting out once again. I must admit, with the warm Spring air, sun hot on my skin, new treasures to discover, and wine (oh yes, there was plenty of wine in the drop!), I am feeling that all will somehow be right. I'm content.