Days are getting shorter, and everyone seems to be waking earlier and earlier. My quiet time in the morning gets shorter and shorter. It's ok though, with the busy days we've been keeping it's nice to have the time to talk, just the six of us. We drink coffee and tea, and #2 makes pancakes. It'll be another long hard work day, so we won't be breaking for lunch.
It froze last night, there is a thin layer of ice on the rain barrels. I check the freezers, but there isn't much change there. It seems that they insulated against the cold somewhat. I prop them open to catch the early morning chill. My water bottles for the cooler have frozen some, so I put them in the freezer and set out more bottles.
The Littles do chores, I close the freezers and check the smoker, and then we all head over to Brother and Sil's to start construction, except Husband. He gets the horse cart ready and heads to northern neighbour's. It's been more than a couple of days, and we haven't checked on them. He might even bring them back to help with construction.
We get to the camp and everyone is up and about. The girls are cranky. They don't like walking to the outhouse in the morning, and they hate sharing the tiny room at the back of the trailer. Tonight, hopefully, they won't have to. Once we rip off the tented extension, we really need to get the lean-to built. They'll only have propane for heat until the woodstove is back in place, and it won't last long.
#2 and I start cutting logs while Brother, Sil and #1 take down the woodstove and tent. The girls and the Littles move everything back out of the way. The Bigs dig post holes once the ground is cleared, and Brother and Sil put the posts in. The frame is up in a couple of hours, another 12' X 36', essentially turning their trailer into a double wide.
Husband joins us. Diego* and Nira* are doing well. They got a bear the other day, so they're busy butchering. They dug an outhouse, and they've been hauling water from the creek. Nira's been working with the ponies, and Diego has built a little cart for them. They're hoping they'll be able to travel in a couple of days.
We cut and place logs for the walls all afternoon. The Littles have a grand time filling the chinks with clay. The door frame from the tent is recycled onto the new structure and the woodstove is put in place. We cut poles for the roof and alternate them over the shelter and the trailer. This will give them a peaked roof to combat the heavy snowfalls to come. We cover them with the tent and a couple of tarps. At the end of the day everyone is exhausted but the structure is finished. Brother, Sil, and the girls will have another busy day tomorrow building shelves and bunks, piling the trimmings for firewood, and figuring out what to do about the dirt floor.
Back at home I check the smoker and add more wood to the fire. #2 cuts a branch off one of the cherry trees for me to use as flavouring. The roasts smell pretty good, and have shrunk some, but they don't look anything like jerky, so I'll keep them in at least overnight again. The Bigs do chores.
We splurge and cook a big pot of spaghetti for supper. We're all hungry, and haven't had such a filling meal in a long time.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Day 15- The Return
Husband woke me early this morning. They made it there and back ok.
The trip was relatively uneventful. There were a couple of road blocks
set up, but most people were friendly, just looking for goods to
trade. It seems everyone out and about has armed themselves. We're now
living in the wild, wild north. They had a bit of trouble on the
return trip, it seems the northerners are ok with people headed south,
but not as kind to southerners headed north. They had to explain
several times where they were headed, but no gunshots were fired, so
they consider it a good trip. There were people out fishing at every
lake and stream they passed, a few people with signs, 'Will work for
Food', and plenty of hunters on the back roads. The military is
guarding the city of Barrie- probably for lack of anything better to do,
but they were also friendly. They just want visitors to know that no
nonsense will be tolerated.
They stopped and refuelled from transport trucks in the middle of the road, and refilled all of our gas cans by siphoning fuel from abandoned cars. We should be ok for quite awhile, so long as we're careful with it.
Husband goes to bed and I get up and make my tea. I want to go and see the girls, but they're probably sleeping after their long trip. I have more butchering to do today anyway. It's warm already, and the sun hasn't risen yet. I think I had better start canning while I butcher. I'll do the ground beef and the stew as I cut today, and save the roasts and hope for a freeze. I go downstairs to get a box of jars. I don't have that many left. If it doesn't freeze soon this could be a disaster.
#1 gets up and uses the outhouse. He tells me we're out of toilet paper. I send him out to the trailer to get what I have stored in there. He finds two 24 packs- that's all there is. Life is going to get very interesting in the next little while. Luckily I'm the only girl here, so I decide to start using cloth for wet and keep the paper for the icky stuff. As I dig through my material bin, I figure I better start on hankies too. I'm not sure how many boxes of kleenex are left, but I better wean everybody off of them before bad colds send everyone scampering for kleenex by the foot.
The rest of the boys are up and eating breakfast- toast and jam. That's the last of the bread again. I get them to start two batches of bread while I cut the cloth. It seems like we should be relaxing, the stress of getting the girls here is over, but there's just so much to do!
The boys do chores and find me a couple of small bins for my 'tissues' and 'wipes'. The wipes go to the outhouse. I leave the tissues in the bathroom, for lack of a better place to put them.
#1 gets the horse cart ready and goes to pick up Mom and her laundry. I go down to the creek with them and show her what I've been doing. I gather up my laundry from yesterday so the lines will be clear, but she'd rather use her own lines at home. She also has plenty of soap still, so doesn't bother with the lye water. I leave her there with #1 and walk back to the house, picking weeds as I go.
#2 and I get started on butchering. We make good progress today, finishing the last two quarters and ground beef. It's not perfect, and we leave more fat on than normal, but we're eager for this job to be done. There's still tallow to render, and stock to be made, but the hard work is done. We set up the smoker and put two small roasts in to smoke overnight. I have no idea how these will turn out- I've never smoked a roast before.
I take frequent breaks from the garage to switch things up in the kitchen. At the end of the day I have all of the stew meat and half of the ground beef canned. The roast and steaks are spread out in the freezers, where things are still cool, but not as cool as they were when all of this started.
#1 takes Mom home with her laundry to hang, then unloads our laundry in the house when he returns.
Husband gets up and we go to visit Brother, Sil, and the girls. They're sitting around the fire pit when we get there, discussing what to do with themselves. They have a good selection of supplies now, but they're still missing so much. The trailer is nice as a vacation spot, but pretty cramped as semi permanent living quarters. They need more food for winter, though Sil has a nice collection of weeds dried out as well as her canned goods. They'll need meat.
The girls are in a bit of denial. All they had been focused on was getting here. Get here and they'd be fine. Except now they're here and the world is still upside down. They want to read, listen to music, play on computers, and shower. Luxuries of the past, at least for the moment.
We talk about the space issues first. We decide to build a log cabin lean-to on the front of their trailer. It'll mean ripping apart the current extension, but it'll give them more space and hopefully keep them warmer.
As evening approaches the temperature starts to drop and I hope for a freeze. Even a few degrees below zero would help the freezers so much at this point.
We have a quick beef soup for supper and call it a day. Everyone is tired all the time.
They stopped and refuelled from transport trucks in the middle of the road, and refilled all of our gas cans by siphoning fuel from abandoned cars. We should be ok for quite awhile, so long as we're careful with it.
Husband goes to bed and I get up and make my tea. I want to go and see the girls, but they're probably sleeping after their long trip. I have more butchering to do today anyway. It's warm already, and the sun hasn't risen yet. I think I had better start canning while I butcher. I'll do the ground beef and the stew as I cut today, and save the roasts and hope for a freeze. I go downstairs to get a box of jars. I don't have that many left. If it doesn't freeze soon this could be a disaster.
#1 gets up and uses the outhouse. He tells me we're out of toilet paper. I send him out to the trailer to get what I have stored in there. He finds two 24 packs- that's all there is. Life is going to get very interesting in the next little while. Luckily I'm the only girl here, so I decide to start using cloth for wet and keep the paper for the icky stuff. As I dig through my material bin, I figure I better start on hankies too. I'm not sure how many boxes of kleenex are left, but I better wean everybody off of them before bad colds send everyone scampering for kleenex by the foot.
The rest of the boys are up and eating breakfast- toast and jam. That's the last of the bread again. I get them to start two batches of bread while I cut the cloth. It seems like we should be relaxing, the stress of getting the girls here is over, but there's just so much to do!
The boys do chores and find me a couple of small bins for my 'tissues' and 'wipes'. The wipes go to the outhouse. I leave the tissues in the bathroom, for lack of a better place to put them.
#1 gets the horse cart ready and goes to pick up Mom and her laundry. I go down to the creek with them and show her what I've been doing. I gather up my laundry from yesterday so the lines will be clear, but she'd rather use her own lines at home. She also has plenty of soap still, so doesn't bother with the lye water. I leave her there with #1 and walk back to the house, picking weeds as I go.
#2 and I get started on butchering. We make good progress today, finishing the last two quarters and ground beef. It's not perfect, and we leave more fat on than normal, but we're eager for this job to be done. There's still tallow to render, and stock to be made, but the hard work is done. We set up the smoker and put two small roasts in to smoke overnight. I have no idea how these will turn out- I've never smoked a roast before.
I take frequent breaks from the garage to switch things up in the kitchen. At the end of the day I have all of the stew meat and half of the ground beef canned. The roast and steaks are spread out in the freezers, where things are still cool, but not as cool as they were when all of this started.
#1 takes Mom home with her laundry to hang, then unloads our laundry in the house when he returns.
Husband gets up and we go to visit Brother, Sil, and the girls. They're sitting around the fire pit when we get there, discussing what to do with themselves. They have a good selection of supplies now, but they're still missing so much. The trailer is nice as a vacation spot, but pretty cramped as semi permanent living quarters. They need more food for winter, though Sil has a nice collection of weeds dried out as well as her canned goods. They'll need meat.
The girls are in a bit of denial. All they had been focused on was getting here. Get here and they'd be fine. Except now they're here and the world is still upside down. They want to read, listen to music, play on computers, and shower. Luxuries of the past, at least for the moment.
We talk about the space issues first. We decide to build a log cabin lean-to on the front of their trailer. It'll mean ripping apart the current extension, but it'll give them more space and hopefully keep them warmer.
As evening approaches the temperature starts to drop and I hope for a freeze. Even a few degrees below zero would help the freezers so much at this point.
We have a quick beef soup for supper and call it a day. Everyone is tired all the time.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Day 14
I slept well for the first few hours, then tossed and turned the rest of the night. I'm up before dawn, but I wasn't going back to sleep anyway, so what was the point of laying in bed? I take the oven off the woodstove and check the jerky. I think it's a little overdone. Overdone is better than underdone though. I make tea- no coffee today. The dishes are really piling up again, especially with everything we used for butchering yesterday. The rain barrels are getting low, so we'll have to haul water from the creek when we pick up the laundry.
The boys are up early too. We're all stiff and sore, with several more days of butchering ahead of us. I put a pot of water on to boil for the dishes, and another filled with bones for beef stock. I chop a few carrots and throw in some chives. At least this nice weather is keeping the herbs and weeds growing. The beef stock and weeds will make soup, along with a few potatoes, for lunch for the next few days.
We eat pancakes for breakfast, then the Bigs join me in the garage after chores. #1 lights a fire under the smoker outside and leaves it to get hot. We cut up one of the front quarters, dividing the shoulder into 12 roasts. We start another tray for ground beef, cutting the brisket and meat off the ribs into it. The Bigs work on grinding it up while i start trimming the fat off the roasts. The fat goes in a bucket to be rendered into tallow later.
After packaging the meat and laying it out in the freezer, we break for a late lunch. The soup won't be ready until tomorrow, so for today we just eat bread and jam.
After lunch I check the smoker. It seems hot to me. I add some cherry wood chips to the coals underneath, then layer the meat on the racks. I close in the bottom of the smoker with gravel and dirt and hope for the best.
The Bigs get the horse cart ready. This will be their first time driving without their father around. They tie the other horses alongside so they can all graze at the back while we're there. I fill two more ice cream buckets with ashes, nesting them inside of other buckets so there will be lots of lye water on my next laundry day. I find another piece of PVC pipe to take for a water filter. I'm not planning on using it for drinking water, so I'll fill it at the creek. I take some material and elastics to put it together. The Bigs strap one of the empty rain barrels onto the cart to bring water back to the house.
We go around by Sil's to see if she wants to come with us and do some laundry. She loads a couple of baskets and adds them to the cart. I notice she has weeds drying in their shed. She brings a bucket to pick more.
At the creek we discover that something has gotten tangled in the clotheslines. Laundry is knocked down everywhere. Most of it is still clean and dry, but I have to rewash some of it. I layer rocks, material and sand in the filter, then fasten material over the ends. We scoop water by bucket into the filter and fill the bathtub for laundry. The boys keep scooping water to fill the rain barrel while I wash. It'll still need to be boiled and filtered at home, but at least it looks clean. I dump the ashes out of the bucket that was already there, and refill it from the two I brought with me. I cover all three with water and leave them inside the cabin. Sil does her laundry. The two of us ring out the bigger stuff- jeans and a blanket. I still don't think it's worth the effort involved to ring it out.
The boys fix the clotheslines and check the fence. They can't see where anything would have gotten in, except through the creek. Hopefully it won't happen again. They add a few more small trees to the fence, starting a lower line on the fence. If we can make it secure enough, we'll be able to bring the cows down instead of watering them if it doesn't rain soon.
We pack up the dry laundry and get ready to go. The horses seem like they would like to stay awhile, but we drag them out anyway. We'll bring them back tomorrow. Sil and I walk beside the cart and pick weeds as we go.
The cart jerks to a stop and #2 grabs my .22. I figure he's spotted a partridge, but to my surprise he shoots a fox. Nice shot and good riddance! Shiloh freaks out over the gunshot and breaks her lead as she rears. Samson, the horse from the neighbour, looks shaky too. We wait for Shiloh to stop running and calm down before #1 attempts to grab her. She's not too disagreeable, because as much as she wants to run she also wants to be back with the other horses. We'll have to start doing cap gun training with the two of them.
Back at the house the boys put the horses and cart away, then check the chickens to make sure they got the fox before it got lunch. They bring in three eggs. I am so happy with that! Sil and I jar up the dried weeds and lay out the fresh ones. The Littles put away the laundry.
The beef stock is ready to can, so I pull it off the stove and put my canner in it's place. Sil pops empty jars into the pot of boiling water while I strain the stock from the bones. I get another pot ready and pour a few inches of stock into it. We pull the meat off the bones, along with the carrots, and put it into the second pot. Sil tosses in two good handfulls of weeds. The Littles peel a few potatoes and chop them up. The soup will sit on one of the side grills overnight to keep warm. Sil pulls the jars back out of the boiling water and I fill them. We fill the canner and let it pressurize.
I check the meat in the smoker and it seems to be drying. The smoker is still hot, so I don't disturb the fire.
We all walk over to Mom's to check on her. She's kept herself busy stacking firewood most of the day. The boys get her some water from the spring and she asks where we've been getting water from. I tell her we've been using rain water and getting water from the creek. She wants to go with us to do some laundry tomorrow.
We all walk back to our house for supper. Hamburgers tonight, with fresh ground beef. I check the smoker again, and it's cooling off. The meat looks to be about done anyway, so I take it in the house to cool. I set the oven back on the woodstove and put in the last tray of meat to dry overnight.
We play cards for awhile, then Mom and Sil walk back to Mom's. Sil will spend the night there. We're all tired too, and decide to call it a night.
The boys are up early too. We're all stiff and sore, with several more days of butchering ahead of us. I put a pot of water on to boil for the dishes, and another filled with bones for beef stock. I chop a few carrots and throw in some chives. At least this nice weather is keeping the herbs and weeds growing. The beef stock and weeds will make soup, along with a few potatoes, for lunch for the next few days.
We eat pancakes for breakfast, then the Bigs join me in the garage after chores. #1 lights a fire under the smoker outside and leaves it to get hot. We cut up one of the front quarters, dividing the shoulder into 12 roasts. We start another tray for ground beef, cutting the brisket and meat off the ribs into it. The Bigs work on grinding it up while i start trimming the fat off the roasts. The fat goes in a bucket to be rendered into tallow later.
After packaging the meat and laying it out in the freezer, we break for a late lunch. The soup won't be ready until tomorrow, so for today we just eat bread and jam.
After lunch I check the smoker. It seems hot to me. I add some cherry wood chips to the coals underneath, then layer the meat on the racks. I close in the bottom of the smoker with gravel and dirt and hope for the best.
The Bigs get the horse cart ready. This will be their first time driving without their father around. They tie the other horses alongside so they can all graze at the back while we're there. I fill two more ice cream buckets with ashes, nesting them inside of other buckets so there will be lots of lye water on my next laundry day. I find another piece of PVC pipe to take for a water filter. I'm not planning on using it for drinking water, so I'll fill it at the creek. I take some material and elastics to put it together. The Bigs strap one of the empty rain barrels onto the cart to bring water back to the house.
We go around by Sil's to see if she wants to come with us and do some laundry. She loads a couple of baskets and adds them to the cart. I notice she has weeds drying in their shed. She brings a bucket to pick more.
At the creek we discover that something has gotten tangled in the clotheslines. Laundry is knocked down everywhere. Most of it is still clean and dry, but I have to rewash some of it. I layer rocks, material and sand in the filter, then fasten material over the ends. We scoop water by bucket into the filter and fill the bathtub for laundry. The boys keep scooping water to fill the rain barrel while I wash. It'll still need to be boiled and filtered at home, but at least it looks clean. I dump the ashes out of the bucket that was already there, and refill it from the two I brought with me. I cover all three with water and leave them inside the cabin. Sil does her laundry. The two of us ring out the bigger stuff- jeans and a blanket. I still don't think it's worth the effort involved to ring it out.
The boys fix the clotheslines and check the fence. They can't see where anything would have gotten in, except through the creek. Hopefully it won't happen again. They add a few more small trees to the fence, starting a lower line on the fence. If we can make it secure enough, we'll be able to bring the cows down instead of watering them if it doesn't rain soon.
We pack up the dry laundry and get ready to go. The horses seem like they would like to stay awhile, but we drag them out anyway. We'll bring them back tomorrow. Sil and I walk beside the cart and pick weeds as we go.
The cart jerks to a stop and #2 grabs my .22. I figure he's spotted a partridge, but to my surprise he shoots a fox. Nice shot and good riddance! Shiloh freaks out over the gunshot and breaks her lead as she rears. Samson, the horse from the neighbour, looks shaky too. We wait for Shiloh to stop running and calm down before #1 attempts to grab her. She's not too disagreeable, because as much as she wants to run she also wants to be back with the other horses. We'll have to start doing cap gun training with the two of them.
Back at the house the boys put the horses and cart away, then check the chickens to make sure they got the fox before it got lunch. They bring in three eggs. I am so happy with that! Sil and I jar up the dried weeds and lay out the fresh ones. The Littles put away the laundry.
The beef stock is ready to can, so I pull it off the stove and put my canner in it's place. Sil pops empty jars into the pot of boiling water while I strain the stock from the bones. I get another pot ready and pour a few inches of stock into it. We pull the meat off the bones, along with the carrots, and put it into the second pot. Sil tosses in two good handfulls of weeds. The Littles peel a few potatoes and chop them up. The soup will sit on one of the side grills overnight to keep warm. Sil pulls the jars back out of the boiling water and I fill them. We fill the canner and let it pressurize.
I check the meat in the smoker and it seems to be drying. The smoker is still hot, so I don't disturb the fire.
We all walk over to Mom's to check on her. She's kept herself busy stacking firewood most of the day. The boys get her some water from the spring and she asks where we've been getting water from. I tell her we've been using rain water and getting water from the creek. She wants to go with us to do some laundry tomorrow.
We all walk back to our house for supper. Hamburgers tonight, with fresh ground beef. I check the smoker again, and it's cooling off. The meat looks to be about done anyway, so I take it in the house to cool. I set the oven back on the woodstove and put in the last tray of meat to dry overnight.
We play cards for awhile, then Mom and Sil walk back to Mom's. Sil will spend the night there. We're all tired too, and decide to call it a night.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Day 13- Good News
It's a beautiful sunny day today. It'll be perfect to do some laundry. I'm sure everyone must be needing more socks and underwear by now. I think I'll take the laundry to the creek rather than bringing water up to the house though. I make coffee, tea, and relax with a book while I wait for everyone else to get up.
Once they're all up and about, I tell them my laundry plans. If we take more baler twine down there, and move the tub closer to the creek it should make laundry much easier. The boys gather up all of their dirty laundry. It's a mountain. As long as the cabin's empty at the back though, anything I don't get done today can be kept in there. I load up Husband's & my own laundry. I almost forget the plunger. They gather up baler twine and grab a chainsaw. They'll cut firewood while I do laundry.
Brother and Sil stop by. They're headed into town to try phoning the girls again. This time they're happy to hear that the girls and Friend made it to the cottage. Friend is recovering from his bullet hole nicely, since his mother's a nurse and has managed to stitch him up. They stop back at our place and tell us the news. Brother, Husband and Dad will leave tonight to go and get them.
We have a quick breakfast of toast and jam, and then head for the creek. Once the tub is moved it's a breeze to fill and plunge the clothes. Getting them to the line is a bit more work, but thankfully the Bigs do the carrying for me. They set up three more lines so I have lots of room to dry everything. I will need to bring more ashes next time. Towards the end I don't think there's much lye coming through in the water. Still, everything is cleaner than it was before. I think another water filter attached to the tub would be helpful too. The creek can get pretty mucky at times.
Husband and the boys have filled the cart with firewood. Tori is grazing happily. The grass is fairly long here. We had always meant to fence it, but hadn't got around to it. We decide we might as well, to give the horses more room to graze.
Husband and the Littles take the firewood back to the house to unload while the Bigs cut smaller trees and straighten the treeline. They come back with hammers and nails. We use the small trees as poles and nail them in place. The area is still open at the creek but I don't think the horses will try to cross it. The entrance is open as well. It'll need a gate.
We reload the cart and Husband let's #1 drive it back to the house. #2 digs some post holes for the gate. When Husband and #1 return the three of them drop fence posts in the holes and build a gate. It looks pretty good to me. The Littles and I reload the cart and then we all go back to the house.
After unhitching Tori the Bigs walk down with all of the horses and leave them in the new pasture. They pick weeds as they walk back to the house.
We have soup for lunch, beef again, and then Husband goes for a nap. It'll be a long night. The boys and I start on butchering the cow. The weather has me concerned. It's been warming up, and we might get an Indian Summer after all. That's great for working in, but not good for the hanging meat or the freezers.
#2 saws through the back half of the spine, and we get started on cutting the steaks. #1 starts the generator to run them through the meat saw, rather than sawing by hand. We cut all the meat off the ribs and run it through the grinder. I don't usually make ground beef, figuring I can buy ground pretty cheap, and I prefer a good supply of stewing beef, but this year we won't be buying, so we need our own supply. Grinding is much faster than trimming all of the fat off for stew anyway.
I cut 8 pounds of beef off the flanks for jerky and mix up two different recipes. The Bigs set up the smoker, which we've never used before. I'll start some in the oven overnight as well. We'll see which method works best.
Husband gets up and cooks us up some delicious rib steaks for supper, and I swear, this is the best beef I have ever tasted! I have the urge to go out and give Dorie a big hug. She does mighty fine work! At the end of the day I lay the steaks and hamburg out across the top of the freezer, over other still frozen food. I hope it'll freeze. It's at least cold enough that I'll have a few days to decide if I need to can it.
Brother arrives and he and Husband walk over to Mom and Dad's to get the truck ready. Mom has packed them some soup and sandwiches for the trip. I send along some apples and cookies. It's barely dark, but they expect the first part of the trip to be uneventful.
I am completely exhausted from a hard day's work. I hope I'll be able to sleep rather than staying up worrying all night.
Once they're all up and about, I tell them my laundry plans. If we take more baler twine down there, and move the tub closer to the creek it should make laundry much easier. The boys gather up all of their dirty laundry. It's a mountain. As long as the cabin's empty at the back though, anything I don't get done today can be kept in there. I load up Husband's & my own laundry. I almost forget the plunger. They gather up baler twine and grab a chainsaw. They'll cut firewood while I do laundry.
Brother and Sil stop by. They're headed into town to try phoning the girls again. This time they're happy to hear that the girls and Friend made it to the cottage. Friend is recovering from his bullet hole nicely, since his mother's a nurse and has managed to stitch him up. They stop back at our place and tell us the news. Brother, Husband and Dad will leave tonight to go and get them.
We have a quick breakfast of toast and jam, and then head for the creek. Once the tub is moved it's a breeze to fill and plunge the clothes. Getting them to the line is a bit more work, but thankfully the Bigs do the carrying for me. They set up three more lines so I have lots of room to dry everything. I will need to bring more ashes next time. Towards the end I don't think there's much lye coming through in the water. Still, everything is cleaner than it was before. I think another water filter attached to the tub would be helpful too. The creek can get pretty mucky at times.
Husband and the boys have filled the cart with firewood. Tori is grazing happily. The grass is fairly long here. We had always meant to fence it, but hadn't got around to it. We decide we might as well, to give the horses more room to graze.
Husband and the Littles take the firewood back to the house to unload while the Bigs cut smaller trees and straighten the treeline. They come back with hammers and nails. We use the small trees as poles and nail them in place. The area is still open at the creek but I don't think the horses will try to cross it. The entrance is open as well. It'll need a gate.
We reload the cart and Husband let's #1 drive it back to the house. #2 digs some post holes for the gate. When Husband and #1 return the three of them drop fence posts in the holes and build a gate. It looks pretty good to me. The Littles and I reload the cart and then we all go back to the house.
After unhitching Tori the Bigs walk down with all of the horses and leave them in the new pasture. They pick weeds as they walk back to the house.
We have soup for lunch, beef again, and then Husband goes for a nap. It'll be a long night. The boys and I start on butchering the cow. The weather has me concerned. It's been warming up, and we might get an Indian Summer after all. That's great for working in, but not good for the hanging meat or the freezers.
#2 saws through the back half of the spine, and we get started on cutting the steaks. #1 starts the generator to run them through the meat saw, rather than sawing by hand. We cut all the meat off the ribs and run it through the grinder. I don't usually make ground beef, figuring I can buy ground pretty cheap, and I prefer a good supply of stewing beef, but this year we won't be buying, so we need our own supply. Grinding is much faster than trimming all of the fat off for stew anyway.
I cut 8 pounds of beef off the flanks for jerky and mix up two different recipes. The Bigs set up the smoker, which we've never used before. I'll start some in the oven overnight as well. We'll see which method works best.
Husband gets up and cooks us up some delicious rib steaks for supper, and I swear, this is the best beef I have ever tasted! I have the urge to go out and give Dorie a big hug. She does mighty fine work! At the end of the day I lay the steaks and hamburg out across the top of the freezer, over other still frozen food. I hope it'll freeze. It's at least cold enough that I'll have a few days to decide if I need to can it.
Brother arrives and he and Husband walk over to Mom and Dad's to get the truck ready. Mom has packed them some soup and sandwiches for the trip. I send along some apples and cookies. It's barely dark, but they expect the first part of the trip to be uneventful.
I am completely exhausted from a hard day's work. I hope I'll be able to sleep rather than staying up worrying all night.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Travel By Night
Friend and the girls load the back of his truck with all the food and clothing they can fit inside. They top it with clothing, blankets, and camping gear. Every inch of space is filled with anything they think might be needed. Last on the truck are several large jerry cans, filled with all of the fuel he had or could siphon out of other vehicles. He sticks his siphoning hose behind the seat. They may be able to siphon more fuel from abandoned cars on the way.
They leave his village late in the night. It's going to be a long trip, hopefully without too much trouble. He decides to take the back roads, even though it means they'll be passing through more towns, because it takes them around the major cities, where the cars have probably left the highway looking like a parking lot.
The first few hours are uneventful. They stop in quiet spots between towns, refuelling from abandoned cars and relieving themselves.
As they approach one of the larger towns, they see a roadblock set up with armed guards. Friend loads his shotgun and stops a ways back from the roadblock. He puts the truck in reverse, then rolls down his window to talk to them.
"Can we pass through here?", he asks.
"This is a toll road. Get out of your vehicle and prepare to be inspected", one of the guards answers as he raises his gun.
Friend floors the truck and rushes down the road in reverse. Shots are fired. He keeps driving in reverse until they're a couple of miles out of town, then turns the truck around. They drive back the way they came for another 10 miles or so. When they stop he gets out and checks the vehicle for damages. They were lucky. It looks like only a few pellet holes through the fender on the driver's side.
Friend checks his map to find a way around this town. He tells Niece1 to drive, so he can be ready with the gun if needed. They continue on their way.
Their detour is uneventful for another hour, until they see another vehicle moving towards them. It flashes it's lights at them. They again stop a ways back and roll down the windows, leaving the truck in gear. Friend tells Niece1 if anything happens, floor it and drive straight ahead. They need to keep moving forward.
Luckily the people in the other vehicle are just fellow travellers, trying to make it to safety. They talk about the towns they drove through, and warn each other of dangers they saw. There's a spot up ahead a couple of hours with a lot of abandoned cars blocking the road. The others were trying to work their way around them when armed men jumped out and demanded they stop and give them all of their food. They tell Friend the ditch is rough, but they drove through it ok. They also warn them to find someplace to hide in the daytime. They tried travelling during the day and were nearly mobbed by people on foot. They part company and continue on their journey.
When they get close to the spot where the other travellers had told them about the hijackers, Friend and Niece1 switch places. He gives her the gun and tells her just point and pull the trigger if anyone gets too close. They drive up the road and see the hijackers pushing a car into the ditch. They aren't prepared to shoot, so Friend zips through around the vehicles quickly. They're lucky again.
They make it just outside of Friend's cottage's town before they encounter another road block. The men here start shooting right away. Friend tries to back away quickly again, but feels a sudden burning in his leg. He keeps driving even though he knows he's been shot. He drives as far as he can before nearly passing out. The girls are freaking out. Niece1 jumps out of the truck, and sees the bullet holes as she reaches for the door. She pulls it open and sees the blood.
She checks Friend's pulse and he's still alive. She looks for the wound, and finds it in his leg. She gets a t-shirt out of the back and wraps it around his leg. The girls work together to push him into the center of the truck. They aren't sure where to go from here and it's getting close to daybreak. They decide to try to find a spot to hide. Niece1 drives up the road slowly, looking at houses, farms and fields. She finds a small house that looks empty and pulls in. She drives right past the house and into the backyard. She turns the truck around to face the driveway and parks it between the house and some trees.
The girls are shaken up, they're not sure what to do now. They decide to stay in the truck and try to get some sleep. It won't be comfortable, but if anyone comes they'll be able to drive off quicker. Niece1 checks Friend's wound. Thankfully, the bleeding has stopped.
They sleep for several hours, off and on. The girls need to relieve themselves, and they're hungry, but they're nervous to get out of the truck. There hasn't been anyone around all day. Niece1 takes the shot gun and opens her door. She waits while Niece2 jumps out. Niece2 goes behind the truck to relieve herself, then digs through the back for a jar of soup. They'll eat it cold. She holds the gun while Niece1 jumps out. They quickly scramble back in the truck, happy nothing happened.
As they eat the soup Friend begins to stir. He moans and clutches at his leg. They hold his hands and try to wake him. He opens his eyes, disoriented. They tell him where they are and what happened. They feed him some soup. He needs out of the truck. Niece2 helps him out and around back, but then he's on his own.
It takes a while before he stumbles around the side of the truck. They help him back in. He's looked at his wound. The bullet went straight through. It hurts like hell, but he should survive.
They look over the map and he shows the girls exactly where his cottage is. They look at a few different routes around the town where Friend was shot. The best route would take them two hours away, and they'd have to pass through three more towns, where anything could happen. They decide instead to go around the town on the back roads. They'll pass through the edge of town on the north side, but they hope the guards there will be less trigger happy. They just need to get around one corner and they'll be headed back away from the town.
They try to sleep. It's a few more hours before dark. They want to wait until midnight or so before they head out again. After dark they get out to relieve themselves again. They eat another jar of cold soup, this time while standing outside. They stretch their legs a bit, refuel the truck, and wait. Friend is in a lot of pain. They decide to keep him in the middle in case he passes out again.
Niece1 pulls out from behind the house and heads down the driveway. Niece2 notices a faint light in an upstairs window, and someone watching them. There was someone there all day. This house was not abandoned after all. The people inside must have been wondering what they were doing out there all day.
They head down the road, staying on the country roads, weaving their way around town. They get to the road that they're worried cuts into the corner of town. Niece1 braces herself. Drive fast, don't stop.
She hits the throttle, cruises up the road over a hill. She can see a road block at the corner. She floors it. One of the guards jumps out of the way, the other raises his gun. She whips around the corner. There are gun shots behind her, she doesn't slow down. The town is soon far behind them. They should be home free now. A few more back roads and they'll be at the cottage.
Niece1 looks down at the instrument panel. They're low on gas. That's strange. They haven't driven very far. She tells the others, and stops beside an abandoned car in the road to refuel. The car doesn't have any fuel in it, so they get a gas can from the back of the truck. As they start fuelling the air fills with the smell of gas. They look closer and discover they've got a leak. One of the bullets must have hit the tank.
Friend tells them to fill it anyway, they've only got a couple of kilometers left to go. The girls hurry, jump back in the cab, and speed off on their way. Niece1 watches the needle dropping nervously as she drives. She's afraid they'll have to stop and refill again when Friend says, "That's it. The next place on the left." They made it.
They leave his village late in the night. It's going to be a long trip, hopefully without too much trouble. He decides to take the back roads, even though it means they'll be passing through more towns, because it takes them around the major cities, where the cars have probably left the highway looking like a parking lot.
The first few hours are uneventful. They stop in quiet spots between towns, refuelling from abandoned cars and relieving themselves.
As they approach one of the larger towns, they see a roadblock set up with armed guards. Friend loads his shotgun and stops a ways back from the roadblock. He puts the truck in reverse, then rolls down his window to talk to them.
"Can we pass through here?", he asks.
"This is a toll road. Get out of your vehicle and prepare to be inspected", one of the guards answers as he raises his gun.
Friend floors the truck and rushes down the road in reverse. Shots are fired. He keeps driving in reverse until they're a couple of miles out of town, then turns the truck around. They drive back the way they came for another 10 miles or so. When they stop he gets out and checks the vehicle for damages. They were lucky. It looks like only a few pellet holes through the fender on the driver's side.
Friend checks his map to find a way around this town. He tells Niece1 to drive, so he can be ready with the gun if needed. They continue on their way.
Their detour is uneventful for another hour, until they see another vehicle moving towards them. It flashes it's lights at them. They again stop a ways back and roll down the windows, leaving the truck in gear. Friend tells Niece1 if anything happens, floor it and drive straight ahead. They need to keep moving forward.
Luckily the people in the other vehicle are just fellow travellers, trying to make it to safety. They talk about the towns they drove through, and warn each other of dangers they saw. There's a spot up ahead a couple of hours with a lot of abandoned cars blocking the road. The others were trying to work their way around them when armed men jumped out and demanded they stop and give them all of their food. They tell Friend the ditch is rough, but they drove through it ok. They also warn them to find someplace to hide in the daytime. They tried travelling during the day and were nearly mobbed by people on foot. They part company and continue on their journey.
When they get close to the spot where the other travellers had told them about the hijackers, Friend and Niece1 switch places. He gives her the gun and tells her just point and pull the trigger if anyone gets too close. They drive up the road and see the hijackers pushing a car into the ditch. They aren't prepared to shoot, so Friend zips through around the vehicles quickly. They're lucky again.
They make it just outside of Friend's cottage's town before they encounter another road block. The men here start shooting right away. Friend tries to back away quickly again, but feels a sudden burning in his leg. He keeps driving even though he knows he's been shot. He drives as far as he can before nearly passing out. The girls are freaking out. Niece1 jumps out of the truck, and sees the bullet holes as she reaches for the door. She pulls it open and sees the blood.
She checks Friend's pulse and he's still alive. She looks for the wound, and finds it in his leg. She gets a t-shirt out of the back and wraps it around his leg. The girls work together to push him into the center of the truck. They aren't sure where to go from here and it's getting close to daybreak. They decide to try to find a spot to hide. Niece1 drives up the road slowly, looking at houses, farms and fields. She finds a small house that looks empty and pulls in. She drives right past the house and into the backyard. She turns the truck around to face the driveway and parks it between the house and some trees.
The girls are shaken up, they're not sure what to do now. They decide to stay in the truck and try to get some sleep. It won't be comfortable, but if anyone comes they'll be able to drive off quicker. Niece1 checks Friend's wound. Thankfully, the bleeding has stopped.
They sleep for several hours, off and on. The girls need to relieve themselves, and they're hungry, but they're nervous to get out of the truck. There hasn't been anyone around all day. Niece1 takes the shot gun and opens her door. She waits while Niece2 jumps out. Niece2 goes behind the truck to relieve herself, then digs through the back for a jar of soup. They'll eat it cold. She holds the gun while Niece1 jumps out. They quickly scramble back in the truck, happy nothing happened.
As they eat the soup Friend begins to stir. He moans and clutches at his leg. They hold his hands and try to wake him. He opens his eyes, disoriented. They tell him where they are and what happened. They feed him some soup. He needs out of the truck. Niece2 helps him out and around back, but then he's on his own.
It takes a while before he stumbles around the side of the truck. They help him back in. He's looked at his wound. The bullet went straight through. It hurts like hell, but he should survive.
They look over the map and he shows the girls exactly where his cottage is. They look at a few different routes around the town where Friend was shot. The best route would take them two hours away, and they'd have to pass through three more towns, where anything could happen. They decide instead to go around the town on the back roads. They'll pass through the edge of town on the north side, but they hope the guards there will be less trigger happy. They just need to get around one corner and they'll be headed back away from the town.
They try to sleep. It's a few more hours before dark. They want to wait until midnight or so before they head out again. After dark they get out to relieve themselves again. They eat another jar of cold soup, this time while standing outside. They stretch their legs a bit, refuel the truck, and wait. Friend is in a lot of pain. They decide to keep him in the middle in case he passes out again.
Niece1 pulls out from behind the house and heads down the driveway. Niece2 notices a faint light in an upstairs window, and someone watching them. There was someone there all day. This house was not abandoned after all. The people inside must have been wondering what they were doing out there all day.
They head down the road, staying on the country roads, weaving their way around town. They get to the road that they're worried cuts into the corner of town. Niece1 braces herself. Drive fast, don't stop.
She hits the throttle, cruises up the road over a hill. She can see a road block at the corner. She floors it. One of the guards jumps out of the way, the other raises his gun. She whips around the corner. There are gun shots behind her, she doesn't slow down. The town is soon far behind them. They should be home free now. A few more back roads and they'll be at the cottage.
Niece1 looks down at the instrument panel. They're low on gas. That's strange. They haven't driven very far. She tells the others, and stops beside an abandoned car in the road to refuel. The car doesn't have any fuel in it, so they get a gas can from the back of the truck. As they start fuelling the air fills with the smell of gas. They look closer and discover they've got a leak. One of the bullets must have hit the tank.
Friend tells them to fill it anyway, they've only got a couple of kilometers left to go. The girls hurry, jump back in the cab, and speed off on their way. Niece1 watches the needle dropping nervously as she drives. She's afraid they'll have to stop and refill again when Friend says, "That's it. The next place on the left." They made it.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Day 12- Breaking and Entering
It's more peaceful this morning, with everyone sleeping when I wake up. I enjoy my routine of making tea and coffee, filtering and boiling water, planning my day.
Diego and Nira come over for coffee. I get some paper and start making a list of supplies they'll need. Coffee and a coffee pot are first. Nira wants sugar too, not that I can blame her. Then they're going to need containers to put it in, more cooking utensils, a large pot for water. They have a surprising amount of cash with them. I wonder if anyone will take it.
Husband gets up and joins us. I can see he's a little grumpy that he didn't get to sneak sugar into his first cup of coffee, but he started that. In truth, I have enough sugar for a couple of months, at least, even with a lot of baking.
We talk about what we can take to trade, and I go to the basement for jams and pickles. I'm somewhat resentful, using my supplies to buy theirs, but then, I'm the one insisting on having my own space.
Brother and Sil arrive. They're anxious to get going. The boys get up and I tell them to make pancakes to feed the kids.
The men go out to get the horses ready. I pack up my books and take them to the cart.
We go to Our Village, where things look pretty normal, except for the cars on the street. The townsfolk have pushed them off the roads though, so the way is clear.
There are men with guns sitting outside the store. Since the town is so small, they've picked strategic locations to guard, rather than standing on the roads to stop people from coming through. They've only had a few squabbles to deal with though, and no outsiders for days.
Brother and Sil use the phone, but there's no answer.
Inside the store there's a weird variety of things people have traded for food and supplies. There isn't much food left though. The flour and sugar are gone. Nira looks over some pots and pans and asks how much they're asking. They aren't taking money anymore, but they'll be happy to trade for food or anything useful. She looks over a rack of clothing. I go out to the cart and get the food. Three jars of pickles and five jars of jam buy a new outfit for each of the kids, Nira and Diego. The store owner tells us that meat is most sought after if we come again. Any kind of meat. Even horse. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable.
Sil, Nira and I walk down to the library. It's self serve, even though there are guards stationed there. I take my books out and put them on an empty shelf. We look over the selection left by others, and choose a few each.
Walking back to the store we notice broken windows and buildings that look abandoned. Not so normal after all.
Another horse cart comes into town, this one has been loaded with potatoes and I see part of an animal. Moose, I think. I breathe a little easier. I didn't like the way the store owner had said horse.
Brother tries the phone again before we leave. This time there's an answer, but it's not Friend. Friend's parents have made it to the cottage, but no one else is there. They're happy to hear that Friend is on his way.
We leave town and head for home. As we pass northern neighbour's place, I decide we should stop. He never picks his rhubarb, and has let me have it before. Husband and Brother snoop around through the outbuildings and find a small woodstove that isn't being used. Neighbour had a broiler installed a few years ago and probably took this out of the house then. We decide to borrow it for Nira and Diego. Then we decide to borrow some other hand tools as well. I'll make a list when we get home so we can return them if things ever get back to normal.
We're about to leave when Nira wonders if they left any food or blankets. By the looks of the town it won't be long before someone is out here breaking in anyway, so we decide to check.
We break a small window with a rock and Nira climbs through. She unlocks the door for the rest of us. There is food, lots of clothing, blankets, and everything else you'd expect to find in a normal house. The pantry is nearly full- it looks like Neighbours only took a bit of this and that from here and there. They probably didn't have room to take it all. We take what we can fit on the cart and leave the rest. We can come back for more later.
Back at the house Nira tells Diego about everything left in neighbour's house. They decide to move down there instead of bringing everything here. It's true, they'll have everything they need there, but they'll be more exposed. It'll be better for us though, with someone at the end of the road if people come to raid, so we don't argue. They can always come back here if things don't work out. We unload the horse cart at our house, so the kids will all fit in. I suggest Nira take inventory of the food there, keep picking weeds, and ration things a bit, but I don't think she's listening.
Husband takes them down and drops them off. He agrees to go back and check on them in a couple of days.
Back at home it's quiet and peaceful. We decide to take the woodstove back to the cabin while the cart is still hooked up. The boys grab some old stove pipe and the tire rubber for the door. We leave the stove and pipe inside and put the door on.
It's time for lunch, with a whole lot less people to feed. We decide to splurge and cook some burgers. Supper will be a small roast that I cut off the beef.
We spend the afternoon getting firewood. It goes much faster with the big boys. We keep all of the thinner branches in a pile as we trim trees. we take them to the chicken pen and weave them into the fence wherever there are holes. It takes a while, but finally I think the pen is secure enough to keep out the foxes. Our new chickens are put in the coop for the night. They won't get to try out the pen until tomorrow.
We eat supper and then play Risk for a couple of hours before bed.
Diego and Nira come over for coffee. I get some paper and start making a list of supplies they'll need. Coffee and a coffee pot are first. Nira wants sugar too, not that I can blame her. Then they're going to need containers to put it in, more cooking utensils, a large pot for water. They have a surprising amount of cash with them. I wonder if anyone will take it.
Husband gets up and joins us. I can see he's a little grumpy that he didn't get to sneak sugar into his first cup of coffee, but he started that. In truth, I have enough sugar for a couple of months, at least, even with a lot of baking.
We talk about what we can take to trade, and I go to the basement for jams and pickles. I'm somewhat resentful, using my supplies to buy theirs, but then, I'm the one insisting on having my own space.
Brother and Sil arrive. They're anxious to get going. The boys get up and I tell them to make pancakes to feed the kids.
The men go out to get the horses ready. I pack up my books and take them to the cart.
We go to Our Village, where things look pretty normal, except for the cars on the street. The townsfolk have pushed them off the roads though, so the way is clear.
There are men with guns sitting outside the store. Since the town is so small, they've picked strategic locations to guard, rather than standing on the roads to stop people from coming through. They've only had a few squabbles to deal with though, and no outsiders for days.
Brother and Sil use the phone, but there's no answer.
Inside the store there's a weird variety of things people have traded for food and supplies. There isn't much food left though. The flour and sugar are gone. Nira looks over some pots and pans and asks how much they're asking. They aren't taking money anymore, but they'll be happy to trade for food or anything useful. She looks over a rack of clothing. I go out to the cart and get the food. Three jars of pickles and five jars of jam buy a new outfit for each of the kids, Nira and Diego. The store owner tells us that meat is most sought after if we come again. Any kind of meat. Even horse. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable.
Sil, Nira and I walk down to the library. It's self serve, even though there are guards stationed there. I take my books out and put them on an empty shelf. We look over the selection left by others, and choose a few each.
Walking back to the store we notice broken windows and buildings that look abandoned. Not so normal after all.
Another horse cart comes into town, this one has been loaded with potatoes and I see part of an animal. Moose, I think. I breathe a little easier. I didn't like the way the store owner had said horse.
Brother tries the phone again before we leave. This time there's an answer, but it's not Friend. Friend's parents have made it to the cottage, but no one else is there. They're happy to hear that Friend is on his way.
We leave town and head for home. As we pass northern neighbour's place, I decide we should stop. He never picks his rhubarb, and has let me have it before. Husband and Brother snoop around through the outbuildings and find a small woodstove that isn't being used. Neighbour had a broiler installed a few years ago and probably took this out of the house then. We decide to borrow it for Nira and Diego. Then we decide to borrow some other hand tools as well. I'll make a list when we get home so we can return them if things ever get back to normal.
We're about to leave when Nira wonders if they left any food or blankets. By the looks of the town it won't be long before someone is out here breaking in anyway, so we decide to check.
We break a small window with a rock and Nira climbs through. She unlocks the door for the rest of us. There is food, lots of clothing, blankets, and everything else you'd expect to find in a normal house. The pantry is nearly full- it looks like Neighbours only took a bit of this and that from here and there. They probably didn't have room to take it all. We take what we can fit on the cart and leave the rest. We can come back for more later.
Back at the house Nira tells Diego about everything left in neighbour's house. They decide to move down there instead of bringing everything here. It's true, they'll have everything they need there, but they'll be more exposed. It'll be better for us though, with someone at the end of the road if people come to raid, so we don't argue. They can always come back here if things don't work out. We unload the horse cart at our house, so the kids will all fit in. I suggest Nira take inventory of the food there, keep picking weeds, and ration things a bit, but I don't think she's listening.
Husband takes them down and drops them off. He agrees to go back and check on them in a couple of days.
Back at home it's quiet and peaceful. We decide to take the woodstove back to the cabin while the cart is still hooked up. The boys grab some old stove pipe and the tire rubber for the door. We leave the stove and pipe inside and put the door on.
It's time for lunch, with a whole lot less people to feed. We decide to splurge and cook some burgers. Supper will be a small roast that I cut off the beef.
We spend the afternoon getting firewood. It goes much faster with the big boys. We keep all of the thinner branches in a pile as we trim trees. we take them to the chicken pen and weave them into the fence wherever there are holes. It takes a while, but finally I think the pen is secure enough to keep out the foxes. Our new chickens are put in the coop for the night. They won't get to try out the pen until tomorrow.
We eat supper and then play Risk for a couple of hours before bed.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Day 11- Construction
I am a big sleepy head this morning. I wake to the sound of what seems like a million people in the kitchen. I don't want to go out there. Smitty stretches beside me. He's going to need out right away. Puppy bladder. I grab my housecoat and jump out of bed. When I open the door he's right beside me, growling. I look at the mob. Everyone is eating pancakes. I squeeze through a bunch of kids, wave at everyone, and make my way to the door. I go straight outside with Smitty.
Husband comes outside after a few minutes. "Are you okay? Everyone thinks you're mad at them now."
"You know I don't talk when I first wake up. There's too many people in there." It's a nice day, surprisingly warm.
Sil hears me as she comes outside. She laughs. I think she's the only other person here who understands my need to be alone in my own head in the morning. She hands me a cup of tea.
"Thanks", I say.
"No problem. No honey though. I didn't want to open it in front of all of them."
"Thanks."
I drink half my cup of tea before the kids start coming outside to play. Once they're all outside I figure I can deal with the rest of the people in the house. We go in and sit down. Nira tries to hand me pancakes, but Husband takes them. Food when I first wake up makes me want to puke.
Brother and Sil are anxious to get started on the truck. I know they're anxious to head for Huntsville. We're all hoping the girls have an uneventful trip.
The Bigs are going to go to the back with Diego and Nira to work on their cabin. I tell them to get the bathtub out of the pasture and take it down with them, the one that the plug came out of and won't hold water now. We have three old tubs that we use for water troughs.
Nira is excited. "A bath! Oh, I can't wait to have a bath! I didn't think we'd be able to do that!" I was thinking of laundry, but ok, I guess bathing's a good idea too. She can do whatever she wants with it really.
The Bigs take my quad and trailer to load the tub. They toss in a couple of buckets, some pop bottles, baler twine, chainsaw, and come back to the house. They load the roll of plastic and a staple gun. Nira and I go out to the trailer and pull out an old pot, a frying pan, some glasses, silverware, knives and a spatula. We add it to the trailer. I tell her to pack up their clothes and put them in too.
"We can't move down there yet! There are no walls!", she looks like she's going to cry.
"You can do laundry down there though. In the bathtub." I don't have an extra plunger, so she'll have to find another way to agitate it. I go back in the house and look at the box of laundry detergent. There's not much left. I decide to give her a bucket of ashes instead. She might as well start out with lye water. I take an ice cream bucket and poke holes in the bottom with a knife. I fill it with ashes in the basement, then put it inside another ice cream bucket. I take it out and add it to the load. The trailer is full. They're all ready to go.
Down at the camp the Bigs and Diego get to work cutting trees for the walls while Nira and the kids unload the trailer. They can't lift the tub, so the Bigs do that for them.
Mom and Dad come over. Dad, Husband and Brother start working on the truck. Dad has to hot wire it, and fiddle with a few things, but he gets it running pretty quick. They take it to Dad's to load the fuel tank.
Mom, Sil and I walk down to Diego and Nira's camp, picking weeds along the way. They have a good pile of logs cut already. I open the roll of plastic and spread it out. It's 20' X 100', so it'll cover one side and the roof in one strip. We all work together to get it up and over the top. #1 staples it into place while Diego and #2 keep cutting trees.
We women walk down to the creek and scoop water. The buckets are heavy and I wish the boys had dropped the bathtub closer. I shove a plastic bag in the drain with a rock and hope that the tub will hold the water. I take the ashes and pour water over them. We pour the rest of the water in the tub and go back for more. The water is holding when we get back, and the water has dripped through the ashes into the second bucket. I explain to Nira that this is lye water. It's what soap used to be made with. It's stronger if it sits longer, but it should work for now. I pour it in the tub, then pour more water over the ashes.
"Throw your laundry in and slosh it around." Nira doesn't look impressed. "Or you can keep wearing them until they stink bad enough to run around naked." I take the baler twine and walk away.
I find a couple of trees that look like a good spot to hang laundry and tie the baler twine in place. I tell #1 I need a laundry pole. He finds me a small tree with a fork in it, cuts it down and trims the branches off. It's about 8' high. Perfect. I stick it under the baler twine and use it to lift it up higher in the middle.
#2 shows Diego how to notch the logs to fit together. They start on the back side of the cabin, with no windows. I watch them put the first three logs in place. Then I tell Diego to take the clay they've been digging up and smoosh it in between the logs. That's actually a good job for the kids, and it'll give Nira more laundry to practice on.
#1, Sil and I cover the ends and remaining side of the cabin with plastic, then cut out the door and windows.
Mom, Sil and I walk back to the house to make lunch. It's leftover beef soup today, with extra weeds and a few more potatoes. Sil takes the dried weeds off the plant stands and stuffs them into old jars. Then she spreads the fresh weeds out to dry. Mom washes a bunch of dishes for me. We leave the soup on the stove to simmer and walk over to Mom and Dad's.
The men have the fuel tank in the box of the truck and bolted into place. They're debating whether to put the box on or not. The box will hide it, and keep whoever's riding in the back warmer and dry, but it'll also block their view and might prevent them from being able to get a good shot if needed. In the end they decide to put it on, out of sight, out of mind.
The truck is ready to go. We walk back to our house for lunch. Everyone else is already there. They're waiting outside this time though. We eat lunch together. The Bigs are going back with Diego and Nira to finish the cabin after lunch. Mom, Dad, Brother and Sil all decide to go back to their places. I invite them all back for supper.
Husband and I decide to cut firewood for the afternoon. The woodshed is filling slowly. We cut from the lot across the road. It's not our land, but it's close and convenient. Afterwards we decide to walk to the back and see how things are progressing.
The cabin looks pretty cozy when we get there. The walls are all up and the kids look like they're having fun, running back and forth with their hands full of clay. They've got one side done. Diego has the windows installed. The Bigs have built a door. They're standing in the doorway wondering how to attach it without hinges. We tell them it looks good. The kids are excited. They want to sleep in it tonight. Of course for them, it's like camping in the woods.
We go inside and look it over. It's only 12'X16', so every inch will have to be planned carefully. We talk about a loft for the kids to sleep in, with a bed underneath for Diego and Nira. They can both be built from logs. The other end of the cabin will have to be the kitchen, and left empty for now, until we work out the stove situation. I wonder if the cow hide would be strong enough to hold the door up. Husband doesn't think so, but rubber would. We have some old tires that can be cut up and nailed into place.
We all walk back to the house together, and cook up a stir fry with yesterday's partridge, lots of weeds, and a pot of rice. Mom, Dad, Brother and Sil join us. Everyone is full and happy.
Brother and Sil will go to town in the morning to call Friend and see if they made it. I have a stack of books that I want to take into the library. We decide to give Tori another work out and take the horse cart. Nira wants to go too, so she can pick out some books and check the store for supplies. She and I will ride, with the others in the cart.
I finish another book before drifting off to sleep.
Husband comes outside after a few minutes. "Are you okay? Everyone thinks you're mad at them now."
"You know I don't talk when I first wake up. There's too many people in there." It's a nice day, surprisingly warm.
Sil hears me as she comes outside. She laughs. I think she's the only other person here who understands my need to be alone in my own head in the morning. She hands me a cup of tea.
"Thanks", I say.
"No problem. No honey though. I didn't want to open it in front of all of them."
"Thanks."
I drink half my cup of tea before the kids start coming outside to play. Once they're all outside I figure I can deal with the rest of the people in the house. We go in and sit down. Nira tries to hand me pancakes, but Husband takes them. Food when I first wake up makes me want to puke.
Brother and Sil are anxious to get started on the truck. I know they're anxious to head for Huntsville. We're all hoping the girls have an uneventful trip.
The Bigs are going to go to the back with Diego and Nira to work on their cabin. I tell them to get the bathtub out of the pasture and take it down with them, the one that the plug came out of and won't hold water now. We have three old tubs that we use for water troughs.
Nira is excited. "A bath! Oh, I can't wait to have a bath! I didn't think we'd be able to do that!" I was thinking of laundry, but ok, I guess bathing's a good idea too. She can do whatever she wants with it really.
The Bigs take my quad and trailer to load the tub. They toss in a couple of buckets, some pop bottles, baler twine, chainsaw, and come back to the house. They load the roll of plastic and a staple gun. Nira and I go out to the trailer and pull out an old pot, a frying pan, some glasses, silverware, knives and a spatula. We add it to the trailer. I tell her to pack up their clothes and put them in too.
"We can't move down there yet! There are no walls!", she looks like she's going to cry.
"You can do laundry down there though. In the bathtub." I don't have an extra plunger, so she'll have to find another way to agitate it. I go back in the house and look at the box of laundry detergent. There's not much left. I decide to give her a bucket of ashes instead. She might as well start out with lye water. I take an ice cream bucket and poke holes in the bottom with a knife. I fill it with ashes in the basement, then put it inside another ice cream bucket. I take it out and add it to the load. The trailer is full. They're all ready to go.
Down at the camp the Bigs and Diego get to work cutting trees for the walls while Nira and the kids unload the trailer. They can't lift the tub, so the Bigs do that for them.
Mom and Dad come over. Dad, Husband and Brother start working on the truck. Dad has to hot wire it, and fiddle with a few things, but he gets it running pretty quick. They take it to Dad's to load the fuel tank.
Mom, Sil and I walk down to Diego and Nira's camp, picking weeds along the way. They have a good pile of logs cut already. I open the roll of plastic and spread it out. It's 20' X 100', so it'll cover one side and the roof in one strip. We all work together to get it up and over the top. #1 staples it into place while Diego and #2 keep cutting trees.
We women walk down to the creek and scoop water. The buckets are heavy and I wish the boys had dropped the bathtub closer. I shove a plastic bag in the drain with a rock and hope that the tub will hold the water. I take the ashes and pour water over them. We pour the rest of the water in the tub and go back for more. The water is holding when we get back, and the water has dripped through the ashes into the second bucket. I explain to Nira that this is lye water. It's what soap used to be made with. It's stronger if it sits longer, but it should work for now. I pour it in the tub, then pour more water over the ashes.
"Throw your laundry in and slosh it around." Nira doesn't look impressed. "Or you can keep wearing them until they stink bad enough to run around naked." I take the baler twine and walk away.
I find a couple of trees that look like a good spot to hang laundry and tie the baler twine in place. I tell #1 I need a laundry pole. He finds me a small tree with a fork in it, cuts it down and trims the branches off. It's about 8' high. Perfect. I stick it under the baler twine and use it to lift it up higher in the middle.
#2 shows Diego how to notch the logs to fit together. They start on the back side of the cabin, with no windows. I watch them put the first three logs in place. Then I tell Diego to take the clay they've been digging up and smoosh it in between the logs. That's actually a good job for the kids, and it'll give Nira more laundry to practice on.
#1, Sil and I cover the ends and remaining side of the cabin with plastic, then cut out the door and windows.
Mom, Sil and I walk back to the house to make lunch. It's leftover beef soup today, with extra weeds and a few more potatoes. Sil takes the dried weeds off the plant stands and stuffs them into old jars. Then she spreads the fresh weeds out to dry. Mom washes a bunch of dishes for me. We leave the soup on the stove to simmer and walk over to Mom and Dad's.
The men have the fuel tank in the box of the truck and bolted into place. They're debating whether to put the box on or not. The box will hide it, and keep whoever's riding in the back warmer and dry, but it'll also block their view and might prevent them from being able to get a good shot if needed. In the end they decide to put it on, out of sight, out of mind.
The truck is ready to go. We walk back to our house for lunch. Everyone else is already there. They're waiting outside this time though. We eat lunch together. The Bigs are going back with Diego and Nira to finish the cabin after lunch. Mom, Dad, Brother and Sil all decide to go back to their places. I invite them all back for supper.
Husband and I decide to cut firewood for the afternoon. The woodshed is filling slowly. We cut from the lot across the road. It's not our land, but it's close and convenient. Afterwards we decide to walk to the back and see how things are progressing.
The cabin looks pretty cozy when we get there. The walls are all up and the kids look like they're having fun, running back and forth with their hands full of clay. They've got one side done. Diego has the windows installed. The Bigs have built a door. They're standing in the doorway wondering how to attach it without hinges. We tell them it looks good. The kids are excited. They want to sleep in it tonight. Of course for them, it's like camping in the woods.
We go inside and look it over. It's only 12'X16', so every inch will have to be planned carefully. We talk about a loft for the kids to sleep in, with a bed underneath for Diego and Nira. They can both be built from logs. The other end of the cabin will have to be the kitchen, and left empty for now, until we work out the stove situation. I wonder if the cow hide would be strong enough to hold the door up. Husband doesn't think so, but rubber would. We have some old tires that can be cut up and nailed into place.
We all walk back to the house together, and cook up a stir fry with yesterday's partridge, lots of weeds, and a pot of rice. Mom, Dad, Brother and Sil join us. Everyone is full and happy.
Brother and Sil will go to town in the morning to call Friend and see if they made it. I have a stack of books that I want to take into the library. We decide to give Tori another work out and take the horse cart. Nira wants to go too, so she can pick out some books and check the store for supplies. She and I will ride, with the others in the cart.
I finish another book before drifting off to sleep.
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