Allyson walks to the podium at the head of the crowded room and looks at everyone. She straightens her tank top unnecessarily, shuffles her feet a bit, and then leans against the podium and adjusts the microphone.
Hi. My name is Allyson, and I’m a new Conservative.
Hi, Allyson!
The past few days have really changed my mind on a number of subjects. I’m still not a huge Trump fan, but after watching what happened on Saturday, many of my previous concerns have waned. I’ve been reading and educating myself, listening to others, and generally trying to get a better grip on the whole political situation going on. I’ve taken another step to the Right, and while I still consider myself a “small L libertarian,” I think that by society’s standards, I’m now a Conservative.
This is going to be a real ramble of a blog entry, so bear with me. Please.
That puts me in a weird place. I feel like I can’t tell my friends. I haven’t been able to talk politics with them in ages, but it’s been a relatively comfortable silence on both parts. But this? I can’t tell them I’m “on the Trump train.” I’d be ostracized. And yes, I know how that sounds, and yes, that’s part of why I took the step to the Right.
I’m going to say this now, because I have to. I have watched the videos of the assassination attempt a good 40 or 50 times. I’ve looked at different angles, read experts’ opinions, and done my best to do due diligence. The timing and way this played out FEELS too convenient and too well done, and I am absolutely terrified that this was a fake out by Trump and/or his team. My thinking brain tells me that no one, not even the most brash person ever, would have a live bullet come that close to their head on purpose. But my lizard brain is still concerned that somehow, this was just a fake out.
A lot of people have changed their mind about Trump because of Saturday’s attempt on his life. I desperately hope that everything I saw was real (not that I wanted an attempt on his life, but just that the situation as presented is real). If it turns out to be some kind of fake out, I suspect I’ll just walk away entirely and stop dealing with politics. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it.
I’m not sure I can really report “from behind enemy lines” anymore. I will continue to give a more Left perspective on things (because many of my friends are Left), but personally I’ve made another step to the Right.
I want to talk about what I’m hearing from my friends online today, after the attempt to kill Trump. They seem to fall into two rather neat categories, quite honestly, with very little middle ground. My friends, the people I personally know, have met and hung out with face to face, and who I would invite over for dinner, are appalled that anyone would try to kill Trump. They are distraught, apologetic, sending thoughts and prayers (in a very not sarcastic way). They are honest. Some of them are feeling a bit raw right now, because they seem to firmly believe that someone from “their side” did this, and it’s making them look at themselves.
The ones who are merely acquaintances, the people who met me once at an author gig, or who know me from reenacting and friended me on FB because of it, those people who are highly unlikely to get dinner invitations, are making the most vile commentary. “Too bad he missed,” seems to be the general theme. I’ve also heard, “Oh, it was faked,” and “This was planned by Trump,” and “It’s payback from the Project 2025 people!” I didn’t bother to try and reason with the people who said these things; I deleted them as friends, removed their name and number from my phone. Those people are not people I will interact with, other than as required at work.
I’m rather horrified at the number of people making the horrid comments. I knew they’d come on public spaces like TikTok, but among those I’d admitted (however little) into my own personal space? I did not expect that. What I also didn’t expect was the civil, polite, and at least seemingly heartfelt words from Left leaders around the country. I’m confused over those few who seemed to think that someone sniping at Trump would equal the Right demanding gun laws be enacted. Oy.
Back in May, I decided to attempt a new recipe while out in the field, cooking over a fire at a Renaissance Faire. I do this a couple of times a year, when I know I have time to play with new things. Not all fairs allow me the time to pay attention to details, and so quite a lot of the time I stick with a standard rotation of recipes. But this was a new fair, and one which I had no other responsibilities at. I was just there to cook and talk about history, and maybe sell a few cookbooks. So I picked a new one, and ran with it.
The result was incredibly delicious. I had people trying to steal pieces off of each other’s plates. They scraped the bottom of my dutch oven with bits of bread, to be certain they’d eaten every last drop. It was an impressive sight, to say the least. It seems to me, this makes a wonderful first recipe for my weekly recipe post.
To make Alloes of beef
Take lene beef and cut hym in thyn pecys and lay hit on A borde then take sewet of motton or of beef and herbys and onyons hackyd small to gether then straw thy leshes of beef with powder of pepur and a lytell salt and strew on thy sewet and the herbys. And rolle them up ther yn put them on a broche and roste them and serue them up hote. — Transcription of original receipt (Source: MS Pepys 1047)
I’ve been thinking about this one a LOT. I’m very against staff, admin, and above putting anything religious in schools. It too quickly becomes problematic, and it takes away from learning. I have yet to see something like this recent Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law turn out well, short OR long term. Do you want Satanists and Wiccans and Muslims to have stuff in schools? If not, then keep Christianity out as well.
There’s been commentary made by the people involved that posting the Ten Commandments isn’t religious, it’s there to show the original laws.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom, the latest move from a GOP-dominated Legislature pushing a conservative agenda under a new governor.
The legislation that Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law on Wednesday requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses” who got the commandments from God, Landry said.
A long time ago, I said that if I could find a politician who managed to have a positive campaign rather than a smear one, I would support him. That’s part of why I supported Gary Johnson when he was running (though it was a lot more in depth than that). But yesterday I saw something that made me really stop and listen. I saw this:
This is raw. It’s different than some of his past stuff. It’s … It feels more real.
I know, feels aren’t what the Right cares about. But this was a GOOD political ad. This one actually spoke to me. Yes, the world is shite. The Institution (the swamp, if you will) has protected itself at the cost of the citizens of the country. Don’t give up, keep doing what’s right, never quit. “They’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you. I’m just standing in their way.” Damn.
I still don’t like the guy. He makes my hackles rise. But I know he’s not the demon the Left paint him as. I can mourn the fact that better candidates didn’t get in, and still know that he’s better than Biden by far. I cannot deny that this video, the words he said, paint a much different picture than the stuff he posted the first time around. Maybe he has learned. Maybe he will be better this time.
There are many things that are important to Conservatives and Republicans that are also important to me. First and Second Amendment issues are prime examples. Freedom to speak, to protest (not riot), to think your own thoughts, to live free, these are fundamentally American things. Other countries, if they have these things at all, have done so because we did it first. Firearms and arms in general, I might be more Right than some of you, because I firmly and 100% believe that “…shall not be infringed…” is the be-all and end-all. I am a “small government” kind of gal, and would love to see the swamp drained. I think that government has the anti-Midas touch – everything it touches turns to shit. Government should be interfering only when absolutely necessary, especially at the Federal level. It should not be possible for someone to be a “career politician.” EVER.
And then there are other issues, ones which are not Constitutional but are near and dear to my heart. I believe that a person’s body should be inviolate, and that includes during pregnancy. I believe birth control should be inexpensive (already possible) or maybe free at point of use, and easy to get ahold of. I think marriage, from the government’s perspective, should simply be a listing of who did what, when, for the purposes of census taking and whatever Federal and State level benefits people get for being married. I think if five people want to get together and form a family, that’s fine. I think gay people are “just people” and should have exactly the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else (and not more, btw). I think black people are “just people” and should have exactly the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else (and not more, btw). I believe that people should be able to get (very basic) healthcare that is free at point of service (largely because it saves money at the community and county level, overall). I believe that religion, and freedom of AND FROM it, are between a person and their gods, and there should be no government level (including schools) statements that are inherently religious.
There’s a lot going on here, and I labeled this article “fears” for a reason. Here are some of the concerns I have, and why I have them. Some echo the concerns that those on the Left have. Take what you will from it.
I’m going to carefully report from the Left side of the line today. I don’t like it. I’ll officially say I like it a lot less than I like reporting Right stuff to Left friends. It feels a lot more dangerous. Still, here I am, the designated person reporting “from behind enemy lines.”
I didn’t watch the debate between Biden and Trump. I don’t like listening to either of them talk, for very different reasons. I caught the media backlash, of course, and I did watch bits and pieces that various pundits felt were important. I watched enough bits to know that saying “Trump won” was sort of like saying “guns fire bullets.” No shit, Sherlock.
The media even stepped up on this one. Mainstream media (CNN, CBS, ABC, etc.) all said basically the same thing: Biden is old, and now we can see it, and gee those Dems have been hiding it really well for the past few years. But let’s get real here… even MOTHER JONES said Trump won that one.
It wasn’t a fair contest. Trump, while I still dislike him on a personal level, is not feeble. He’s brash, energetic, and on point. I don’t have to like him to admit that he answered most of the questions in fairly plain, honest language. Biden, he had to be led off the stage like a toddler up past his bedtime. I hate that the Left is engaging in the level of elder abuse that they are. It’s disturbing, and wrong.
But all the above… is nothing compared to what I’ve seen on FB this week from people that I am “FB friends” with. You can check these out or not.
Isaiah Martin says, paraphrased, we all knew Biden was old, but Trump is an existential threat.
A meme: Just because you think Alfred is too old to take care of the BatCave, you don’t replace him with the Joker.
Occupy Democrats says Biden should use his “newfound presidential immunity” to add four new seats to the Supreme Court and a bunch of other things.
An acquaintance said this (and I’m withholding their name): “Let me spell this out for those in the back: Trump v Hillary was choosing vomiting or Diarrhea. Trump v Biden is choosing stage 4 cancer or mild heartburn. Do not get it twisted.”
I can’t even. I keep hearing things along the line of, “Yeah, okay so Biden is senile and half dead, but at least he isn’t Trump!” And that, well, this isn’t about the presidency, it’s about the country as a whole and that if Trump gets in again, the gays will all be in concentration camps and women will become walking incubators.
Y’all… I need you to understand, no matter how hard it is for you… the Left who are saying this stuff, they really believe it. They actually believe that Biden will be okay, that his advisors will keep him propped up and animatronic no matter what. They would rather participate in the physical and mental abuse of a decrepit old man, than make another choice. And that really is what they’re saying. They want Biden, no matter what. They don’t want to think about anyone else in Biden’s place. They definitely don’t want Harris in there. Michele Obama is probably the closest to a “well, I guess” comment I’ve gotten from some of them. And that’s only because she doesn’t have a penis.
At this point, I believe Trump will win. I believe the Dems will burn their own homes to the ground over it. What I *hope* will happen after the year or two of civil unrest and tantrums (or riots… or both) is that we’ll actually get some decent candidates that can work toward what’s best for the whole country. I think that’s the best I can hope for right now. And boy, it sure feels lonely over here on this fence.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
So back in May, I spent 8 days and 7 nights at the Fort at No. 4 up in Charlestown, NH. I was there for a number of reasons. First, they needed someone to do a cooking demo for a few school groups going through, and that’s entirely my wheelhouse. Second, there was a Rendezvous going on (sort of an 18th century “con”) and they wanted people in the Fort. Third, and perhaps most important, I wanted to teach myself how to bake in a beehive oven.
Salt pork made at the Fort, ready to use in a bean dish.
The Fort is a wonderful and very magical place. It does have running water in the bathrooms (cold only, and only in the summer), and the bathrooms are set up outhouse style (you have to go out of the fort to a small two stall privy to use them). There is electricity in some of the buildings, but when I’m there I rarely use it other than to charge my phone (which I do in a staff room that is not open to the public, during the day when I’m not using it). I do use the fridge in the staff room for keeping food from going off, but only because there is no root cellar there for me to keep things in. If there was, I probably wouldn’t use the staff room at all.
So, in spending a week at the Fort, I learned a number of things about myself. First and foremost, my stress level went down tremendously when I wasn’t reading FaceBook and the news. About the end of the third day, living in a one room cabin and sleeping on a rope bed began to feel like the “new normal” and I settled in very nicely. The rope bed has a lovely, fluffy down feather tick mattress, over which I laid my sheepskins so that the pin feathers didn’t prick my bottom while sleeping. It was still a bit chilly in Charlestown during the evenings, so I was happy to have the warmth of the fireplace radiating beside my bed. If I had wanted, I could have kept the fire going all night, but I didn’t see the point. The residual heat from the beehive oven actually kept it quite dry and comfortable (outside was a bit moist and cool). I learned that sleeping on the rope bed, my shoulder ceases hurting almost entirely… but my hips go out of whack instead and I must pinch a nerve. Apparently I should spend a every other night flipping between my bed and a rope bed to get the best sleep possible. LOL!
Firing the beehive oven in preparation for baking bread.
I learned that you get up early because there’s light, and you go to bed early (for me at least, because I’m a night owl usually) because there isn’t light. The cabin I’m in is lit entirely by the hearth and candles. I have a large candelabra, several smaller candle stands, and a few lanterns. Most nights, I burned a single candle and not much more, because there didn’t seem much point. The one night I was attempting to finish a sewing project, I actually lit up six candles in the candelabra, and that was enough light to allow me to complete my work. It was interesting, seeing the way my body adjusted when I cut out electric light from my life.
The entire time I was there, I dressed as a Fort dweller. I wore a petticoat (a skirt) or two depending on the temperature, and a bedgown (which is a type of blouse that ties or pins closed), a chemise that covered my elbows but not my lower arms, and a frilly cap that covered most of my hair. I wore an apron the entire time, partly to keep my bedgown closed and partly because much of what I was doing was dirty.
I cleaned the house I was staying in. I swept at least twice a day, and always found more dust. It’s a hazard of burning wood – the ash gets everywhere. I washed dishes in the dry sink, with water heated over the fire in a tin kettle. I cooked over the fire in cast iron pots and a spider (basically a frying pan on legs, that allows you to cook over the coals). If I didn’t make a fire, I didn’t eat cooked food, so I made a fire every day. I carted my water in from elsewhere in the Fort. I washed myself in the evenings over a bucket in front of the fire.
The beginnings of a Habitant pea soup, 1750s style.
I think the most striking thing I learned was that it’s really hard to stay clean when you’re living like that. We are absolutely, completely spoiled by showers. I spent almost 45 minutes each night, cleaning myself from top to bottom. I didn’t wash my hair with soap every night, but I did wet it down and scrub my scalp with a washcloth. I used soap on all the “important bits” every day. I made sure to thoroughly clean my feet at least once a day, and always before bed. It took a long time, and sometimes I didn’t feel like doing it, but I always felt better after my evening “spitz bath.” Still, when AWA came to pick me up from the Fort after my week, I noted he drove home with the windows open. I cannot tell you the filth that came off me when I showered at home. It was startling, because I really thought I was pretty clean the whole time. I’d made a point of it! But the bottom of the tub told a different story.
I did well learning my beehive oven use. I have now baked about ten or twelve loaves of bread and several pies in the beehive oven, and am comfortable with the use of it. I learned how to close certain windows while bringing the oven up to temperature, because otherwise the wind would whip the smoke down from the chimney and right back into the cabin. I discovered that it doesn’t matter how many windows you close at night, mosquitoes will find their way down the short, straight chimney to eat you. Might as well leave the window open for a nice breeze.
Bread, almost ready to come out of the beehive oven.The first batch of bread got a bit burnt at the back edge, but was otherwise delicious!As you can see, the crumb of the loaf turned out beautifully!
While I was there, I collected all my hardwood ash. It’s my intention to use it to create lye in the autumn, so that I can then make both clothes washing soap (which is sort of soupy and mushy) and body washing soap (which can be in bar form). I hope to make two batches of bar soap, for comparison… one batch made with my homemade lye, and one made with commercially purchased lye designed for modern soap making. My sister makes soap, both lye and other types, and I’ve helped a number of times, so I figure between the two of us we can probably do a great “compare and contrast” for the Fort patrons.
Chicken and beef pie with horseradish greens, right before the top went onto it.
The profound thing I discovered about myself, is that when I am at the Fort and away from the modern hustle and bustle, I am more quiet, more peaceful, and less klutzy. I tend to rush around from task to task, overly busy at all times when I’m at home. I have so much to do between taking care of the house and cooking and kids, writing books, planning events, marketing, helping out AWA with the blog, and the dozen other things I do every day. When I rush, I do stupid stuff, like trip and fall, or cut myself with knives. At the Fort, the pace was just much slower. I had as much or more work to do, honestly, but there was no rush. Part of it was that I was by myself for the majority of the time (school groups and other people were only during open hours, from 10am to 3pm generally). But part of it was just that I knew what needed doing, and I did it. There was no rush. I just had to move along at an even pace, and I did. No trips and falls. No cutting myself. I did get one splinter, but it got dealt with and I was fine.
There’s so much to be learned by doing things “the old fashioned way.” I like doing it because I love taking those old recipes (whether for food, or soap, or whatever) and trying them out. Every time I do something, I learn new stuff, about myself, and about history. Yes, it’s good for learning how to live without modern machinery. But it’s also just good for the soul, in my opinion. Doing things with your hands, getting more in touch with the world we live in, breathing in fresh air and allowing your circadian rhythms to sync up… it’s all good.
Sausage hash, made at the Fort and enjoyed by the author.
The Fort was designed to teach adults and children about the history of the French and Indian War, and about the colonization of New Hampshire. Perhaps it’s also teaching us about how to live, going forward into our future. I think we’ve lost a lot of knowledge that we used to have. Those people who lived in the original Fort were not stupid. They did amazing things, and without the machinery and computing power that we “cheat” with today. We’ve lost some of that drive. It’s time we got it back.
I’m not entirely sure how to go about injecting that drive into today’s youth, but it’s something I think must be done, and as quickly as possible. My own kids are a mixed bag. I will say that the one who spent the most time “visiting the past” with me is the one with the most insane drive for success and internal motivation. I think that’s something to keep in mind. Allowing children to actually DO things, instead of just reading them or watching them in a video, gives them the opportunity to invest themselves. In order to become a successful person, you have to fail. Without failure, you don’t learn to work as hard. You don’t learn that … that thing which made America such an amazing place when it was founded. People flocked here because with hard work and effort, with blood, sweat, and tears, you could better yourself and your family. That’s not America today, though.
We need more children learning trades, learning to put their personal sweat equity into the work they’re doing. We need more adults teaching it, and yes, pushing it. The stigma of going into the trades should be eradicated, and instead, the plumbers, carpenters, welders, electricians, HVAC folks, and all the others, should be elevated and celebrated. They are the ones carrying us forward, for the most part.
There are a BILLION skills to learn when you’re talking about reenactment or prepping for TEOTWAWKI. I’m going to touch on the top five today, but if there’s a specific skill set you’d like me to write about, drop me a note in the comments below.
Fire
Knowing how to make a fire is probably the single most important skill you can have when in a primitive environment. Fire is how you sterilize first aid instruments, sanitize your water, clean your wounds, clean your body, cook your food, and keep yourself warm. Heck, fire even keeps most animals at bay, which means you’re safer when you have it.
