Mending

For the foreseeable future, posts are going to have to be fairly short. The rebuilding effort around these parts is our primary goal, and clearing away the rubble and burying our dead is going to take up a lot of our time for a while.

But a few notes are in order, I think.

Courtney captured the mood around the compound right now perfectly. We are so frustrated that for every milestone we seem to reach, someone has to show up and try to knock our progress back. We are, as a group, moving toward being much less inclined to give armed invaders much of a chance. If you come to us with arms open, we will welcome you in kind. If you scout around our home and look at us down the scope of a rifle, we will end you, plain and simple, and your body will feed our dogs.

I am still in a state of numb shock, with a creeping line of anger snaking its way up my brain stem. I want so much for us to thrive in peace, but this constant influx of aggression is stopping that. So...measures are being taken. We'll leave it at that.

The first load of people from Michigan are on their way here. From what Courtney tells me, about twenty are coming this go round, with maybe more to come. I know that the folks up in Jack's camp are encouraging people to migrate here, since while both of our groups have plenty of room, ours has a greater capacity for food production and can sustain a large population indefinitely. So with luck a great many more will come over the next few weeks, but we would be happy with even just one.

The bus will be dropping off those folks and head back up immediately, which means that very shortly, my sister and her family will be gone. This saddens me, but I am dealing.

Back to work. Walls to be fixed, collapsed houses to be scrapped and recycled, and honored dead to lay to rest. If any of you out there are the praying type, please try to think of us next time you talk to the big guy.