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An update from Ringulf

Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 7:08 pm
by Ringulf
Hello all! I wanted to give a little update on things and let you know what your Naugothrain has been up to. Well, ...What can I tell you? Life in the wide world goes on much as it has this past age, full of its own comings and goings...oh wait, wrong story! Well almost. Several things have been occupying my time of late, during Hurricane Dorian I was put in the position of dealing with an immanent mandatory evacuation, due to our lovely low country vantage here in Coastal FL or as I like to say "Southern Ithilien".
I was not going to wait till the last minute to extricate myself, my lovely wife, and aged mother from what we believed was the landfall of a category 5 storm right on top of us. So we hitched up the team and drove our wagon hastily to the farm of my wife's parents a bit farther into the interior of the continent.
Well, you know the story of Dorian, so after a relaxing week of walking in the woods and fields, practicing my throwing and eating the fresh homegrown goods of the Shire, we decided to travel back…”But before we go, just one more walk through the freshly mown hay pasture.” A last-minute decision and ill-prepared were we to deal with the local flora stirred up by the cutting, lying in the hot late summer sun.
15 hours later we arrived home to find they had made a meal of old Ringulf and I was covered from head to toes with horrible red welts that formed into boyles and made my legs swell to the size of a cave troll's. Thus giving me ample time to sit and write this missive.

As I mentioned, the evacuation made me take stock of all that I had and did not wish to lose and it reaffirmed what I consider precious among my possessions. I pulled out the best of my thrown weapons chest and of course my Dane and walking axes (two of which are for sale if anyone is interested) a few project knives and seaxes to work on while away, including a pair made for me by Ichthean Forge, many of my leatherworks and some of my most valuable books. One copy, a very fine leather-bound Lord of the Rings edition gifted to me by a member of this forum. (Who will remain anonymous, but for whom I have great regard) was carefully wrapped and secreted in my large portmanteau.
Many pieces of my Ranger kit were included along with some of my newer Bushcraft (Viking and modern) gear for obvious practical reasons. My favorite mug was front and center and was filled many times, along the way, with that unsurpassed beverage made of the ground beans of Java ( I think that is somewhere near Umbar….) tweaked to perfection with the addition of ground Hazelnut.

So here I sit, somewhat uncomfortably, renewed in spirit and purpose to continue the things I have been pursuing, and grateful in the realization that this group, and a few others, weigh heavily enough in my life to find myself running out the door with no walking stick and no pocket-handkerchiefs…, but my Ranger kit safely stowed!

And I wanted to direct your attention to my new signature poem. It was written during the trip and I will write it in full here, though the Signature will not allow it in full.

I am Ringulf the Dwarven Ranger,
I craft leather, wood, metal, and clay,

I throw axes, seaxes, and pointy sticks,
And I fire my bow through the day.

The bear is my brother, the wolf, my friend,
the badger my comrade, the raven my end.

I glide through the forest, I surf on the wave,
I hunt in the marshes, explore in the cave.

Come be my ally, lift up your mead!
We’ll search out our foes and the Eagles we'll feed!

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:44 pm
by Peter Remling
Welcome back !

Glad you, Stella and Mom are safe at least if not yet comfortable.

Liked the poem !

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:53 pm
by Ringulf
Thanks, my Brother! You know, now that I look at it, I think that Ringulf's poetry is heavily influenced by our friend Forn...

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:30 pm
by Taylor Steiner
Yes welcome back indeed! Gratefull you and yours are safe!

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:33 pm
by Taurinor
It’s good to hear from you!

I was ... hmm, I wouldn’t say worried about you and yours, since Rangers are prepared and resourceful folk, but I was concerned. I’m glad that you didn’t need to draw on your resourcefulness, though, because it sounds like you were well prepared!

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:02 am
by Iodo
Glad to know you are all safe, and it's good to hear from you :P

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:28 pm
by Harper
Good to see you back.

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:08 pm
by Greg
Until I heard the storm turned, I definitely had you guys in mind. Many happy returns!

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2019 5:43 pm
by Ringulf
Thanks all! We kind of live in a state of quasi preparedness. Everything down here is tryin' to kill ya! If it is not the flora it's the fauna! I mean I don't have to run from Grizzlys, but I have been chased by a few hogs in the preserve next to me. The weather can be quite an interesting thing down here on the coast. We are the lightning strike capital of the world, are a bullseye for any tropical storm brewing, and Wildfires are something we deal with all year long now that the hydrography of Fla has been so badly messed up by development. Food and water supplies are always stocked (the 15x30' pool is a great reservoir for non-potable water needs and no lack of Water Hazards on the course to get water and food)
Fishing, shellfishing, frogging, large flocks of turkey, ducks, geese, hogs all over and deer the size of dogs. We do have Black Bear but I swore I would never hunt another one unless it meant survival. We have a gas grill and a gas Stove and refrigerator as well as dryer. (Yeah my Dad was a Gas Customer Serviceman For the Long Island Lighting co, so he always had our houses set up with gas. You would not realize how many times we fed the neighbors before home generators became affordable!) We have the charcoal grill and the Chimnea/firepit to play with too. The Jeep is always stocked with the basics and camping gear in case we need to go (how far is in question until I get the electrical issues taken care of...but yeah) All in all it is a matter of keeping preparedness up to date and simmering on the back burner all year around.

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:52 pm
by Harper
I'm glad to see that you are so well prepared. Most aren't.

One thing that you didn't list was a larger water filter for the house (and extra filters)--something like a Big Berkey.

Re: An update from Ringulf

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 2:06 am
by Ringulf
You are right! That is one thing that should go on the list! I do have a desalinator (reverse osmosis type from my Sailboat) so I suppose if our "saved water" can't get us through I could use that but it is very labor-intensive. Kinda like charging your cell phone with a crank generator! I will need to look into that. I carry a few of the straws in my go bag but that is just last-ditch emergency stuff. Kept in the wagon. The house does have a Culligan Filter to strain out all the wee microbial beasties that Florida natives have right out of the tap (You get all your recommended daily dosage of vegetables in one glass...better than V8!) but I don't think it would be up to the task for the long term issues we are talking about.