A Second Meeting; Another Step Towards the West

Preparing Ourselves to Live In Oregon
Meeting Minutes: January 26th, 1846
Sylvester Sidcott's Barn, 2:00pm

Members:
Present: President Sylvester Sidcott; Vice President Fisher Jones; Secretary of Defense Henry Plimpton; Just Secretary Jebediah Gunstra
Absent: none

Proceedings:
Meeting is called to order at 2:00 pm by President Sidcott
Last week's meeting minutes were amended and approved

Committee to Jefferson City Report provided by chair, Fisher Jones
- Jones moved that he should be sent to Jefferson City to gather supplies on the grounds that he does not have a real job. Motion carried by a unanimous vote.
- Jones explained the trip would take place later towards the end of March.
- A draft list of supplies was compiled and is as follows:
-200 lbs. of flour per family
-150 lbs. of bacon per family
-40 lbs. of coffee
-80 lbs. of sugar
-40 lbs. of salt
- 1000 rounds of ammunition
-60 lbs. of gunpowder

Other business:
- President Sidcott commented on the difficulty of one man transporting so many supplies and moved that he accompany Mr. Jones. Motion carried by a unanimous vote.
- Vice President Jones moved that we have badges for all our members. Motion carried by a three fourths majority vote.
- President Sidcott appointed Secretary Gunstra to make the badges and Vice President Jones to design them.

Meeting adjourned at 3:00 pm
Minutes submitted by secretary, Jebediah Gunstra

Three Cheers fo POLIO

The weather has been unusually warm this past week. It has been a pleasurable change, but I do not expect it to last much longer. Along with the weather, business has also been unsually good. I have been busier than I can remember being in recent memory.
Isaac-Albert is also keeping himself occupied. When not at school, he spends much of his time locked in his room. I've seen him carrying several sheets of paper with him, but I have yet to find out what becomes of it. He is curiously secretive as of late.
The men and I have began holding weekly meetings to begin the intense planning this journey will require. Fisher Jones made it our first order of business to elect leaders. I felt this was unnecessary, but the other gentlemen seemed very excited so I consented to go along with it. I must admit that I felt I should be president considering it was my idea to undertake this task in the first place, however Sylvester, with his experience in politics clearly had the advantage, and was elected by a three fourths majority vote. Fisher Jones was elected Vice President, and Henry became our Secretary of Defense. I was voted secretary; just secretary. I have been assured nonetheless that it is a very important position and requires a great deal of responsibility, unlike the other positions which were merely flashy titles with no real power behind them. I was the true leader of the group. At this point I suggested we get the meeting under way. Sylvester told me to keep my mouth shut until I was spoken too.
As secretary it is my job to record the minutes of each meeting. I will include the minutes of future meetings in my diary if I find it worth the trouble.
The remainder of our first meeting was spent debating what we were to be called. After several hours we came up with Preparing Ourselves to Live In Oregon, or POLIO for short*. We also discussed a trip to Jefferson City to get supplies. Next meeting, as well as deciding who will be going to Jefferson City, we will be making a list of supplies we will need for the journey. We are each to make a list of supplies we think will be necessary and bring it to our next meeting which will be next Thursday, January the 26th.

*The first time poliomyelitis, or polio, was recognised as a clinical entity was in 1840 when Jakob Heine did the first medical report on the disease. Karl Oskar Medin would do the first study of a polio epedemic in 1890, but it wouldn't be until the 1950's that a marketable vaccine would be discovered by Jonas Salk.

Another Blow to Hopes of Normality

Today Abigail and I received quite a shock. Abigail walked into the kitchen. There sat Isaac-Albert at the table, two pieces of paper in front of him, a pencil in each hand. Each hand drew a picture, completely independent of the other hand. She called me in to see, not knowing what else to do. It was the most unnatural, and unsettling thing I have ever witnessed.
I snatched the art supplies from him, rushed him upstairs to his bed, then sent for the doctor. Dr. Shepardson arrived quickly and examined Isaac-Albert as me and Abigail anxiously paced the floor.
Upon finishing his examination, he came to tell us there was nothing to worry about. Isaac-Albert, he told us, is ambidextrous. This means that he can use both of his hands with equal skill. He said that is was rather a rare trait, but should almost be expected considering Isaac-Albert's condition. He even tried to tell us that it is a gift and could come in handy for our son someday.
We thanked Dr. Shepardson and sent him on his way.
Me and Abigail are relieved. After all it could be worse. The fact that other people can be afflicted by this is also encouraging. However it does cause me to wonder what other dark powers may lie dormant in my child. I suppose next week we will discover that he can see in the dark and communicate with cats.

1846: The Bright Tomorrow

Last night, on the Eve of the New Year, my family went to a celebration at the home of Mr. Fisher Jones. I suppose it was enjoyable. I'm sure we will all be very fond of the Joneses before all is said and done.
We were told by Mr. Joneses son Charles that as well as providing a covered dish, there would be a time to exchange gifts. There would be no need to purchase gifts for everyone however. It would only be neccesary to bring one gift per member of our family.
I admit that I was slightly vexed by this request. Obtaining gifts is difficult enough, but I especially do not enjoy shopping for people I don't even know. In the end Abby and and I agreed to just give away objects around the house that we no longer had any use for. We thought of it as a good oppurtunity to get rid of a few things we would not be able to take on the trail with us. I grabbed the poorly drawn picture Isaac-Albert had given me for Christmas, convincing him that it was just too good to keep to myself. I also grabbed a few fish hooks that I hadn't used in years, a length of rope, an old doll of Elizabeth's, and a portrait of my grandmother.
We arrived just before sunset. The kids all went to play together in the barn, Abigail went to the kitchen to help the women, and I began conversing with Henry. Dinner was ready shortly and we all sat down to a wonderful meal.
Near the end of the meal we all recieved a surprise when Mr. Jones rose to his feet. His children did the same, and disappeared into a back room, returning shortly dressed in bright costumes. Then the Joneses, excepting Mrs. Jones, performed a scene from a play written by Fisher himeslf entitled Red Skye in the Morning. It is (in the words of Fisher Jones) the tragic tale of a misunderstood pirate by the name of Both-Legs Bill. Bill spends his life obsessively seeking his parents' pirate killers to avenge their murders as he himself, framed for crimes committed by the very pirates he hunts is ruthlessly and relentlessly sought out by the stoic British Navy Captain, Captain Red Skye. Bill is eventually captured, and Captain Skye realizes his grave mistake only after it is too late, and Bill's lifeless body hangs on display in London. Parliament refuses to remove the body in hopes of convincing its citizens of progress made towards a safer Atlantic. Skye dedicates his life to telling Bill's story, and in the end, learns to cry.
The Jonese performed the scene in which Red Skye first meets Both-Legs Bill. Bill being the just person he is and in no way a murderer has just disarmed the stubborn Captain Skye, but, to cries of disapproval from his cold-hearted crew, refuses to finish him off. Bill reminds his crew what it is they believe in, and warns Captain Skye he is making a terrible mistake. However, Captain Skye, jealous and insulted by the compassion he is unable to feel, and frustrated with his own inadequacy as a swordsman, vows to hunt Bill down.
It was interesting.
After dinner we had our gift exchange. Lementine took charge at this point. She said that this custom that had been in her family for generations is called a "White Elephant" gift exchange. The rules were simple enough. We drew our numbers from a hat. The person with the number 1 picks a present and opens it. Then the next person can either steal the present chosen by person 1 or pick a new present, and so on and so on. I was number 6, and chose my fish hooks, because I began remembering all the fish I had caught with those hooks. Unfortunately, Fisher came shortly after and stole the hooks from me. I ended up with a scarf knitted by Susanna Jones, that no one else would steal.
The hooks, as I said went to Fisher. The portrait was taken by Elizabeth who seemed rather cross with me, and evidently had some emotional attachment to the picture. Isaac-Albert's picture of God-knows-what was taken by Dorcas Sidcott. Elizabeth's doll was stolen from Susanna by Beth Sidcott, and finally found its way to the unnatural hands of Emiline Jones where it met its demise. The length of rope was taken by James Stewart Plimpton, but confiscated by his father. It seems that since a young age James has had an odd tendency to catch and torture small animals.
When everyone had taken a gift, one remained left over. We all wondered at this, until Lem exclaimed, "Why it's for Isaac of course, or Albert; which ever one doesn't have a present yet." You can imagine how insulted Abigail and I were. Luckily we were able to restrain our initial outbursts, and calmly explained that simply because our son was burdened with this grotesque distortion did not mean he needed pity or special treatment of any kind. He would have one present, and be treated, not as the deformed freak that he is, but like everyone else.
After the gifts, Isaac-Albert and Martin were sent upstairs, while the normal people played "What am I drawing?" and roasted chestnuts.
It turned out to be a very good evening. Yet by the end we were all aware that now, in 1846, our perilous journey is closer than ever.