16th Granite
The past few days I've been looking through our seed stocks, and trying to see which I might be able to grow. It's not unheard of, to plant seeds in snow. But the ones Miss Isolde have brought along aren't the sort to enjoy the time of year when the ground freezes and chilly winds blow.
I'm not so worried about our food, though I won't begrudge our leader if she is, as her dedication demands. The sun will come out soon and the weather will warm, I'm sure. For now I'll plant the alfalfa and millet when I can, and look for any plants around I can find. Living off the land comes natural to our kind.
24th Granite
Ah, a well-tended farm plot is a thing of beauty. Every row has its seeds, and soon all the ponies and griffons will see strong seedlings bursting up from the soil. Spring will be a thing to see!
8th Slate
I'll write a simple poem today,
because there isn't much to say.
The weather is kind to my humble stead.
And soon I'll have a place to lay my head.
I need to get out of the field, it seems. Maybe if I go see if anyone is in the new lodge, I'd find some inspiration. I'm sure it'd brighten the day of whoever I find, as I know it would mine. Miss Isolde seems to spend much of her time there, as well as the doctor. Perhaps if I'm especially blessed today, I'll run into Silver Rush. I never did get to ask him about his story.
Now, to find where I stashed my loveliest shawl.
Silver Rush's Journal, 5th Slate, 222
I'm a little concerned about my interactions with Mr. Pine. He seems to actively avoid me on most occasions and rarely makes eye contact when we do manage to exchange a few words. He's not actually causing problems for me, he's just being cold. Have I done something to offend him? I can't really think of anything off the top of my head that could be the cause. At least things seem to be going more smoothly between the others and myself. Tunda and Rosewood in particular have become good friends of mine. Ms. Dreams was a bit on the shy side at first, but I think she's warmed up to me pretty well too.
Silver Rush's Journal, 6th Slate, 222
Seems like a lot of our needs are staked on getting raw materials like stone and metal. That rests on my shoulders at the moment, but my labors just aren't yielding any fruit. I'm not particularly concerned yet, however. I know there must be some of the good stuff buried down deeper. I'll just have to work harder to reach it, but it's nothing I can't manage! Despite the setbacks, there's something of an element of excitement to all of this. It's like a roll of the dice each day, not knowing what you're going to find. Is there some feldspar lurking down there? Or maybe some smokey quartz? Or, dare I even imagine, watermelon tourmaline? Sometimes it's hard to get to sleep thinking about it all.
On another note, I can't wait until the farm gets up and running full steam. I can deal with what we've had just fine, but it would be a special treat to have some newly-harvested fruit together with some freshly-baked bread. Oranges in particular. Yeah.
18th Granite, 222
Good news is, Mister Jack Pine and the others got some spaces set aside for ponies to work. Lots of tables, and places to stick away our tools. Nothing really for me to work with though. No metal, no stone. I could try carving some wooden stuff... it can't be that different from rock, but probably best to leave that to Miss Rosewood. She knows what she's doing with that.
Bad news though... Mistress Isolde wants me to design and build a sawmill. God, I don't even know where to begin. Fortunately, for me, we don't have any materials with which to build it yet, so hopefully by the time we do, I'll know what I need to do.
I have to try though. This is why I'm here right? Well the reason they let me be here at least. I just need to think. Jack Pine and Rosewood have probably seen those things up close before, maybe I should ask them how they are usually set up. That might help me figure out how to start.
[On the next several pages are many doodles, many crossed out or rejected. They all seem to be of sawmill workings. Some of the pages are stained with something that looks like droplets of soup as if a clumsy mare was eating while working.]
1st Slate, 222
Been working hard with Rosewood, getting us a log cabin put together. I can't help but feel that I'd be more able to help if we had that sawmill though, planks would be so much easier to work with. Those logs are so heavy, it takes multiple ponies to get them into place. Still... we've got something now. A warmer place to sleep at least. The draft is still there, but with that many ponies bodies in one room, it stays warm enough. Still I need more blankets though, can't wait for merchants to arrive, I'd spend my last gold bit for any scrap of warm cloth.
8th Slate, 222
The ground here is very sandy, and below that is a layer of clay. I think the sand is a type that's good for making glass, and I know that the clay could be used for pottery, but glassblowing and pottery are not arts I'm really familiar with, though I understand the basics. But I don't know what I could make the furnace out of. Both disciplines require a really hot, and contained fire, not like the one Miss Shortstack does her cooking over. I need something that won't burn to make the kiln. If only I had some stone. I don't think we have anything that will work... but I'll look over our stocks and see.
*As always her diary is written in a foreign language, likely only known by her, to those present.*
Shooting Star's Field Diary, 16th Granite, 222
We arrived at what was agreed upon to be called 'Shadytrails' yesterday, although I think 'Snowytrails' would fit better with how much snow and how awfully cold it is out here!
Lady Isolde have ordered trees to be cut right away, which I approve of greatly. Not only that it'll give us the much-needed firewood, it'll also leave nothing but snow and snow for anything that might be sneaking up on us!
It certainly will make my look-out work much easier. Although I doubt there's anything crazy enough to be wandering out here in the snow and not freeze to death.
But then again we're also out here, in the snow. Sometimes I wonder if we're crazy to have stopped here. .
Speaking of crazy, I swear that our doctor's been eyeing me occasionally. But most noticeably at Shortstack, and I'm not sure what to make of that.. He's got that hungry look you know? and not the kind of ones I think I like. I'm going to find somepony to sleep with.
Shooting Star's Field Diary, 18th Granite, 222
I've never seen a lumberjack work up-close before, and I must say that it's quite mesmerizing. Never seen a pony fall a tree so fast before! It's something else I tell you.
In other news, the snow's starting to melt! And I'm glad that hopefully things will not be as cold. Yesterday's been quiet and there wasn't much for anypony to do so I took the chance to talk and get to know some of our crew more, I guess we just didn't talk so much while we were travelling here. I think Patina would make a great sleeping partner, she wouldn't stick a knife in my throat that's for sure! And since she's been complaining about the cold, I think I'll teach her a thing or two that I learned about sharing body warmth.
Also, did I mention that I absolutely appreciate that we have a chef with us? Because I do. Things have been cold, boring, miserable and stressful already. Having a warm and well-prepared meal really makes a difference, you know?
Shooting Star's Field Diary, 19th Granite, 222
They've got a carpentry worktable up yesterday, and made us a couple of weapons rack to designate where our training area is! Lady Isolde is quite generous. I'd had hope that we would have a bed or two instead, sleeping on the ground's been getting really old lately. But It's good to know that she's not ignoring the military aspect of our crew.
Speaking of, the training field isn't much to look at, really. And there isn't anything that I can get a real training on, The militia commander, Kiume, at least can practice his sword swings. You know, when I first signed up I thought I'd be the militia commander, I probably would too if he isn't here. But I'm glad he's here anyway. He may look old, and scary, and is a zebra, but from the looks of it, he seems to know his way with the sword. And if something nasty shows up, I'd really like to have something or someone inbetween me and the nasty while I'm reloading my crossbow.
I think I'll talk to him about sparring, I don't think I'll be whacking my crossbow with his sword any time soon, though. That'd be stupid!
Shooting Star's Field Diary, 24th Granite, 222
Most of the snow melted today, it's great. Tunda's got a bunch of stuff planted and I can't wait until our food stockpile are brimmed with food! I swear I've been hungrier lately, not sure why. Maybe it's all this supplies we've been eating. . I kind of miss real food, you know?
At least the local herbs that our Doctor gather and Shortstack cooking those food made things a lot more bearable.
I probably should apologize too about implying that her food's not real food, because they are. And they're delicious.
I wonder if we can get wheat growing too, strawberry cakes sounds like a great thing to have. I want my cake to be strawberry cake on my birthday. And a new crossbow, the one that's frost-resistant.
Shooting Star's Field Diary, 1st Slate, 222
We've got the frame of our first structure outside of civilization finally! It really makes the fire a lot warmer. Sometimes I just want to pass my exercise and curl up into a ball and just sleep near the fire all day . . . But that'd be lazy, and the others need their ever-vigilant ranger to keep her eyes out for danger.
Shooting Star's Field Diary, 8th Slate, 222
So I've finally got my questions about why we don't seems to have any rocks to work with yet answered. I talked with Silver Rush some while he was passing by today and he told me that the ground's too damp and is filled with clay or something, I'm not really an expert on dirt and rocks, but if he says there's no rocks then I suppose there's no rocks. A shame, really. I would've really liked to see Patina work with rocks, she said she works with rocks really good.
I want to make her work with rocks sometimes . . .
Date: 18th of Granite
Scarfie was watching me work all day. Just, staring with leerish eyes all. Day. Long. I guess I’d normally find such a thing flattering, if not for the underslung crossbow sagging beneath her barrel. For such an indecipherable reason, such thing suddenly becomes unnerving. I wonder why that could possibly be . . .
Helped Rosewood cut forty logs into planks. By hoof. A sawmill would be greatly appreciated. Nobody had the forethought to bring a pair of gears from home though I guess. No big problem, let everyone take their fine time an pace.”
Date: 19th of Granite
Shortstack makes some damn good pancakes.
Date: 21nd of Granite
Well, the month is coming to a close, but even with all the generous help from Rosewood, it looks like I’m not going to hit the quotas needed for us to live in shelter some time this year. I’ve heard that in situation like this, colonies could slum it out in chipped out caves for at least a while. with the latest news from bats, that don’t sound like an option either.
I could cut even more trees down all day if I mark them in the night, at least for the next ten days I suppose ... It’s the only way I’m seeing getting enough lumber for Rosewood’s ‘little shopping list’ here .... Honestly what does she have planned for ‘a gigantic wooden corkscrew’ anyway?
Maybe I don’t want to know ....