This could beg the question "what is 'normal'?", but we'll skip that for today and plow on with the updates.

With the departure of cousin David and his wife, Kayla after a slow, sleepy kind of week, I determined to return myself with full force to the tasks at hand. Monday afternoon was pretty much shot as far as work goes because Savannah and I both had chiropractor appointments and spent the rest of the day poking around Jo-Ann's and the Hobby Lobby we just discovered! I like Hobby Lobby better than Jo-Ann's; but Jo-Ann's has wool and linen which Hobby Lobby does not.

I might as well talk about what prompted that last comment...this upcoming October we shall be attending a Reformation Day Faire (Lord willing and the creek don't rise--er, the car works), and we 'have' to have costumes. (By the way, I really don't like that word because when Savannah makes something it isn't a 'costume'--it is a historically researched garment! See Liberty Seamstress for more information...) She is going to make me a 16th century Flemish peasant outfit.  I know next to nothing about the Flemish, but I really liked the look. To be accurate it needs to be constructed out of wool and linen. I'm not quite sure what Savannah is making for herself, but she bought some gorgeous brown and green brocade (I talked her into it--not that I had to twist her arm too hard). However, she has decided that that isn't going to work for what she was planning--so she's going to go back to making something out of the brown wool (which when we got the brocade she said I could have), so I get the red wool afterall!! (It has to be purchased...but she has a 40% coupon and we've made a deal that I'll buy it--like she bought the brocade.)

Okay, so anyway...Monday morning I rode Snip, yesterday morning I rode Snip and this morning I rode Snip. Of those three days, he behaved the best today. Patience and kind words work better than impatience and harsh jerks. I even turned today at a lope!! (Confidence returneth...)

Yesterday afternoon I mowed for about four hours straight. When I first started, the belt wasn't slipping in the high grass like it usually does and the engine sounded great.  After a couple rounds though it started behaving more like I'm used to--then it got worse. For some reason (providence you know), I remembered something that Daddy had said about not running right if the mower deck wasn't level. So, I went to the barn and realized that one of the back tires needed to be aired up. I aired it up and the thing worked better--and then the belt started slipping more again. I reached down and palpated the tire. It was soft again. After that I just left the air compressor on and made a pit stop every 15 minutes or so to air the tire up. I suppose it must have a puncture in it. Anyway, I got the grass mowed.

Before coming in for the evening...a very dirty Racheal and her sister Savannah moved the chicken coop. It was high time it got shifted. I came out with a grand total of 13 eggs and a gouge in the side of my thumb from the water tank mechanizism.

I was planning on building fence this afternoon...but just as I was fixing to get into the truck it started sprinkling--then I heard it start actually raining on the barn's tin roof, so I quickly hurried back to the garage. I decided not to go afterall...

Instead, Savannah and I went over together and brought back her sewing stuff. I, of course, had to sit and play "Dixie" on the piano. I like my arrangement best on that piano because it's more 'tinny'. At least, I guess that's why...

We also inventoried our reenacting stuff. This way we now have a real live check list instead of something I just scrawl down the day or so before we head out.

An old friend my mine from a long time back just completed his second short film!! It's a hilarious little Western. What makes it especially fun is I know (or knew) everyone but two of the actors!

Enjoy!

I saddled the beast up this morning and went for a fight...er, ride. He was an absolute booger most of the morning, fighting me nearly the whole time. I have discovered I start to really get grouchy with him about the time I'm in need of a drink--which happens faster when we're fighting with each other.

Anyway, I also rotated the cows--which is where the soggy boots come into the story. I had gotten the 'girls' over into the north pasture when I remembered that I needed to go take care of the gates into the woods. I grouched at Snip some as he kept poking his nose into the grass while he should have just been standing and waiting for me. He's started doing this a little more than he used to.

After closing the last gate, I remounted and clucked at Snip. I went down to the creek overflow and let him drink, then on the spur of the moment decided that we should go through the creek area. It's been a couple weeks since the last time--and the water is higher. I pretty much remember where the low spots are (the benefits of being very familier with the terrain) so I thought we could get through without too much problem. I rode through half a dozen spider webs and tried very hard not to freak out too much about it. I didn't see any spiders, so I didn't completely go nuts. :)

Well, we managed to get almost all the way through the bayhead before the wetting came. I purposely didn't go the way I go when it's dry back there because it would assure a swim for Snip and a soaking for me. Neither did I go the way I had the previous two times because last time I nearly boxed us in--and I wanted to avoid any more spider webs if at all possible. I should have known that the water was going to be deeper at this particular spot--we were shooting here a couple of years ago--but I plowed Snipper down anyway. All of a sudden I realized that there was no helping it...water was cascading into my boots and I was at least calf-deep in the water (which means Snip was in about half-way up his withers). I'm not sure he didn't even swim a stroke or two. Anyways, I kept pushing and he climbed out (kind of steep right there). I pulled him up, hooked one leg over the saddle horn, removed my boot and dumped the water out and then repeated the process with the other foot. I grabbed the boots by the spurs and carried them with me like that--sort of upside down, trying not to drip water onto my pistol. Then I headed to the house with my feet encased in soaking wet blue argyle socks. Those feet stayed out of the stirrups mainly--I can't exactly reach the stirrups bootless anyway (except with my toes stretched . I did find that it was easier to bump Snip with (essentially) barefeet than it is in my mud-boots. He behaved like a gentleman all the way back to the house, even when I dropped my boots over the electrice fence.

I'm going back to the bayhead now--but not with Snip. I'll be lugging my camera... :)

Might as well start Monday: I rode Snip in the morning per usual. Sometime after lunch, I loaded the boys into the truck and away we went to work on fence. Philip looked rather nice in his new cowboy hat. :)

The boys got most of the chainlink pulled out (without the truck because it was much to wet to use the it); the only reason they didn't get it all was because the one ditch was so full of water that they didn't want to work around it--understandably.

While they were doing that, I got the western portion of the area around the RV tent done. I had to retighten the top two wires. I called Daddy to consult and he remarked that it was probably most likely because the ground was so wet that I was just shifting the posts in the ground. I think I agree...

The boys helped with the southern side of the RV tent area. I passed the gray mule off to Joel as well as the final tightening while I took care of all the hammering and wire twisting work. While we were doing that, I sent Philip down the west fence (what I'd built back in March or April), to loosen the staples in preperation for tightening.

When we got to that, I had Philip work the dog. Joel was outside the fence so he got the job of final tightening with the wire pliers, then he'd hand them to me, and he'd hammer that staple in. This was after Philip went down the line and hammered the staples back in. At one point, as he was sauntering along, I looked back down from the growing number of darkening gray clouds and yelped, "Double-quick!" He had a bewildered expression for a second, then he grinned and picked up speed. He moved quicker after than in general. It was just funny.

Just as we finished, it started to pour down rain. Joel dashed into the cover of the RV tent, since "Aw! I'm outside!!" while Philip and I sprinted with the tools to the cover of the truck. Joel ended up having to get the gate. It didn't hurt him to get a little damp though. Thankfully, the windshield wipers worked. They seem to be working more frequently than not these days.

Yesterday...I rode Snip. (Does that ever get boring to hear?) I noticed that one particular trouble spot was not there like usual! See, most of the time when I head toward the house, Snip starts pulling. He didn't do that yesterday. He went nice and steady at the speed I wanted. He did try drifting slightly to the left, but even that wasn't as bad as normal.

I then rotated the cows. This took a while because some were off in the north-east corner though most of them were in the north-west area. I went up the trap to drive down six calves--three bulls and three heifers (Big and Little Red and Charlotte). Two of said critters, Charlotte and this adorable little black and white bull calf, had been there the day before...so I don't know if they spent the night there or not. At some point, I thought I might have a bull fight on my hands because Napolean Jr. literally came running up along the southern side of the airstrip bellowing as he came. I think the high-horn brindle must be seriously in heat, because he went straight to her and stuck there. I told Snip not to paw when Angus walked by...last thing I wanted was a bull taking after me and my horse! :D

Between lunch and 3:00, I played my instruments and did a little snickering at Festus...

About 3:15 Savannah and I headed out to go to Miss Debbie's...we stopped to pick up a bag of rice for her. Miss Debbie is going to give Savannah one of her mares. The one that Savannah rode and will probably end up with, is Diamond. She is shorter than Snip as well as a darker bay--her mane and tail are black and she has black socks up to her knees. Miss Debbie has about ten horses and I made friends with an old boy named Tadpole. He is taller than Snip by about a whole hand. (I learned that a hand is 4 inches.) He also has a Roman nose--like the Strawberry Roan!

Miss Debbie did some ground work with Diamond--that was amazing to watch. Then she got on her and rode her around a little bit. Debbie doesn't ride Western on this animal. The 'steering' is different. Savannah got to ride after that and thought the saddle (a Canadian trooper saddle) was very comfortable. I got on for a few minutes and a found the whole rig kind of awkward. :D It was like learning to ride all over again, because the reining was so different, the saddle sits different, and Diamond's gait is a little different than Snip's, though not much. It didn't help that the stirrups were a little long for me. I did enjoy myself regardless, but didn't stay on too long. Afterall, Diamond is going to be Savannah's ride, not mine.

Debbie showed us around her place and we made friends with some doggies--Sport being the most memorable. Apparently something is wrong with him because he has un-explainedly lost 30 pounds over the last couple weeks. Among the dozens of cats running around,  you can only pet one...then there were the roosters strolling about and constantly crowing. It was quite nice out there. Miss Debbie fed us supper--smoked pork and rice and tomatoe gravy. Savannah and I ate that, but managed to pass on the corn and the pie. I'll admit I pigged out on the rice. I was mighty hungry by that point and I figured I might as eat well since I was going to blow my diet anyway.

Let's see...we goofed off with her psalters and dulcimar for a few minutes...I talked to Miss Pat (who also came for supper) and Larry for a little--and watched a little TV with them. I was quite comfortable in Debbie's home--which is the center isle of a horse barn converted into a house. It was wide open, with high ceilings, and yet it feels very lived in...very comfortable.

It was at least 8:30 by the time we left...Savannah was starting to get dropey. I was pretty tired myself. I don't understand why socializing, fun and exhilarating as it is, leaves me so tired.

I was still tired when I rolled out bed this morning--late. It was all of 7:15! I stumbled out to the kitchen and had just poured the coffee when I realized I had about 7 calves in the yard. I didn't feel like being nice this morning (the two strolling through the barn bugged me for some reason), so I slipped to the backroom, removed my BB gun from the rack, put on my hat, and proceeded to creep out of the house barefoot and in my nightdress, hair down all over my back. I probably had something of a scowl across my face too. I landed a few good ones on the really pretty little sandy colored heifer with the white face before she took the fence with a bound. I popped the little tan brindle bull calf and he didn't think too much of it. Then I fired off at the black heifer. I hit her good--but the really neat thing was I saw the BB arc and smack her right in the ribs. Well, I wasn't getting the response I wanted, and Curiosity was curling herself around my feet, tickling my ankles, so I picked the cat up and petted the damp-footed fur-ball for a minute. After a little bit, I set her, my BB gun, and my hat on the tongue of the horse-trailer and let out a couple of those awful sounding bellows and took off after the calves on foot. I'm just glad I didn't slide in the wet grass and take a header. At least two of them went through the fence in the corner (as far as I could tell, they didn't pull the staples out), but most of them jumped the electric. By the time I got the rest of them out, that pretty little heifer was back in so I gave her a yell and boy did she take off.

I went back in, wiped my feet off (amazingly I only got one misquito bite out there--on my foot), and got my coffee--which Aunt had just poured into the thermos! I sat there and watched as she got her boys up so they could go to the beach. She mentioned that she'd be glad to take one of us (or both) with them--so I told Savannah to go. I stayed home--obviously.

I fed the animals (11 eggs this morning!), washed my hair, ate my breakfast, and got to work. First I washed the dishes, then I cleaned the bathroom. Somewhere along the line, I started the laundry. I vaccumed the floor and started on lunch. While making lunch--the inevitable carrots along with some version of eggplant parmesan--Granddaddy and I recieved some visitors. The ladies had brought Granddaddy a hunk of cake and they sat and talked for a while. It was observed, "You seem to keep busy." I laughed a little and said, "About the only time I'm not busy is when I don't feel very good!" That might sound bragadocious, but I didn't mean it like that. I know I do waste time sometimes, but when I work, I work.

Anyways, I thought lunch turned out pretty good, even if I do say so myself. Granddaddy seemed to like it, so that is encouraging. I started out with instructions from Savannah to cook some onion and the eggplant in the skillet and finish it up in the oven. From there, I decided to put the left over meat in between two layers of eggplant (how did I use to not like the stuff?). I put some cheese in it too. The carrots were normal--salt, pepper, and some cinnamon. I also heated up some of the left over potatoes and Granddaddy ate those. I don't cook very often, but when I do, I seem to make out all right.

After lunch, I washed the dishes before turning my hand to making a loaf of banana bread. I managed to break the canister with the coconut flour in it. I had to throw it all out because it was on the dirty floor and the glass shattered pretty bad. That didn't make me very happy, but I didn't bawl about it. I just cleaned it up and went on with life.
 
Since then, I've had my coffe, taken care of some computer stuff and have nearly finished the laundry. I put the clean sheets on my bed...and have spent way too long on this post. :)

So, I'll leave you...farewell for now!

I woke the boys up this morning by shaking them--not too roughly. It took a little bit to actually get them out of their snug blankets, but the promise of eggs made to order helped. I learned the Philip likes his sunny side up (I had never actually made eggs that way before), and Joel likes his done--like Katherine.

The plan was to work for about two hours this morning, then go back after lunch and work all afternoon. However, it started to rain right after lunch. Now that's it's practically four o'clock, the sun has come back out, but it's really too wet to work. Besides, it still might rain some more. On top of that, I just went and washed my hair, so I really don't want to go get all sweaty and dirty again! :D

The boys got the back section of chain-link fence removed. They used the pick-up (doubtlessly to their delight) to pull it out since it was buried down several inches. When I took the stuff out up by the road I used a shovel...of course, it was hung up in a lot of grubby stuff. I never even considered using the truck!

Meanwhile, I put in five dead-man reinforcements and stretched four wires. They are going to have to be tightened up yet again. I already re-tightened them once or twice (depending on which wire we're discussing). The post kept shifting over. I think some it will fix itself when I get the connecting fence stretched.

Anyway, I thought you might like some pictures of the cousins. :)

I think we may be taking the boys to church with us tomorrow--and then out to eat afterwards. I suspect this will be their first ever time going to a Presbyterian church! :D

To start off with, I rode Snip this morning. He behaved so-so. The biggest problem I'm encountering at this point (or at least that I noticed today!) is his refusal to respond to 'whoa' pressure. He turns fine (unless he's tugging off to his desired destination) and he is responding outstandingly to leg and heel commands (even at higher speeds). I got a fairly good work out this morning as I really pushed him. I got several good lopes out of him too.

I came in, thirsty and hungry, and flopped down on the floor to watch Ironside. Joel had got up by this point and Philip rolled off the couch sometime early on in the show. We ate lunch...and I kidded the guys about not eating vegetables and putting sugar on their rice. (Rice needs salt...not sugar! Like grits, you know.)

Aunt washed the lunch dishes. I was going to; I even had the silverware in the water and was fixing to start...but the water was so hot and it bothered the raw place on my index finger. Still, I would have done it, but once a year it's kind of neat to pass off the dish washing to someone else! :D

After a while [I wish you could see these guys...it's so funny! They are sitting on the couch in an identical pose--one with an ipad, the other with a phone! :D], anyway, like I was saying...after a while, we went out and started working on the chicken coop. I drilled holes in the back board so we could wire it onto the frame. Then we decided we'd better put diagonal cross bars on it for support...that definitely helped. About the time we got to the second one, my phone rang.

I was expecting a phone call, so it didn't throw me off to much. I answered the call--it's always rather interesting talking to people you 'know' yet don't really 'know'. Miss Bethany and I talked about music, filmmaking, siblings, chickens, accents, and the word "Floridian". She'd never heard it before!

Meanwhile, I was also "bossing" the boys around. I had to put my phone down a couple of times to help out or demonstrate what I wanted done. Throughout the whole building processes, Curio was hanging around and someone almost always was holding the little ball of purring fur. I managed to only get my spurs caught in the wire seriously once.

(Savannah's talking to Philip and he's smiling that silly little smile of his--which is kind of like he's trying not to smile--why do 17 year old boys not like to smile?)

Before supper and after we were done with the coop for the day, I gave Joel a ride on Snip. I didn't have him crawl up behind me like I did Philip, but I just led Snip around. When I went to put him up, I tied him to the gate post like usual so I could un-saddle him and he freaked out. I don't know what caused it, but he reared up and I caught the falling hoof on my left leg. I'm rather sore and have a thigh long red and purple streak all the way to the top of my knee. I honestly thought he was going to fall down tied to the post, so I was trying to steer clear of his feet yet get back up to his head to hold him down. Anyway, he calmed down and didn't fall down (thankfully). I went ahead and removed the bit from his teeth first so he wouldn't tramp on the reins. I didn't want to risk that...not after I'd just been kicked.

So, it is with two limping legs that I write tonight. :) The right one because I need an adjustment and the left one because I got accidently walloped by a freaked out horse. I get the adjustment tomorrow...but it'll take few days for the bruising to go away in the other. I don't think I'll sleeping on my stomach tonight! :D

Yes...I know...Katherine and I did a lot of this back in March. (It was March, right? If not, it was April.)

However, due to circumstances, it became necessary to dismantle the A-frame coop. The fellas helped with that. Then we started working on the construction of the new "nesting box coop". We didn't get finished, but we did get the frame constructed. I really did most of the work, but that's okay because I'm the 'forewoman'...and besides that, I know what I'm after, having planned the thing.

I rode Snip this morning, then a short trot down the drive to check the mail after lunch, and then before supper (both equine and human), I took Philip for a short ride. The reason for all this riding...Snip is getting a new sort of training. We'll call it 'boredom' training. On top of the riding, I'm leaving Snip tied up all day (making sure he gets some water occasionally). It's a different kind of discipline...and it sure isn't his favorite. He has the base of the tree I'm tying him to all pawed up....

At this point, unless something else comes up, I'm figuring on finishing up the coop tomorrow...so...until then, I'm off to scratch my misquito bites! :D

Saturday evening, one of my aunts and her two youngest children, Philip and Joel, arrived for a over week long visit. It's my job to keep the boys (17 and practically 15) occupied.

I woke Joel up this morning, with "Good-morning, curly-head. How'd you like to help me move the chicken coop in about 15 minutes?" He blinked a couple of times and said, "Okay..."

I think I'll start off the slew of work with the boys with finishing the nesting coop. This entails finishing the dismantling of the A-frame coop...then the construction of the new coop.

Along in the next week, week and a half, I'll have them help me fix the fence around Granddaddy's and maybe even at our place. I might have Philip drive the truck while I spray the weeds...but I've not made up my mind completely on that. Joel is taking care of the mowing. :) In fact, Saturday evening, not long after they arrived, he kind of snuck up to me and almost sheepishly asked, "Can we mow?" I laughed...but far be it from me to keep a young man from working, so I told him about the odd things about the mower and saw him off.

Yesterday we were invited to one of the elder's houses for lunch--we spent the whole afternoon at their house and then went to the evening service as well. It was a delightful afternoon. I think they finally got our confusing story straight.

We also attended our last Inquirer's class...once Pastor S returns from vacation, we'll get to meet with the elders before actually joining. We also found out that towards the end of the year, he'll be taking a call from the OPC's regional home missionaries board as a church planter in Pennsylvania.

Anyways, I think I'd better scram here and put some fellers to work... ;)

                                                        IN CONGRESS
                                                            July 4, 1776  
    The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
 
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
 
He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly  firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose  obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering  fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine,
Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart,  Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr.,  Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton