Tom led Jim over to his group and introduced him to the others. Bill seemed a bit put off by Jim’s presence but didn’t balk at the new group joining them. Tom spoke to the group. “I guess we need to cover some ground rules for the ones joining my family and me. You are responsible for finding your own food and water. Of course, we’ll share any excess food, but you’re responsible for feeding yourselves. I’ll be in charge and what I say goes. If …”
Jim scowled. “What if we disagree with your direction?”
“No one is forcing you to join us. If you don’t like the rules, Medford is that way. Good luck.”
“I’m okay. I just like to know the rules.”
“As I said, if you don’t like the rules, break away and go on your own. We’ll travel as inconspicuously as possible. Drawing attention to our group could be deadly. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”
Tom watched Jim scurry back to his people and then felt a tug at his sleeve. “That was mean sounding,” Samantha said.
Tom turned with a scowl on his face. “I meant it to sound mean. We don’t want some stranger to get us killed. I took responsibility for you and your daughter’s safe return home. I take stuff like that very seriously.”
Samantha frowned. “I heard you talking earlier. What does FUBAR mean?”
Tom chuckled. “The polite meaning is – fouled up beyond all recognition. My Granny B and Grampa were in the Army and learned a bunch of colorful Army phrases. Remind me to tell you about BOHICA and the green weenie after a few beers.”
Samantha thought, I’m glad he’s strong, but he comes off mean, and that can be nasty. Well, at least he has a sense of humor. She said, “Sometimes, honey will get more flies.”
“I’ll remember that when honey is needed. Go gather your daughter and what you can carry. Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Please call me, Sam.”
“Okay, Sam.”
Jim returned with his family in tow. His wife was the bleach blonde trophy wife, who was dressed in expensive clothes and high heels. His daughter was more reasonably dressed in shorts, a t-shirt, and hiking boots. The son was a big boy with lime green hair, which was buzz cut on one side and long on the other. The boy was dressed in black with black nail polish and lipstick. Granny B choked when she saw the high heels and skateboard boy.
Tom took Jim to the side. “Jim, those high heels will have to go. Doesn’t she have any tennis shoes or hiking boots?”
“Don’t worry. She’s used to walking in high heels.”
“Jim, we’ll be walking through woods, rocks, and streams along the way. Get her some shoes.”
Jim balked. “Don’t tell me what to do. I know my family.”
Tom squared off to face Jim. “They’ll be crying or twist an ankle the first day, and we won’t wait on you to come to your senses and try to find them shoes in the woods. That’s all I have to say about that.”
Jim took his family back to the plane, found more suitable shoes, and returned in fifteen minutes.
Granny B raised her arms and gathered their new team together. “We will have a tough and long walk ahead. I have some pictures of plants I want you to watch out for as we hike to Southern Oregon. Remember that many of these are medicinal and will come in handy since we only have a first-aid kit. I also want you to keep an eye out for bee trees. Honey tastes great but is also good for healing wounds. It’s a natural antibacterial agent, and breathing in the vapors from honey can help with asthma.”
Jim looked perturbed. “How do you expect us to know all of these plants?”
Granny B held her tongue for a few extra seconds and then popped her FM2176 Army Survival manual against her open palm. “I’m a fixing to give each of you a couple of plants, nut trees, and berries to watch for. Jim, surely you can recognize a willow tree that we can make a simple form of aspirin from the rubbings under the bark. You also get blackberries, which should be plentiful now that we’re going into fall. We can eat them and also make a tea from their leaves, which will treat diarrhea.”
Jim smiled. “I can do that.”
“Betty, please watch for bees flying and buzzing around trees, and while you’re at it, look for nut trees and nuts on the ground. As I said, honey can be food and medicine.”
“Jackie, Tom, and I’ll watch for many other plants and point them out so you can help.”
She went on to mention several other wild plants that were edible or medicinal.
Jim interrupted and was visibly tiring of the discussion. “Look, it’s only about two hundred and forty miles to Ashland. Surely, we can find food in stores and get handouts from people along the way. Why do all this foraging?”
Tom tersely replied, “Jim, you said you understood we’d be foraging. What part of foraging don’t you understand? Once people notice the stores aren’t being restocked, they won’t share their food, and a few days later, most will covet our food. We plan to live off the land and only use the food we gathered from the plane for backup.”
Betty looked a bit bewildered. “About how long will it take to walk to the Ashland area?”
Tom had already thought about the trip. “I think we can get about two miles an hour for ten hours, walking in two-hour stretches and taking thirty minutes for lunch and a rest. Of course, we’ll rest for ten minutes
