h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Chapter #20: Halloween, and Apocalypse Postponed A88006241

Yep, they had Halloween back then. Usually just a bit of mischief, not always bad mischief, either. Jack-o-lanterns were also involved, as there were plenty of pumpkins. Other things happened that year, not as much fun as Halloween...

I used to grow pumpkins. In recent years, I've found that I don't have enough light and space to give the vines what they need. And lots of fertilizer. They love that!

A year ago, Hoggetts grew vines in front of their house. They came out well. They grew them in the vegetable garden this year.

Chapter 21: More Inspiration A88006368

How did the town react to refugees? Find out in this chapter.

Chapter 22: Election Day Hijinks A88006421

Some events on Election Day, 1844, plus an attempt to make entertainment less offensive - which worked out fine, once I got it past h2g2's filther.

Chapter 23: Christmas Fun A88006755

The year rolls on to a close. 1844: not as bad as 2020, in many ways. Christmas was not the big deal it is today, but people still celebrated.

[You may find a Christmas story from me in the Post's email soon, Dmitri. I've written part of it because my sister likes to read what I write. This is a time of year when I like to write.]

Nostalgia for past Christmases will be keen this year, as people are discouraged from gathering. We can gather for Christmas is three ways: in our dreams, in our memories, and in stories ]

My sisters like to read what I write, too.

Chapter 24: Woodchuck Day A88006791

They didn't have any formal celebrations of Groundhog Day in 1844, but the folk belief came with the Germans. It's a good day for folk traditions of all kinds.

Chapter 25: Coming of Age A88006872

A milestone is reached, and some old friends reappear with a new wrinkle on their routine.

Chapter 26: A Little Local History A88006935

You wanted more stories. You got 'em. Nice and local. Plus a song I remember from when I studied Irish - in Germany.

Chapter 27: Fishing for Memories A88007006

A bit of an idyll before things heat up again. With a story that they swear really happened back then.

I'm in awe of that old guy who lived to be 102, and was always running ff. Thirty years older than me, and way healthier.

I remember reading about Daniel Boone, who came from Pennsylvania originally. He was a long hunter and explorer, and covered incredible distances on foot - even in his 80s! We're talking about walking from North Carolina all the way through Kentucky and Tennessee...

To paraphrase the Hitchhiker's Guide, you may think it's a long way down to the chemist's, but it's peanuts compared to crossing the Cumberland Gap and trekking hundreds of miles to the Mississippi River.

They don't make the like that any more.

There was an elderly woman (Grandma Gatewood) who hiked the Appalachian trail three times in her old age.

http://unbelievable-facts.com/2019/09/grandma-gatewood.html

"She thru-hiked alone in 1955 at the age of 67, a hike that sparked nationwide attention about her. She covered the whole trail distance in 146 days."

The article doesn't say so, but I believe she was hiking the steep trails in Baxter State park at the age of 79. That was the northern end of the trail, and it was her last such hike.

And, yes, that last post may have been a bit off-topic, but it covered the idea that, even in contemporary times there have been times when people have shown as much stamina as those like Boone.

Survival skills like that make me envious.

Chapter 28: A Serious Setback A88007123

Oh, yeah, finally, some plot.

Chapter 29: A Delayed Departure A88007178

Back to the raft, Jim, honey. (That's an obscure reference nobody will get.) One more chapter to go, which will be in great 19th-century novel style.

Well, who is to say that Huckleberry Finn and Jim couldn't have had a homosexual relationship going.

Out in the middle of the river, who needed to care what they were doing? (Technically they weren't within the jurisdiction of any particular state. Right?)

Wandering further off-topic, I enjoyed Clemens's autobiography. He even named the boy he used as a model for Jim. Did he have to do that? Well, just try and stop Sam Clemens when he got rolling.

Chapter 30: What Became of Them All A88007547

Epilogue. And thanks for reading!