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Post by 9idrr on May 17, 2019 20:46:09 GMT -6
PPB, Appears that the Haven has more than dueled.... An area will need to be found to house Shep's group and start on building shelter and farming.... Texican.... Aw, come on now, Texican, you know PPB will find a way to get Shep and company set up and on the road to bein' a thriving group. Of course, he may throw in a twist or two, too.
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Post by pbbrown0 on May 30, 2019 15:57:14 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP POST # 96
Doug was deep in thought as he made his way back to the Haven. He had been a part of this almost from the the beginning. Well he had been here since Michael has first opened his home for the group of families from New Sidon. It had taken Michael almost two years to turn a patch of raw forest into a home where he could accommodate anyone beyond a single hermit on the mountain. Almost as soon as his house was marginally livable, he took in a whole house full of guests. Doug thought back to that night before leaving New Sidon. Everyone was frightened and trying to find a way to make do until the situation had improved, but it never did, except for those who took a chance with Michael. The decision to take in so many refugees, one and a half times their current numbers, seemed like a huge risk. But, when compared to the risk Michael took proposing to Rose one afternoon and taking in seventeen semi permanent house guest that same night, it just looked like more of Michael being Michael.
It was interesting to Doug that in all of the talk about numbers and how many would have to be fed, Michael never mentioned that there were three more tiny mouths that would soon be with them, no, make that four counting Tricia. He knew Michael; well enough to understand that Michael was not loosing sight for even a minute of those babies being on the way. The truth was that Michael was confident of their being taken care of quite well by the group. Michael's humble confidence was reassuring and even contagious to those around him.
When Doug came in sight of the Lodge the word had already spread that he was coming. The first thing he saw when he looked toward the lodge was a row of women stepping out of the front door and spreading out across the porch. His precious Liz stepped out wiping her hands on an apron. She must have been working in the lodge kitchen helping get food ready for everyone. Lucy followed her holding two year old Jessica's up stretched hand, followed by Cathy holding Marie's tiny hand. Rose came out with Hope propped on the side of her hip, while Colleen, Rebecca, and Stephanie, who were clearly pregnant, stepped up to the porch rail. Others were quickly gathering from inside the lodge as well as from the surrounding area.
“I know you are all anxious to hear what is happening, so I'll get right to it. Michael sent me ahead to give you a little forewarning about the newcomers. They are following behind me so they should be here before long. There are more than we expected and Michael wanted me to tell you that we are going to have to work out some adjustments in our plans. It appears that there are sixty-eight people who came from the Island. Fifty-two are adults and sixteen are youngsters. That's a lot of new people to accommodate, but none of them came here looking for a handout. It appears they weren't even told there was any hope of help out here until after they made camp yesterday, just east of Michael and Rose's land. They've been feeding themselves and sleeping on the ground in the woods for the past week as they traveled from the Island to here, so they are tired and probably dirty. The good news is there are probably not any slackers among them and they will likely be grateful for any help they receive. They can't be too far behind me so we need to get organized and get ready for them.”
Within minutes the family at the Haven was stepping up the energy level. Rose and Lucy, were gathering together the older children and young teens assigning them more responsibilities for tending to the animals and tending to the gardening efforts so the adults could focus on other preparations. The news about the number that would be coming had prompted a number of discussions about how to better prepare for their immediate needs. It was decided that they needed to use the some of the space and ovens from the other cabins to prepare a meal for that many people. The original space Michael had allocated for the lodge kitchen was just not designed to handle preparation of meals for a hundred people at a time. Beth and Liz began organizing and delegating jobs and locations to any one available to help.
Meanwhile the men, who had already been busy building beds and other furniture for the expected newcomers, began discussing different options as they put finishing touches on the furniture in progress. Josh pointed out that with over a hundred people, the floor space for beds was going to be a challenge. He suggested that they should figure out a way to make bunk beds or maybe even half sized beds for the younger children. Pete suggested that until more beds could be built they might try to fashion some hammocks to reduce the number who had to sleep on hardwood floors.
When the newcomers had passed their descent of the west side of the hill they began a gradual climb to the west north west. Doc Dillingham was pretty sure they were passing north of where the farmhouse had been and he fell into step along side of Yakov and Tricia. “How are you doing Tricia. I know this hiking up and down the hills is harder for you than when we were on more level terrain.”
“I'm doing pretty good, considering I have a watermelon shoved up under my ribs. I just have to remember to breathe out deliberately rather than letting my breath go out by itself. Thanks for your concern Doc. Our group is rather spread out, and I think if I pace myself to let most of the group gradually pass me and still get there by the time the last of us straggle up the mountain. Even If I have to stop and rest, Yakov and I know the way.”
“I just don't want you pushing too hard this late in your term. If you need to stop and rest a while, then make sure that is what you do. I've only met Michael once and I have never seen his facility. He must have quite an impressive private compound to be able to accommodate this many visitors.”
“Yakov, Darling, would you mind laughing for me. I'm afraid if I laugh, I might faint from lack of air.” Tricia was putting on airs, but started smirking before she could finish. “Doc when Michael rescued Steve, Rob, and I just over a year ago he only had one log house he had built with his own hands. The three of us brought the number to about twenty and half of those were youngsters. Even at that we were packed in like sardines. When Yakov and I came back last summer the whole group had worked really hard to add three more smaller log houses to relieve the crowding since more people had arrived without forewarning. Don't expect the spacious accommodations you were accustomed to having at the Island, Doc.”
“I...I'm sorry. Those of you who had been there seemed so impressed and Michael was so quick to accept the number that came with us. I just assumed... he seemed confident in in his ability to handle such a large crowd.”
This time Yakov answered for Tricia. “Doc he is confident, but he is also wise enough to know that he alone cannot handle this size crowd. That wisdom is the source of his confidence.”
Yakov led Patricia off to the side where an old fallen tree provided a bench for her to sit on. He stood behind her to let her lean back against him and rest for a few minutes. Soon those at the back of the group had caught up, and they paused there for about five minutes until Yakov helped Patricia up again. He smiled at the others and thanked them for waiting. Tricia told them they were getting close, and it would not be much farther. It was about an hour later when they saw the trees thinning ahead, and it looked like people were gathering into a group again. Up the hill and through the trees they were catching glimpses of a log house with a roof outline. As they approached the lodge it became clear that there were no welcoming speeches or official greetings going on. Individuals or sometimes couples and families from the Haven group were talking with small groups or individuals from the Island, introducing themselves and trying to make the Islanders feel at ease.
It was already early afternoon and the plan was to have a late lunch or early supper to make sure the newcomers were well fed. There weren't enough tables or space for everyone to sit down in the lodge so the guests were fed first. Even then some of the adults were standing to make sure the children and their parents were fed first. As it worked out the newcomers who did not have children with them, realizing the reason for that arrangement, insisted on the children and their parents from the Haven sitting down to eat with the first shift at the meal. They were also pitching in and offering to help with serving and clearing dishes to make room for the next round. Some were finished faster than others so there really was not a true second or third shift of diners. As each family finished and got up from the tables, someone would slip in and take their place. The only problems came as some of the newcomers were trying to politely suggest that those from the Haven should not have to wait for those from the Island to eat first. Those courteous standoffs were quickly settled when the men insisted that the remaining women should go first. That also resulted in the men having final cleanup duties in the kitchen while the women began working out how to arrange sleeping space for various families using both the ground floor spaces and the basements within the four log houses.
Michael was circulating among those being shown their spaces in the various houses assuring everyone that these were temporary arrangements, and that work would begin very soon to make more room for everyone. Once everyone was assigned a temporary space and they had stowed their packs, the Haven family started arranging for all the Islanders to have a chance for a warm bath. This turned into a real logistical challenge with so many needing their first bath in over a week.
Once again the Islanders , after watching the preparations and process for getting the bath water ready and then getting the bath water refreshed, were eager to pitch in and help. While this process was continuing Michael was also discussing with both Shep's group and his own the need to expand their accommodations in every regard. It was not just a matter of sleeping space and lack of privacy with so many people crammed into four houses. The logistics of sanitation, meal preparation, and dining, not to mention producing enough food had all suddenly become major issues. Michael was also emphasizing to Shep and Yakov the need to avoid a direct confrontation with any aggressive or belligerent outside forces. Until now the strategy had been to stay out of sight, but with the rapidly increasing numbers at the Haven, Michael was questioning how that strategy could be sustained. More people meant they needed more houses. It also meant that with harsher winters ahead they would need more and better shelters for the livestock. Others were throwing in comments about more space for growing food, larger leach fields for sanitation, more storage space for food and animal feed to make it through longer winters. Liam facetiously remarked that they might as well build a new town and post welcoming signs around the perimeter.
Jeff was the one who changed the downward slide of that conversation. “The last thing we need is to mimic the mistakes of the past. We don’t need more people clustered together in towns getting gradually more specialized in their skills until the community is dysfunctionally fragile. We need everyone to be able to handle the basic necessities like a self sufficient family. Sure, some will be more skilled at some things than others, but we can help each other and learn from each other. With a little help from his neighbors and family, a man ought to be able to build a house for his family and feed his family. There is plenty of land around here for everyone without having to crowd anyone. Michael, you and Rose own a lot of the land right around us, but like you said the government rules about property ownership are not an issue any more, at least up here in the hills and mountains.”
Many of the men from the Island were startled and incredulous at this crazy teen mouthing off, but those from the Haven acted like a light was turning on in their heads. Michael started grinning and chuckling. “Some of y’all may think that is a crazy idea, but let me put what Jeff just suggested into perspective for you. Last summer, Jeff was helping the rest of us build two of the cabins (without the basements) that some of you were assigned to for temporary housing. Now while he was doing that He was also secretly building a third house of his own, without help, so he could prove he was old enough and responsible enough to get married. That is his cabin that a lot of you are assigned to for now, so you are his guests right now, along with his parents and his in-laws. When he says a man should be able to build a house for his own family he is speaking from practical, personal experience.”
Tricia’s old Uncle Ilya spoke up next. “I was not there, but my grandmother tells me of the old days before the revolution. Most families have small farms, sometimes very small farms, and live in villages or clusters of small farms. Everyone eats what they grow. People struggle to have enough food because they have to pay taxes, and food is only thing they have to sell. Then new government says no more taxes and no more poverty. Then government says grow this, not that, and things get worse. Next the government takes all food grown and only gives back barely enough to feed families. If there is no government here we can grow enough to eat. We can build homes to live in that belong to us. We don’t need much land. The forest is rich land if we are wise and work hard. That is how God made it for us.”
Shep was nodding his head. “Ilya is right and so is Jeff. We can make this work if we are wise. If we spread out enough and do not clump together the powers that are trying to make a new government will not notice us . The forest to them is wilderness and they are focused on other concerns. We can spread out far enough to not draw attention, but we can stay close enough to help each other when we need to.”
“Most of our people don't know how to build a house. They are willing to work, but they have no experience. Even those who worked the farming on the Island were merely following the directions of Yakov and Tricia. Besides that farming was in open fields, not in a forest full of shadows. I'm fairly certain that growing crops in the forest takes a whole different set of skills, and our people have no experience in that. The learning curve to make that transition has got to be steep and we don't have much time to educate all our people in so many disciplines.”
“Doc, When I came here I had almost no experience in any of this, but I learned by doing and sometimes by making mistakes and re-doing. We have learned a lot in the last two years and the new ones from the Island will have all of us mentoring and helping them. We're not going to send them out into the forest alone to sink or swim. Uncle Ilya is right about the forest and how it was designed. It can provide us with what we need if we keep our minds from getting locked into dependence on old misguided presumptions.”
Yakov spoke to reassure the newcomers, “The people here have learned many things about how to use the forest to provide for their needs. We need to use their knowledge to scout out more areas nearby, away from the roads, where we can build more homes, plant more crops, and raise more livestock. We can make this work if we are smart and use what they have already learned.”
Rob slipped into his accustomed mode of tactical organizing. “Yakov is right about scouting for more sights to build and plant. If we are smart we can start working one or two sites at a time. With this many people working together, we can finish establishing those first sites very quickly and move on to establishing more sites. That will begin relieving the overcrowding more quickly. As for planting crops, by establishing new and more places for growing in stages we will stagger the harvesting time as well so we do not have to halt all other work to harvest a huge crop all at once.”
Soon the enthusiasm and hope began to build. The newcomers had not yet seen much of the Haven area and some were taken in small groups on mini tours to get a crash course in how things had been done so far in this somewhat unfamiliar environment. Work was continuing through the early evening tending to the animals. More of the newcomers were getting their turns at taking baths, and those who had been at the Haven longer began suggesting that everyone turn in early so they could get an early start in the morning. Michael pulled Shep aside to talk privately with him as the crowd was being dispersed to their assigned sleeping areas.
“Shep, we, and I mean all of us here have a lot of work ahead of us. Some of us, like your former soldiers have particular skills that others do not have. I would suggest that we get them teamed with a few of my people. If we can combine their scouting skills and with the skills my people have learned here, I think we can find appropriate new sites more quickly, don't you?”
“Yes, that is a very sound strategy, Michael, I want to thank you again for what you are doing and for your faith in what is ahead for us. There are always uncertainties ahead, but your practical steadfast confidence is very encouraging to everyone.”
The next morning the Islanders seemed to all be helping or at least watching and ready to lend a hand at the chores being performed. There was an urgent effort being put into making more beds. Until new sites were found it did not make sense to start work on new housing for people or animals. They did, however, start planting more seeds in bedding trays that could later be moved to the new locations. Rob was busy gathering information from those long term residents of the Haven about germination and growing periods for different crops, as well as gestation periods, growth rates, and food needs for chickens and goats. There were several teams that were sent out in different directions exploring for suitable sites to begin new house building and planting. It was actually late the next day before all those groups returned.
There was a serious discussion that night about the advantages and disadvantages of several sites they had found. A consensus was finally reached that the first two sites to be started would each be about four miles away. The advantage of that distance was enough separation that anyone stumbling upon one site would still have a hard time finding another related site. The disadvantages were multiple. It meant that until a site was fully established it would take over an hour to get there to work and over an hour to return for those sleeping and eating at the Haven. Carl pointed out that those from the Island had spent over a week already sleeping in the woods on their trip to the Haven, and with the weather warming now, it would not be an unbearable hardship for some of the men to spend a few more night sleeping on the ground.
“Michael,” Liam spoke softly with a real look of concern on his face. “We were talking the other day about being able to get new locations prepared quickly because we have so many people to work on them. If we follow through on that we are effectively going to be splitting our group in half while the major work is being done. The problem I see is that if there is trouble, and by that I mean some kind of danger, then those two halves will most likely be divided along gender lines. That needs to be addressed before we get ourselves in a very bad scenario.”
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Post by texican on May 31, 2019 16:08:47 GMT -6
More people, more needs, more work....
Will be a challenge....
Thanks PBB for the chapter....
Texican....
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Post by pbbrown0 on Aug 14, 2019 17:10:01 GMT -6
So sorry it has been so long since the last update. My new wife has been out of school since my last post until now and we have been rather BUSY!
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Post by pbbrown0 on Aug 14, 2019 17:17:23 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP POST # 97
Michael was up early the next morning helping to get breakfast out for the recently expanded community. It surprised him to see Shep and Marilyn coming through the front door before most of the community arrived. He had met Marilyn only briefly the day before when she had made a point to personally thank him for his generous hospitality. Michael was also aware that she and Shep had been assigned to different cabins for their “quarters”. They wasted no time stepping in with the others to help get breakfast ready.
The sudden influx of people meant that there was not enough space at the tables for everyone to sit for a meal, so they took turns taking their seats and being served by the breakfast crew. As individuals or families finished eating they would get up and make room for others to sit down. The breakfast crew was kept busy serving and clearing dishes, as well as washing the dirty dishes so they could be reused. Once the food was ready for the first wave it took about an hour more before everyone had been served and finished eating. Then then those working the meal had to finish cleaning up and putting things away. Once the kitchen crew for the morning began to disperse to other chores and responsibilities for the day, Shep and Marilyn approached Michael like something was on their minds.
“Michael, Marilyn and I have been talking about the plans for finding more locations to build houses and growing crops for the new comers. We know there have been discussions about a number of issues to consider and how to proceed. Marilyn and I have been having our own discussions and have been pondering this matter. We have come to an agreement together, and we need to talk with you about an important matter on this subject. We have decided we need to talk with you first rather than ...”
Marilyn interrupted Shep with a gentle touch on his arm and spoke in a calm soft voice to Michael. “Michael, Anatoly has a deep respect for you and your position of leadership here at the Haven. You are carrying a great responsibility, and we are committed to following and supporting your decisions. His experience in his military career makes it hard for him to bring our thoughts to you without being concerned that our intentions will be misinterpreted. We want you to consider an alternate strategy to the one you are currently pursuing. Anatoly is concerned that you not perceive this in any way as an attempt to undermine your leadership or to pull others away from the direction you are leading on this point. That is why we want to talk with you privately rather than introducing our thinking in a discussion among the larger group. Can you spare a few minutes to talk with us this morning?”
Michael was perplexed at t the concerns of Shep and Marilyn. In spite of all that he had done, He did not consider himself in a position of authority. He was certainly not trying to protect the perception that he held authority over those at the Haven. “Shep, I am not interested in maintaining a position of authority here. I encourage everyone to share their ideas, and I a merely support those I feel have the most merit. You are welcome to share your ideas at any time.”
“Michael you are a good leader, but you are also very humble. You do not recognize the strength of your leadership and the level of authority that the people here afford to you. That is more important than you realize. The community here is a very diverse group of people, yet they all look to you as the one person guiding the whole community. You lead by example and with wisdom. Their respect and trust in your leadership is what binds this community together. For a time now I have filled that role for the new comers to this community, and I must not do anything to create an unintended division among our people.”
“Shep, and Marilyn, I appreciate your concern for the community. I also respect your choice of humility. You, too, have demonstrated your leadership in many ways. Your humility is a strength rather than a weakness, Shep. Let's take a walk, and we can talk about your ideas.”
It was early morning and the air was still cool. The sun was still behind the trees to the east as Michael turned westward at a leisurely pace. That direction took them on a meandering ascent toward the crest as his companions began to share their thoughts.
“Michael, to be honest, it was Marilyn that first brought this idea to mind. I had been there when the group was discussing the strategies for scattering to keep hidden in the forest. I shared what we talked about with Marilyn when we were studying and praying together. She was actually thrilled to hear Jeff Burleson's hopes about everyone building their own house. She even showed me a scripture stating that would some day come to be. But later she shared with me that she was impressed with a sense that the time is not right yet for us to scatter and spread out. She asked me to consider and ponder on that idea for a time without any more input from her. I did and by the time we came together again I was convinced she had been right.”
“Shep I want to ask you some questions about that. How much was your pondering influenced by your affection for Marilyn?”
Shep was slow to answer Michael, but his response was calm and thoughtful. “Michael, it is true that I have grown fond of Marilyn, but more that that I respect her and the wisdom she shares with me. I have not spoken to her, before now, of my affection for her. Perhaps she sensed it already. That may be a reason she wanted me to consider her idea for a time with little explanation and without discussing it. I suspect she wanted to minimize any affect my personal feelings toward her might have on my consideration of her suggestion. Regardless of these considerations, you, Michael, I am asking you to consider the ideas we are offering.”
“There is much good in what young Jeff says about every man building his own home and living in it. But Marilyn and I do not believe it is yet the right time for that. There is much wisdom in your strategy to remain hidden, but it is not wise to be spread too thin. It there is trouble we will be too far apart to help each other. 'Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their hard work. For if one of them falls, the other can help his partner up. But what will happen to the one who falls with no one to help him up?” Shep paused and glanced at Marilyn then ducked his head a moment before continuing. “...And someone may overpower one alone, but two together can take a stand against him.' Michael, spreading out too far means it takes much longer to build and to work together. Yes, we need to be hidden from those on the outside, but we must be here to help and strengthen each other also. I am concerned that if we spread out enough so that someone might discovery a few of us without finding the rest, it will lead to our community being separated and out of touch with each other. I fear that will weaken our support for each other in our daily efforts. Please consider this, but know Marilyn and I are going to support whatever you decide.”
Michael was quiet for several minutes as they continued to the rock outcrop at the crest of the mountain. “So is this not just about tactics if we are found. Actually it is about putting our other priorities ahead of security tactics. You are recommending that our priorities should be to press for more efficiency in our work to get ready for next winter. Then there is also the importance of keeping our community strong in our support and encouragement for each other. Are you two suggesting that we put both of those priorities ahead of trying to keep our community hidden?”
Shep looked at at Marilyn and then looked out at the hills in the distance before he spoke. “Michael when considering options it is sometimes difficult to choose well. There can be much reasoning to support very different options, with no certainty of the results. Does a leader choose to go with feelings? Does he try to guess probabilities? Does he seek a consensus among those he leads? How does he decide? I believe there is great wisdom in what Marilyn and I suggest to you. Now you must decide how you choose to lead.”
Michael stood gazing across the landscape to the distant hills. Shep and Marilyn waited patiently for him to respond. Michael turned back to Shep and Marilyn. “Okay, you two, just suppose I agree with your … suggestion. If we go back and try to convince the others, there's going to be a load of questions that will be thrown at us. Why the sudden change of strategy? Aren't we worried about being discovered? What about Jeff's idea of everyone building their own house? If we are discovered, we won't have enough warning time to find hiding places or to plan a defense. So, what do we do then? Do we need to just plant much larger garden patches or do we keep the patches small and just scatter them over a wider area to have many more small patches?”
Marilyn spoke first. “Michael, if I'm not mistaken, you have been asking those same questions for several years now. What makes you think the answers you have been getting are no longer good. The way you have been doing things here has worked far better than you originally expected. From what we can see those methods you followed and the faith you exercised by working with those principles have proved to be a godsend for far more people than you ever dreamed you could possibly help. Am I right?”
“Well, I suppose you have a point there, Marilyn.”
“Then there's you answer, Michael.”
Michael looked back and forth from Shep to Marilyn several times, then he started chuckling. “Thank you for being here to help me see the obvious. I know people look to me to lead them, but I'm not that smart. I need help finding the right path just like everyone of us does. Come on. We need to get back to the others. There is plenty to be done while the sun is still shinning.”
That afternoon and the days following saw an extraordinary level of discussions. By the end of the second day there were additional ideas being presented for building more living space. Josh Smith and Joe Rogers engaged in some brainstorming about the pros and cons of the idea of keeping the dwellings closer together. One thing that kept bothering them was the need to cut more trees close together in order to clear space for more houses on the side of the mountain. Another problem they saw was finding enough places nearby that were nearly level for more cabins. Jacob, Pete, and Doug had been drawn into their conversation and reminded them of the concerns about the weather getting colder and the advantages of a basement for additional living space if the weather was going to be colder. Eventually their discussions meandered around to the idea of digging into the side of a slope for the upper story of the house, and using only enough timber to shore up the excavated dirt and rock. That way they could take advantage of the earth insulation on the main floor. Of course a roof and an outer wall for the side away from the hillside would need to be made out of timber. Still, this approach would take far fewer trees than building a free standing structure out of logs. Furthermore, They would not have to complete the work on a basement before starting work on the main walls. This way they could delay working on a basement or root cellar until after the house was occupied.
When they shared their ideas with the group, there were some who were initially befuddled trying to visualize how the new construction might work. Soon, however these new ideas began to take hold among this now sizable community. It seemed to provide a lift to the spirit of almost everyone that they were going to remain closer together and not scattered so far apart. Two sites were selected to begin work on the first dwellings. Recognizing that they were all going to be learning new construction approaches, it was decided that a cautious approach was needed at first to avoid making too many duplicates of mistakes they might discover in their techniques. It remained challenging to assure enough food would be produced for the next winter while they were building additional living space. The days were filled with hard work for everyone, but the evenings were peacefully refreshing as the families gathered with each other and shared their accomplishments and hopes for what was still ahead.
There were also finding encouragement as the crops were beginning to produce more food. The goat herds were growing in numbers, and those tending the chickens were managing to significantly increase the number of new chickens being hatched. It was also becoming clear that there would be a number of new babies among the community before the year was over. This community was keeping an amazingly positive outlook regarding the future. It was like they were all surrounded by a protective force field shielding them from the troubles and dangers in the world outside of this Haven.
The weather was gradually warming, but the summer turned out cooler than normal. By early August the temperatures still felt more like late spring had felt in previous years. Even on cloudless days there seemed to be a pervasive haze in the sky. Pete and Doug had also made an effort to salvage the windows out of the old vehicles that had been hidden in the forest. It had amounted to quite a collection of glass that they were planning to use in building green houses. Lucy and Cathy had been behind that idea. They had pointed out that a greenhouse would make it possible to continue producing at least some additional food beyond whatever date the natural growing season ended.
Several of the men were putting a little extra time each day into building a greenhouse into the side of a southern slope on the mountain. They carefully placed the limited number of glass panes, including the curved windshields, in the roof and southern wall at angles that faced toward the arc of the sun across the sky to maximize their effectiveness. Outside of the greenhouse the crops seemed to be doing somewhat better than they normally did in August. With the sunlight not being quite as harsh, the plants seemed to grow a bit slower but the leaves were thicker and appeared healthier. The previous August some of the plants had begun looking “tired” by this time of year, but this year they looked like they were in great shape.
In working out the details of their new approach to building their houses, it became very clear that this method required far fewer logs than they had first realized. They were able to use a considerable quantity of rock that was excavated to make the inner walls of the houses. The were also able to build the lower portion of the outer wall, facing away from the mountain, out of the extra stones. The trade off was that in picking sites with a greater slope, the work of digging and removing layers of solid rock presented new challenges. Sometimes they could dig out a layer of cracked or crumbled rock under the top solid layer. Other times they would find a layer of solid rock that seemed to have almost no natural fractures.
When they hit a seemingly solid slab of rock they had to face some serious challenges. In these instances they would first clear the dirt and gravel off the top. Then they would hammer large wooden wedges between the top slab of rock and the next layer down to create a gap between the layers. Next they had to score the top of a rock layer to form break lines. To hammer down on the rock layer to fracture at the break line they would use a log and hoist it up so it was standing on end. Then a team of men would use multiple ropes to raise the log high above the rock layer. By coordinating everyone releasing the ropes in unison the full weight of the log could hammer down like a pile driver on the rock layer causing it to crack along the score lines. With time they became more skilled and efficient in using this technique. Michael observed that he could not have accomplished anything like this when he had been working alone.
By mid-September they had dug out four new homes in the southern face of the mountain. The outer walls, three of which for each house were actually surrounded by earth, had been shored up with rough timbers and lined with the rocks that had been excavated. The outer wall facing south on each of the new dwellings had been built with a combination of rock, clay and timbers. They had made the roofs with only a single slope, similar to the slope of the hillside, rather than using the more customary gabled roof pitched to two opposite sides. In the fourth house they had actually dug deeper beneath a thick solid rock layer and left this upper layer of solid rock as a ceiling with timbers providing support. In this instance the roof was little more than an awning for the front porch of the house. Much of the earth that was excavated for these dwellings was used to build berms on the uphill side of the houses to deflect runoff away from the structures.
When the houses were mostly finished, they began working out the redistribution of families and individuals so the houses could be partitioned in a suitable manner. Jacob and Jeff had designed clay pipe venting for the living spaces. These utilized the ground temperatures, the outside air, and the heat from the clay and rock stoves with a system of adjustable dampers. Their hope was that they could control the air flow to and from the hotter and cooler environments to regulate the temperature in the living areas more efficiently. One unanticipated problem was not realized until the room partitioning was begun. With only one outside wall exposed to the sunlight the rooms that were on the side toward the mountain were exceptionally dark, even at midday.
In the previous log houses they had built windows, without glass, that had been cut into the log walls. A multi-layered shutter and louver arrangement had been used to shut out the winter cold. These louvers could be opened slightly like baffles to allow some light in during the day even in cold weather without making the room too drafty. However, with three of the four walls buried underground in the new houses only the rooms on the south wall of the new dwellings could get any sunlight. It wasn't perfect, but a partial solution was devised. They arranged the partitioning walls so they were not squared off with the south wall of the structure. The rooms toward the back of the structure were provide with narrow corridors to common rooms on the south side so sunlight could be deflected from the front windows by the angular walls while still providing a small degree of privacy.
Those who had been at the Haven for some time had grown accustomed to winters being darker when working inside and having limited light provided by the fireplaces after sundown. Without cattle or hogs to provide fat for oil lamps or tallow for candles the community had become very frugal about the use of lamps. The few candles that had been made from beeswax were considered precious commodities. This had probably influenced the practice of everyone gathering in a common room with a fireplace in the evening before retiring for the night. By the time the new houses were completely closed in the weather was beginning to cool. Michael found himself feeling grateful for the ideas that had been developed by the community for building the newer houses mostly underground.
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Post by texican on Aug 14, 2019 17:19:26 GMT -6
So sorry it has been so long since the last update. My new wife has been out of school since my last post until now and we have been rather BUSY! PBB, You and the new wife is out of school since your last post and y'all have been rather BUSY.... You do know that our imaginations are working overtime on this news.... Enjoy your time being BUSY off.... Texican....
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Post by texican on Aug 14, 2019 17:34:28 GMT -6
PBB,
The group working together improves ideas and results....
Thanks for the chapter....
Texican....
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Post by kaijafon on Aug 14, 2019 18:22:31 GMT -6
So sorry it has been so long since the last update. My new wife has been out of school since my last post until now and we have been rather BUSY! PBB, You and the new wife is out of school since your last post and y'all have been rather BUSY.... You do know that our imaginations are working overtime on this news.... Enjoy your time being BUSY off.... Texican.... no matter what your "imagination" is working on....you won't do facts justice
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Post by texican on Aug 14, 2019 18:28:54 GMT -6
PBB, You and the new wife is out of school since your last post and y'all have been rather BUSY.... You do know that our imaginations are working overtime on this news.... Enjoy your time being BUSY off.... Texican.... no matter what your "imagination" is working on....you won't do facts justice K, Us old guys do have a lively "imagination" don't you know.... Texican....
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Post by 9idrr on Aug 14, 2019 20:12:33 GMT -6
So sorry it has been so long since the last update. My new wife has been out of school since my last post until now and we have been rather BUSY! You do know, sir, that if'n you weren't busy with a sweet young thang like that around, we'd be kinda wonderin' why not? Actually, it sounds as though you two are doin' right nicely. We humble peasants shall patiently await what crumbs you do throw our way, and hope that we are worthy of the fine prose with which you choose to provide us.
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Post by kaijafon on Aug 25, 2019 11:47:17 GMT -6
So sorry it has been so long since the last update. My new wife has been out of school since my last post until now and we have been rather BUSY! You do know, sir, that if'n you weren't busy with a sweet young thang like that around, we'd be kinda wonderin' why not? Actually, it sounds as though you two are doin' right nicely. We humble peasants shall patiently await what crumbs you do throw our way, and hope that we are worthy of the fine prose with which you choose to provide us. we be doin' right nice!
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Post by texican on Aug 25, 2019 12:51:17 GMT -6
You do know, sir, that if'n you weren't busy with a sweet young thang like that around, we'd be kinda wonderin' why not? Actually, it sounds as though you two are doin' right nicely. We humble peasants shall patiently await what crumbs you do throw our way, and hope that we are worthy of the fine prose with which you choose to provide us. we be doin' right nice! K, Please let PBB rest a little since he is getting a little older and needs to recoup his strength so he can write some moar.... Notice, I didn't put in any I'm a guy leading comments.... Being nice generally gets more from the female side of the world.... Hard to score points by using snide remarks which may bolster your ego a little but does not get you what you desire.... Been there and done that and did not win the prize even after nearly 42 years of marriage you learn to play nice most of the time, but the male ego can interfere.... The Moar Hounds are starving out here and we really need another feeding since it has been months and months but seems like years since the last feeding or was it just weeks and weeks for we are so weak that the memories meld into each other.... Please with sugar for another chapter....
Texican....
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Post by 9idrr on Aug 25, 2019 20:30:27 GMT -6
Texican- listen here, boy, if'n you think you can out-beg me, son, you must be outa your cotton-pickin' mind. Don't make this a challenge 'cause I can out-snivel you any day of the week. Why, the very idea that some young whippersnapper thinks he can whine like a pro...
K- please hear my entreaties and deign to convince your dearly betrothed to honor us with even a few sentences of his wondrous pearls of wisdom.
That, T, is how a Whiner, First Class goes about suckin' up to such a fine individual as PBB and his beautiful bride.
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Post by papaof2 on Aug 25, 2019 20:52:42 GMT -6
Maybe Whiner, Second Class, unless you classify that by age and gender. For generic, unclassed whining, the little girl twisting her hands together and batting her eyelashes while saying "Bu-ut Daaddee..." has you beat. That competition would have you taking a spear to an artillery fight.
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Post by texican on Aug 31, 2019 0:47:55 GMT -6
Texican- listen here, boy, if'n you think you can out-beg me, son, you must be outa your cotton-pickin' mind. Don't make this a challenge 'cause I can out-snivel you any day of the week. Why, the very idea that some young whippersnapper thinks he can whine like a pro... K- please hear my entreaties and deign to convince your dearly betrothed to honor us with even a few sentences of his wondrous pearls of wisdom. That, T, is how a Whiner, First Class goes about suckin' up to such a fine individual as PBB and his beautiful bride. Maybe Whiner, Second Class, unless you classify that by age and gender. For generic, unclassed whining, the little girl twisting her hands together and batting her eyelashes while saying "Bu-ut Daaddee..." has you beat. That competition would have you taking a spear to an artillery fight. K, Us mere men can not complete with you for PPB's time, please have pity and persuade PPB with your talents to at least post a short chapter.... Please.... Texican....
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Post by kaijafon on Sept 14, 2019 15:56:44 GMT -6
I'll have a chat with him about it all. He worked hard today putting up a shed.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Sept 29, 2019 19:45:41 GMT -6
Out of the Stump Post # 98
The harvest that fall, actually the harvest through the summer and into the fall, was better than expected, in spite of the cooler weather. Cathy and Lucy had been telling the others that the way they were planting, mulching, and composting would eventually pay off. Over the last few years with all of the cabin building, building sheds for the goats and chickens, and cutting fire wood they had generated quite a lot of wood chips. Cathy and Lucy had kept the children busy gathering and raking them together to use for mulch. The children had been taught to carefully lift the young strawberries, melons, squash, pumpkins, and such off the ground and support them with a cushion of wood chips. They also scattered wood chips and forest leaves on top of any compost they spread around their crop spots, berry bushes, and fruit trees. This served to conserve the moisture even during dry spells and kept the micro-ecosystems active. Hence the soil became rich with nutrients for the plants. around the plants. Now they were literally reaping the results. It had taken a lot of work over several years, but the many scattered patches where the food crops were being planted had begun to adapt and morph into new mini biomes or organic communities with a rich balance of interdependent and mutually sustaining microbes, bugs, worms, fungi, and food crops.
Michael's early efforts to seed some berry bushes and fruit tree saplings were also showing results forming a productive under-story within the forest environment. Those who had worked on meal preparations over the last couple of years had been very careful to extract and save seeds from certain fruits and vegetables they served. These seeds, along with those collected from many of the annual plants being grown for food, formed the basis for fresh seedlings and planting every year. With the influx of new members in the community their practice of guerrilla planting, that is planting in many small patches among the native vegetation, was expanded even more than it had been in previous years. Some of the newer folks were recruited to intensify the seed gathering process in the fall as the bulk of the work on the new dwellings was being completed.
Steve had also been organizing and conducting, once again, training sessions for the newcomers, including the youngsters, to teach them about native plants that could be used for food. Many were astounded as the number of common plants in the forest like wild onions, wild garlic, sheep sorrel, cattails, nettles, dandelion roots, wild strawberries, mushrooms, pawpaws, native nuts and berries, and many more that could be gathered to supplement their food supplies. Even while they were getting people settled into the space in the newly built houses, they realized they were going to need more root cellars to store all the food they were gathering for the winter. At the first sign of the weather starting to cool down from the not so hot summer, a decision was made to stop gathering eggs for food so they could allow more chicks to hatch. They wanted the chicks to have time to grow before the weather turned cold. Some of the plants Steve had pointed out were not exactly dinner favorites among the community. However, the chickens and goats were not so picky, so they gathered them anyway to store for winter feed for their animals.
So many pragmatic decisions were being made, Michael could barely keep aware of all the adjustments and measures that were taking place to prepare for the coming winter. It was a relief to him that people were getting comfortable with making more practical choices within small groups that were working together. They no longer felt they had to get his approval for every approach and strategy. It had become impractical to bring every subject or issue to the attention of the entire community for discussion, unless the issue was a major problem and the proper solution was in doubt. Without Michael even being informed there were several new outhouses being built. When he noticed them he had to ask how they were handling the issue of waste disposal. He had not seen any clay piping or trenching being provided. It was explained to him that one of the newcomers had led the way with the design and plans for composting toilets. It took just a bit of re-educating for Michael and the rest of the community, but the whole concept made sense. With the sudden doubling of the size of the community, their sanitation challenge had also doubled. The old approach would have required so much infrastructure preparation work that the work might not get completed before winter weather hit.
Michael was not the only one with growing concerns about the winter they might be facing. The months of August and September had been at least hazy if not actually overcast almost every day. As they got farther into the fall the breezes were stronger than they had remembered, too. In truth, it was the tree tops that seemed to sway in the wind more than they had remembered. The wind closer to the ground was about the same as usual, being broken up by thousands of tree trunks. Still, there was no mistaking that the temperatures were consistently cooler than in previous years. Their first snow fall this year was at the very beginning of October rather than a week or two into November. The second snow fall came only eleven days later. Michael was not the only one reminding himself and others that the harvest had been very good this year and that the seedlings in the new greenhouse were already sprouting. In their quiet moments, however, many of those of the Haven community found themselves praying more fervently than before that the coming winter would be not too harsh.
The temperatures continued a gradual downward trend and by mid-November it appeared that they might have a snow cover for most if not all of the winter this year. Some of the community expressed growing concerns about the severity of the winter they were facing. Several of those from Russia took it upon themselves to reassure the others with tales of their own families and villages surviving much harsher winters with more meager food stores. The underground construction for the newer living quarters was proving to be a wise choice. It was much easier to keep those quarters comfortably warm with less firewood being used. As the winter progressed, they gave more attention to the shelter needs of their animals. They began working to bolster the insulation on the outer walls, roofs, and doorways. It took a diligent effort to keep the floors of these shelters cleaned out and re-supplied with food and water. Fortunately, the efforts to prepare for a harder winter had been prudent and both the people and live stock had adequate shelter and food.
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Post by 9idrr on Sept 29, 2019 20:50:31 GMT -6
Thank you, my good fellow. I'd be surprised if this group wasn't prepared for the eventuality of harsher winters and other seasonal fluctuations.
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Post by texican on Oct 1, 2019 23:24:56 GMT -6
PBB,
Planning pays off....
Thanks for the chapter....
Texican...
ps: Thanks K for the nudging for the chapter....
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Post by pbbrown0 on Nov 30, 2019 19:37:32 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP POST # 99 It was a long winter, but the developing sense of community helped everyone stay cheerful. More attention than before was being given to scheduled education plans for the youngsters. This was not a formalized classroom mode of teaching, however. The adults were putting their heads together about how to make the education of the youngsters seem more natural and immediately relevant to their daily lives. They were also keenly interested in providing the children and teens with the mental tools they would need in this new world in which they found themselves. The winter months were also filled with efforts to find more indoor work that could be done since less time was being spent on cultivating and harvesting crops. There was also considerably more time available since the constructions efforts had been, for the most part, been suspended for the winter. Mohair and hides had been accumulated during the warmer months, and now attention was given to catching up on their clothing and footwear needs. Efforts were also directed toward making beds and other furniture more comfortable. By the end of winter several of the men were were spending time with Jeff working on making additional bows and arrows, realizing that no one, not even the Russians, had brought a stockpile of ammunition to the Haven. They all realized that any hunting that was attempted should be done without gunfire for multiple reasons. The snow cover did not start to thin until early April. By that time the seedlings in the green house were strong, healthy, and plentiful. They had enough seedlings ready so they could readily expand the volume of garden crops over previous years. Rather than scattering them as widely as they had before, they decided to inter mix their crops with seemingly random clumps of various vegetables fairly close together. They had no proof yet, but several of the residents like Cathy, Lucy, and Rose suspected that the plants would flourish and grow better when in closer proximity, rather than when widely scattered. The children were again helping to scout out the spots among the trees that received more sunlight. Some of those places turned out to be where the snow was a bit deeper, because the tree canopy overhead was thinner. An effort was made to clear the snow in those places to take any earlier advantage of the sunshine. Of course they had plenty of compost and natural mulch readily available. As the snow around the plants completely melted and the plants grew taller, the level of mulching around them was gradually increased. As the early starts from the greenhouse were planted outdoors the additional space in the green house was quickly filled with new seed plantings. With head start provided by the greenhouse seedlings, the community was beginning to harvest some fresh vegetables before the first of June. It wasn't long before the vegetable harvest was keeping up with the use of food supplies from the root cellars and canned food in storage. The newcomers to the Haven had been quick to learn the forest farming methods as well as many other “new skills”. If an outsider had found their way to this community by late summer, they would have been hard pressed to pick out who had or had not been living here for over a year. It was late one afternoon in August when Rose went looking for Michael carrying two year old Hope on her hip. She spotted him in a small group of men and young teen aged boys showing them how to debark some trees they had felled and limbed. She quietly eased up behind him and put her arm around his waist. Hope eagerly reached up to her daddy, who lifted her from Rose in a hug and kissed her on her chubby soft cheek.
“You did it, Michael.” Michael looked down questioningly at Rose waiting for her to go on. She took her time saying anything as she smiled up at him. Michael waited patiently a little longer before tipping his head imploring her to complete the thought. “Look around you, Michael. Look at what you have accomplished. Less than five years ago you were trying to survive alone in a makeshift tent here in a tiny niche in the forest. Now, because of you there are well over a hundred people who are safe in comfortable well built homes, and living a happy satisfying lives because of what you have done here. Do you realize it has been a full year since the sentries have seen anyone within two miles of our place. We haven't even gotten to the late harvest and we already have nearly enough food stored to last our whole community through the coming winter. This place has become a real haven for so many more than you ever anticipated. You did it, Michael. You made your dream come true.” “No, Rose. I didn't do this alone. Yes, it was my dream, but everyone here was a part of making this dream come true. You also know that neither I nor we could have made something this good happen without God's help.” “I know that, Michael, but I also know that you listened to Him in your heart, and you followed Him faithfully and diligently, even when it was hard and seemed uncertain. You worked hard to prepare a haven for others. You had the courage to keep going and lead others to keep going in spite of the obstacles and risks. Most of those here were following your lead and trusting in the strength of your faith that you demonstrated, both before they ever arrived and after they came. They had little to go on beyond a hope that seemed unlikely and a prayer that your determination and example would help them succeed. They saw evidence of your strength and only gradually grew to understand where your strength had its source. And by the way, that is not all you did, Michael Green.” Once again Michael waited for Rose to finish. She reached up to give him a kiss, looked at Hope and then winked at her husband. “Our family is still growing, my love”
Thank you, my friends for your support for me as I struggled to tell a story "that did not end". It was largely that unending factor that caused much of the delays in the later part of its telling. It was hard to find a way to end a story that was not going to end.
I have had some additional ideas for more writing on this board, so I will be back with a new story before long.
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Post by kaijafon on Nov 30, 2019 20:01:56 GMT -6
Beautiful my dear husband! I love it! A wonderful ending, now I will nag you about if they had a boy or girl...hahahaha!
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Post by 9idrr on Nov 30, 2019 21:16:03 GMT -6
Thank you for all the years you've put into this one. I'm glad I followed it from the beginning. Thanks are probably due, too, to your blushin' bride for the support she gives you. You two are so good at this that we're expectin' many follow up stories.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 30, 2019 22:36:42 GMT -6
Some fine work. Thanks
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Post by texican on Dec 1, 2019 0:42:07 GMT -6
ppb,
Well done sir....
Texican....
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Dec 1, 2019 19:13:41 GMT -6
Thank you so much for the great story. I am looking forward to your next one.
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