From the journal of Marie Costa, May 25

May 25, 2017

Well, the last few days has been really good. We had a meeting and agreed on a set of rules that have been written down on a board and posted. All offenses have set repercussions or punishments and everyone knows what they are. The rules are mostly basic rules for any society:  no killing live people (unless they are attacking or hurting one of our group), no stealing, no rape, and such like that. We can't imprison anyone, so that was out as a punishment. Instead, there are chores that everyone hates that can be used as punishments and banishment, if the offense is really bad. But some of us argued that banishment is not a good way to go because that person can come back with others and try to attack or take us over. We are going to have another meeting to discuss whether death is the better option if the offense is bad enough. Besides, sending someone out there alone, with a knife and three days of food is almost the same as killing them, heck, death might be more humane.

We finally have the RV's and trailers we have where we want them. They have been placed in a semi-circle around the front of the cabin, so if anyone comes, they form a barrier and the cabin becomes the fall back position. Next, we are setting up sentry routes and some viewing platforms in the trees around us, where we can see but not be seen by anyone approaching.
Charlie, Jake's father, used to work in security and has made some suggestions for how to make this place more secure. The barrier of movable living space, sentry routes and viewing platforms are just the beginning. He wants us to make ditches and booby traps in circles around the cabin, starting at  feet from the cabin outward, every 10-15 feet or so. Also, he wants us to have set places that we conceal stashes of weapons, food and water. These all sound like good ideas to me and I'm willing to do anything to make us safer.
This afternoon, Orville, Jake's grandfather, is gong to help us set the boundaries of our plot for gardening. He used to be a farmer and only stopped when he got too old to do it anymore. But, he still has all the years of knowledge and know how, and we really need that. No one else here has much experience beyond backyard gardening. We need more than just tomatoes or squash, we need something sustainable and something that's a grain, like oats, wheat or corn. And we need to have a large enough patch to feed us all and see to our grain needs.

Then, we are going to set up the vegetable garden, too. This is where the tomatoes, beans, squash, lettuces, herbs and such will be grown. He knows that some plants work better with others and can even provide natural insect control in pairs. Again, this is information that we need to know but don't have without Orville.
Cindy and Brenda, Alice's neighbors, were medical assistants at one of the local clinics and have taken over our medical supplies. Cindy said that there are some serious deficiencies in the types of supplies we have one hand and has made a list for whoever goes into town next. She even included places to check that might not be as obvious as the hospital, like agricultural supply businesses. It's nice to know we have someone here to has at least basic first aid training, and they both seem to be more knowledgable than just that.
So far, Charlie, Orville, Cindy and Brenda have found what their jobs will be. I have become the leader, somehow, and have been chairing all our meetings and making hard decisions. Jake, Alex and Alice have volunteered to be our scavengers when we need supplies. Frank, Will and Jorge have become our builders and heavy lifters. Mildred, Ginger, Linda and Lisa are taking the kitchen over and will be preparing all our food while Andrea, Rose, Danny and Dean have been assigned kitchen help and clean up duties.
This leaves several people who can help in the garden or can be sentries and man the viewing platforms, for now. Eventually, everyone will be taking turns on sentry or viewing duties, but we need to get our place set up and moving towards the future before we pull people from their jobs for other duties. It is coming together though. We are falling into positions and taking over duties that we are good at. We have rules, supplies and plans for the future. As long as we are still alive and fighting, civilization is not dead. Yet.

As a writer and artist, I appreciate any readers and their comments. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Please, come read the other blog I write for our artisan collective, Raven's Castle Creations, on our website at www.ravencastlecreations.com. It includes posts on art, the mythology of symbols we use in our art, history and more! Also, come see the art we produce in our Etsy store at etsy.com/shop/RavenCastleCreations. Follow us on Twitter at @ravencastleart and on Facebook at @ravencastlecreations.