Pardon, my spelling of names as I have the audio book.
I am also Qwerty challenged so I'll paraphrase a little to keep this brief.

Although, I love this scene and it brought me right back into Randland and introduce us to a dozen new characters we may never see again. Thulan and family's actions seem odd.

Thulan comes wandering up with his family in a wagon filled with furniture and supplies and livestock. Tulan says,I'm going north to be a Blacksmith for the Army. By the way I buried my best anvil and tools in the strawberry patch.

Why would you bury your best tools if you could use them where you are going. I suppose that some of them may be big or only used when making plows. Was the anvil too big or there wasn't room in the wagon (they had room for furniture).

His wife Glenna polished up her best pots to give Renald's wife but leaves them at home.

Surely, they could have tied them on the wagon for the few miles to Renald's.

Thulan says,we're too much in a hurry to stop and talk to you much we don't have much time cause the storms coming.

The funny thing is proceeds the rest of the scene to tell Renald he has time to take his best tools and make weapons from them.

Make the sword guards out of wood to stop a sword blade. (Wouldn't it be better to make them from metal hinges? Wood just isn't gonna help much).

Any thoughts or insights?