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Post by 9idrr on Feb 3, 2017 20:56:27 GMT -6
Nice to have a chapter ending with a calm, peaceful scene. Not that I mind a little hook to keep me comin' back.
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Post by ydderf on Feb 4, 2017 9:28:55 GMT -6
By the end of this first winter the number of bandits should be thinned somewhat giving our group time to garden/farm along with a bit more peace of mind. Perhaps a small herd of horses (outwitting hunters in the process) could wander up the mountain to help with the heavy spring work.
Thanks for the update
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Post by kaijafon on Feb 4, 2017 11:03:45 GMT -6
they need some dogs and a cat or two and IMESHO; skill 'lessons' esp for the young: how to track, walk in the woods, set snares, identify and harvest (properly) edibles, make a bow, make a sling, etc.... and etc...
thanks so much for the MOAR! it is really coming along nicely (and I mean that in a purely readable way)
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 4, 2017 18:16:51 GMT -6
Dear readers,
Somehow when I made the last posting (Post # 13), I managed to drop a few paragraphs near the end. Please forgive my omission and reread the last portion after they returned from their frightening expedition into town.
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Post by 9idrr on Feb 4, 2017 18:40:58 GMT -6
Dear readers, Somehow when I made the last posting (Post # 13), I managed to drop a few paragraphs near the end. Please forgive my omission and reread the last portion after they returned from their frightening expedition into town. So many things to deal with that some folks have taken for granted.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 8, 2017 9:06:28 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 14
The latest trip into town had spawned quite a mountain of concern over safety. The issue of safety was no longer a simple formula of : the town is dangerous, the Haven is safe, and there is a large safety zone separating the two. That safety zone had been seriously penetrated, and now there were new questions about where is it possible to be safe, and what will it take to assure that safety. While listening to one of those conversations Jacob spoke as if thinking out loud to himself. “It is like the dark ages after Rome began to fall. When they realized that the Roman armies could not be everywhere at once, bands and clans of marauders popped up and wreaked havoc in scattered and unpredictable places. No one felt safe. In some places people gathered in small communities for common defense rather than staying scattered on individual farms. Isolated families sometimes dug hiding holes, cellars, or even escape tunnels in case the marauders found their homes. Towns posted watchmen to alert the people for defending against raiders. Small towns even took to building stockades around the town for their defenses. It was actually quite a while before feudalism as we think of it was prevalent in western Europe.”
“I was aware that things might very well deteriorate to this point eventually.” Michael was rather somber. “I had wanted to be more self sufficient, so the dangerous areas could be completely avoided. It just came before I could finish getting ready. I also questioned the feasibility of maintaining adequate defenses to fend off a concerted attack.” Michael had thought through an array of possible scenarios. “My hope was to be isolated and unobtrusive enough to reduce the chance of detection. I had given some thought to keeping lookouts, but that requires a commitment of people resources. A person cannot keep watch all night and them work a full day. Even during the daytime, remaining watchful while working on other tasks is a recipe for making a dangerous mistake by having your attention divided. I was concerned, too, about how many lookouts it would take to keep watch in all directions.”
“The best hope I saw was was to reduce the probability of someone accidentally happening by. That is why we are well off any road and even farther off busy roads. Being up on a mountain further reduces the chances of discovery. A sizable group is less likely to travel over the mountain. People are more prone to follow the valleys and passes between mountains. Of course if there are scouts that are searching for an enclave of survivors, and they are reporting back in a well organized manner to a larger group, that raises the risk of being found. So far we have been fortunate in helping each other survive some life threatening dangers. We have some decisions to make, and there are things I think we need to change to protect ourselves and this Haven. From here on we need to make certain we are all on the same page about safety and what we are willing to do about this. Without that we cannot depend on our working well as a team to protect each other.” “Michael?” Lucy's voice was so soft Michael could barely hear it. He raised his fingers just little signaling the others to listen. “This is your land. You built this Haven with your own hands. Even the surrounding land belongs to Rose and the two of you are married, so all of this belongs to the two of you. It may be hard to admit to ourselves, but it doesn't take a genius to see that if it weren't for the two of you, a lot of us would probably not still be alive. The way I see it we are your guests. We need to be willing to follow your lead and do whatever is asked of us to keep this a safe Haven.”
“Lucy is right.” Liam stepped in. “None of us saw this coming, and none of us were in anyway ready for what has happened. Colleen and I had more food than most, but the honest truth is that was only because of our business and not because of our foresight. As far as I am concerned Michael is obviously wiser than all the rest of us, and we all owe him a debt we can't easily repay. He did not owe any of us a thing, but when he saw us in trouble, he stepped up and opened his home, which he had built without anyone's help, to all of us. But he didn't stop there. He took it a step further and shared with all of us all the food and resources he had worked his butt off to prepare for his own survival. He knew quite well that meant he might not have enough for himself and his new bride to survive, but he took that risk just to give the rest of us a better chance. In my book, if Michael says we need to do something to get ready, we would be fools to balk, even if we don't quite understand his thinking.”
“I have to thank you for the compliments, but y'all are being far to too kind and going too far with the praise.” Michael was getting uncomfortable with being put on a pedestal. “Liam, even if you were right about my being the wisest one in the room, which I do not believe for an instant, that would mean I should be wise enough to know I do not have all the answers. I can't even take credit for the idea of this Haven. Without some serious help from someone way above my head, I could never have found this location or have been able to afford it. Even building it was not something I knew how to do. I had a lot of help and that insight was a given to me, not earned, or even merely learned. It was a gift to me, so I could use it help all of you. Each of you has been a gift to this place helping it become what it is. Without all your efforts we would be running out of food already. The last thing any of us need is a petty dictator lording over everyone, giving directions for what everyone else needs to do, so he can take the praise for what everyone has accomplished as a team!”
Rose reached over and put her hand on Michael's arm to calm him. “Michael, you are right, but you are also wrong. We don't need a dictator, or someone to boss us around, but everyone knows for sure that you are the best one to lead this group. Your humility is just one more reason for that. You will take the very best ideas offered regardless of whose ideas they are. You won't get arrogant about what you personally have done for everyone here no matter how big a deal that really is. Yes, you were given some inspiration, but you also acted on that instead of being distracted and misdirected by other things going on around you.”
“I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it seems to me that someone is doing more than just a little bit of watching over this group.” Josh was talking in a calm and contemplative voice. “Has anyone else noticed how easily we decide who is doing what around here without a boss delegating the work? Was it merely and accident that Jeff was exactly where he was when the Brennan family was attacked, or even that Jeff was the one who was nearby and who didn't hesitate? What about the way we found Megan and Melissa? The team was ready to leave. They didn't see any hope in looking further, but they stopped at the last minute just because one person recognized a smell that had only recently become familiar. Did anyone think about how well our actions meshed and everything worked out when those guys attacked us on the road? We didn't even have CB radios to coordinate our response to them, but it was almost like we had practiced as a team and knew how to anticipate how the others in our team were going to move. I am sure that we need to seriously discuss what we can do about security and safety. We can't assume that no trouble will touch us, or that we'll never make any mistakes. I somehow expect, however we will not have too much trouble coming to a consensus about what we as a group need to do if we just stay open to each other and listen.”
The first thing decided was that they should seriously limit trips to the town. With the latest cache of food that had been retrieved, it now looked like they could probably manage until late spring. Lucy asked again about the concerns mentioned before regarding adequate sources of protein in their diet beyond just vegetables. Rose responded that the canning done by the Van Ness family had included jars labeled as cooked chicken and ground beef. There were also sealed jars of dried beef strips. With some care and planning, she thought they could manage their nutrition intake into the early summer with those additions.
Michael raised his concerns about the visibility of the Van Hoosen house from the road. Until the snow stops and is all melted anyone drawn there will clearly see the tracks pointing explorers directly to the Haven. Even without snow on the ground the sleds leave clear enough tracks to be followed by someone who is observant. Anyone finding the Van Hoosen place near the road would also find all those vehicles and know there was a sizable group with sizable resources somewhere nearby.
The group decided on finding a spot somewhere in the forest to hide the bulk of the vehicles. They agreed it needed to be in a place where if discovered it would not point scavengers toward the Haven. Doug also suggested that the person on watch duty should be where they could watch the area surrounding the Van Hoosen house since that was more likely to attract the first attention from the outside, and it was a very large space cleared of trees. He suggested that would give them the best chance of seeing if anyone was getting close with out having to tie up too many people as lookouts.
“That is true. Doug, but it does something else.” Liam had been leaning back listening. Now he leaned forward over the table drawing the group's attention. “If we have someone keeping watch close to the Haven, even if they spot an intruder there would be very little time for us to respond. If we have someone watching farther away, and they can spot someone coming our way, they can hurry back to give us more time to prepare, as long as they get back faster than the intruders. Having a lookout posted at the edge of the forest would also allow them to see farther across the low land, and further increase the time we might have to prepare. That might make a huge difference. Knowing what kind of threat is coming may mean the difference in preparing the right response rather the wrong response. If you only have two minutes to get ready, there are severe limits as to what can be done. If you have fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, or maybe an hour to prepare, you have far more options for creating an advantage. Do you remember hearing about the Cuban Missile Crisis, Doug? Michael may even remember it. It was a really big crisis that came within a razor's edge of starting World War III. It was not a crisis because the U.S.S.R. was suddenly pointing missiles at the U.S. They already had hundreds of missiles aimed at the U.S. The crisis was about the missiles being so close. That created a big problem because we no longer had time to properly respond if they decided to launch an attack. Having a lookout doesn't guarantee we won't be found, but it gives us a better chance of figuring out how to survive if we are found.”
That night Josh took the watch. He was tired like everyone else, but he volunteered saying someone had to take it. Rather than stay close to the house, he wanted to head down the trail toward the Van Hoosen house and scout out places where someone on watch could stay concealed and still see a large area surrounding the farm house. He was conscious of needing to keep watch for possible intruders tonight, but he also wanted to begin mapping out the land between the house and the lodge. That could be very helpful in considering all their options. It had also occurred to him that he could stay warmer moving around, than just finding one perch from which to observe.
Josh was back at the house the next morning in time to pass the watch over to Pete, and then went inside to warm up and grab a bite for breakfast. To an outsider breakfast at the lodge would have looked like chaos. What was really happening was multiple small groups busy at different tasks while working in overlapping spaces. Breakfast was being made by some, eaten by others, and still others were cleaning up all at the same time. Goats milk and eggs were being brought inside, and someone had to put those in the proper places, while those who had been outside in the cold gathering them were putting away their coats and hats. And so it progressed, and all the time there were multiple conversations going at once. Josh was sharing with Doug and Liam his idea of mapping out the area topography so they might better understand their options if they were discovered. He was already sketching out the details he could remember from his surveillance.
Michael stepped over and listened in for a minute and raised another concern. “I have a concern about how we go about keeping watch. There is clearly an advantage, as Liam and Doug explained to having our lookout farther from the lodge. But that creates a special vulnerability for whoever is on watch duty. We each have different experiences and abilities that we can contribute to the group, but taking lookout duty is one responsibility we all need to share as much as possible. Liam, I would feel a lot more comfortable about everyone sharing that responsibility if you could spend some time teaching all of us what you can about being stealthy and effective lookouts. I don't want our lookouts to be spotted when they are out there away from the lodge without back up. I also suspect, Liam, that you have been taught a thing or two about how to watch and listen so someone doesn't manage to sneak past you. If you don't mind, I think we all could stand to learn a few things from you about that.”
Liam never talked about his time in the army, or what he had done during that time. He disliked how some people in the New Sidon area tended to categorize former soldiers in spite of the lip service they gave to being grateful for their service to the country. He wondered what had clued Michael in to his training and past experience. “Sure, Michael. I'll help any way I can. That mapping the Josh is doing will help a lot, too.”
Cathy and Lucy had been putting their heads together and came up with a brilliant idea. They saw how Michael had used the composting piles to moderate the temperature on the north sides of the animal sheds. They also heard Michael's discussion about the heat generated by a compost pile being enough to kill off diseases in the compost. Their idea was to create small seedling sheds where the composting was inside the shed to keep them warm. This would allow the seeds to germinate sooner with out having to keep them inside the lodge. Lucy had shared their ideas with Josh, who then suggested a low roof on each small shed that could be tilted up as well. The lower roof ion a more compact shed would keep the warmth enclosed better, and they could tip it up and prop it in place when the sun was out to help the sprouts grow. That meant they did not need to move the trays in and out of the sheds to let the seedlings get sunshine. It also meant the seedling sheds could be smaller, more like cribs than sheds, since with the tilting roof a person would not need to walk into the shed to reach the plants. Josh and Jacob went to work on that idea with enthusiasm, and little Phillip and Rebecca already had a supply of cords for them to use in lashing the poles together for the tray tables and the roof 'hinges'. Apparently Melissa had seen them working on their cord making a couple of weeks before and had joined in on the effort to build up a supply. They also worked out the sizes for the trays and tables so they could be easily lifted out for periodic turning of the compost.
The group decided that most of the cars needed to be moved to a hiding place in the forest farther west, beyond the old farm house when coming this way out of New Sidon. In the past almost all the traffic from the other direction had been from sightseers returning from a tour through the mountains. The rare villages farther west were even smaller than their New Sidon. Hopefully if the cache of vehicles was found, its position would point the scavengers away from the Haven. It took about a week to get them moved and 'hidden' to everyone's satisfaction. By the time that was done the first seed sheds were completed and the compost piles were started inside. After checking early on a cold morning it was clear than the soil in the seed trays was going to work quite well staying warm enough to begin planting immediately, even though it was early February.
That evening everyone was in a good mood. There was a sense of relief that the vehicles were now hidden and less likely to draw serious attention to their hideaway. It was also encouraging that they would be able to plant their first crops almost two months earlier than they had once expected. Michael was sitting by Rose watching everyone and feeling a sense of hope. Rose was stitching on something, as always, and Michael felt happy that she seemed so content. He looked across the great room and spotted young Jenny sitting near Jeff doing the same thing. That is when he noticed some large cuffs at the bottom of Jeff's trousers and he started chuckling. He had noticed lately that Jeff was out growing his pants with a larger and larger gap at his ankles when he was inside and had his boots off. Jenny was obviously putting her lessons from Rose to productive use. It also looked like someone had wisely advised her to allow for future growth as well. Michael remembered his own growth spurt when he was that age and had grown six inches in a single year.
It occurred to Michael that Jeff was going to need some larger boots very soon, too. As a matter of fact, there was a whole community of children here whose feet were going to be growing for years to come. Leather was going to be needed. The question was whether they would be able to find some cows that were abandoned, deer that could be hunted, or if they would have to rely on goatskin for their leather. Eventually they would also need to make a spinning wheel and a loom as well. It was almost as if he had been transported back to a time when his ancestors had landed on the shores of the New World. Fortunately there were just a few things that had been learned since then. The clock had not been turned back completely. The challenges were more alike now, however, than they had been for a long time.
Michael was not worried, yet, about schooling for the children, and none of the parents had mentioned it, either. The work being done at the Haven was initially novel enough that the children were eager to watch and learn. As the adults were learning new skills and re-learning old skills the children were watching, listening, and asking questions, too. Michael was grateful that Rose had previous exposure to a wide array of knowledge and skills needed on a farm and in a farm kitchen. She seemed to just naturally include the younger and older girls alike in her explanations. She made a point to include the younger girls in the cooking and cleaning by letting them take responsibility for the tasks they could handle. Michael was also being deliberate in helping young Phillip Du Bois, Jesse Smith, Megan, and even Melissa take part in a number of ways when the animals were being tended, and the other chores were being handled. He wanted all of them to learn the practical skills first. He wanted them to learn math and science as as natural components of the real day to day problems they faced, like composting, sanitation, plumbing, cooking and canning, nutrition, and growing crops. Michael regretted not having brought more books to the Haven. Apparently that was a mistake that all of his guests had made as well. Unfortunately their supply of paper and writing tools was also abysmal. The adults needed to be diligent in teaching the children everything they knew that would equip the next generation to survive and thrive.
As Michael sat musing about all that lay ahead, and so many things that need to be addressed, something caught his eye about that stick, Jeff was whittling. Every evening, for the last month it seemed, he had the same long stick that he had been working on. He noticed some odd notches Jeff had carved at each end of the stick. Michael stood up and walked over to sit by Jeff on the bench. “Whatcha working on there, Jeff?”
Jeff paused a moment and said, “I was hoping to make a bow, Mr. Green. I don't know how well it will work, though. I've never made one before.”
“So, do you have some archery experience already, Jeff?”
Jeff seemed almost embarrassed to answer. “No, sir. Not really. I just thought it might be a good idea to learn something about it, though.”
“Okay, Jeff. I think it is important to consider everybody's ideas, so we don't overlook something. Tell me more about what you are thinking.”
Jeff was still working on the stick bow with his knife as he was thinking about his answer. “Mr. Green I have been trying to listen to what everyone talks about for our plans and all. No one seems to really know what happened when the power went off, but after this long it must have been pretty bad. My dad has talked before about the complexity of things and how commercially interdependent everything has become. The thing is, Mr. Green, I am beginning to think you are more right than some of us would like to think about things not getting back to normal for a … really long time. My dad started teaching me to hunt and shoot when I was pretty young. I know, to you I am still pretty young, huh?”
Michael started chuckling. “Jeff, everyone here is pretty young compared to me. Go on with what your were saying. I am interested in what you are thinking here.”
“Okay, so if things are not going back to normal for a long, time, things are going to be dangerous for a long time too. If we need to do some hunting for food, guns are really loud and can be heard for miles. We do not need to be drawing that danger toward us with gunshots. I also remember your talking about the danger of depending on technology that we cannot make ourselves. If it breaks or wears out, then we are suddenly stuck without something we were depending on for survival. I know we have a number of guns for protection, but we only have so many bullets. Have you ever thought about how complicated it is to make bullets that will actually work? Reloading is not that complicated, but that only works if you already have all the pieces that were precision made. We don't have the tools, the machinery, or even the raw materials necessary to make those precision parts. So what happens when we have used up those bullets? What are we going to do if someone comes along and threatens the people we care about, and the guns are useless? I just decided I need to start learning how to make this bow and arrow thing work before that happens.”
Michael sat there for a while not sure what to say. The accepted wisdom among adults that teenagers couldn't see past today certainly did not apply this teen. “Jeff, I am impressed. I think you make some very valid points. You keep working on that, and I'll be checking on your progress. Tell me if you run into any problems and we'll see if we can work it out together.” Now there was one more issue to be addressed for their long term plans.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 10, 2017 14:05:06 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 15
Michael awoke with a start. It was pitch dark and someone was knocking lightly on his bedroom door. He slipped out from under the bed covers trying to not disturb Rose. He threw on his heavy work pants on the way to the door and stepped out. Liam was there and Colleen was standing just behind him out of breath. “What's wrong, Liam?”
“Colleen was on watch tonight. Someone is in the Van Hoosen house.”
Colleen explained that she had not seen anyone enter the house, but she had smelled smoke while watching from the edge of the forest. She slipped up closer to the house and could tell that someone had a small fire going in the fireplace. She did not want to get too close, but whoever was there seemed to be taking care to stay out of sight. She decided it would be better to come back and let the group know rather than find out more by herself.
“I think that was the wisest choice, Colleen. We need to get at least four of us to go back together and see what we can find out. Liam why don't you wake up Doug, then the four of us can go back there. Better wake up Jeff, Beth, and Liz, too, so someone is on alert back here.”
It took less than five minutes for them to get ready and out the door. Their walk down the mountain was brisk, almost a jog. They were all anxious to find out what was going on, but keenly aware of the danger. Someone had found the front gate to the Haven, and now everyone was at risk. They decided the first step was to see how many were in the house and where they were located. Then they would decide what to do next. Each person in their group had brought a rifle with them. They decided to stay out of sight of the windows until they got closer to the house, so they approached from the direction of the garage. They came up behind the garage and came up with a plan to carefully peek inside the windows all around the house and then gather back at the garage.
Michael carefully approached the front and peeked through a window into the front room. The moon was not yet up, but he could see by some wavering light from the fireplace in the adjacent dining room that the entry room was empty. He moved to another window and saw three figures laying on the floor against the wall to either side of the hearth. There was only a small fire going, with several split logs nearby ready to add to the fire. There were apparently three back packs shoved into corners of the room as well. Michael could not see any sign of weapons. He got back with the others and they had not seen anyone else through the other windows. They decided to come in quietly from both the front and back doors. Michael and Liam would come in the front, while Doug and Colleen came in from the back. Doug and Colleen would hang back out of sight until Michael and Liam could find out more about the three intruders.
Michael slipped quietly through the front door and eased into what had been the dinning room in the Van Hoosen house. He and Liam were able to see more clearly now and realized there were two young men and a young lady asleep on the floor. Liam had his gun ready keeping it pointed to the floor, and Michael slung his over his shoulder. He took a step forward, before speaking. “I need the three of you to wake up but move slowly. We need to have a little talk.”
Michael saw their eyes start to open, then suddenly the two guys jumped up with each clutching a pointed stick about three feet long. Even in the dim firelight, Michael noticed the sharpened points had been burnished to harden them. The two young men were crouched in a defensive posture, but he could see a fierceness in their eyes. The young lady had jumped into a corner behind them and had pulled out a folding camp knife. One of the young men practically growled through his clenched teeth. “You two need to back off and clear out, now! Wait! “ He looked at Liam. “Both of you unload your guns first, and don't try anything. We don't have any food so it's not worth your taking any risks trying to rob us. If you try to shoot one of us, the rest of us will get you before you can do anything more. ”
Michael was calm in his response. “Let's try to calm down here. I know you were just waking up when I said it the first time, but what I said was that we need to talk.”
“There is nothing to talk about. We found this place first, and we are not giving it up to anyone. You just move on and find some other place for shelter.”
Michael continued to talk calmly and softly. “Young man, I know you are afraid and not just for yourself. We do not intend to harm any of you, but we need to talk about a few things. This place is not yours. It belongs to my wife. Just because she is not in it does not mean it belongs to whoever walks into it uninvited. Now why don't you take a deep breath and put down your spears so we can ask a few questions.”
“You're not fooling me with those tricks. I just bet you want us to drop our guard and put our weapons down, so you and your friend can get the jump on us. That's not going to happen. There are three of us and only two of you, old man. Do the math. The risk to you is not worth what you might gain in a fight. You're not going to get this place away from us with your clever ploys. If this place was really yours you would have said so instead of making up something stupid about it belonging to your wife, who is obviously not here. What are you going to do now? Have your wife call the sheriff and report someone is trespassing?” He was getting irritatingly cocky and sarcastic.
Liam laid his rifle down and stepped forward holding his open palms forward.. “Look, son, I know the world out there has gotten really dangerous and scary. You are right to be cautious and determined to protect your friends, but you are not thinking very clearly. You are about to make a fool of your self and loose an opportunity to really help your friends. This old man you are trying to mock, is generous to a fault, but don't underestimate his ability to quickly and decisively decide the final outcome of this encounter. The last time a group came into this house uninvited they were all armed with guns and holding a hostage at gun point. That old man you were mocking walked in through the front door in broad daylight without a gun and told them all to to drop their weapons. When they instead pointed their guns at him, He turned them all into wolf bait before they could blink, all by himself. As weak as the three of you are right now, I could walk away and leave you three for him to deal with, and I wouldn't have a second thought for his safety.”
Liam wanted to give them plenty of reason to fear staying on their current path. He had noticed they were looking a bit gaunt so he softened his voice to offer them a chance to choose the carrot rather than the stick. “If your lack of food hasn't already starved your brains too much, I suggest you drop your sarcasm and aggressiveness and rethink this. You should be grateful he came along when he did. That hostage I mentioned is the lady who owns this house, and he rescued her a few weeks after the lights went out. It was after that when they got married and they are living in his home, so he hasn't adjusted to thinking of this as his house yet. Since that incident he has rescued twenty more of us. Right now all of us including men, women, children, even orphans are all in a safe, warm place, and we are all being fed hot, healthy, generous meals three times a day, every day. I think you and your friends could use a decent meal, don't you?”
At that point Colleen stepped in from the doorway to the kitchen at the side of the room where they were standing. The rifle she held in one hand was tipped back over her shoulder pointing away from them. The trio of intruders had to turn away from Michael and Liam to see her when she startled them saying, “Listen to him, people, and be smart about this. I have known about you being here for several hours. I was smart enough to not contact you myself until I had more than enough back up to handle whatever foolishness you might try. As soon as you put those pointed sticks down, we can give you something to eat. I promise none of you will be hurt – unless you do something really, really foolish.”
“Steve?” The young lady was speaking weakly. “I think we need to trust them. Maybe they can help us. We have to get some food soon.” She stepped forward and placed her hand lightly on the back of his shoulder. His tension began to drain out and he handed his spear over to Liam. His other friend handed his spear to Doug who had also stepped forward by now.
Colleen slipped her backpack off her shoulders and retrieved a bar of pemmican and a jar of water. She broke off a bite of pemmican for each of them, and cautioned them to nibble slowly. “If you haven't eaten in a while you need to take it easy with this. It has a lot of calories and protein. Drink plenty of water with it, too, because it will re-hydrate in your stomach. I know you are hungry, but go slow. There is plenty more.”
The three sat down by the fire and shared their best meal in over a week. Colleen joined the men who were huddled in another corner whispering about what to do next. There were questions about trusting these three, adding more mouths to be fed to the group already at the Haven, revealing the Haven location to them, the possibility that they might cause trouble later, and on and on. Colleen was the one who raised another more immediate issue. They looked too weak to make the trek up the mountain in this weather. It might be a couple of days before they were strong enough, even if they were being fed, and the group decided to trust them.
After a few minutes, Michael went with the others back over to the trio and sat down with them on the floor. “My name is Michael. This is Colleen, Liam, and Doug. We don't know you three, but you seem like decent young folks. You also must be pretty resourceful to have survived this long. There are a lot of dangerous things going on all around, and it is probably only going to get more dangerous. We admire your determination to protect each other, so I think you will understand that we have some issues to work through. We have friends and family in another place where we are determined to keep them safe, too. Safe from savage people, but also safe from hunger, weather, disease, and other troubles as well. Right now that is all very challenging but we are making it with a lot of hard work, trust, and cooperation. Don't take offense, but you three would add three more mouths to feed and bodies to squeeze in to my house, which is pretty full already. You would also add some unknown factors about trust and cooperation. We all have to work hard to provide for each other, and we cannot afford to take in someone who is not willing to do their part.”
“Suppose we take you to our safe place, and you decided later you wanted to leave. If you ever told someone else where we are, you would be putting all of us at risk. Steve, when you were trying to get us to leave, you yourself announced that you had nothing worth stealing. You already know there are far too many desperate people who would think nothing of raiding and killing, just to get some of our food. That is why we must keep our location secret. We have to protect our families and friends who are depending on us.”
“Finally there is an issue of your health. You three are weak from your struggle to survive. The temperature is dropping tonight in spite of the cloud cover, so it may start snowing. If we left to take you to our Haven right now in this weather, you might not make it. At best it could weaken you to the point you would be at higher risk of getting sick. If any of you got sick, you would be like a host for the disease, and increase the chances of someone else contracting that disease from you. We can't stay here to take care of you, because others are depending on us back at our home. If we leave you here alone, chances are you may not make it, or that someone else might come along who is not as charitable as we are. By the way, do any of you three feel sick? Do you have a cough, intestinal issues, cuts that might be infected, or anything else like that right now?”
The three young people looked at each other questioningly and shook their heads.
“Okay, so here is the deal. If you decide you want to come with us, you have to remember that you are guests in my home. My house is already full, but we can make a little more space for you if necessary. There are more than six families already living together in my house. We don't exactly run things as the kind of democracy you know from school, nor is it a dictatorship. It is my home, and you would be my invited guests. You will be expected to respect that, and remember that. As long as you do that, we will do what we can to help you.”
“Thank you, Michael. My name is Patricia Bridges, but I go by Tricia.”
“We appreciate your help, Michael, and I'm Rob Stoner.”
“Wait a minute, guys. This part about it not being a democracy and being a guest thing is a bit vague. We're not agreeing to their conditions until I know exactly what we're getting into.” “What you are getting into,” Liam responded calmly, “is a situation where you are letting your inexperience in your role as a leader get in the way of your friends' safety. Michael just explained to you all the reasons it was an unacceptable risk to the people he loves for him to rescue you instead of leaving you to die or worse. In spite of that, all he asked of you in return for him saving you and your friends from certain death was a basic respectful attitude. If you can't see that, then your head must have gotten seriously cross threaded when it was being screwed on to your shoulders.”
“Come on, Steve. It's humble pie time, buddy.” Rob cuffed him on the back with a weak grin.
Steve looked around at the others and then stared at Michael. “I have to be tough, Michael. There are no rules anymore. No more assumptions. Too many people have decided it is okay to lie to you to make it easier to take what they want and leave you with nothing when you let your guard down, then they will kill to make sure you don't take back what was yours at the start. If you trust the wrong people, or let your guard down for a minute someone pays a terrible price. You understand that, right?”
Michael looked into this young man's eyes and saw the pained and frightened determination that was there. When he spoke next it was with a strong yet compassionate voice. “I am sorry, Steve. I do understand. We all saw how you were determined to protect your friends no matter what the cost. The fact that the three of you have survived this long is a tribute to your determination. That's why we are here, Steve, to help if we can. If we can trust each other, it is going to be okay. You don't have to go it alone now.” He held out his hand to Steve who took it and held on a long time. “Here is what we need to do. Colleen and I need to stay here with our new friends. Colleen has already made the trek three times tonight and she needs some rest before she goes again. Doug, Liam, you need to get back and let the rest know what has happened. After sun up, you can get some help bringing a couple of sleds so we can get these youngsters to a safer place. Also bring them some hot food and something warmer to bundle up in.”
Doug and Liam gathered some more fire wood before they left, and they also pulled another jar of water and some of their dried fruit out of their packs to leave behind. Michael stoked up the fire and shut a couple of doors between rooms to hold the heat in better. After the trio had a little more to eat they settled down to get some sleep, and Colleen joined them. Michael kept watch. A couple of hours later the sky was starting to get light, and Michael could see the snow starting to fall. An hour later Michael started waking up his crew to get ready.
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 10, 2017 20:20:25 GMT -6
I like "your head must have gotten seriously cross threaded when it was being screwed on to your shoulders"
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Post by kaijafon on Feb 11, 2017 15:04:05 GMT -6
thanks! I appreciate the moar!
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Post by ydderf on Feb 12, 2017 9:29:57 GMT -6
Thank you I wait with bated breath for more.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 14, 2017 14:46:55 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 16
When the team arrived with three sleds, they hustled into the house with several bundles. The bundles included blankets, jars of food, a pot, bowls, water, and rocks. Liam and Doug placed the rocks in the fireplace and moved them around with sticks while Beth and Liz emptied some jars of chicken and vegetables into the pot. Pete set the pot on top of the rocks while Liam and Doug spread the blankets out over some improvised racks made of sticks that Josh had lashed together. The blanket racks were placed near the fire to warm them before the trek back to the Haven. After a hot meal, the crew started gathering all their supplies, including the hot stones, and bundling them, along with the three young adults, in the warmed blankets on the sleds. In almost no time they were all on their way. With a larger group towing the three sleds, they made good progress and were back at the Haven before mid morning. Michael considered how lucky they were with the timing of the snow. It was coming down heavily now, and their tracks from the farm house would be completely hidden by noon.
Back at the lodge the first order of business was to get these new comers cleaned up. They needed baths and they were given other clothes to wear for after their baths, while their own clothes were being boiled. The newcomers were more than overwhelmed with so many people helping them and providing things, like a warm bath with soap, they had been doing without for months. There were no vacant wings or transepts left in the lodge, so Tricia shared a room with Jenny Brennan. Colleen and Liam had already taken in Megan and Melissa, so Pete and Beth Burleson agreed to accommodate Steve and Rob sharing some space with their son Jeff. Obviously some more beds needed to be built, and another table would be needed in the Great Room to accommodate their growing numbers.
When things started settling down it was late afternoon. Rose came up and took Michael's hand and stood very close to him. “This is why you built all this, isn't it? You knew this was how it would happen. People will be wandering around barely surviving, and they would just need a little help to be able to make it.” She was speaking softly as they stood somewhat apart from the others just outside their own wing at one end of the great room.
“Well, that is the simplified version, but yes, I was pretty sure I had this part right. I still don't know what started all this, but any of a hundred different kinds of events could have started a chain reaction. There were some things I wasn't expecting, though. I guess I was afraid to hope for too much, so I was not exactly expecting anyone as wonderful as you, Rose.” He wrapped his arms around Rose and felt his soul being warmed and lifted inside just by her closeness. That was one of the amazing mysteries of the universe to Michael. How could something as simple as being close to that one special person in his life give him the strength and courage to face a world full of danger, uncertainty, and daunting challenges with a happy heart?
“Michael, you never really told me how old you are. It didn't matter when we decided to get married, because we both obviously love each other, but I am curious. Sometimes the things you do are like a man who must be younger than me, but sometimes when I hear you talk and I see your insights and ... how all that hair on top of your head has slid down to your chin.“ Rose smirked and gave the thick beard on his chin a playful tug, “I wonder just how old you really are. By the way, I am forty-six, so don't you try to make any bad guesses about my age.” Rose took on a mock warning tone about his making guesses.
Michael chuckled at her comment, and took on a playful tone in his response. “Rose, I tried to warn you before I asked you to marry me that I am so much older than you. You are right about the love we have, though, and if the age difference doesn't matter to you, I'd be a fool to complain. Don't worry about my guesses, Rose. I never let myself make any guesses about your age. I only thought about what a beautiful young woman you are, and that is the truth. I suppose I was afraid if I found out you were as young as I suspected, my dreams about us ever being together would be hopelessly dashed. You can't exactly blame me for that, though, since I am a sixty-seven year old baldy. Oh my gosh! Rose, I am old enough to be your father.”
“Michael, I'm trying to be serious. Now quit joking around for just a minute. How old are you, really?”
Michael stepped back and leaned down to look into Rose's face. “Darling, do you remember when I told you my late wife and I had been married over forty years when she died. That was several years before I bought this place from you and John. Don't you remember my talking about that? I really am sixty-seven.”
Rose started stammering. “But … you can't be. I mean … the way you ... The things you can … These younger men here can't even keep up with you, Michael. How can you ...? That means you'll be ...”
Michael was suddenly curious. “What is going on Rose? Why the sudden concern about my age?”
“Michael … I think … I'm expecting ...”
“Expecting … what Rose?”
“A baby, Michael. I think I'm pregnant. I never have been pregnant before and I had thought I was past being able to. I didn't think it was possible. I don't know for sure, but I think I am. ”
“Rose, that's wonderful. I mean that's wonderful beyond words. How far along are you?”
“That's just it Michael. I thought I was past the possibility of getting pregnant. I have no way of knowing exactly when other than sometime after we got married.”
“So what makes you think you are pregnant, Rose? If you're not pregnant I want to know that you are alright. Are you having morning sickness?”
“Well some, but not bad, only it is not just having a little morning sickness that makes me think this is happening. I have talked with Cathy and Lucy. Several things fit, but I didn't want to get my hopes up, only to be disappointed. The truth is I just know. I can't explain it except – I just know. I guess this is one more wonderful thing you weren't expecting, huh, Michael.”
Michael wrapped his arms around Rose and hugged her to his chest. “Dear sweet Rose, you precious lady. Oh, dear God, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Michael bent down and tenderly kissed Rose on her lips. “I'm am not going to mislead you, Rose. I actually – I knew this was coming, but I was afraid to let myself believe it. I was afraid it was just wishful thinking on my part. Don't worry, Rose. Our daughter is going to be fine, and so are you, my love. So are you, sweet Rose.”
Rose was just soaking in the love from Michael as his arms surrounded her. Her mind was swimming through countless thoughts about her having a baby after wanting one for so long. These were certainly not the circumstances in which she had imagined having a baby. She was relieved at Michael's enthusiastic reaction to the news in spite of their current situation. He would make a good father for their child, and that was more important than how old he would be when she was finally grown – “Michael, what did you just say? Did you say you already knew...about our daughter?” Rose had kept her cheek pressed against Michael's chest as she hesitantly questioned him. With so many questions spinning through her head, she needed to feel a sense of security.
“Rose I have talked with you about feeling 'led' about this Haven. I have had this unusually strong sense of how it should be done and where it should be. I've told you how strange it seemed to me when so much of what I envisioned for it was very different and unfamiliar to me. You were just now telling me that you can't be sure you are pregnant, and yet you just know that you are. You have never been pregnant before, so you don't know for sure what that really feels like, yet still you just know it. That is pretty much how I would describe my knowing about this. Even the part about our having a healthy baby girl, and you making it it through this without complications is something I just knew without any proof.”
Rose felt a tear running down her cheek onto Michael's shirt. “Michael, I needed to hear that. I was worrying about all the possible complications at my age. Do... did you have a sense of when I got pregnant? Do you have an idea of how far along I might be? When did you first think you knew this was happening?”
Michael didn't say anything for a while. “Rose, after Thanksgiving, after the big blizzard passed, I tried to get to your house to see about you. I couldn't get through the snow because it was too deep, and I had to turn back. It was really cold and the snow was too deep and powdery. A couple of days later I decided to try again. On the way I fell into a hollow and was buried under the snow. While I was digging myself out I was thinking I needed to turn back and try again another day. Before I got out of that hole I was suddenly emotionally slammed deep inside myself. That is when I realized I was in love with you, really for sure, not holds barred, in love with you. I had to get to you to make sure that you were safe. When I got out of that hole and started struggling toward your house I suddenly knew that we were going to have a daughter and I pictured the two of you together happy and smiling at me. I thought to myself that was a bizarre random thought, since I had not yet had time to even clearly think about our getting married. I thought that idea popping into my head probably came from the adrenaline rush of getting buried in the snow. The thing is no matter how hard I tried later to dismiss that idea and rationalize it away, I never was able to get rid of that expectation. I am afraid that doesn't help much with knowing how far along you are does it?”
“No, Michael, it doesn't tell me anything about when she is due, but I suppose it tells me a lot I didn't know about when she was...conceived.” Rose finally looked up at Michael with an impish grin.
With the arrival of the three young adults and the realization that no one could predict when or if more might come, there was an increased energy within the group. The three young adults were gaining strength daily. Jeff was encouraging Steve and Rob to join him in learning more about the old school carpentry techniques that Michael was teaching him and Mr. Smith. In a short time, with help from Josh, they had three new beds built for the three newcomers. Jenny was eagerly partnering with Tricia to get her new roommate on board with the routines and methods at the Haven as well. Within a week Michael noticed Tricia working one evening on mending or altering some of her clothes, just like Jenny.
Once the new beds were completed and another table and benches were set up in the great room, Jeff was anxious to get started cutting trees to build additional housing, but Michael was firm about waiting until the sap was rising again before cutting those logs. He did concede to their cutting more small trees for building more animal shelters. Everyone agreed the size of the goat herd needed to increase, and that would require more shelter space. The same was true for the chickens, so the men went to work on that. Michael pointed out that those shelters were much simpler to build and were not intended to last as long as log houses for people, so it was not essential to shave the bark off the logs they used there. Jeff was continuing to impress Michael with how his skills using his axe were steadily improving. He was bright, too, asking questions about the construction techniques Michael had used on the lodge. He was particularly interested in how Michael got the logs to fit so tightly together without any filler or packing in the seams. Josh was proving the value of his experience as a handyman, too. He was quickly adapting to using the hand tools to accomplish the same kinds of tasks for which he had used power tools before. Josh had even carved several more wooden mallets to use in hammering the pegs into joints. He was also building a shaving stool so they could shape the wooden pegs more quickly.
Meanwhile the work was proceeding on the water and sanitation system. Jeff had helped his dad and Mr. DuBois shape some molds for the clay troughs by hollowing out some sections of split logs. Each log was hollowed out a bit wider at one end so the finished ceramic piece could nest with its narrower end inside the wider entrance to the following section of the trough. With a little experimenting they found they could could mold the clay into two log halves and then press the two halves together to form a pipe instead of a mere trough like they had originally planned. Jeff also used the shaving bench Josh had built to carve a cylindrical block of wood to use for molding the inside surface of the pipe. This allowed them to get a consistent thickness and diameter for each pipe piece they molded from the clay. They could then place the two hollow log pieces with the wet clay molded inside them into a fire pit sitting on top of rocks. They would periodically wet the outside of the log so it would last longer in this baking process without burning up. They got the timing worked out for baking the clay until it hardened. They could then carefully remove the hardened clay and it would stay rigid while it was fired hotter and longer in a really hot fire pit without the log mold.
Once they got the shaping and firing process down the hardest part became gathering enough clay and mixing it to the right consistency, since the clay they found was not all the same. Steve and Rob took it on themselves to search around probing the dirt to find places where there was clay they could use. Finally Steve remembered something he had read about clay along creek beds and asked Michael where there were streams nearby. They finally found a place where a stream had cut down through a bank and left a number of layers of sediment exposed. There they found a thick layer of very fine pliable clay they could access and they were suddenly in the ceramic business.
The Snow Moon was living up to its historical name. The December and January snow falls had been fairly light, but this February was delivering considerably more snow, even though the temperatures were not as cold. With the warming weather ahead they needed to be more cautious about their watch efforts. The snow trails to the lodge were still an issue, although the trails left by careful scouts were not as obvious as those made by a caravan of loaded sleds. It helped that the snow was more prone to crust over on top during the cycles of daytime thaw and refreezing at night. Hopefully the weather would discourage scavengers until the snows had all melted. The needed to be alert for more scavengers and marauders venturing out when the weather started to warm would be a serious matter, however. They had been lucky so far. No one from their group had been seriously hurt since they first arrived, and the closest they had come to being discovered had been when they were followed leaving the town that one time. As far as they knew no one malicious had gotten as far as finding Rose's house, since late fall, but it was not safe to assume that luck would continue. They were lucky that Steve, Tricia, and Rob who had found the house were not trouble makers. They had even learned that trio had stumbled upon her house coming back toward the more populated areas of the state from a camping trip farther into the wilderness. With the weather warming, more people, including troublemakers, would be out searching for a better places than wherever they had been forced to hunker down when the early blizzard had hit last fall.
Their group had no way of knowing what had been happening “out there” away from the Haven. Michael was not naive. They had all adapted well to their current situation, but some of the people in their group had to be harboring the hope that this was only a temporary solution until things could get back to normal. He knew that without knowing about what had happened on the outside, the cohesiveness of those in the Haven would be challenged. He was the only one in the group who had taken the time to think this through before the crisis. All the rest had simply grabbed onto a lifeline they saw trailing out of a dinghy in the middle of a storm. Once the storm blew itself out, they would be scanning the horizons for any sign of a ship to rescue them to the next level of security. He wondered how many of the group were genuinely expecting the power to be restored sometime in the next year. Did they really think that things would gradually return to normal like a coastal city after a major hurricane?
Michael knew that there would be plenty of work needed to assure the Haven was prepared to accommodate their numbers through even one more year. He was not sure, but he suspected somehow their number was bound to grow before that year was over. That would mean, once again, that they would need that much more food and more housing space. At some point there were other needs like clothing and tools that would need to be addressed. Those could be produced from within the Haven too, but that would require extra work and the right tools. Some in the group were certain to push for sending search parties to find more resources outside the Haven. To Michael that presented a greater safety risk to the group, and it would pull resources away from essential productivity they would need to get ready for the next year. It had taken him a lot of time and thought to wrap his head around the concepts and practicalities of a truly self sustaining approach. Michael could not shake the feeling that there was still much to be learned by the group for this haven to endure what was still ahead.
The whole survival situation was bound to get fiercely competitive at some point. It was unpleasant to think about how many people might not have make it through this winter. It was even more unpleasant to think about why some would make it while others did not. History was replete with accounts of those who survived the hard times, the really hard times, by exploiting the weaknesses of other people. If everyone left was scavenging and no one was producing, it would create a deadly spiral. Michael remembered with a grimace a derisive quip from a former British Prime Minister about “... eventually they run out of other people's money to spend.” Eventually the scavengers will run out of the things other people had worked hard to produce. What would they do then? Scavenging is a slippery slope. People who let themselves slip in to the mindset of scavenging for things they are lacking can too easily become focused on that approach out of habit. That approach is ultimately a dead end paradigm.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 17, 2017 10:50:09 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 17
“Mister Green, we have more shelters than animals to fill them, now, and the sanitation system is almost ready. I don't mind sharing some space with Steve and Rob, right now, but it just makes sense to me that we are eventually going to need more space for people. I've been thinking about some of the things you have been teaching me about the need to let the logs dry before you build with them and the time that takes. There are a lot of things that have to be done before next winter, and having enough houses for everyone is one of those things. Isn't it about time to start cutting trees for more houses?” Jeff was trying to seem thoughtful, but Michael could see his eagerness to get to the more exciting project of actually building a log house. Through the winter Jeff had been carefully examining the joints and seams in the lodge and had often asked questions about exactly how the pieces and segments were constructed. Jeff could not see them, but Michael had explained the system of grooves cut where the logs fit together, and the importance of those grooves to both the drying process and the sealing of the space between the stacked logs. Michael had mentioned before that they had to wait until spring to start cutting the trees. It was getting near the end of March already and there were very few patches of snow left.
“I tell you what, Jeff. We need to wait a little longer on cutting the trees for the houses, but we still have some foundation work that needs to be done. I don't want the houses clustered too tightly, so we will also need to connect the water and sanitation systems to the locations we pick. I know you enjoy the wood cutting, but you need to trust me about when to start. When you see the difference in time and effort it takes to strip off the bark from a log harvested at the right time, you will thank me for making you wait on the logs. Let's work hard to get those sites ready, and the trees will be ready for felling even before the site work is finished. We need to get the others on board with the plans for more housing space, too. Then we can design the houses we are going to build and layout the foundation plans.”
Michael worked with Jeff planning the sites and explaining the foundation work. Jeff was surprisingly eager to learn about the dirt work in spite of his passion for using his axe. He was readily taking on the role of recruiter/cheerleader in garnering support for the work from the older men. Michael had a sense that some of the men were wondering about just how many more houses were needed, but they were following along to avoid being seen as discouraging the common effort. He also noticed that a couple of the men preferred adding finishing refinements to the animal shelters and seedling sheds rather than the intense physical work of digging holes for foundation pillars or trenches for the final legs of the water and sanitation system. As long as everyone was contributing useful work, though, he was not going to force any square pegs into round holes. Michael laughed out loud to no one in particular at the irony of his thinking about that old expression. How many hundreds of square pegs had he carefully trimmed down to the right shape and diameter so he could pound them into the round holes he had augered into the logs when building the main lodge? While Michael was supervising the work, he also noticed Jeff periodically moving from one house site to another to add his efforts and encouragement. It seemed that every day Jeff was the first one out the door after breakfast, stopping in at the lodge at noon only long enough to grabbing a bite to take with him back to the construction locations, and the last one to get back to the lodge at or just after dusk just as everyone was sitting down for the evening meal.
The seedlings from the trays had grown to a substantial size now and should be hearty enough to survive the cooler days still ahead. Getting them in the ground would allow room for more seed planting in the warming sheds. Once in the ground they would still need to be heavily mulched to protect them from the cold at night. Michael was teaching his unconventional crop planting methods to both the adults and the children. Rather than plowing up the vegetation and creating nice orderly rows of bare ground for planting, he was selecting small spots of ground to work compost into the soil by hand. Then they would plant a clump of several seedling plants in that small space, often like the way some native Americans planted the 'Three Sisters' of corn, squash and beans as complementary crops, with a minimal disturbance of surrounding native vegetation. He explained how the conventional planting methods with large expanses of bare dirt allowed the ground to dry out more. That made it more of a struggle for the plants to get the nutrients out of the soil. It even slowed the natural replenishment of the surrounding soil from the natural decay of dead roots and leaves. Without a garden center store where they could go buy more fertilizer every year it was important to take thoughtful care of the soil so it could all stay richer. There was an old adage stuck in his head that said, 'If you will take care of the land, the land will take care of you.' He wanted to keep the woodlands as natural as possible, and this method, while requiring more manual labor, did not require or even accommodate large mechanized farming equipment.
This spot planting method was also less likely to be noticed by scavengers that might wander through the area as evidence of significant food production. These planting could almost be called invisible if compared to the visual impression of well plowed furrows between nice orderly rows of crops found in conventional farming. Another advantage of this approach was the issue of their own goats and wild deer roaming around. With these animals foraging they were less likely to get fixated on the crops with them not being planted in a massive patch of special vegetation treats. Their foraging patterns would lead them to a sense that these vegetation treats were scattered all around rather than available in only one place. These planted crops would be seen by the herds as just one more type of food among many, many food sources.
Michael made a game for the children of finding small patches of light on the ground where the plants could get sunlight within the forest. He had them mark a patch of light with sticks on the forest floor in the morning, check their sticks again just before lunch, and check them one more time in the afternoon. Depending on the angle from the ground to the sky through the gaps in the trees above, some spots got only a brief period of sunlight. Other spots they found were lit up by the sunlight peeking through multiple gaps over the course of the day. Those were the best places to plant their crops.
Michael had been right about needing more animal shelters. The does were showing signs there would be a number of kids born in the next several months. There were issues of herd management that would need to be decided. Until the herds were bigger there would be a delicate balance needed for getting enough meat, getting enough goat's milk, and gathering the fiber and hides that would be needed for clothing and shoes for everyone. They still needed to get their thread spinning and loom work devices set up, and they would need to start tanning hides before long. With the chickens getting outside more and able to get to the sprouting plants and bugs in the warming ground, the egg production was starting to pick up a little. Now that they were more confident of the food supply being adequate, Michael decided he also needed to talk with the cooking crews about skimming some of the fat when they were cooking and saving it for the oil lamps and for making soap. They were going to need to plan more carefully a methodology for separating eggs for hatching from eggs for eating. Even Belle was expecting a litter of pups. That might eventually change the dynamics of their security, a bit. The group had been reluctant to increase the number of members on watch duty, but Michael was concerned about keeping that issue on their minds. Some decisions might need to be unilateral on his part, but he of course would prefer that the group in general understood the need for those decisions. It seemed for Michael that his mind was constantly running through the countless number of issues needing attention even while his body was simultaneously on auto pilot and in overdrive.
One evening when Rose and Michael were retiring earlier than some, Rose could see the fatigue in Michael's face. “Dear, you seem to be more tired lately. Maybe you should start trying to work as hard as everyone else does, instead of being such an elitist as the hardest working person here?” she tried to suppress a grin, but Michael made no such attempt.
“Rose you are such a jewel. I can't imagine how anyone else could make me laugh and feel good about myself, while they are telling me off about my going about things in the wrong way. Darling, I can't stop feeling responsible for protecting and providing for everyone here. I know I can't do it alone, but I feel the responsibility for assuring it all gets done. I know some of them feel a sense of gratitude toward me for starting this place, but I feel responsible for making sure it works. They have come to depend on this place as their safe Haven, and I don't want them to wake up and find it was a misplaced hope.”
“Michael, you have talked to me many times about how you felt led to create this place in the way you did and to stick to the approaches you have used? Then you chose to follow that leading, even when conventional wisdom and convenience was pointing you in different directions. It was only after you followed those unconventional choices that you began to understand the greater wisdom of those more difficult methods, like your rule about no motors. Isn't that right?”
“That really is how it happened, Rose. Sometimes it felt pretty scary going against conventional wisdom. I kept second guessing myself. What if I am missing something, my reasoning has been skewed, wouldn't it be easier using a conventional way, what if I am just wrong and too stubborn to admit I am wrong? Eventually I was relieved about the things I had accomplished, and the second guessing faded away. The problem now is second guessing new choices about what lies ahead for us.”
“Michael, you had to choose to follow where you were being led, or none of this would have been here as a Haven for all of us. If you had not done things in ways that others would have called crazy, none of this would be here, and we would not be able to keep it going. I don't even want to imagine how bad it would have been for all of us without the choices you made on your own without our support. Now that you are leading others, all of us, in what to do and how to do it, we need to choose to follow your lead. Michael, don't you see, you didn't invent a new path. You were just rare in being able to see the right path and in being willing to risk following that path rather than following the crowd. That is what these people need to see. They need to see that you are simply following the right path. Then they need to choose to follow you down that path. For them to see that, you need to stay on the right path. If they want to venture off that path, you have to be steadfast in staying on the path you have chosen. Your steadfastness leading down the right path, and only down the right path, is where both your responsibilities and your strengths lie. You cannot be responsible for the choices they make, especially if they make a wrong choice and it turns out badly.”
“Rose, Darlin', that is exactly what worries me. What if some of them make a wrong choice together that turns out badly and it has a negative impact on the rest of us. For example, what if several of them want to make a number of excursions to hunt for supplies and it impacts our ability to prepare for next winter? What if their choices leave us with inadequate lookouts, and a group of pillagers come upon us unexpectedly? What if their excursions draw attention and lead gangs, or worse, back here.”
“Michael, I trust you, and I am trusting your judgment. So far you haven't let me or anyone else who came here down in any way. Whether you call it inspiration, insight, instinct, or intelligence; whatever it is that helps you see the right choices is working. Just stay with that, whatever it is. If you see some of us headed for a mistake say so and point us in the right direction. If some aren't convinced and decide to go forward on the wrong path in spite of your warning, do what you have to do to protect everyone else and mitigate the risk. I don't believe this place just happened by chance, and I don't believe it was mere chance that you were the one who started the work here.”
“I really appreciate your support, Darlin'. Sometimes the 'path' I see as the right way is a bit unnerving for even me, because it is so far off from what is considered normal and reasonable to most people. I sometimes get really burdened about making absolutely sure I am leading down a wise path because of that.”
“Michael, I remember a line from one of Shakespeare's plays. Hamlet tells his companion, 'There is a Divinity that shapes our ends, Horatio, rough hew them as we do.' Try to remember that, Dear. It isn't all on your shoulders to carry.”
As Rose wrapped her arms around Michael's middle, he looked down on the top of her head. She was so small her head barely came up to his collar bone, but it seemed to him that amazing strength was flowing through her into him and filling his soul. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he thanked God for the precious gift he had been given of this dear lady becoming a part of his life. He prayed for the wisdom and clarity he needed to see the safe path for Rose, for their daughter who was yet to be born, and for all those whose paths were destined to intersect his family at the Haven.
The days were filled with hard work for everyone, and the evenings were spent winding down. Dawn to dusk was the rule, because in the evening the lights were rather dim. Conversations would drift toward possible trips to find more supplies or tools, and then concerns about the safety of those trips and what impact it would have on slowing down the work of preparation at the Haven. A few began raising questions about what the government might be doing about the whole situation. At times the different perspectives among the group on that topic prompted some lively discussions. Michael found himself in the role of encouraging a free exchange of ideas in a 'civilized' rather than a divisive manner. Even so it became clear to him that some in the group were inclined to want someone with more power and resources than they had to fix the problems everyone was facing.
Eventually it became clear that a few were determined to search for the security of the familiar. They wanted to find fuel for their cars that were temporarily hidden. They wanted to find more food stored somewhere, because they could see the reserves at the Haven shrinking everyday. Unlike the grocery stores where someone magically restocked the shelves every night, when food was removed from the shelves in the Haven's food cellar, there was nothing magically replacing it. They might tell themselves that the supplies would be replenished when the crops were finally harvested, but that was a pattern many of them had not actually experienced yet. This left some members of the group feeling an uncertainty and anxiety about their future.
“All I'm saying is that we need to find out what is happening out there. Even if the power outage was wide spread, surely it did not hit the whole country. There has to be a functioning government. They may be overwhelmed with the scope of the problems, but you know they have to be trying to get things re-established.” Jacob was clearly passionate about his confidence in the country and our government. “I know it took days for FEMA to get help to New Orleans after Katrina hit, but remember that whole city had been physically devastated. Many of the paths in and out of it were flooded. It was far worse than just a power outage. Yet the city was rebuilt and they recovered. The government also learned some lessons from that and realized the need for better preparations. This power outage appears to be far more wide spread, so it is taking longer, but our country is too strong to just roll over. People in areas where the power stayed on will be bringing equipment and supplies to help rebuild.”
“I certainly understand your hope that most of the country dodged the bullet on whatever caused the power outage, Jacob.” Michael was reluctant to share his true expectations, since he had no actual proof yet. The old wisdom of 'Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.' seemed a wiser course to Michael at the moment. In his gut Michael felt like whatever had caused the initial trouble was just the beginning. If it had taken this long without improvements in New Sidon, the length of time without recovery was itself becoming a major factor in the prognosis. “I know it took several days before the first relief reached New Orleans, but it did come finally. I believe a lot of that help arrived, and the after affects were limited to the immediate area that was worst hit, because there were people preparing for that kind of disaster for at least a week before it happened. They knew the hurricane was big and they had a pretty good idea where it was going to hit. There were people boarding up, stocking up, and evacuating days before the hurricane hit. Power companies for a thousand miles in every direction from the expected core area of the damage were preparing for outages and lining up extra crews and equipment to be sent in to help the recovery effort before the hurricane ever hit land. Much of the collateral damage was mitigated, because they at least had a clue about what, when, and where there were going to be problems.”
“If I was reading correctly what y'all told me after the power went out, no one in this region had a clear idea what caused the power to fail even after the fact. Either that or someone high up was too embarrassed to tell the public the truth about the failure. The bottom line is that whatever caused the initial problem caught everyone unprepared. That very fact made it harder to fix. Every week that passes before a piece of the system gets fixed allows for more things in the system to break under the strain. Look at New Sidon. The first week without power was tough. Three weeks without power and things got really dangerous. A month later and we could barely recognize our own village.”
The topic stayed in the evening discussions for several weeks. It had begun as discussions about the need to find more tools, food, and other supplies, but it gradually evolved into the idea of finding government help for the general situation. It was becoming clear that Jacob, Tricia, Rebecca, and Rob were determined to make a trip at least to town, and possibly as far as Princeton, the county seat, to get an update on the status of conditions outside the Haven. They were also building up in their own minds the expectation that the government was preparing much needed relief. Privately, Rose had told Michael that Josh was also in agreement about their plan, but his concerns about leaving Lucy alone with their children for several days had kept him from joining in on plans for this expedition.
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Post by ydderf on Feb 17, 2017 11:44:14 GMT -6
Well written. Is it a character fault to need to see with your own eyes? In this day and age of platitudes rather than truths I have a problem believing politicians,bureaucrats,police and other supposed leaders without outside verification from a source I trust. Kind of like the old adage about fishermen-all fishermen are liars except you and me and sometimes I'm not sure about you.
Thanks for the update PPB.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 17, 2017 13:28:58 GMT -6
ydderf, Once upon a time when I was very young and naive I saw the government as something like a 'super parent' that I could always trust, and it would be there to take care of me. I have learned over the years to 'put away childish things'. Too many times in my experience I have seen when the government(s) told the people officially what was happening with some major event or circumstance, then later I learned that it had deceived the people in order to further some agenda of those in positions of power.
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 17, 2017 14:49:07 GMT -6
And the small group will not be satisfied until they go looking for the Nanny state. How will they react if Nanny has died? Protest in the streets?
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Post by frankie on Feb 17, 2017 18:35:09 GMT -6
I love your story & check every day for updates. Thank you for a delightful story.
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Post by kaijafon on Feb 17, 2017 20:23:59 GMT -6
seems their little trip has a very good chance of ending with their deaths or becoming slaves. Will they sell out Haven for "freedom"? which won't come anyways from the slavers?
sigh, I am sad at the possible outcome, of which won't be good!
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 19, 2017 23:35:45 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 18
In spite of the cautions that were raised by others the plans being discussed by this small group were gradually taking on a sense of this being merely a trip to Princeton to gather information about what help the government was providing. They were then planning to to return to to let everyone else know what they had found, so things would likely be looking better very soon. They had agreed to take certain safety precautions, but Michael was not alone in suspecting that they were making concessions primarily to diffuse the objections from the rest of the group. Their plan was to siphon enough gasoline from the various vehicles that were hidden near the Van Hoosen House to assure they had a full tank. That would be enough to get one vehicle to Princeton and back with plenty to spare. Before long they had talked themselves into believing they could make the round trip in one day.
They seemed to be discounting more and more the cautionary concerns of the rest of the community. Eventually everyone gave up on pushing their suggestions for a more cautious approach. The night before they were set to leave, Michael sat silently by the fire after most of his guests had retired for the night. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were taking a much larger risk than they realized and they were going to be sorely disappointed in what they were going to find. It was too much to expect that they could simply trust his judgment rather relying on what they had been taught all their lives that the government would be the ultimate safety net. Jeff was still off to one side whittling on his bow project and Steve Boone slipped over to talk quietly with Michael.
“Michael, I need you to know that I think they are making a big mistake, but I have to go with them. I have tried to talk them out of it, but they are convinced the rest of us are being paranoid. It's like they have blocked out of their memory what Rob and Tricia and I went through. They are convinced the what happened with those guys chasing the group back from town is a thing of the past. They think the government will be stopping that sort of thing. They really want all the other troubles to be only temporary instead of the beginnings of serious changes. Someone that has their eyes open has to go with them or they may not get back. I just didn't want you to misunderstand when I take off with them in the morning. This is going to leave us short handed here, and my going with them doesn't help that, but I have to go.”
“I share your concerns, Steve, and I can appreciate the choice you are making. I just hope things go well for all of you. Don't go unprepared Steve. Have contingency plans. What ever happens, think through what is most important. If there is something you need to take with you, just let me know. I will see y'all off in the morning.” Steve turned to head toward bed, and Michael stood staring into the fireplace.
“Mister Green?” Jeff had stood up and stepped over near the fire. “I understand what Steve is doing. Everyone here is important, but each of us has someone or maybe a very few someones that, well, nothing else would seem to matter if they aren't safe. At the same time we still have to watch out for everyone who is staying. With that group leaving it leaves a bunch of holes in the watch rotation. I know they seem to think they will be back in no time, but I'm not so sure they are right about that. I know people don't see me as an adult yet, but I believe I can do as good as most in taking a watch shift. I know how important it is to take that kind of responsibility seriously.”
Michael turn his head and looked at young Jeff. He seemed to be growing taller day by day. “Jeff, I think under the circumstances it's about time you start calling me Michael. You may not be fully grown, but you are already taller than half the adults here and you work harder than most of them, too. I appreciate your sense of responsibility and recognizing our need to watch out for everyone here. I will put you into the watch rotation, whether or not they get back when they expect to. Right now I think we both need to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be another long day.”
The next morning Michael was outside already when the group was about to head out. As they started down the mountain, Michael was walking along with them. He noticed than most of the group were carrying only light packs, but Steve's back pack was quite full. Once they got out of earshot of the lodge Michael started speaking to them. “I am not going with you on this trip, but I wanted to say some things to you that I did not want to be misconstrued by the rest of our community. I have some serious misgivings about your decision to make this trip, but I also want you to know that I wish you only the best of luck. I want you all to come back safely. I have said this before each of our other ventures when we went looking for things that might help our group, and I will say it again. I believe you will encounter unexpected situations on your trip. Remember to be expecting the unexpected and to keep your heads screwed on straight when that happens. What ever happens, Remember what is most important, think your way through to a good solution, and take care of each other. One more thing; when you return, stop at Rose's old house and wait for us to bring you back to the Haven. Do not come straight to the lodge under any circumstances. We will be watching, and we will know if you are needing help. Wait there until we come for you, even if it takes a while. Do you understand?”
Jacob became a little agitated. “No I don't understand. What is this about? Why would you need to keep someone watching out for us to return, when you know we will be back tonight? Why shouldn't we just come back to the lodge as quickly as we can?”
Steve responded before Michael could explain. “He is just being wise about protecting your own family, Jacob. I wasn't here then, but the last time anyone left Michael and Rose's land, they were being chased and shot at on the way back. What if someone who is more clever than those three savages were decides to follow us back? What if someone notices that we are all strong, healthy, and well fed, and they start to think we must have food that they want to take for themselves? There are plenty of people out there who will have been lucky to still be alive at all after this winter. Do you remember how thin Tricia, Rob, and I were when we first arrived? What if someone, anyone, who notices that difference in us and decides to follow us back to find what we have here that we could thrive through the winter and into the spring. What if instead of foolishly trying to stop us on the road, they are smarter and hang back just far enough that we don't notice them until after we get to the lodge? Do you really want to risk leading someone cunning like that straight to where Cathy and your children are sleeping, Jacob?”
Jacob stopped and began to turn pale. “But surely the chances of that are minuscule. You can't assume that is what will happen.”
“True, but are you willing to risk everyone dear to you on the chance it will not happen? Have you thought about the fact that if, by some slim chance, you are wrong in your expectations, then it will be Michael and the others who will be taking responsibility for protecting your family?”
Jacob looked at Steve and the rest of the group before turning to Michael. “I am sorry, my friend. I was not thinking. You are a good man to be so generous and careful for everyone's safety. You are wise to take precautions. Thank you for all you have done for us, but do not worry. You will see that things will be better soon. We will remember to wait for you at the house until you have verified that we have not been followed.” He offered his hand to Michael before turning to lead the group on down the mountain.
Michael was in a somber mood returning to the lodge. He was concerned about covering for the work that they would have done, had they not gone. He could not deny that they might find important and needed information before their return. He could not shake, however a deep anxiety about their safety. That anxiety, he decided was rooted in their seeming nonchalance about the potential danger they were facing. He hoped he was wrong about what they would find, and he hoped that if he was right, Steve would be able to steer them away from the danger and get them back home safely. As Rose would remind him, that was out of his hands now.
Michael needed to stay focused on what was in his hands now. He had responsibilities, and he had so much to be grateful for. Rose was healthy and there was no doubt now that she was carrying a baby. At their ages, that was a very special miracle to him and Rose, and it was cause for amazement to some of the others. The Haven was not only working, it was bustling and thriving. It was already surpassing Michael's expectations. There was always more to be done, but when he stopped long enough to assess their situation, it was apparent to him that they were on track for being well prepared for the next year. If things could be kept on track, they would probably be able to support a few more people in the Haven if Providence brought them to this place.
When Michael returned to the Lodge he found Pete, Doug, and Liam and took them for a walk. He explained his concerns about the small group's return and what they had agreed to do. He also discussed with them the options for covering the watch duties until their return. They had continued their practice from earlier in the year of focusing their watch on the old Van Hoosen house since that was the most likely route any unexpected visitors venturing off the main road might take. With five dropping off the rotation and one being added, they decided to continue just as before with the watch duties but cycling around a little more quickly than before. If the group returned quickly, there would be very little changed. They would inform each person taking a watch as to the new considerations about the group's return, whenever that happened.
Jeff seemed thrilled about half way through April when when Michael announced it was time to start cutting trees and logs for the extra houses. Michael was actually a little ahead of time on this, but he wanted to allow time to teach the group about the techniques that would make a huge difference in the results they achieved. He knew they all needed to unlearn some bad techniques and almost start from the beginning in their axe cutting skills. Virtually all of their experience had been in cutting firewood, rather than preparing logs for building a home. Buy the time they were ready to be turned loose they would be amazed in their understanding the reasons he had held off on letting them start.
Michael was encouraged to learn that several of them already knew the basics of placing the fall of the tree. As he had expected however effective and efficient cutting with an axe was something they had never really been taught. Most of them had been relying on chainsaws for years. Those devices, while very fast, relied on fuels, lubricants, maintenance repairs, and even replacement parts which they did not have available. Furthermore, the sound from the motor on a chain saw is loud enough to be heard a mile away in the forest. Two man hand saws had become a rarity, and one man hand saws were very difficult to work on medium size trees or larger.
With Michael's tutoring and some practice, they were learning how to fell and buck a tree with greatly improved efficiency using an axe. They were soon gobsmacked also, when Michael taught them about debarking the logs at the end of that first week after felling several trees. On Saturday morning Michael began teaching them on the logs from a tree they cut down at the beginning of the week. It was nearly the end of the day when they had finished with that first tree, and Michael told them they needed to finish all the logs from one more tree before supper. Everyone was exchanging stunned looks thinking supper was going to be very, very late this evening. Michael assigned each of the logs they had bucked from the last tree they had felled on the previous day to one member of the group. Michael moved among them helping to refine their techniques. Where they has been working hard almost all day to complete the first tree from the beginning of the week, they finished debarking all of this last tree's logs in less than an hour.
Michael could not hold back his laughter at their reactions and excitement. As they were walking back to the lodge they could not stop talking about how easy that last tree was compared to the first. It was almost like listening to a bunch of children telling their friends about their new toys they got for Christmas. Finally someone asked Michael why they were so different, and was there anyway to predict which kinds of trees would be easy and which would be hard. His answer was almost too simple. The first tree was barely budding when it was cut, and it had been down for over four days before they started shaving the bark off. The last tree was opening its buds already and had only been down for one day.
“That's it? That's all there is to it? Just wait until they are starting to put on new leaves, and you peel the bark right away?” Jeff was almost beside himself.
“Yup. By the end of next week they will be even easier to debark, if you'll peel them the same day you cut them down.”
The mood at the supper table was more energized, in spite of their fatigue, than it had been on previous nights. Michael was thankful for the improvement. It helped keep their minds off the fact that their group of friends was still not back. Rose had been trying to keep Cathy busy and distracted, but it was obviously wearing on her more and more. Michael was trying not to show his concern, but he knew something was very wrong with them being still not back. It had been almost a week since they left and no sign had been seen of them returning to the Van Hoosen house. He wanted to go out looking for them, to help them get back, but he knew that would likely only make things worse. As hard as it was, the right choice for him was to keep doing the best he could to be prepared for the coming year and to be ready when they finally made it back.
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 20, 2017 0:31:55 GMT -6
An operating vehicle in a desert of fuel-less vehicles? They'd be fortunate if they all made it back on foot. But walking back is much slower than riding out - maybe 2 days walking for each hour riding?
How many workers can they lose and still be a viable group?
Lots to think about.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 20, 2017 13:56:09 GMT -6
You are right about all of that, Papaof2. There is no magic number for a PAW group to make it, but with too few there are not enough people to cover all the bases of keeping things operating and still maintain a semblance of security. Eventually they will also face the issue of who has the knowledge and skills to provide for the wide array of needs when scavenging results in diminishing results and increasing risk. Regarding the sea of fuel-less vehicles, That is a very real consideration. It could have been worse if Michael had not found a location that was off the beaten path at some distance from the more populated areas. Of course, subsequent foolish choices can easily erase previous wise choices. I hope the elements I offer in this story provide a lot for the readers to consider and ponder in addition to providing some entertainment. It would be great to see more discussion on the forum of survival and preparation ideas that the readers find interesting or curious when reading the story. I greatly appreciate the feed back from all the readers about the plot possibilities and the survival considerations. I have not at all finished drafting this story, though I am far ahead of what has been posted. It takes a lot of work, as you well know, Papaof2, to evolve a draft into a real story. Sometimes the feedback shines bit of light on the path ahead in addition to encouraging me. Please give me MOAR feedback.
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Post by kaijafon on Feb 20, 2017 18:50:40 GMT -6
oh I hope they don't bring back danger!!!! thanks for the moar!!! interesting about the trees!
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Post by ydderf on Feb 20, 2017 20:34:27 GMT -6
Many years ago I helped a friend build some smallish (15x15ish) log guest cabins on his hunting lease. He/we built the walls flat on the floor starting with a half log spiked 2x6's to both ends stood the walls up spiked them to the sub floor.Once all four walls were up a wedge cut log was stood upright at each corner round side out then the lag bolting began we were far enough from town the only power tools we had were chainsaws. Once all four walls were up and squared/plumbed then doors and windows were cut out and framed with 2x6 also. The windows (2 per cabin) and doors were store bought. With foundations and sub flooring in place logs cut to length and roof trusses factory built four of us could erect most of a cabin over a three day weekend.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 21, 2017 21:43:56 GMT -6
There are as many ways to build a log cabin as there are people to build them. And the woods are full of opinions about which way is "right" LOL. To me building the log walls is easy peasey. Building the roof trusses from logs and attaching the roof to a non-rectangular cabin is the complicated part. I know from personal experience that I can clean the bark off a Bur Oak log in one hour if I do it the same day it is cut down. If I wait five days before starting, then it will take me one very long day to accomplish the same task.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Feb 26, 2017 2:42:12 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 19
As the next week progressed the mood at the haven worsened. Everyone was working hard, but Rose and Michael could both tell everyone was worried about their friends. No one was talking about it openly, but Michael and Rose were at least mentioning it to each other privately every night.
“Michael, this situation is getting bad. I'm afraid we have to do something about our friends not getting back. It looks to me like everyone here is so worried that they aren't functioning normally. It is like everyone is discouraged and getting depressed. ”
“Rose, I know those five are more than just friends in our group. They are almost like family to all of us, and I want to go help them, but we don't know where they are or why they are not back. If we knew more, we might be able to help them, but I can't afford to lead a rescue mission to who knows where and facing who knows what kind of trouble. That would only increase the risks for everyone else who stays here. I tried to warn them that this would be far more risky than they wanted to admit, and this is a case where I am totally miserable being right. You remember telling me that I had to remain steadfast to the right path. I want to go after them, but please believe me when I tell you that would be a grave mistake for all of us.”
“Michael I understand that would be unwise, and I still hope that somehow they will get back, but in the mean time we need to do something about those of us who are here hoping for their return. Their still being gone is like a giant elephant in the room that no one is willing to talk about. Everyone is twisting themselves in knots to avoid acknowledging the reality of their being in serious trouble. We have to talk about it and acknowledge what we are and are not going to do about it. Otherwise it is going to create an emotional toll that will grow and grow until it erodes and corrodes every thing we are doing here.”
The next morning when everyone was gathering for breakfast, Michael spoke up over the multiple conversations that were going on simultaneously. “I need to say something to all of you, if you would hold what you are doing for just a minute.” Michael waited for the the community to pause and voices to taper off. “Once again Rose helped me to see a problem that I need to address. We have all been worried about our friends – actually our family members that haven't returned when they planned. I am sure that has been on everyone's mind, as it has been a very heavy load on mine. It seems however that we have been working really hard to avoid saying any thing about it. I told you before you came here that we needed to trust and respect each other, and that we need to work together if we were going to make this Haven viable. I still believe that, so I am going to be as open and honest with you as I can be. Our friends and family are in trouble, but there is little we can do about that, because we don't even know where they are and what kind of trouble they are facing.”
“Before they left Steve confided in me that he was going primarily to be someone with them who was focused on keeping them safe. He took some extra precautions with them just in case they ran into unexpected trouble. He is a very resourceful young man. All of them are intelligent and if there is a way to handle what ever troubles have come their way, I am sure they will find it.”
“I haven't talked to y'all much about religion or faith, because that is something very personal for each of us, and I didn't want you to think I am looking for you to match up with my beliefs in order for you to be accepted here. That being said, my faith is very important to me, and that is the real reason this Haven exists. You don't have to believe what I believe, but I do believe there is something, actually someone, bigger than me leading me to create this Haven. Personally, I think there was a wisdom greater than my own that brought this group, including all those present and those of our group who are not present this morning, together here.”
“I make no claims of being able to see the future, I am just trying to understand what my best choices are based on my faith in my God and understanding of what I can see happening both in the past and in the present. Now I am sure everyone has their own notions about prayer, and I don't claim to know everything about that either. A lot of people have tried to explain to me how prayer is supposed to work, including some with Ph.D. degrees in theology, and a lot of people try to just dismiss it. Here is what makes sense to me. I think I need a lot of help when it comes to knowing what to do and choosing the right path, and I also think I need all the help I can get regarding circumstances and situations that are beyond my control and understanding. All of you matter to me. I am going to be honest and open with you about what matters to me, and likewise I am going to listen when you tell me what matters to you. If I acted like what is important to y'all doesn't matter to me, you wouldn't have any reason to give a second thought about what matters to me either. I figure it is best if I am honest and open about my feelings and needs with my God, including the fact that He is important to me even if I don't always understand what He is doing, It just makes sense to me that God is more likely to at least consider what is important to me that way, than if I act like He doesn't matter to me. Y'all don't normally see it, but I do talk to Him privately while I'm going about my work every day. I haven't been trying hide that to mislead anyone about who and what I am, but I realized that is a very important part of who I really am that I was not letting you know about. ”
“So here is the deal. Every morning that I can, I am going over by the fireplace before breakfast and I am going to quietly talk to my God for a minute or two about what is on my heart. While I do that, you can go on about your own business, you can eavesdrop to catch a hint of where my head and heart are, or you can join me. You are welcome to choose what suits you. That is my being honest and open so you can trust me, and I am hoping that just maybe God will think about giving at least a little consideration from time to time to what is on my heart, like my concern for my friends that haven't yet returned.”
Michael went over the the fireplace and closed his eyes. He felt Rose lace her fingers into his on his left hand. He quietly in very simple words gave thanks for the Haven and the people that had come together there. He also gave thanks that they all had enough to eat well and that so far no one had been hurt. He admitted he was worried for the safety of Jacob, Tricia, Rob, Rebecca, and Steve. “God, I really want them to all get back here safely. I want everyone here to be healthy and safe in our home. I want to make good choices to help that happen. I would be really grateful for anything you might do to help with all of that, Jehovah.” Michael took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Rose squeezed his hand and they turned to go back to the kitchen.
Everyone else seemed to have been holding their breath, but gradually climbed out of their reverie as Michael and Rose approached the tables. People went back to getting breakfast on the tables and sitting down to eat. Cathy eased up behind Rose and Michael. She gave them both a hug around their shoulders and whispered thank you, before moving to another seat by her three children. The conversations gradually picked up as the big family was passing food around, expressing their thanks to those who had cooked it, and they began talking about the day ahead.
It had been a month now since their friends had left to gather news, and still they had not returned. Work was continuing with determination everyday, and the group was talking more openly again. No one seemed afraid now to mention any of the five that were missing. They all wanted them to get back soon, there were concerns about what had happened, but there was also a hope that eventually they would return. It was obviously hardest on Cathy, but everyone was involved in helping her manage her children along with her emotions while Jacob was away.
While the trees and logs were being cut and prepared for drying, there were also baby goats being born. Belle also gave birth to five pups and Rose was beginning to show. Liz was working with Cathy to make sure the number of eggs for food was being managed, and that the eggs for hatching were kept separate. Another wave of seed trays had sprouted, and they were being transplanted to the ground, while more seed trays were being planted with seeds.
Colleen and Rose were taking some of the extra eggs allocated for food (at the moment there were five fewer adults eating at the Haven) and canning them for future use. Beth, Rose, and Jenny were trying to make some alterations to clothes where the youngsters, including Jeff, were outgrowing their old clothes. Beth was talking to Doug about how in the near future they were going to need a spinning wheel and loom.
There was also work to do, making cheese, cooking, cleaning, washing laundry, making more furniture, milking some of the Nannies, pumping water for the people and animals, herding the goats to different areas before they over grazed and area, managing the composting, and the list of chores never stopped. Somehow they managed to keep everything working and moving toward their goals. At the end of every day, they were all tired but satisfied in what they had accomplished. The weather was gradually becoming more mild, and there was hope for a more ample and varied food supply soon. The family at the Haven was into a fairly predictable routine of easing down after supper. With the warmer temperatures the fire in the fireplace was kept much smaller and the light in the great room came mostly from candles and oil lamps. Liam, Doug, and Michael were talking with each other about the progress on the log cutting. Jeff, as usual, was off to the side carving or whittling. He was now working on trimming some arrow shafts. Jenny as always sat close, but not too close, to him working on some sewing project and trying to keep Jeff engaged in some light conversation. The men were mostly just resting and talking. The children were mostly entertaining each other, but occasionally a few of them would find an adult's lap to sit on while they leaned into a comforting arm or two. Pete was taking the watch tonight, and Josh, who had just come off the watch, was sitting with Lucy and their two young ones.
“Michael, I've been thinking.” Michael's ears perked up. Liam was usually one to only add insight to what others were discussing. He rarely opened up on a subject unless someone else had already initiated the discussion.
“There were five of our friends who set off just to gather some information, and they ran into some kind of problem that is still keeping them from returning. I haven't at all given up hope that they will find a way to get back here. They are all smart and resourceful, and if there is a way to get back, they will find it. When I look at all that, however, It just tells me that there are some very serious problems out there. I know that we are short handed with them being away, but I think we need to look again at our only watching that one area around the Van Hoosen house. There are a lot of other directions from which people, dangerous or not, could stumble upon the Haven we have here.”
“Liam, we know there is a risk there, but under the circumstances, I'm not sure there is an easy solution.” Pete turned his head slightly toward the others to say more. “We know that seeing the Van Hoosen's house from the road is the most likely place to draw someone's attention, so we certainly need to watch for someone approaching from that direction. Beyond that there is no telling what directions we need to watch. It would not provide much warning if the watch is staying close to the lodge, but the farther out you go from the lodge to keep watch, the less likely it is for the watchmen to be in the right place at the right time to see someone coming toward us, and still have time to forewarn us. If we establish a full perimeter and man it with watchers we won't be ready to survive next winter. There is a risk no matter what we do.”
“This discussion is one we have already had, but Liam is right.” Doug's voice was very calm but intense. “My family was attacked the very night we came here, and we were caught by surprise. We were just fortunate that Jeff was alert and had our backs even before Pete could get there. What Liam is pointing out is that with all of our experiences to consider, our friends had to have been watching for something unexpected and there were five of them watching out for each other. Whatever they ran into was more than simply hostile scavengers. A hostile gang is bad, but if you see them coming you can either get ready or get out of their way. It is the problem you don't see until it is too late that is hardest to handle. We need to be smart about how we keep watch.”
“It is kind of like Michael taught us about using an axe. Focusing on the right angle and exactly the right spot is far more effective and takes far less effort than many of powerful swings that hit around but not on the right spot and in the right way.” No one had thought that Jeff was listening in, and even when they all turned to him after his comment, he still appeared to be focused on his wood carving. Michael could not stop the slight smile that came to his face. “I had not thought of that principle regarding this problem, but Jeff may have something. I think Josh may have been onto something a while back when he was trying to map out some of our surrounding terrain.”
Liam smacked himself on the forehead. “Now we're talking. I can't believe I had not thought of that. This is mountain terrain not an open plain. We need to map out our terrain, and find the most likely natural routes someone would take coming through this area. Unless they are following a clearly marked path it is the terrain and vegetation patterns that will steer them through it. If we identify those we can find the best places for our lookouts. If we are smart we can effectively cover a wide area of approaches with only one more look out.”
Josh agreed to step out of the rotation for watch duty over the next few days and work on mapping out the area surrounding the Haven. That meant a couple of thousand acres of wooded mountainous land that had been in the Van Hoosen family for over two centuries. He wasn't a surveyor and had no instruments, so he wasn't confident of his ability to estimate distances, but it was agreed upon that the general topography, vegetation types, and visual landmarks were the more important details to capture than accurate measurements. When he had finished the group was quite impressed, and not just because of the clarity of his mapping. Both the map markings and his descriptions made it very clear where the most effective look out locations should be.
With the hard times that had fallen on the region, it was unlikely that anyone would be climbing to a peak, just to say they had done that. They would instead be looking for easier routes through the area, or places where something worth finding might be hidden. Both types of objectives would lead them along just a few natural lower troughs between the peaks and ridges. There wasn't a single lookout spot that could cover all of them, because of the tree cover, but there were some 'choke points', as Liam called them, that were close enough together to allow one person to move back and forth in a relatively small area and catch sight of any one coming through several of them. Basically, one area that people were likely to move through was to the southeast toward the Van Hoosen house. The other area was from the north where several small valleys converged between the mountains. To the west the forested peaks were closer together, so someone coming from that direction would be forced to overcome a much steeper approach. Travelers coming from west to east would be naturally channeled to the road coming past the Van Hoosen house that continued east toward New Sidon. If they came that way they would be drawn to the farm house well before they would be in position to turn north toward the Haven. And once again, any travelers from the south would be either naturally channeled toward the Van Hoosen house or diverted well to the west or to the east and thus bypass the Haven.
By the end of the week they had rearranged the watch schedule to have two people on watch at all times. It took a while for everyone to readjust to their new patterns for working together on somewhat smaller teams. The men and women taking a watch would generally still help with the work around the Haven for a few hours before or after their eight hour watch shift. The hard part was having to readjust one's sleep cycle more frequently now. If the watchman spotted someone they would need to make a judgment call as to how long they needed to watch and gather information before hurrying back to the Haven with information. It was assumed that the intruders would be much slower moving through an unfamiliar forest area than the watchman.
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Post by kaijafon on Feb 26, 2017 21:23:24 GMT -6
thank you. an eight hour shift is long. with ten watchers, they could do five hour shifts paired up. the extra hour for overlap and debriefing. two more pairs and you got a day off now and then.
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