SECRETS OF THE ROURKE FAMILY RETREAT

            A lot of people have been asking whether or not the Retreat located inside a mountain that was critical to the survival of the Rourkes and their extended family was based on reality or just a figment of our imagination.  This home away from home served them well for quite a number of years – quite a number.

            Shortly after moving to Georgia in the late 70s, we started exploring the beautiful countryside.  We’d grab the kids, fill up the tank of our Ford LTD and take off for the day.  One of these excursions took us into higher elevations and towns like Helen and Cleveland.  Cleveland, by the way, is home to the original Cabbage Patch dolls where if you’re there at just the right time you may be able to witness a birth.  As we drove, a very distinctive mountain loomed off to our right.  It wasn’t the tallest mountain we’d seen in Georgia but, it was just different.  For those of you who remember the beginnings of the SURVIVALIST series, you might be interested in knowing that in order to get close to its base, the last paved road before you hit gravel is named Chambers Road.  It just called out to us as the perfect place for the location of the Retreat.

            Mount Yonah or Yonah Bald is in the Chattahoochee National Forest and around 1960 was used by the Army for basic mountaineering training and is still used for that purpose. Later in the 1970s the mountain was also used by civilian rock climbers. 

   Yonah is the Cherokee word for bear.  This area is well associated with the Cherokee.  One of the stories associated with Yonah deals with Nacoochee, a Cherokee girl and Sautee, a Chickasaw warrior.  The Cherokees were not at all happy with this union and warriors pushed Sautee off the mountaintop to his death. His lover, Nacoochee threw herself from the same cliff to be with him forever.

   In the early 1500s the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto searched the caves of Yonah for a lost Indian treasure,  de Soto never found the treasure but in 1834 the village he and his men inhabited during the search was discovered by gold miners.  To his credit though, de Soto did discover the Mississippi River.

   In our story, THE SURVIVALIST, John Thomas Rourke actually bought the mountain and spent years renovating and supplying his hideaway.  He drew upon his knowledge of weights and counterbalances as used by the Egyptians to secure his home and equipped it with all the comforts and supplies anyone could have thought of. With hydro-electric power and generators, every type of appliance was available as well as television, stereo and in his day, VCR devices.  Well stocked freezers were filled with not only food but also Rourke’s supply of cigars and ammunition and reloading equipment were in abundance.  Rourke had included a huge library of everything from the classics to reference materials to children’s books.

   

One thing most readers miss when they’ve talked to us about the Retreat is the fact that wherever a character traveled from point A to point B and there were stairs to take, for example, if they were going to a bedroom or the kitchen, we always had the same number of stairs throughout.  Check out SURVIVALIST NUMBER 3:  The Quest.  We did the same thing in some other books but it started with the Retreat.  Writers do not remember everything and it pays to plan ahead -- even with stairs.

PREPPERS

            Customarily on Saturday nights, I tune in my local Public Television station and catch a Britcom or two.  I know – wild and crazy!  My favorite is AS TIME GOES BY with Judi Dench and  Jeoffery Palmer which ran from 1992 to 2005..  A few years ago I was gifted with the entire series on CD but I still tune it in on the television out of force of habit.  My station was running a beg-a-thon and I was about to flip to something else when they returned to a show in progress that they had recently acquired for their new season.  The show was called GOOD NEIGHBORS and it was about a family of Preppers.  Preppers in the UK?

            Preppers are supposed to live in undisclosed locations primarily in the South and Northwest sections of the US.  They have beards – well the men do – and their wives wear skimpy outfits and carry illegal assault weapons.  Their children are home schooled up to second grade and then spend their days guarding the homestead and taking care of the family’s sheep and goats and whatever else happens to be their meat of choice,  Of course, hunting season  lasts 365 days a year just like road kill season. 

            This program featured a man who on his 40^th. Birthday quits his job, wishing to live off the power grid and be self-sustaining, and his family raising their own meat and vegetables and creating their own electricity.  Much to the horror of their neighbors, they live their new survival lifestyle right smack in the middle of the suburbs.  After some digging, I found out that this show originally ran in the UK from 1975 to 1978.  Up to date programming at its best!

            Whereas this show made light of various “survival” situations, it did present the concept.of not waiting for disaster to strike but to rather plan for such situations if they materialize.  Sounds like nothing more than common sense to me.  We teach our children to put aside a portion of their allowance, saving it for a rainy day.  What is so funny about buying some extra canned goods when we go to the grocery store to put aside or keeping extra batteries for our flash lights?  For some of us, a charcoal grill or a couple of canisters of propane for a portable cook stove is just a must for when the power goes out, along with alternative lighting sources.  This is life and we all know shit happens.

            Do some preppers go over the top with their underground bunkers and years worth of food and supplies?  Maybe, but who can say.  Some do it because they fear the government, some because they know that in this world anything that can go wrong eventually will.  These people are into long term survival.

            All I know is that I don’t think most of us want to be the ones outside, looking in when something goes wrong.  The outsiders are the ones who tell their kids to save for tomorrow and then they learn the hard way that they have never planned ahead and haven’t enough food or water in the house to last more than a day, much less toilet paper and, their electricity has just run out!  They won’t be able to call out for a pizza and their debit cards will be useless.  These people will be living in their cave, surrounded by their “stuff” that doesn’t work and will be either cold and hungry or very hot and hungry depending on the season.  Their tropical fish, floating on their backs by now are starting to look good and the dog…

            Preppers I have known over the years both in this country and elsewhere are not to be laughed at.  They think about what could happen and prepare for it in case it does.  That sounds smart to me!  Using tried and true techniques of food processing used for generations and some more modern methods now at their disposal, they are showing us that good, healthy food does not necessarily come from the local grocery store.  By the time “fresh” food hits the shelves, how much of its mineral and vitamin content has been diminished compared to food freshly picked or processed without the addition of chemicals?  Consider how many times a year we hear about meat being recalled or tainted produce.  There is a lot of truth to the phrase, “what you see is what you get.” 

            Most of the preppers I know are more than willing to share their knowledge of reliable sources for everything from garden seeds to packaged survival foods to books and manuals on a wide array of subjects.  While a lot of us only think in terms of buying, preppers may also think in terms of making.  What if you had to make your own soap or set up a chicken coop or determine what backyard weeds are edible?  If you killed a deer for food would you know how to butcher it?  People used to know how to do many of these things.  If someone gets injured do you have the basic first aid skills necessary if no other help is available? 

            Thank you preppers, here and abroad, for doing what you think is right to keep you and your family safe in any situation.  Thank you for thinking outside the box when considering all of the “what if” situations that could be facing us and coming up with solutions to the myriad of problems associated.  Thanks for reminding us that we did enter into this world equipped with brains.

            Remember, “It always pays to plan ahead.”  I think I’ve heard that slogan before.

Sharon

JERRY

This is for those of you who have read his articles and stories but perhaps didn’t know Jerry Ahern personally.  These are a few of the reasons we will remember him on this, the one year anniversary of his passing.

                Jerry loved his country.  He knew it was the greatest country on earth and that no matter what goes on here, no matter which party runs the show, America will eventually be populated again by sane, sensible people who will protect the rights granted to all of us under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 

                He believed that if you work hard and you have some sort of financial success,  it is your decision if you wish to help others.  Charity of any sort should come from your heart, not from the government or decisions made at your workplace, without your consultation.  He believed people would be more generous if they were not pressured into it.  Helping people with your money or your time or expertise was something you should feel good about.  Jerry’s heart was a mother lode of generosity.

                Jerry loved to write.  Writing was all he ever wanted to do and he was lucky that after all the years of being employed as a professional writer he still found pleasure in the written word. 

                Jerry believed that all people were basically good.  Some people took advantage of this belief to do bad things but, he was usually right.  Most people are good; sometimes they just don’t know it yet. 

                Jerry was a good father.  Neither of our children could disagree with that.  They knew that they were loved no matter what. 

                He loved his five grandchildren.  I hope a little of him will remain in their hearts.

                Jerry loved me.  I know it.

                Jerry would want us to celebrate his life and not morn his death.  Life for all of us goes on until the inevitable happens. Enjoy the now; you’ll only have it once.

Jerry believed in God and that there was a heaven. In first grade he argued with one of his Catholic school teachers that not just people but dogs too would go to heaven.  He later grudgingly chose to include cats in this thesis.

I have this picture in my mind of Jerry and Honey the Wonder Dog walking into God’s office.  His desk and the chairs around it littered with documents to sign, stick-it notes and scraps of paper.  Jerry, having found his old manual Royal typewriter, holds a note he’s written to God to please bless us all.  Finding a semi-bare spot on the desk, Jerry leaves the note where he hopes it will be noticed.  As they walk back out through the doorway, Honey, with her big bushy tail, accidentally brushes the note off the desk and onto the floor. 

                Later, I see God coming back to His office, noticing the paper on the floor.  God picks up the note, reads it after dusting off the dog hair.  He smiles.

THE BLIZZARD OF 1967

Someone was asking me the other day about what got Jerry and me into a survival mode in the early 80s.   There were, of course, many factors that led us down the path but some did stand out more than others.  Sometimes it doesn’t take a man holding a sign over his head with an arrow pointing in a certain direction to set you straight.

            One significant occurrence in our lives was the Great Chicago Blizzard of 1967.  Twenty-three inches of snow fell upon us within one twenty-four hour period from just one rather significant storm; a record was set.   Just two days before, the temperature was a balmy 65 degrees; in Chicago, in January!  Who would have guessed!   The city stopped.  50,000 vehicles were stranded on streets and expressways.  Public transportation went nowhere.  People died, trying to shovel the heavy snow and many homes and businesses were looted.  Lots of babies were born nine months later.             

Even with the heroic efforts of  Mayor Daley’s organization and the generous volunteering of snow removal equipment from the private sector, it took days before the city was anywhere near recovery.  Grocery stores were empty or locked up because the proprietors couldn’t get there.  Some enterprising individuals took it upon themselves to break into some establishments and take non-food items such as tvs and stereos.  Some of these same enterprising individuals were caught holding the goods when the police were able to just follow their footprints in the snow.  Enterprising does not always mean smart.

            Jerry, being a loving and loyal boyfriend and someone who wanted to get out of his place and have some of my mother’s cooking, trudged through the snow for hours to finally arrive, semi-frozen and red of nose.  The only thing that I feel kept him going was the vision of a plate of spaghetti or maybe a pot roast with steaming hot mashed potatoes, set on the table in front of him.  Anyway, he stayed for dinner and then breakfast the next morning and, in fact, lunch and another dinner later.   He helped my dad shovel a path to the street.  I don’t remember if the shoveling did any good but it was a memorable guy thing to do.  Jerry also found a person who was selling milk and bread from the back of his delivery truck at way over the top prices.  At least he didn’t let the milk spoil!  Did I tell you about the snow people and the fort we built?  Jerry and I had fun.           

I can’t say it wasn’t a fun time to be young and in love; it was. My mother was a nervous wreck thinking that… well you know why.   Was it equally fun for the people stranded at work or public servants who didn’t know when they would be able to go home to their families?  Many people didn’t have more than a day’s worth of basic necessities available.  Homeless shelters were operating at their maximum capacity; hospitals were dealing with increased storm related cases and relying on employees who had been there too long already. 

I really do think that is when we started to talk about the “WHAT IF” stuff.  When things happen in your own backyard you have a tendency to see the consequences more clearly.  I’m a firm believer in the idea of don’t sweat the small stuff but if you don’t keep the small stuff in mind, it can sure get big in a hurry.

 Sharon

FIREWORKS

It was getting late last night and I turned on the television. The satellite was down and I had to shut everything off and reboot the system.  It came back up on a PBS station showing the Fourth of July Celebration at the Capital.  Barry Manilow was performing and then Neal Diamond was singing Coming to America.  Paying some attention to the television and more to the ever increasing noise outside, I stepped out onto the deck.  The frogs were happily croaking joyously at the nearby pond which was at near overflow, thanks to the nearly 30 days of rain we’ve experienced.  Overhead, the sky was just turning purple, and the first volley of fireworks doted across the sky. 

                Our town, like so many others, did what they could with a limited fireworks budget.  Schools, police and other expenses were rightly on the list above fireworks and local celebrations.  Many of my neighbors took it upon themselves to fill in the gap and gave us a mighty display of patriotic fireworks.  Appreciation goes without saying!  The cows are still in hiding, though.

                While watching this great local outdoor display, the Capital fireworks were being illuminated off the television screen and the window and I could see both displays simultaneously.  Obviously, the fireworks on the tv screen were spectacular and worthy of our country’s independence celebration as were those of my neighbor.  But,  I just couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

                Many military bases in this country were unable to have fireworks this year due to budget cuts.  This was unfortunate but other than a disappointment, harmless.  Many communities helped out to make great celebrations happen in spite of the cuts.  Starting Monday, thousands of National Guardsmen and civilians who work with them will be furloughed for one day a week.  They will be living with 20 percent less pay over the next three months as the Defense Department carries out automatic, federal budget cuts.  Obviously, this will affect not only the economy of the military families but also the economy of the community surrounding the bases involved.    Economic issues aside, this also means that there will be fewer guardsmen available to fly those helicopters over heavily forested areas  looking for fires and putting them out before reaching the homes of nearby civilians.  There will be fewer early responders available in case of natural disasters. 

                I think we all agree that certain budget cuts need to be made but we must hope that whoever makes these decisions stops to think things through. 

                Hope you all had a good 4^th of July.  Let us keep America strong.

Sharon