When The Fault Breaks: Life Will Never Be The Same Page 14

  "Allen we will need more men to cut them to be able to keep up with them."

  "Alright Henry go ahead and get as many as you feel you need to do it."

  Allen said, "I think it will take at least twelve to cut them up and haul it into a big pile. Nothing will be burned everything will be used for other purposes."

  Tom went on, "Everyone else, if you are not working on the cave today then just jump in and help wherever you can. We will do this over and over until all the trees in this entire area are down and the area is clear. I want everyone to pay close attention to what is happening around you, I don't want any one hurt."

  Everyone jumped to it. They worked feverishly to get the trees down, cut up, stacked and hauled to the pile. It was an amazing site as tree after tree came crashing down and Henry's team attacked the trees like ants, cutting them up and moving on to the next. Some of them cut branches while others cut the trees into different lengths as needed. Everything was going great; they had cleared most of the area when Allen cried out.

  "MEDIC!!! I need a medic quick."

  Tom had assigned one of the medic teams and had the doctor on scene so they could respond in a flash.

  Karl, one of the medics, was first on the scene, "What happened?"

  "David was cutting a root under too much tension when the root sprang up and hit him in the head."

  "It's okay Allen, I have it now, step back and let me work."

  David was bleeding badly from his forehead and was unconscious. It was a good thing that Susan, one of the doctors was close behind Karl and took over the care. The two of them were able to get the bleeding under control but she had some concern that he was still out.

  Susan did not want to move David, and the medical tent had not yet been erected. The team improvised and set up a tent. They provided a cot on site and a warm sleeping bag to make David as comfortable as possible.

  Karl and Susan kept a close eye on David. It was several hours before he finally woke up and Susan could perform a complete exam. After checking him over completely, Susan determined that David had a very severe concussion. He would need to rest for several days without being moved, but he would eventually recover.

  With David in good hands, the group continued pulling down trees. Everyone was motivated as they wanted to be able to sleep in their cots again. Their first priority was clearing a spot for the barracks tent and they worked long and hard to make it happen. And while Fred's men were working on the fort, Ben and I had started on building our cabins.

  Chapter 12: The X Bar Ranch

  We built our cabin about a mile upstream from the point where we entered the valley. Our chosen site sits on a large plain with several drops between us and the cave. Our plan was to build a cabin for Ben and Beth, and a cabin that Ann and I would share with Sandy and Tammy.

  Ann asked, "So Peter what do have in mind for our home?"

  "I will build a palace for you my dear."

  "I hope not, I want a nice simple house we can be happy in, one that keeps us warm and dry, that's it."

  "I know my sweet, I was just kidding."

  Sandy chimed in, "You know you two are not the only ones that are going to be living in it remember, do we get a say?"

  "Of course you do Sandy, you and Tammy will be there too, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

  Ben snickered and sarcastically said, "You better not, because we all know who is in charge in a house full of women, and that sure as hell is not you Peter."

  "What are you laughing about Ben, you don't even have a house full of women and you're not in charge."

  Ben replied, "Ouch that one hurt," we all laughed at that one.

  "Now you boys stop beating your chests and let's get busy here."

  Bowing and rolling our heads and kicking the dirt with a pathetic pouting face, like a couple of schoolboys, we both said at the same time, "YES DEAR."

  We turned to each other, surprised we did and said the same thing, and high fived each other.

  "All right let's get started on yours first Ben, it will be a lot smaller."

  Beth, of course, jumped right in on that.

  "I want a very simple cabin with just one room for the kitchen and living room, and one for the bedroom. We don't need anything more than that."

  Ann replied, "Well Beth if the last few months are any indication you will be spending most of your time with us and eating with us any way, at least I hope that is still the case."

  "I'm sure you're right Ann, I don't think any of us want it any other way."

  "That goes for all of us Beth, none of us want to change the way things have been, you guys are all the family we have now."

  "We love you guys too Ann."

  Ben started rubbing two fingers together like a violin and humming. That stopped real fast when all the girls gave him that look. If he had a tail, he would have tucked it between his legs as he lumbered off.

  Their cabin has a simple river rock fireplace mortared together with Henry's cement and a couple of the RV windows for light. It has a loft for an extra bedroom with a simple ladder to get up to it. It's a quaint place well laid out and easy to heat. Being so small and simple we had it closed up in a bit more than a week. It also served as a great place to stay while we built ours.

  Ours is a much larger cabin with a post and beam wood frame and river rock exterior to resist fire if attacked. It took us almost a month to close up the structure but we did it before winter hit. It was bare bones inside with a dirt floor but with it closed we could work on the inside all winter.

  "So guys here's the plan, before the ground freezes Ben and I need to dig our well up hill of both the cabins, this ensures the septic system will not contaminate our water."

  Sandy jumped in, "Hey ladies why don't we work on the garden while the men folk work on their projects?"

  Beth replied, "I'm game."

  Ann said, "Count me in too."

  "Great let's get on it."

  We dug the well first and piped it into both cabins so we would have water inside even after winter set in. Then we dug the septic tank and lined the walls with river rock mortared with a modified version of the cement. It took us a week to get the well and septic tank built and for the ladies to do the first tilling on the garden. It was none too soon either because the ground was getting real hard to dig in so we moved inside.

  "Our next task will be to build the fireplaces. We should build yours first Ben because it will be smaller and simple to build, so you have a warm place when you are there. Then we can work on ours, it will be a large double-sided fireplace in the center, with one side in the living room and the other in the kitchen. The dual stack will go all the way up through the roof with heat channels built into the chimney."

  Ben asked, "What are the channels for?"

  "The channels tap off the waste heat that would otherwise be lost as the smoke flows out the chimney. The fireplace will also have channels in the fire bed to feed heat into the bedrooms. The embers will heat the air inside the channels and convective currents will cycle the heat into the bed rooms."

  Sandy replied, "That's all well and good Peter but these RV windows don't hold out much cold. Why don't I start working on shutters while most of you work on the fireplace?"

  Ann replied, "I want to help you Sandy; I get cold so easily."

  "That sounds great Ann, I could use your help."

  The girls made some great tight fitting shutters both inside and out. They could close at night or during storms to limit the heat loss. All the rock around the house and fireplace made for good thermo storage and let off heat well into the evening, so it stayed warm at night even after the fire went out.

  The ranch had a great view of the valley and we were high enough above the stream and set back a bit on the limestone cut bank so we did not have to worry about flooding. Our new home was comfortable and provided a nice place to live.

  We had both cabins closed up with Ben and Beth mostly finished before winter hit
. Our cabin required much more work and took us most of the winter to get the floor built and separate bedrooms made. At least we had the fireplace finished before winter so it was very comfortable to work in.

  Chapter 13: The First Winter

  By late October most of the cabins were built and the cave was buttoned up and fully stocked for the winter. Several cords of wood were stacked close by and the aqueduct was covered and buried to ensure a supply of water. Anybody that had not finished getting their own cabin closed up would be staying in the cave at least until they could close theirs.

  Our little farm was well stocked and had more than enough wood. The wood was stacked in an attached woodshed with its own inside access, so we didn't have to go outside to get it. The root cellar was fully stocked with salted meats, fish and any other food we could get, so we were as ready as we could be. Everyone had done their part to get ready for the coming winter.

  The fort walls were finished and the fort was also well stocked for the winter. They had more than enough wood for heat from the trees they cleared from the site as well as logs recovered from the lower flood terrace that way they were already seasoned. The Command Center walls were up and it would not take long before the roof would be on and ready for use.

  We started to see signs that fall was ending and knew that with winter close behind the valley would be a very different place. When we looked down valley from the ranch we could see the leaves changing, it was an incredible sight.

  The aspens looked like a rainbow of colors and when the wind blew the colors shifted likes waves. We had a short Indian summer that lasted about two weeks and gave everyone a nice reprieve from what we knew was to come. The nice weather also allowed for a small rush of outside construction.

  It was not long after our bit of good weather that the snow started to fall. At first lightly but over the next month it became heavier. Winter had settled in on our little community and many spent a fair amount of time in the cave or working in their homes.

  In the back of the cave a storage room was being carved out of the limestone and would have a thick wall in front to act as a root cellar. This allowed the stores to be reached without going out in the cold or being buried under the snow.

  Ample supplies of deer, elk and other wild game including pheasant had been smoked, dried or salted so we would have plenty of meat when we could not go out. There were a couple ranchers that had captured some of the wild game for breeding to ensure a long-term supply of meat throughout the winter without depleting the wild stock. Every effort was made to finish their barns before winter.

  After winter set in even more game would be processed and placed in the cold storage facilities that had been built for that purpose. That same storage would be used well into the year by cutting blocks of ice from the nearby oxbow lake after it froze. This same technique had been used for centuries before the invention of freezers. Everyone that wanted ice for their freezers did their part in cutting it from lake or ponds.

  The lake had frozen about a month or so into winter and the ice was thick enough to walk on. Several ice-fishing huts were built with runners over the fall. We were able to slide them out on the ice so we could ice fish without freezing.

  The hut we built was big enough for four with a covered access hole in the middle to get to the ice. The seats went all the way around and had a couple of windows with shutters to provide light. It had a small clay and stone fireplace for heat that we could cook the fish on so we could spend the weekend in it to maximize our haul.

  It had a fish cleaning station to clean the fish and bench seats that opened to expose the ice so we could put the fish on ice from the inside. The benches also doubled as beds if we chose to stay longer. I remember a weekend in late December when Fred was hanging out at our cabin. Ben and I were talking with Fred and Tony.

  Tony is a real nice guy from San Antonio Texas but a witty smart ass. He is also as devious as can be, not someone to mess with if you can't take the heat. After living with Tony, his wife Penny can handle anything.

  Tony asked, "Hey guys are you guys up to hitting the ice cabin for an overnight fishing trip?"

  Ben decided he was going to have some fun on Tony's behalf and said, "Hell yea I am always up to fish Tony… but do you think Penny will let you go fishing with us…overnight?"

  We all laughed.

  "Very funny Ben, and I don't need Penny's permission."

  Somehow wives have this incredible selective hearing even when they are on the other side of the room.

  "You don't need my permission for what?" asks Penny as she crossed the room.

  Us guys all looked at each other, shook our heads, smiled and laughed.

  "The guys are going fishing tomorrow and we will be staying overnight in the fish house. Do you mind?"

  "No go fishing, bring us home some good fish mighty hunter."

  Yet again we all laughed, then Ben shook his hand in the air like a whip and made the sound of a whip being cracked. Tony warned, "Ha Ha Ha that's right Ben get your jokes out, but just beware I will get you back."

  Now all of us laughed including Tony and Penny.

  "So Fred what time do you want to head out fishing tomorrow?"

  "Well after breakfast sounds good to me."

  Ben jumped in, "You are welcome to crash in our loft if you like Fred."

  Fred replied, "That sounds great Ben thanks, it will get me out of the fort for a spell."

  Ann spoke up and said, "We will make breakfast for everyone while you all get your gear ready to go. Then Penny you can stay with us girls and we can a have a girl's night here."

  Tammy loved the idea and enthusiastically responded.

  "That sounds like a great idea, I have not had a girl's night in years."

  Ben quipped, "That sounds more like your style Tony you sure you don't want to stay with them." We all laughed… AGAIN.

  "You are dead meat Ben. I WILL get you back for that."

  "Bring it on Tony, bring it on."

  "I have a feeling this is going to be a fun outing."

  Fred replied, "I think you are right Peter."

  Ann spoke up, "It sounds like we are all set then. Maybe we will see you guys, say about seven?"

  Fred responded, "Well Ann I was thinking of getting started by six and out of here by seven. It's a half hour walk to the lake in this snow."

  "SIX! Are you nuts Fred? I was thinking we could get out of here around nine, there is plenty of time to spend on the ice and we can fish the early ones the next morning."

  "I second that Peter."

  "I third it" came Tony.

  "Then nine it is."

  "So then if you are here by seven you will all have enough time to get ready and we girls can get breakfast ready for you."

  Sandy jumped in, "Don't expect to include me in the cooking thing I won't be up until eight, but I'm all for the whole girl's night thing that sounds fun."

  The next morning everyone arrived at our cabin a bit before seven. They all let themselves in, the girls were busy making breakfast except Sandy of course, and she was sleeping in. Fred and Tony were out back with Ben and I was getting the ice fishing gear together.

  The smell of elk bacon cooking on the stove wafted through the air and made us all hungry. We hurried to get everything ready so we could get inside to eat breakfast. The smell must have gotten to Sandy too because she was out by seven thirty following her nose and snitching a piece of bacon.

  After we finished eating we left for our day of fishing and stomped our way through the snow. The trek out was hard because the snow was very deep but it was well worth it. When we reached the fish house the snow had drifted up and blocked the door so we had to dig our way in.

  Chapter 14: The Ice House

  The first thing we did when we got in was to fire up the heater so it would be warm. Then we chipped away the ice for the opening and put that ice in the fish boxes so we could cover the fish with it. It did not take long to make the hole in the
ice and we couldn't wait to drop our lines in. We were all having fun laughing and joking about things when Fred pulled out a quart size mason jar of clear liquid.

  "Hey guys look what I have."

  "Is that what I think it is?" Tony asked.

  Fred answered, "If you think it's moonshine then you would be right."

  Tony exclaimed, "Hell yea now it's time to separate the men from the boys."

  Ben chimed in, "Well that will leave you out Tony."