The Final Journey, Part Two: A Diary Of Building A New Life p6l2d

The Final Journey, Part Two

A Diary of Building a New Life

Larry D. Horton, PhD

Copyright © 2017 Larry D. Horton, PhD.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.” www.Lockman.org

WestBow Press A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 www.westbowpress.com 1 (866) 928-1240

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer

be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-0066-4 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-9736-0067-1 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-9736-0065-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017913535

WestBow Press rev. date: 9/18/2017

Dedication

To all those who have built or will build a new life out of the ashes of the past. To those who have said, or will say, that they will do all that is possible to make sure that the dangers of life will not defeat or destroy them. To those who grab adversity in their minds, hearts, and hands and refuse to give up hope. To those who have shown or will show us that to give up is to stop living. Thank you. We are so grateful. We promise to never give up hoping and living.

The Survivors

For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant and out of Mt. Zion survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 37:32)

Contents

The Author

Author’s Purpose

Author’s Introduction

Section 1: Reflections

Section 2: Building a New Life: Planning and Preparation: Getting After It

Section 3: Building a New Life: June

Section 4: Building a New Life: July

Section 5: Building a New Life: August

Section 6: Building a New Life: September

Section 7: Reflections!

Author’s Note

Suggested Reading

The Author

Dr. Larry D. Horton, author of The Final Journey: A Diary of Survival, the first book of a trilogy, continues the survival journey of a Christian survivalist couple in The Final Journey, Part Two: A Diary of Building a New Life. Larry has spent his life practicing and sharing common-sense life survival knowledge and skills. As a pastor, missionary, Old Testament professor, historian, cross-cultural scholar, and business executive, he has spent his life studying and experiencing spiritual and professional survival in our increasingly chaotic world. A graduate of Grove City College, Asbury Theological Seminary, and Michigan State University, he lives with his wife, Jude, in Katy, Texas. They have three children, five grandchildren, and of course their four-legged children, Sadie and Sophie.

Author’s Purpose

Dr. Horton, the author of The Final Journey: A Diary of Survival, the first book in his survival trilogy, now shares in The Final Journey, Part Two: A Diary of Building a New Life the day-to-day story of a couple as they begin to build the foundation for their long-term future. He and his wife, Jude, their Christian faith undergirding their commitment to serving a lost world, pray that the message of this second book in the trilogy will help others come to a clearer understanding of what it would mean to live and serve as Christians in a world that could overnight become their new reality.

Author’s Introduction The Final Journey, Part Two: A Diary of Building a New Life

A sequel to The Final Journey: A Diary of Survival, this second fictional diary of the three-part trilogy continues the story of a couple who chooses not to succumb to their uncontrolled world, their fractured society, and the dangers that are now a part of everyday life.

After a 1,500-mile survival journey, a later-in-life couple finds themselves facing the daunting task of building a new life in a world that now resembles the year 1800 rather than the early twenty-first century. Survival is now not just a shortterm task. It is a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly challenge to build a life using their own survival common sense to accomplish nine critical priorities that will be the foundation for their ongoing life journey.

Securing and maintaining livable shelter Protecting themselves from all dangers Building and maintaining the capability to feed themselves and secure a safe water supply Maintaining their health, physical strength, and emotional courage Deepening their spiritual growth and commitment to servanthood Creating sufficient energy Fire for warmth and cooking

Using natural resources without modern methodologies Integrating themselves, when necessary, into safe social and structures that will not be a direct threat to their long-term survival.

What would their new world look like? The daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly challenges they face will transform them even more than their completed initial survival journey. If you found yourself in their shoes, what would you do? Their diary will help you when you possibly face such a world. Will you be up to the challenge?

Nevertheless, in Your great comion You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and comionate God. (Nehemiah 9:31)

Larry D. Horton, PhD February 2017

Reflections

Advice from the Survivors

Our survival bug-out journey is over. There were very few days during that journey that were mundane or boring. The challenges were many. We had to adapt and adjust to events minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day. We always had a deep desire to reach our final goal. It was a desire motivated by our belief that we are walking the path that our Lord, Jesus Christ, has prepared for us. It is a path that will enable us to serve others, helping them build their today world as well as their eternal future.

Now as our long-term survival effort starts, we know that it will be both different and similar to our completed initial journey. Life will take on a new tone. Daily chores will become part of our lives. Specific long-term projects already fill our thoughts and will drive our efforts. Our lives then will begin to have some sense of routine. Planning and preparing for both the mundane daily chores and the challenge of creating a secure future will be critical. Once a plan is in place, each day will take on the challenge of building to that plan. We will prepare to do what is necessary to live as comfortably as possible. We will also prepare to deal with any challenges that may come our way. This diary, recording the building of our new lives, will resemble our initial survival journey diary but be basically different. We must write this diary with the view that even the mundane, the detailed, is critical to understanding what will be involved in building a new future.

At some point in the future, everyone may potentially find himself or herself in a similar situation, a similar world. the purpose of this diary. It is written to help others think through, plan, prepare, and then actually accomplish the things that may be required of them if they are to build a sustainable life in a world that could resemble the nineteenth century rather than the early twentyfirst century. In such a future, survivors cannot afford to fail, either personally or for the sake of those they serve. There will be days filled with boring tasks. There will be days of excitement and challenge. There will be days of danger,

pain, sadness, sorrow, exhaustion, joy, and fulfillment.

We have but one desire and prayer for those who read this diary: choose to survive! Once that decision is made, do everything humanly possible to do just that: survive!

The Survivors Larry, Jude, Sadie, and Sophie Horton December 2016

Welcome to the Year 1800

Between January 21 and May 23, the world had dramatically changed. It only took 123 days for the twenty-first century as we knew it to end. The changes were not finished by a long shot. Everything that people took for granted came to a screeching halt. Domestically, every social, political, financial, and economic structure evaporated. Internationally, governments were going to war to expand their control. Global power structures and alliances were reformed along regional boundaries. Terrorists were fulfilling their long-standing threats to attack targets around the world, seeking to overthrow historical geopolitical power and social structures. Aggression, hatred, and fear, both ethnic and military, had become the ultimate motivator for action by individuals, groups, and nations.

Early on, hot spots had sprung up all over the world. Eastern Europe faced an aggressive Russia. The Middle East was burning to the ground under the bootheels of dictators attempting to exterminate any Western influence. Tribal hatred, in the name of nation building, drew new borders. Existing borders were erased from maps. In Asia and Southeast Asia, China stood on the borders of its neighbors, threatening to take control by force. Vietnam and Taiwan were already feeling China’s wrath. The Korean peninsula had quickly become involved in a full-scale war. Traditional alliances, such as NATO and SEAN, proved powerless to stop the aggression. The United Nations had ceased to be a functioning body, its ignoring calls for discussion and common action around the world. Were we on the cusp of going back into another Dark Age? Some felt that we were. Only the age of time would reveal whether that dark time became the world’s reality again.

The United States was rapidly getting to the point where it was not relevant on the world stage. Shortly after the last election, following some dramatic measures taken by the incoming president and an increasing number of terrorist attacks, life changed for each man, woman, and child. The country could not

respond, as it had done traditionally, to the multiple hot spots around the globe. Other countries, both friend and foe, were ignoring US pleas for calm. Infrastructure across the land lurched to a halt. Production of necessities, such as food, water, power, and fuel, fell victim to fear and attack. Terrorists, both domestic and foreign, started campaigns to disrupt and destroy the country’s ability to control its borders and its population.

Armed conflicts broke out between groups competing for control of necessities and territory. In desperation, the government attempted to restore safety and control but was increasingly incapable of doing so. Average citizens had given up on the government to provide for their needs. Military control of the countryside and cities grew on a weekly basis. The country eventually came under direct attack from outside its borders. When the attack happened, shortly after midnight on April 15, any semblance of normal life in the twenty-first century ended.

Welcome to 1800! Waking up on the morning of April 15, people found that a new normal had been established: no electricity, no mass food production or distribution, no fuel, no water, no communication networks or technologies, no central political and military control, no countrywide economic structure, no national financial institutions, no good investment portfolios, and no useful national currency. Twenty-first century society within the United States ceased to exist instantly when the EMP hit every bit of the technology that drove every facet of daily life in the country.

The country woke up in darkness—a darkness that would now determine every person’s future. Who would succumb to fear and hysteria? Who would try to gain control over remaining resources by fear and intimidation? What structures would replace those that people had depended on? How would we respond, if necessary, to both external and internal threats? Would we still remain a country? And ultimately, who would live, and who would die?

Life will be different in this new reality, this new world. Faced with increasing threats from outside the country, from external and internal terrorists and—even more frightening—from one’s neighbors, can people actually build new lives in an 1800 world? Some will survive. Some will not. The question each person faces is a simple one: “Will I be one of those who choose to survive, and will I have the courage, discipline, strength, and will to do whatever is necessary to do just that: survive?”

Into the Future

The bug-out journey was finished. We had reached our final destination through struggle and persistence. Our journey into the unknown future was now beginning.

The day dawned with the sun coming up over the ridge to the east of our new home. White fluffy clouds slowly moved across the sky. It was going to be a good day. Every muscle in our bodies screamed to stay in our sleeping bags. The physical wear and tear of the past four months instantly told us that we had been through more than we realized.

But this was a new day. The challenges of our survival journey, which started when we bugged out from our home in Houston and ended when we camped above Bear Creek, would not be forgotten easily or quickly. We would use the lessons learned on our cross-country journey as we now started on a new life path of building a stable life in one location. We had prepared for the crosscountry challenges. We had been blessed to travel much farther than we could have imagined in our truck. Traveling on foot for 375 miles had worn us down as we slowly progressed across Ohio and through western Pennsylvania. But we had endured. We had been able to accomplish our six critical survival tasks: secure effective shelter; protect ourselves from all threats and dangers; secure safe, drinkable water; create fire for warmth, cooking, and security; provide food for our nourishment and strength; and communicate when possible.

We face a lifelong journey of long-term survival. We will have to become selfsufficient in ways that were not required of us previously. It will be a struggle. It will not be easy. We will have to unlearn our previous dependencies on modern technology and tools. We will have to gain new knowledge, learn new skills, and experience frustrations and successes that were not part of our lives. We will

suffer in new ways. We will have simple joys that we forgot long ago. We will experience pain and sadness.

Will we be successful? Only the future holds the answer to that question—a future we will create together.

In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

A New Home

About 1:00 PM on May 23, we came around a point on the ridge we were following and saw Bear Creek several hundred yards below us. Caution was important. Even though we wanted to hurry down off the ridge, we took our sweet time angling downhill, until at last we came to a nice grove of pine trees about a hundred feet above the creek. It looked like a good spot to set up temporary camp, until we were able to find the rumored farmstead in these wonderful woods.

Our lean-to camp was quickly set up. The others settled in as best they could, while I went to explore a bit.

First I headed north along the creek. It was about ten feet wide where we had found it. As I walked north, it slowly started to narrow. I saw some critter sign. A couple places were probably used as watering holes by everything in the neighborhood. Within thirty minutes the creek, going uphill, had shrunk to just a couple feet wide. I figured it led to a dead end, and the abandoned buildings were not likely in this direction. I turned around and backtracked, doing my best to be quiet when ing our little camp. I didn’t want the dogs to get excited again. It looked like everyone was resting, so I kept going. The creek went around a small ridge that stuck out from the hill we were camped on about onehalf mile downstream. I could see the outline of something that wasn’t a tree another hundred yards on. Was this it?

I slowed down and approached very carefully. This was the jackpot, if you could call it that. Obviously, at some point in the past, quite an area had been cleared. The years had overgrown all that work. What I saw was a small log cabin with several small outbuildings. Those smaller buildings had more or less collapsed in on themselves. But the cabin didn’t look to be in too run down. Moss covered

the roof. A couple windowpanes were broken out. The door had fallen off the hinges; they were likely rusted through. As I peered inside, it looked to be about twenty-four feet by twenty-four feet. Not much furniture, but what was there had likely been used within the last two or three years. I would have to keep that in mind.

I had seen enough, and it was almost 5 PM when I started back to camp. The dogs saw me coming from a distance and started barking. My wife had a fire going and was ready for us to cook supper. She warmed up beef and some scrambled eggs. While it was cooking, I hauled a couple buckets of water up from the creek, and we started boiling it. The dogs were really hungry, and so were we.

As we ate, I gave my wife a quick description of what I had found. The cabin looked pretty reasonable, given the age of time with no care. The location would need a lot of clearing and cleaning up. The outbuildings were likely useless beyond maybe being a supply of materials. The cabin was located about thirty feet up the creek bank, so any danger of flash flooding was minimal. I had seen some areas south of the cabin that had likely been cleared in the past and held potential for some kind of garden. The creek itself would supply water if there was no working well in the cabin. My suggestion was after spending another night where we were, we should all go together to look at the site very carefully tomorrow. I was honest when I told her it would take a lot of work to get it in shape. But I also said it was much better than starting from scratch and trying to build a new building. Time would tell if I was right.

As the sun was setting over the ridge above us, we had a season of prayer asking for wisdom as to what to do. We were together. We had our two-loving little four-legged girls. We had our health, and we were safe. The Lord had indeed been good to us over the past four months. We were beginning the next chapter of our new lives. Scriptures read, hugs for the dogs, we climbed into our sleeping bags. Watch over us, Lord. We had put ourselves in the hands of the Lord, and He had watched over us, provided for us, kept us safe, and given us

the common sense to bring us to our final destination.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psalm 118:1)

Planning and Preparation: Getting After It

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #1

Date: May 24

Birds in trees woke us up. Sun not up over ridge to east yet, but looked like it was going to be a nice day. Dogs stretched and yawned. We did also. Another night sleeping on pine branch mattresses. Got fire started. Was cooler here in this little valley with mountains surrounding us. Sunlight would only shine on us six to seven hours a day because of our surroundings. Hauled a couple buckets of water for boiling.

Wife cooked up some rice. Think I forgot to mention that friends had given us ten pounds of rice in the supplies as part of their gift to us as well. Mixed some dried beef into the rice, and all four of us had a good breakfast. Hot coffee for us hit the spot. While eating, we made a plan for the day. Put the dogs on long leashes so they could explore a bit. Plan was to spend the entire day at the cabin and its surroundings, getting a sense of what was in place. This evening at the lean-to, we would figure out what had to be done when. All depended on if we felt we could make it work. Spend tonight back here at our temporary lean-to.

Cleaned up after breakfast. Suspended packs, food, and other supplies on a pole I had hung between two trees yesterday. We were in the wildest country yet. We would have to deal with lots of critters, both large and small. No reason to tempt them with our stuff. We can stretch our supplies for about a month but can’t afford to lose any of what we have. Knowing we have a month makes it very clear to us that fishing, trapping, and hunting are critical. We quickly have to figure out how to add carbs and veggies to our daily diet as well. While doing all of that, we have to start building up food stores for the cold winter that starts arriving in September.

Prepared dry lunch, and with firearms on hips and shoulders, EDC and med kits ready, and dogs raring to go on short leashes, we headed downstream to the cabin site. Arriving at cabin at 8:30 AM, we made a big decision to leave the dogs on long leashes. They are going to have to be on their own with us at some point. We need to have them somewhat independent so we can get about all the work ahead. In a week when they are more familiar with area, and we have moved permanently to the cabin site, we’ll let them roam free. We trust that the Lord will watch over them, but hope they will not stray too far from us. This is all new for them too.

First priority was to check out the cabin in detail. Wife wanted to see what we were getting into. Moved the fallen front door out of the way. Opened the back door, which faces Bear Creek. Got some light into the inside and air moving through. We were pleasantly surprised by what we found. Last occupants in past had put a few things in it that I didn’t see yesterday. I had only looked in through the open door, and with lack of light I had missed quite a bit in my quick look. My priority was the structure itself.

Wife checked out all the inside fixings. Flooring seems pretty solid, with only small cracks between the rough-cut timber planks. Cabin sits on a stone foundation, with a two-foot space between the flooring and the ground. Will get cold there in winter, but can also be used as a root cellar. A built-in freezer of sorts. Walls were solid. In some areas, chinking, mostly mud and moss, had fallen out. Could be repaired pretty easily. There was no ceiling, just open space up to the roof rafters. No insulation, of course. Might have to work with that and see if I can put in some log beams and lay tarp over them to close the space between roofline and living space to trap some of the cold above us. Any kind of separation I can build will tend to hold heat in the living space.

A stone fireplace on south side of cabin seems to be in pretty good shape. A little clay here and there will seal up the draft through the chimney. Last occupants fabricated a cooking system that can be turned into the hearth. Hearth itself is fairly large—four feet across, four feet high, and three feet deep. Fireplace has

real potential to heat the entire cabin. Windows are all intact except for the few panes that are broken out. Can just cover the openings with some material and deal with them later. Where are we going to get glass? Checked the foundation from the outside and found a few places where the stones have separated. Easy enough to fix. Imagine critters are using the two-foot space under the flooring for homes.

Last, checked out the roof. Original roof was rough cut planks. Last inhabitants covered that over with tin sheeting. Moss now covers quite a bit of the roof. Not much sunlight gets there to dry it out. Will have to get rid of that moss, but can use it to chink outside of cabin walls and any other holes we find later. Only a couple spots on inside floor are wet from drips getting through the roof. Marked those. Holes in roof will be priority number one on cabin fix up. For a first look, we’re pretty happy with what we found about the cabin structure. Will be lots of work, but not nearly as involved as building from scratch.

While I was checking that all out, wife went through cabin interior with finetooth comb. Of course, there are lots of spiders and bugs, which freaked her out. She is death on spiders. Once cabin is better sealed, that will improve. Saw some sign of droppings from field mice or squirrels. Covering doors and windows will deal with that. She found two raised sleeping platforms on east side of cabin, one on each side of door facing creek. Someone was smart putting them on the east wall, away from north winds and facing sunlight. Structures seem to be pretty stout. We can build rope lacing on each sleeping platform. Not sure what will work for mattresses, but not a big problem at this point. Rope lacing, the old sleep-tight kids phrase, came to mind when we thought about doing that.

No chairs or table. Can build chairs, and table can probably be built using some of wood from collapsed outbuildings. Counters in southwest corner of cabin. Two old lanterns still hung from the ceiling, without wicks or fuel. Have to think about how to fix them. An old hand pump stands over a basin in which we can put a wash pan. Pulling on pump handle did nothing, so we imagine seals are gone. Wondering if those can be fabricated from something we brought, we

ed pieces of cut-up rubber tire from the Trekker. Might be a possibility. Shelving on north wall. Nothing there except a lot of cobwebs and dust. All in all, not nearly as bad as it could have been.

With all of that in mind, we sat down to eat some dried beef and rice left over from last night’s supper. Dogs got a bit too. We all washed it down with water from our canteens. Looked at each other and could read each other’s minds. It’s not too bad. Will take quite a bit of work, but it seems to be something that we can do. We can make it our own. We agreed to tackle it. Hugged and messed with dogs a bit.

Wanted to head back to lean-to by 3 PM, so we got busy. Wife walked down to stream to check it out. I headed to outbuildings, and she soon ed me, saying stream was pretty shallow with one pool downstream a bit. Said she could see movement in the water. That was good. First outbuilding to the west was probably the privy. It’s useless other than some weathered boards, tin from the roof, and of all things a thunder mug seat. Some old catalogue sheets still hang from a nail on one of the wall boards. Hmmmmmm!

Second outbuilding appears to be more of a storage shed. Not totally fallen down. Door opens, hinges appear to be still usable—a fix for cabin’s front door. Looking inside, we found the mother lode. Rusted tools of all kinds: shovels, rakes, hoes, axes, a wheelbarrow with no rubber tire, pieces of tin, pieces of steel rod, coffee cans partially full of nails, screws, rope, wire, and believe it or not, six unused panes of glass that looked about the right size for cabin windows. We looked at each other and just grinned. Whoever was using the cabin last must have left pretty quickly. Likely way too much stuff to pack out, so they just left it. Some of the stuff will never be used for original purpose again, but we can use it for something else. ed one of our mantras, adapt and adjust.

Close to 3 PM, decided to call it a day at the cabin. Will come back tomorrow and explore the surroundings. A quick glance tells us that at one time an acre or

so was cleared just to the south, where the small valley widens out. As I guessed yesterday, likely used for a garden and crops. We want to explore further south of that potential area tomorrow to see what lies beyond another ridge that juts out toward Bear Creek.

But all of that can wait till tomorrow. Back to our lean-to now. With dogs running beside us on leashes and tugging to go in other directions, we made our way back. They were really wound up. A full day of exploring, and they were not ready to quit. Took thirty minutes to climb back up the gentle slope to the lean-to. Got to hauling and boiling water first thing. Dogs on short leashes happy to lie around and watch what we were doing.

While getting water noticed some tracks in dirt. Four legged critters of some kind. Likely raccoons and skunks checking out our little camp. Checked packs and food hanging in trees, looked fine. Quickly cooked scrambled eggs and bacon for early supper and sat down to build plan for next few days. Dogs were really hungry. After gorging themselves, they lay down by a nice fire. We boiled enough water to take care of our hygiene, pits, feet, face, hands, and bodies. Let them all air dry. It was a nice, warm evening. Funny sitting by a fire in our skivvies. If someone walked up on us, we would be a sight.

Sleeping bags had been hung up to air out all day. Shook them well to get rid of any bugs before putting them on pine branch mattress. Lean-to seems to be holding up okay. Squirrels chattering at us from up in the trees. Dogs went nuts as a chipmunk came toward our little camp. They wanted to get after it and rip it to shreds. Chipmunk just sat on haunches taunting the dogs. Comical to watch. Eventually got tired of that and moved on into brush.

We reviewed everything we saw or discovered today and together felt OK with making the cabin our new home. Needed to get it into reasonable shape as quickly as possible so we can move into it. With that thought, decided to build up our current lean-to and stay in it each night. We’ll walk to cabin each AM,

have lunch there while working, and head back between three and four every day. Always take our EDCs, weapons, tools, med kits, and emergency supply of food with us in case we can’t get back in the afternoon. We’ll bring ponchos, a change of socks, and extra shirts as well. Weather has been good to us last couple days, but no idea how long it will last. Tomorrow do geography checkout and scope out priority work list. Lots of planning and preparation to be done. Need to inventory our resources on hand as well in all areas related to shelter, protection and security, food, water, communication, weather, location confirmation, clothing, and incidentals. Lots of work to follow.

By 8 PM ready to hit the sack. Dogs already lying down on sleeping bags. Prayers of thanks said, scripture read, and hugs for everyone, we hit the sack. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. Good night!

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #2

May 25

Didn’t need an alarm clock this morning. Dogs reacting to critters in area got us up and going. Put them on long leashes so they could burn off a bit of their energy before breakfast. Wife got fire going while I hauled several buckets of water. Two pots on stones by fire heating up water. Needed a good supply to carry with us back to the cabin. Noticed couple squirrels in trees just below us. Maybe thirty feet away. Air rifle brought one down on second shot. Quickly field-dressed, cut up, and put in small skillet to cook for breakfast. We save some dried beef or bacon this way. Smelled great cooking. Dogs at full attention. When heart was cooked, cut it in half, and they each had a piece. Smacked lips when done. Excited expectant eyes. They are a piece of work. We had squirrel mixed in with our scrambled eggs and hot coffee. Good way to start the day.

Cleaned dishes and returned everything to the packs hanging on pole in trees. Gathered up equipment, double checked everything, plenty of water, dogs on short leashes, long leashes in EDCs, and we were off to cabin. Quick walk down the slope. Dogs seemed to know where we were headed, almost like they knew they were going to their new home. Good feelings about that, like a confirmation. They seem so happy just to be with us. What would we do without them? Life would certainly be boring, and we would miss their unconditional love.

Had a request from my wife as we walked down to cabin. She asked me to make her a broom so she could sweep out the cabin. Also asked me to make some kind of a hand brush so she could sweep off shelving onto the floor before sweeping it all up. I just grinned. While she kept the dogs occupied, I cut a four-foot handle for a broom and another one two feet long for the brush. Then out into the

former cleared area and cut two large bunches of dry dead grass about two feet long. Didn’t take long to attach the grass to the two handles using short lengths of wire that I got in the former tool shed. After about an hour, I presented her with the finished products. Big grin for her. A bit of laughter at how they looked, but they proved quite efficient in their jobs. Imagine I’ll be making replacement tools for these quite often in the future. She got after the dirt, cobwebs, and anything else she could find in the cabin immediately. There is no fury like a broom being handled by someone bent on getting things spotless. Told her I was headed into the former clearing to see what was there and then downstream on Bear Creek to see what was around the point to our south. Agreed to both use two short blasts of our whistles if there was a problem, and the other would come running. Dogs occupied with another chipmunk so they didn’t see me leave. Promised would be back in less than two hours.

Former cleared area was pretty large, probably couple hundred yards on each side. Our initial needs will not be that large. This summer, because getting late in planting season and growing period here is likely only seventy-five days at best, figure we’ll only plant some key root veggies, lettuce, and kale. They should be ready in around forty-five days with multiple cuttings until frost comes. More sensitive stuff, needing longer growing period, will have to wait until next year. Given all of that, figured a thirty-foot square initial plot is enough to clear. Has to be done soon, before June first. Pretty high-priority item. Will gradually clean off other brush and small trees to give us better security line-of-sight to the south. Means we have to get tools ready in the next day or so. Plot will not be fancy, just functional. We’ll need to put up some kind of wood fence around it as well to keep critters, like deer, out of it.

That all decided, headed south. Quickly came on a small run on the south edge of former cleared area. Came down out of the west through a small valley. Planned to explore that this afternoon to see if I can find its source. Hopefully a spring in hillside. Got around ridge to south. Bear Creek runs pretty fast through narrower opening. Probably pretty deep. Another hundred-yards or so and creek started to flow much slower and widen out. In fact it started to pond up. I then saw why. Another hundred yards to the south was what I guessed was a beaver dam. We got lucky again. Potential fresh meat from fish and beaver. I noticed

several ripples from fish. Walked all the way down to the dam. It was a good forty feet wide and six feet high. Busy little beavers. A sizable pond behind the dam. Stream continues south slowly, staying about fifteen to twenty feet wide. From our maps I know if we follow stream south, we will eventually reach Portland Mills. Probably five or six miles by foot. Good to know in case of an emergency.

Once all scoped out, headed back to cabin and lunch. When I arrived, wife was just finishing up her sweeping. She was covered with dust and cobwebs from head to foot. Quite a sight. Couldn’t help but comment, which did not sit well with her. Inside of cabin looks much better. After lunch, put fallen door in place with hinges from shed; must figure out some way to lock shut. Longer term, going to have to bear-proof both doors quite a bit. We knew this was bear country and we would need strength in doors in case a bear came snooping. Not a pleasant thought. Have in mind what to do; just need to get it done soon. Put door up with hinges. Actually nailed doors shut using couple boards on each one from fallen-down privy. Will be easy to remove tomorrow when we come back to cabin. Nails from former storage shed came in handy.

Told wife about small run south of field, and we decided to explore it as a group after lunch before heading back to lean-to. Lunch of dried beef and a can of fruit. Water to drink. Tasted great. Dogs got a bit as they were using a lot of energy snooping around and barking. Lunch cleaned up, we headed south with dogs on short leashes, struggling to keep them going in direction we wanted. Eventually made it to the little run and followed it to the west, gradually uphill for a half mile or so, and we came to its source—a spring, as I hoped, coming out of the hillside. No critter sign that it is used as a watering hole. All this is great. As long as we don’t have a long drought, I imagine the spring should flow. A much better water source than Bear Creek. We will still boil the water, but in an emergency, we can probably drink the spring water at its source and be okay. Not going to risk that unless we are absolutely desperate.

Spring found, back to cabin. Checked the doors. Made sure we were not leaving

anything behind, and headed to our lean-to. Dogs seemed to know where we were headed. They stayed straight on trail until we arrived. Put them on longleashes and let them rest. A look at watches told us it was 4 PM. Sun was already down behind ridge to west. Cooling off but still nice. Great sleeping weather. Hauled water and boiled it for drinking and cooking. One boiled pot used to clean ourselves. Air-dried washed areas as we watched water boil. A watched pot never boils, so they say. Cooked up some rice and added can of corn to it. Dogs got their share. They were very hungry as were we. That all done, cleaned up dishes. Hauled couple more loads of water. Put sleeping bags in place. Had hung them up to air out all day again.

Planned tomorrow. Three things we want to get done or started on. First, replace broken windowpanes in cabin. Will search for pine tree resin to use to glue the new panes in place. Second, reinforce the cabin doors with material from fallen privy. Want it two to three inches thick. Plan is to pound nails in boards facing outward before attaching them to existing door. Nails will deter critters from attacking door with paws. We will just have to be careful and make sure dogs didn’t do that as well. Third, will mark and start clearing small thirty foot square first garden. Windows and door in the AM, garden in the PM. Know we’ll have to finish garden more than likely day after tomorrow. If possible, plant initial seeds before that day is done as well.

Enough planning for tomorrow. Spent rest of evening playing with and petting dogs. They ate that up. By 8:30 PM they were ready to hit the sack. So were we. Prayers, scripture, and hugs all around as every night. Lay in sleeping bags and fell asleep with the sound of crickets and breeze around us. Lord, watch over us.

Build houses and live in them; And plant gardens and eat their produce. (Jeremiah 29:5)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #3

May 26

Dogs woke us in the morning barking at something. Looking out through gray of early morning, saw a raccoon about fifteen feet from our fire ring. Grabbed .17 HMR and had some fresh meat for dogs for breakfast. Field-dressed it, cut off hindquarters, and buried the rest a good distance away. Skinned and cooked both quarters using handheld green sticks over fire that wife had started. Dogs watched every move in anticipation. Cooked and cut it up into smaller pieces, and dogs got their fill. Next hauled several loads of water which wife boiled. Coffee and scrambled eggs for us.

Once cleaned up, checked all four of us for ticks and other bugs. Found a couple on dogs. Of course they didn’t like the removal process. Lots of nicks, which we covered with Band-Aids after applying antibiotic on our arms, hands, and legs. Nothing serious. Has been a few days since we checked. Promised ourselves to check every day. We’re in deer country, and ticks are everywhere. Just glad we have a good med kit with us. Everything is redundant. Hung things up on pole. Hung up sleeping bags under lean-to as it was getting cloudy and looked like rain. Loaded up packs, food, and weapons and headed down to cabin.

Put dogs on long leashes after we got to cabin and tackled jobs. Wife helped me fix windowpanes and doors. Notched several pine trees near cabin to let resin flow. Carried two replacement panes of glass from shed to cabin. While she wiped them and removed broken glass from the openings, I collected pine resin. Simple process to install. Will take resin a few days to harden. Next got after doors. We carried several loads of boards from old privy to cabin. From supply of nails from old shed, pounded many through the boards to be added, and then attached reinforcing boards to doors. Pounded down flat any nail ends that poked

through on inside of the door.

Then we were ready to hang doors that had fallen off. Attached hinges from privy and shed doors. Then screwed them into door frames on both front and back doors of cabin. Hinges squeaked quite a bit, but they worked. Doors are pretty square when we stood back and eyeballed them. Not bad for beginners.

It hit us that we need to make all openings as secure as possible. So before heading to work in the garden, built rough shutters for inside of each window. Built three sets of small log braces for each window to use as vertical cross to make them strong. All braces attached, I went out into woods and cut six small pine logs to use as the horizontal logs, each about three inches in diameter. They fit pretty well when we put them in place on the two windows. Can open shutters from inside to give us better line of sight to east and west; also a better feeling of security.

While wife fixed our lunch of cold dried beef and coffee over outside fire, I went out into woods and cut eight more three-inch-diameter pine logs to use as horizontal security braces on the two doors, four for each door. Quick lunch sitting on couple stumps near cabin. Dogs begging for a bit, which they got. Then used old two-by-four boards, for strength, to build bracing structure for doors. Attached braces to each door and put two-by-four horizontal boards in place. Again, seemed to work pretty well. Security redundancy is critical. By the time all this was done, saw it was 1:30 PM.

Decided to work until 4 PM on the little garden plot. Wife stayed at cabin and cleaned up while I took ax and bow saw to garden location. In two hours, half of the area cleared; should be finished tomorrow. Will do our best to break up soil tomorrow as well and get as many seeds in the ground as possible. Finish the next day if necessary and start on protection wall. By 3:45 PM, ready to head back to lean-to. Cleaned everything up. Gathered tools. Nailed doors shut again. Dogs on leashes, we headed to temporary home.

By the time we got back to lean-to, we all were really tired. Dogs were hungry as usual. Carried enough water to fix supper and resupply our water for tonight and tomorrow. Simple supper of rice and dried beef. Hot cup of tea for a change. The tea really relaxed us. Everything cleaned up, we put together plan for tomorrow. First, finish the garden. Second, plant as many seeds as we could. Third, string rope in bed frames. Fourth, search out and dig a latrine for the near future. More permanent privy will have to wait a bit. And if time allows, check on the hand water pump inside the cabin. Will be lucky to get all of that done. Decided that the next day, the twenty-eighth, Sunday by our reckoning, will be move in day. Makes no sense to keep going back and forth. Cabin is as reasonably secure as we can make it for now. Need to be grounded in one location.

Sat by fire after that decision and reflected back on past four and a-half months. We set out to build a new life. Living in the cabin will make that more real. Dogs just sat beside us as we petted them and wondered what the future holds. 9 PM and they were asleep. After prayers and scripture we quickly followed them. Lord, give us strength and wisdom. Protect us from harm. Thank you!

Storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. (1 Timothy 6:19)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #4

May 27

Dogs quiet this morning. Had to roust them out. Fire already started when they yawned and stretched. Water hauled and boiling. Breakfast would be rice and bacon. Only one day left of two pounds of bacon. Has been really good. Everyone got enough to eat. Cleaned up breakfast and packed supplies and kits for the day. Set packs and food hanging from pole in trees. Canteens full. When ready, headed down to cabin around 8:00 AM. Gray clouds today. Won’t surprise us if it starts to rain. Planned to try to walk up hill from cabin to see if there’s reception to check on weather and news. Solar powered crank radio packed in our EDC packs.

Quick walk to the cabin. Wearing a bit of a trail to it from the lean-to. Opened up windows and doors to get air moving through. Fire built in fire ring. Dogs on long leashes. All that done, we headed to the garden. Stopped and picked up rusty shovel and hoe from old storage shed. Working dirt will remove a lot of the rust. Only worry is the strength of the handles. Hope they don’t break under work load. With that we got after garden.

Decided to build up two-foot-square mounds about twelve inches high with a foot of space between them. Too many roots, small stumps, and rocks to try to spade up the whole area. Will have to be happy with what we’ve started to call garden mounds. Our plan is to build up nine rows of ten mounds each. Hoped to make good progress by noon. Worked as a team. I dug up ground, working around roots and rocks. Wife followed me gathering soil in the mounds that we would use. Dogs could see us. Barked at first, but then settled down to explore and lounge around. By 11:30 AM had six rows of mounds done. Not perfect, but good enough. Took a forty-five minute break to eat some dried beef and water.

More energy for the afternoon. Decided to have rice and tuna tonight.

Back at garden by 12:30 PM after paying some attention to the dogs. They wanted to come and help us. We were starting to wear out, but kept after it. By 4 PM had the rest of the mounds dug and built. Back to cabin, cleaned tools and stored them in shed. One more job to get done before heading back to lean-to. Needed to build rope net on each of the sleeping platforms. Had one of our 100foot lengths of rope with us. Built very tight rope net on each platform, first vertically and then horizontally. That way minimized gaps between ropes. Most open spaces were four-inch squares. Took us better part of an hour to get all that done. Dogs getting anxious to get back to the lean-to; seemed hungry. In addition to moving to cabin tomorrow, at minimum had to get latrine dug and seeds planted. Water hand pump check would wait till the next day.

By our records tomorrow is Sunday. We want to start spending part of each Lord’s day resting. Hope to do that some tomorrow and then make it a more normal process in the weeks ahead. Slow walk back to lean-to. Will take some time to break down lean-to after breakfast. Hauled water as usual, and boiled one pot to clean ourselves. Used some of boiled water to prepare rice for supper. Can of tuna mixed in when rice was hot. Dogs very anxious to eat. Had enough made that we all were full and had a bit left over for dogs in the AM. Hot cup of coffee also.

While wife cleaned up, I hauled three buckets of water and we boiled them all until we had enough water for breakfast and our canteens for tomorrow. Broke down as much of the camp as we could before we were too tired to finish. Muscles were aching when we finally sat down about 7:30 PM to relax for a while before hitting the sack. Dogs just wanted to be close to us. Had been hard on them being able to see us today and not be with us. They just loved on us. We each held one and just watched flames of our little fire and listened to sounds in the night. Gradually fire’s warmth got to them, and we put them on top of sleeping bags. Five minutes and we could hear them snoring.

Plan tomorrow. First, move. Second, while wife sets up stuff inside cabin, I will dig the latrine and make it as fancy as I can in a short time. Third, will spend the afternoon planting our mounds in our little garden. Should take no more than a couple hours to do that. I will then cut and haul as many pine branches as possible to build up temporary mattresses on each sleeping platform. Won’t get away from pine mattresses for a while, it looks like. Have to come up with a more permanent solution; expect it will take some hard thought. Pine branches would make the inside of the cabin smell fresh, so a good positive temporary solution. Will call it a day after that and spend the evening resting with the dogs, celebrating the Lord’s day.

Dogs had been asleep for close to an hour when wife and I finally hit the sack. Shared prayers and scripture. Hugs of course. Both lay down and were fast asleep in just a few minutes. Lord, watch over us!

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater. (Isaiah 55:10)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #5

May 28

Everyone had tough time getting up. But up and around by 7 AM. Quick breakfast, leftovers for dogs, bit of rice and coffee for us. Lots to do today, so got after it quickly after boiling water for dishes, canteens, and quick hygiene wash. More clouds, darker and moving quickly from south. Figured it might start raining sometime today, so no time to waste. Broke down the camp. Tarp down and attached to my pack. Fire reflection system down and space blankets stowed. Not much else to break down. Will come back to this site in a couple days and erase it from the earth. No need to have sign around that we were ever in the area. But not urgent today. All loaded up, dogs on leashes, we headed down to cabin.

A big day. We were going to be in our new home full time now. Kind of a relief, but also a sense that we had a lot to do before it was really home. Opened up the cabin and put dogs on long leashes. They settled down pretty quickly. Seems they are getting comfortable with their new surroundings. That will be important when we start to let them off their leashes. Packs in house, wife started to unload stuff from them and store on shelving, setting up house—at least the first few things that will make it look like we live here. Imagine in a year it will really look different. She has a great touch for those things. Even in these rough surroundings she will make it seem like home.

I grabbed shovel and headed to a spot about 100 feet northwest of cabin, next to ridge that forms western boundary of our little area. We had spotted a good spot to build our latrine. Visible from the cabin but still capable of some privacy. Spent ninety minutes digging a three-foot-deep, four-foot-long, two-foot-wide hole in ground. Lots of rocks, roots, and grunting. Piled all dirt where easily

reached to bury waste. We will likely also use this to bury food waste. Then cut several five-foot-long poles and built a privy seat with a pole at back to lean up against. Tomorrow will see if I can attach the thunder mug seat we found. Will be a bit more comfortable. Seat done, cut multiple pine branches and built privacy wall in back so could not be seen from the rear, no pun intended. Kept pretty open in front so line-of-sight to cabin is not blocked. Pretty proud of my work. Will see how it works, then make any changes to it if needed. Back to cabin.

Wife done with initial unpacking and ready to help with the seed planting. Quick lunch of cooked rice and dried beef that we fixed this morning. Some for the dogs. On to the garden. We took dogs with us on their long leashes and hooked to trees to one side of where we would be working. Only going to plant certain things that have a decent chance of sprouting and bearing fruit in what is left of the growing season. That meant planting onions, kale, spinach, pinto beans, peas, tomatoes, black beans, radishes, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, peppers, and beets. Two-thirds row each of leafy veggies (two rows). One row each of pinto and black beans (two rows). One row each of carrots and beets (two rows). Onehalf row each of peas, radishes, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cucumbers (three rows). Planted more of those veggies that we can keep in root cellar under cabin to have them available during winter. Not as much perishable veggies, as we will eat them up as they produce later in the summer and early fall. Will need the hardier ones to help us get through winter if rationed carefully.

We were planting next to last row when it started drizzling. Wife took dogs back to cabin and got them inside out of rain. I kept planting and finished in another hour. Timing was everything. Rain the day of planting would push the seeds to germinate faster. Maybe we got lucky. We believe it was the Lord’s hand answering our prayers. Nothing happens without His purpose. No time to dillydally.

With rain falling wanted to get pine branches for mattresses cut quickly. We will cover them with tarps on sleeping platforms to keep the wet off our sleeping

bags. Need to keep water in cabin to a minimum. That would make a mess we don’t want. Got at it. Took an hour to cut and haul enough branches to make a two-foot-thick mattress for each sleeping platform. Into the cabin from door nearer the creek. Less water dripping on cabin floor that way. Plenty to build the mattresses. Tarp on top, then sleeping bags. One dog will sleep with each of us, which they have been doing for weeks.

Raining harder outside so we were done working outdoors for the day. Two jobs still had to be done, however. Get a fire started outside to boil water. I quickly rigged up space blanket reflector and cover around our little fire pit. Pretty easy work, after lots of practice. Who said we didn’t use our heads at times? When we noticed clouds were building, we had put quite a bit of dry wood in the cabin on fireplace hearth. Got fire going with a little bit of work. Not going to use indoor fireplace and cooking setup until I have a chance to check out chimney draw and learn whether smoke or something worse might get into the cabin. With fire going, up to me to haul water back to cabin from spring we had discovered. Took about forty-five minutes to make three trips. While I was making each trip, wife boiled water from previous trip. We had a system, at least for now. We are afraid that water is always going to be a lot of work, but that’s OK with us. At least we have one really good source and several back-up. Was 4:30 PM when everything was done. Fire let us cook dried eggs and last of bacon for supper. Dogs were hungry and not happy with the rain. We kept them close to home in the cabin. Food was good, and we were ready for a bit of rest.

We were home. It’s the Lord’s day, so we had a little service of thanksgiving standing in the rain with our ponchos on by the fire. So many miles, so many days, so much work. Many days and much work ahead, but we are home at last. Dogs seem to sense this is a special evening. We sat down with them just inside the cabin door and held them. Will be dark in the cabin tonight but dry and secure. We lit one of our fire tins as it grew darker and the outside fire no longer threw any light in the open door and windows. This is going to be different until we figure out a better lighting system for inside. That will come. Rain coming down harder as time ed. We looked on floor for drips from roof. Found several in the northwest corner of the cabin. A weak spot. Will repair that as soon as rain stops.

A long day for the dogs and us. We are bushed, having rushed to get so much done today. Put dogs on sleeping bags, and they quickly settled down, sound asleep, snoring. I secured both doors with the security shutters and horizontal braces we had built. Wife and I sat on her bunk, prayed, and read scripture by fire tin light. Tough to do that when you get a bit older, but we managed. Hugs and we climbed into our sacks with one dog beside each of us. Seemed quieter inside the four walls of the cabin. Realized we are not out in the open where we could hear every critter sound and the slightest movement of the trees. This was different. Finally to sleep, hearing rain fall softly on moss on roof of cabin. Good night!

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. (Psalm 62:1)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #6

May 29

Still raining when we woke up. Dogs were patient, but at times the call of nature overrules everything else. So with poncho on and holding short leashes, took them out to answer the call. Didn’t take long. Urgency plus rain made them get to things pretty quickly. Back into cabin and dried them off as much as possible. Would have to keep an eye on them after they ate breakfast. Would likely need to go out again. Gray morning and it looked like it was going to be that way for a while. Heated up bit of water, and made eggs and dried beef.

We must be getting older and forgetful. Had packed two pounds of the gift bacon in my pack and had used that up. We discovered that we had put another three pounds of bacon in my wife’s pack. We were better off than we thought. Should mention that we have saved all the bacon grease to this point and will continue to do that. Great fuel to put into fire tins for light. We just looked at each other and shook our heads. Getting older is no picnic. Dogs had their fill of eggs and a piece of beef and seemed satisfied.

One other thing should mention. Did not have to haul any water first thing this morning. We had put our three small camping pots outside last night, and they were filled with fresh rain water when we got up. Even boiled the clean rain water after straining out leaves and a few bugs. Glad no hauling of water this AM. Breakfast cleaned up, windows open for as much light as possible, we decided to spend the morning doing a detailed review of all our supplies. Need to know where we stand on everything. Put the dogs on my sleeping platform, and they just rested. We lit one of our two remaining fire tins and put it on shelf above my wife’s platform and got after our supply review. Absolutely critical that we do this so we can build a supply ration plan and identify critical things

we will have to manufacture or secure from nature to help us survive each day for the long-term.

Current Food Supplies (The food package we had received from our friends)

After a week of meals, the following supplies remain of the original gift.

8 pounds of dried beef

4 pounds of powdered eggs

3 pounds of bacon

1 pound of sugar

½ pound of salt

8 tins of tuna in water

3 pounds powdered milk 1½ pounds coffee 20 tea bags 8 pounds of rice

9 cans veggies/fruit

Looking at that, we realized how little it is. If rationed very carefully, we have four weeks of protein, some carbs, and some fruit and veggies. Fresh meat that I can kill and include in our diet will stretch that out, but we are not sure how much. Fresh meat is going to be at most an every-other-day need to add to our diet. The carbs and veggies are another matter. It will probably be four to five weeks before we are able to harvest any leafy veggies from our garden. Likely another six to seven weeks before we have beans to provide protein. We need to be very careful. In next few days we have to scout our area for natural edible foods that we can add to the larder. Glad we carried edible food manual with us on this journey.

Divided food tasks between us. Wife has total responsibility to make sure we have a ration plan and stick to it. We have to we have our two girls to feed as well, so that puts more stress on the supplies. Adequate fresh meat will be critical for them. I will take on responsibility to provide our fresh meat supply. Also, I am responsible for securing natural edible foods. We realize how important our little garden is going to be for us. We also realize that we have to keep all empty cans and bottles for possible use in the days ahead for new fire tins, storage containers, and possible water collection.

Wild Critters – Safety and Food

No one has to tell us we are in really wild country. It is populated by any number of potential threats to us from creatures. Three come immediately to mind: bears, snakes, and spiders. We can probably keep spiders under control in our cabin just by being vigilant and very careful. Outside we will do the same. No walking around in bare feet, and wear shorts only after we have cleared the area around the cabin and garden. Snakes, in the mountains, are like sand by the seashore. They are here. We have just not seen any yet. The mountains around us are full of rattlesnakes. Likely we have rat snakes, water snakes, garter snakes, and other varieties of nonpoisonous ones as well. The rattlesnakes are a huge concern for

all four of us. We know that we can’t work anywhere in grass, weeds, rocks, or timber or around water without being careful. When we start to heat the inside of the cabin, every kind of snake will be drawn there for warmth, as well as rats and mice, spiders, and other creepy crawlers. Chinking the cabin walls and the foundation and the cracks around doors and windows is important.

Then the big one, bears. The area we are in has been considered a prime bear hunting area ever since western PA was first settled. Bears will provide abundant meat, great pelts for bedding and warmth, and fat for making candles and cooking. Killing one will be a task. Our weapons are good, but we are not sure they pack enough punch to bring down a bear. We may have to resort to other means to dispatch one. Our biggest concern with bears is their threat to our cabin and to us physically when we are out and about. As they prepare for their winter hibernation this fall, they will be very aggressive as they try to fatten up for their nap. We know they are second in threat potential only to humans. We will be careful.

At the same time wild critters will play a huge role as food in our long-term survival. My ancestors actually had a hunting camp within a few hours’ drive of our current location for years. I’ve heard about hunting in these mountains since I was a little boy, even visiting the camp once. A great variety of wild game exists in our new home area. Deer, rabbit, squirrel, raccoons, possums, skunks, turkeys, grouse, pheasant, and beaver are the most common. There are likely other larger ones as well. Coyotes have moved into the mountains. An occasional mountain lion has been seen over the years. The elk population is small but present. There are lots of other types of small birds that in a pinch could become part of the food supply.

Hunting and trapping are going to be very important to us. Fishing has great potential to add to our food supply. Even though the protein gained from eating a fish is not nearly as great as eating fresh four-footed meat, we know that fish provide variety and important nutrition. With Bear Creek and the beaver pond, we have a source of food year-round. Fishing is not nearly as difficult as hunting

and trapping, and we will fish daily or every other day from today forward.

Natural Non-Meat Food Sources

The woods are a natural food supermarket beyond the critters that make it home. Plants are a great source of vitamins and other nutrients. At the same time most plants are extremely dangerous and cannot be eaten. We have studied the difference between those that are OK and those that should be avoided completely. But studying and practical knowledge are two different things. Common sense says eat only those plants, or their fruit, that we know are absolutely safe. That cuts down our potential plant foods a lot. My wife and I both grew up around extended families that canned everything. We ate wild berries while out playing. Dandelions were one of my father’s favorite veggies. Roasting nuts and seeds in an old woodstove was part of my life. But those experiences were not an everyday event.

To be safe, we made a list of wild plants that we will gather and maybe even cultivate. Our initial list is short but diverse. We restricted ourselves to blackberries, huckleberries, wild strawberries, and elderberries, unless we are in crisis mode. Wild honey will be around. Of course, that means bees, which can be dangerous. Plants growing along streams and ponds and in marshes hold a basic potential. Until we know more, we’ll restrict ourselves to cattails. You can eat almost the whole plant at various times during the year. We certainly need to review growth patterns on plants like that. Nuts, acorns, and pine nuts will be everywhere. We hope we can find other nut varieties. Hot tea can be made from pine needles. Sassafras tea, a memory from my childhood, is another hot drink possibility. From day one we will restrict ourselves to these few items. We will spend time studying our wild food guide and search for other options. Makes no sense to put our lives at risk by eating something that could kill us.

Lunchtime already. While my wife fixed some powdered eggs and four slices of bacon, I went to the spring to bring back more water. Smelled good when I got

back. It stopped raining on my way to the spring and I saw a few rays of sunshine. Looked like the rain was over. Would keep working on our review the rest of the day. Hope breeze comes up this afternoon to start drying things out. Quickly ate, walked the dogs on their BR break, cleaned dishes, and got back to supplies.

Security, Protection, Weapons

All our bladed tools are in good shape. Survival knives, hand ax, single bladed ax, bow saw, and machete continue to serve us well. Probably most useful part of these bladed weapons are the two main whetstones we carry. We have two smaller ones for emergencies, but the bigger ones got a workout constantly. Our handguns and rifles are in good shape. Ammo is holding up better than we expected. Pellets for the air rifle have dropped about 20% since we started our journey. Likely have about 800 pellets left. Rounds for wife’s handgun were in great shape. She has only used two to this point in time. Means we still have 198 rounds left. Rounds for my handgun are in great shape also: I have 195 of original rounds left. .17 HMR rounds are good. Started with 300 rounds, and still have 280 left. Gun cleaning gear was holding up. With all the dampness, oiling and greasing guns is an every-other-day chore. But so important to keep them working for our security and securing our fresh meat supply.

Have already mentioned critters are a security and safety issue. What about human threats? Humans could be, and more than likely will present, security, and safety issues for us. We cannot control humans. We must have the ability to protect ourselves when avoidance and retreat are not options. Line-of-sight is a key security issue. Several major projects need to be completed to give us cabin location security. There are all kinds of natural weapons around us, from rocks to clubs. If we have to, we will use those. It is not a matter of whether we will run into other humans; it is only a matter of time until we confront others. Preparation for any situation is important to us.

Shelter

One of the five or six critical priorities in any survival situation, we know what we have to do for shelter. In fact, we have already started that this first week. Our primary shelter is the cabin. Repairs and modifications will go a long way to increasing our sense of security. Those fixes and additions to the cabin are very high on our shelter priority list. We have emergency shelter with our tarps and space blankets. We learned quickly how to build shelters using logs, rope, trees, and other natural materials. We feel that no matter where we are, we know how to build even the most basic shelter.

Water

We know what our water sources are. We know where they are located. We know we will always boil any water we use to stay in the safe zone. No emergency water supply exists in our cabin now. However, we have emergency purification methods that enable us to secure water no matter where we are. We aren’t too worried about water for the dogs. There are sources everywhere. One concern is if they should fall sick from tainted or impure water. Thank the Lord we had dog medications with us. In the event of a water-based sickness, we can give basic treatment to our girls. One glaring missing element is a rain water collection system. Will change that soon.

Communication

We still have our small working radio. It’s kept in a tin wrapped in lead tape at all times. Our use over the past couple weeks has lessened due to our being so busy getting cabin and its surroundings set up. Reception at the cabin location is zero. We know we want to get news and weather updates, had planned to do that, but effort will have to wait for a few more days. High time we found out what

has been going on, if possible. We also still have our two cell phones. With the EMP impact on the country’s communication infrastructure, they are basically useless. Maybe in time a signal capability will exist again. But until then they will stay in their lead-wrapped tins.

Our emergency signaling capabilities have not changed. Mirrors, our space blankets, whistles, and fire building capabilities all remain viable. Doubt they will be used for anything other than signaling to each other for the time being. We continue to use our agreed signals, especially with whistles. Gunfire signals also remain in place if we are too distant to hear whistles.

Survival Equipment

Equipment shows some wear and tear, which is to be expected, given our travels. Hand tools are functional. Supply of duct tape is getting low. Lots of wire and thin thread left. Our rain gear and tarps are holding up; despite some duct tape repairs, they do their job. Cooking pots and pans, from nested camping gear, also show wear, but metal is still strong and viable. Another year of constant use and that might not be the case. Cups, utensils, and plates all in fairly good shape as well. Plastic ground cover has a few rips. Again, it’s duct taped and will last quite a while if used carefully. We still have about seventy-five feet of unused rope from our supply. If necessary we can tear down our sleeping platforms and use some of that rope. Have about half of our zip lock plastic bags left. Others have failed from use.

Our medical kits are in reasonable shape. Only real shortages that we expected were our maintenance drugs. We’ve kept back a week of each one for use in emergencies only. Rest of the time we hope our diet, exercise, and care make our need for them far less than before. Bandages and antibiotics are in reasonable supply. We have used them carefully. It’s critical to avoid infections. All medical tools are in good shape as well. Rather than mention or list everything, enough to say that we still have about 75% of all the survival stuff we packed before

leaving TX. At some point, later this summer, we will do an item-by-item inventory to prepare for the fall and winter.

Fire, Warmth, Cooking

Simply put, we have quite a good situation here. No need to revert to primitive fire starting by rubbing sticks together yet. We still have the following: eight unused Bic lighters; five unused ferro sticks; 200 waterproof matches (waxed); 200 tampons, 200 cotton balls for starting tinder; twelve ounces of Vaseline, and finally one unused fire-start file. We’re being very careful in the use of these resources. Have developed several methods of using these to start fires as efficiently as possible. Our biggest long-term concern will be fuel. When cold weather hits in a few months, we had better be ready. Wood cutting and gathering will be a priority every day from here on.

Looked at watch, was almost 4 PM. Needed to make a water run and boil that to prepare supper. Another run after supper to boil water for tonight and for cooking in the morning. Dogs anxious to go outside; they can nap only so long. On leashes, out they went. Must have stopped raining while we were doing inventory. Sunlight could be seen over the ridge to our west. Hope tomorrow is a good day. Some big projects to start. Supper was eggs with tuna mixed in and a can of fruit cocktail. Doesn’t sound like much but hit the spot. Dogs and we enjoyed it. Hit us again how we needed meat and some natural plant supplements to our food supply. If I don’t do anything else tomorrow, have to get some fish or squirrel meat. Every day from now on securing fresh meat is going to be a priority.

Decided to do one more area of our inventory before we called it a day. If the evening was any indicator of weather for tomorrow it should be a nice day. Temps were good. Saw moon right before we secured the cabin for the night.

Clothing, Shoes, Misc. Personal Items

Most of our clothing is starting to really show some wear. And that means holes literally. Glad we carted sewing needles, thread, and a few extra buttons with us. Flannel shirts, socks, underwear, and especially jeans have been repaired many times. They are still functional but show a lot of miles. Boots are OK; we continue to treat them with mink oil weekly. Original laces have been replaced with paracord, and its holding up well. Our camp shoes are in pretty good shape. In fact, we wear them full time in the cabin now. All of our winter gear is good to go for another winter. Gloves, especially leather ones, have been repaired several times. Showing wear but still functional. Spring and summer gear is in best shape of all. Wear short sleeves only when in cabin. Outside garb is jeans, long-sleeve shirts, high boots, and wool socks, no matter what the weather. Winter jackets has been repaired either by sewing or duct tape.

All in all, considering what we have been through and carry weight restrictions, we are happy with condition of everything. Expecting lots of snow and cold this coming winter here in the mountains. Going to have to expand warm stuff through hides and pelts from hunting. Going to start keeping them all now, rather than disposing of them as we have done for months.

We are bushed after a long day of thinking, sometimes more tiring than hard labor. Dogs out on leashes one more time for necessities. Shook out sleeping bags as did every night, no critters. Secured cabin windows and doors. Fire tin out after into bags. One dog with each of us. Prayers, scripture and quickly to sleep.

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #7

May 30

Dogs woke us up at 6 AM, needed to go outside. On leashes, chore taken care of. Wife already working on breakfast. Eggs and four slices of bacon, one for each of us. Each pound we have left has sixteen to twenty slices in it. Can stretch that a while if supplemented with fresh meat. Breakfast done, planned projects and chores for the day. Wife would clean up inside of cabin. I would go outside, hook dogs up on long leashes next to cabin, take machete, and start cutting grass and brush on a perimeter around cabin. She would come out and start gathering and piling what I had cut by ridge to our west to start building compost and kindling piles. Needed to go out from cabin about thirty feet on every side for security line-of-sight and keep critters visible should they venture close. Will be able to see snakes much easier as well.

Hot, sweaty work with the recent rain and temps in mid-seventies. Dogs just rooted around, content to explore. Worked on creek side first; not much grass, just lots of four- to six-foot-high brush. Then to chimney side of cabin to south. Cleared back at least fifty feet. Need more space to prevent fires from fireplace cinders. Just as I finished that side, wife ed me. Took ninety minutes for two sides so far. Not bad. She got after building the two piles. I went to north side of cabin and cleared out thirty feet. More grass there, as it got more sunlight. That done, moved to west side of cabin, the front door area. Went out at least fifty feet until I reached ridge that bordered us on that side. Wife had started piles there. Mostly grass, but some small trees as well. Cut trees down and into sections. We hauled that wood over to our green wood pile by cabin to cure for a while. That part done after sharpening machete several times. One final cutting task was to cut wider path to our garden and to former open area. Sweating like a horse the whole time. When done cutting, helped wife haul all of the cut stuff. Itchy work with all the sweating. Luckily, only critter we saw was a water snake, harmless. Scared daylights out of the snake. Let it make its way toward the creek. They eat

rats and other rodents. Need them around.

Done at 11:30 AM. Made water run, and we then boiled that. Can of tuna and can of veggies for lunch. Dogs got a bit. While eating, decided that wife would do another sweep of cut areas to clean up more. Dogs back on long leashes. I would root around the old shed to see what kind of materials I could find to build an outside cover for chimney. Need something to keep cinders from blowing out into the woods. Plan was to build that cover this afternoon if I found stuff to use for that purpose. Then we would clean out the flue this afternoon. Spent thirty minutes and think I came up with a possibility. Had some tin that we had found before. Also, found fifteen feet of old steel wire. Last part, got lucky here. Found some fine grid screening, in half-inch squares.

Went back to cabin and got busy. Wife ed me. I needed her suggestions. She has great common sense. Tin was easy to bend into a form. Looked like a house roof. Punched holes in bottom and attached screening to it. Made it big enough by sight to cover whole chimney top.

Next we had to think through how to attach it to the roof. Came up with a steel wire all the way around chimney six inches below the top. Would crimp it as tightly as possible to chimney. Rocks of chimney would give it lots of places to take hold. Then attached eight wires a foot long to the cover framework. Punched holes in tin and tied wires in place. Those eight wires attach as tightly as possible to the wire wrapped around chimney. Had to make sure would be able to detach from chimney so could clean flue at least monthly. When done, sat and looked at it and then at each other. Necessity has to be the mother of invention, we guessed. Dogs sniffed it and just looked puzzled. Was 3:30 PM when done. Made another water run. Dogs wanted to go, but not possible. Day after tomorrow is a big day: we’ll let them off their leashes.

Decided I would spend next three hours putting out wire traps in old cleared area and trying to get us some fresh meat for tonight’s supper. Wife needed to rest

after grass hauling. Dogs went inside for nap as well. Grabbed all my awayfrom-cabin gear, canteen of water, and .17 HMR. Could not afford to miss squirrel or rabbit if I saw some. Needed to knock them down. Had seen lots of rabbit runs in old cleared area. Budgeted an hour to set traps there and got after it. Then walked south toward beaver dam where we had seen several squirrel nests in trees. Found good spot up a little bank under an oak tree. Sat down and waited. Saw a few but quite a ways off. Needed them closer to give me a chance. After about an hour and a quarter saw three of them running along ground playing. Got as still as I could. Twenty yards away and I couldn’t wait any longer. One shot, one squirrel. Other two scooted up a nearby tree and stopped about fifteen feet up to look around. Big mistake for one of them. Another shot and one fell to ground. With that the last one took off in a hurry.

Quickly picked up the two dead squirrels. Each hit in the head with one shot. Field-dressed them and then back to cabin. Wife saw me coming and said she had heard the shots and hoped I had gotten something. Skinned both and prepared for cooking. Skewered each one on a green stick. Skins put in plastic bag and hung outside out of reach of dogs and any other four-legged creatures. Wife already had fire built in our fire ring. Dogs at my feet looking for something. We sat and cooked them until they were done. Probably twenty minutes. Hearts cooked in small skillet. Fixed some scrambled eggs as well. Dogs got the hearts first. Cut up cooked meat and mixed with eggs. More than enough for us to have a full meal. Coffee to wash it down. We took our time. Dogs stuffed themselves, then ran around on their leashes like fools. Boiled additional water. While wife washed everything up, I made final water run for the day. Back at cabin boiled more water for the morning and for us to wash bodies with before hitting the sack.

Planned tomorrow. First, build ladder to reach to top of chimney. Second, fabricate a chimney sweeper. Third, put piece of plastic from bottom of my pack over front of hearth to keep soot out of cabin. Then clean chimney. Once that is done, start a small fire to see how it draws. Look for smoke leaks in cabin and on outside structure. Fix any with mud brought up from the creek and mixed with dry grass, poor man’s straw, that we stacked when cutting line-of-sight in front of cabin. Once leaks closed, build a bit bigger fire to make sure flue is working

OK. If no problems, make a fire inside and try to cook there tomorrow night. Will have better light in cabin, a nice change. Prayed that it will all work.

Rest of day, start fixing cabin foundation. Midafternoon, head out to check on wire traps. Hopefully will pay off. If not, head back to lean-to location and hunt squirrel. We saw lots of squirrels in that area when staying there. Wife will tend to things at cabin. I will make sure she has enough mud and straw mixture to keep caulking the foundation. Will be a long day, but one last thing to finish in the evening. At minimum will begin curing the two squirrel pelts. Imagine we will be very tired tomorrow night. Speaking of tired, tonight we’re already there. Dogs finally wanted to go inside. Up onto the sleeping platforms, and they were asleep quickly. Wife and I secured the cabin and were ready to hit sack. Hopefully our last night with only fire tin to get ready for bed. Prayers said, scripture read, climbed into bags, and were quickly asleep. Final prayer was that Lord would give us success tomorrow. Good night!

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. (Genesis 25:27)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #8

May 31

No one wanted to get up in the morning, but nature’s call for the dogs finally got them moving. We took them outside on leashes. Their routine was to bark like crazy to warn everything that they were up. Barked until necessity overcame their need to bark. Was funny to watch them running in circles at end of leashes. We’ve learned to put them on long leashes. Otherwise they would pull our arms out of shoulder sockets. Tomorrow is big day for dogs and for us. Off their leashes for the first time. We are apprehensive but know it has to be done.

Fire started. Dried eggs and four slices of bacon. Our regular breakfast of late. But after big supper last night, didn’t need much. Dishes cleaned, then tick check for all four of us. Dogs were clear, which surprised us. Wife and I each had a couple, likely from cleaning out line-of-sight. Removed them and applied antibiotic cream. Starting tomorrow will check all of us every evening. Once dogs run loose, they will have ticks, guaranteed.

Wife wanted to get started on fixing and caulking foundation. So started that job first. I went down to creek bank with old wheelbarrow from shed, folding shovel in hand. Found what appeared to be wet clay bank, and started hauling small loads up to side of cabin. While I was doing that, wife carried a good supply of the dried cut grass to a pile next to pile of clay. Showed her how to use machete to chop grass up into two- to four-inch pieces. In total made six trips to creekside and back. We then started to mix the two piles of materials, mud and dry grass. Ended up with a pile about two feet high and four feet square. She started filling in holes on chimney as far up as she could reach. While she did that, I carried rocks up from creekside to fill some holes in foundation.

Once finished shoring up foundation wall on creek side of cabin, I started making the tools we would need to clean out chimney. Had seen good small straight green trees near creek. Five minutes to cut and de-limb one. Next out to grass pile and gathered bunch of long grass. Using wire from old shed, tied grass to small green pole. Had cut a piece about eight feet long. Chimney stuck up above roof about five feet. Just enough to clear roof. Figured had another seven feet or so under roof until reached top of inside of hearth. Twelve feet in total. The real fun was attaching the grass. Tied to pole with longest part of grass heading up the pole to where I would be holding it. Figured that way it would spread out completely and brush the entire innards of the chimney. Would rewire it to use tool from the inside with long grass in the opposite direction. Heading up in the chimney away from where I would be holding contraption. At least in theory that was how it should work.

Next was to build a ladder that would let me stand ten to twelve feet off the ground and be stable. At just under six-feet tall, I could stand near top of ladder and put sweeper down into the chimney. Again in theory at least. Cut two small trees, tapered from four inches in diameter to three inches in diameter. Cleaned off limbs. Then cut a dozen smaller logs, from three inches to two inches in diameter. Ended up with small logs four feet long, three inches in diameter to three feet long, two inches in diameter. Longer logs at bottom of ladder. Smaller ones at the top, making a wider base for stability and narrower top to lean against chimney. Tied each cross log to two vertical logs with paracord. Took me a good two hours to get all these tools made. In the meantime wife had run out of mud and grass mixture. She had done a great job. Couldn’t help but laugh when she looked at me. Mud splattered all over shirt, face, and jeans. Some laundry to be done. She just gave me the look. Dogs had been watching all this in between bouts of barking and running around on ends of their leashes. Finally realized they were telling us to get lunch ready.

Quickly got fire going. Wife started some rice boiling while I made a water run. When I got back, rice was ready. Hot rice and dried beef lunch. Dogs got a bit of each. We could not turn them down. They were burning up a lot of energy supervising. Wife cleaned dishes while I went inside cabin and hung piece of plastic across the entire fireplace hearth. Sealed it in place with duct tape.

Wanted to keep as much soot out of cabin as possible and keep whatever was pushed down the chimney from flying into the cabin. Biggest fear I had was that I would stir up a nest of wasps or hornets. Didn’t want that.

Everything was now ready for me to become a chimney sweep. Back outside, up the ladder I went with sweeper in hand. Wife steadied ladder from bottom as best she could. Was a bit wobbly. Would have to put some diagonal cross logs on when done to build more stability into it. At the top, my shoulders were even with top of chimney. Didn’t want to go any further up ladder. In went the sweeper. Black cloud of soot immediately surrounded me. Hacking, I kept pushing down. No problem for first couple feet then hit something. No buzzing around me, so kept pushing. Had to go up another couple ladder rungs so I could apply more pressure downward. It let loose, all of a sudden, and I had to cling to shaking ladder with one arm to keep from falling while holding on to sweeper so I didn’t drop it down chimney. No other obstructions so just kept running sweeper up and down flue until soot cloud was basically gone.

When I climbed down, wife was in stitches. I was covered with soot from my waist up. Glad I had put a bandana over my mouth and nose and had my glasses on. Hat kept some out of my hair as well. Looked like a creature from outer space, I guess, when I was back on the ground. Washed off with some water. Wife about beat me to death brushing off my clothing. Dogs got as far from me as possible. Who was this strange person?

Temporary cleaning all done, we went into the cabin to see what was behind the plastic. Carefully removed tape from sides and bottom of plastic and were greeted with a small cloud of soot but nothing else. Pile of junk, including couple old wasp nests and a bird’s nest, and about four inches of soot covering the hearth floor. Was a mess getting all of that hauled outside and thrown into brush. All wife’s work on cleaning this AM was quickly going to waste. Long drinks of water when all that was done. Then protective coverings went back on, and sweeper was pushed up the chimney from below. Couldn’t put plastic back on so just dealt with soot cloud. A few more pieces of clutter fell, but after about

fifteen- minutes soot cloud was gone. Re-taped plastic and went back up the ladder. A second go at sweeping from the top reaching down into chimney full length of my arm holding onto sweeper. Wife said she could see the sweeper just at the top of the hearth, so I was getting the whole thing done. Satisfied that as much of dangerous stuff as possible was out of flue, went back into cabin to begin fire and smoke experiment.

Built a teepee form with slightly green sticks and tinder ball in the center. Some greenish grass from our cuttings to create some smoke. Lit with Bic lighter and waited. Eventually the teepee was smoldering, and white smoke was drifting up the chimney. Ran outside and could see wisps of smoke coming out the top. Also could see it leaking in several spots between cabin roof and top of chimney. Spots marked in memory to be chinked ASAP. Back inside with some larger kindling. Built up a small fire, and smoke continued to go up. Not much seeped back into cabin from the hearth. Had an idea of how to radiate more heat out into cabin. Can line the hearth, two sides and back with tin from the shed. Polish the tin as much as we could, using a bit of toothpaste and water. Will tackle that improvement in next couple days. Looked like chimney sweeping was a success. We will really find out by cooking our first meal on hearth. Before repairing steel form for hanging pots, won’t cook on hearth. Would use outside fire-ring one last time tonight to cook supper and in morning to cook breakfast, we hoped. First thing in the morning, will put the chimney roof contraption on top of the chimney. Then get the structure for hanging pots working.

Time to quit home repairs and call it a day. Had to do one more thing: check wire traps to our south. While I was off doing that, wife cleaned up as much of the mess from chimney as she could. Would have to use water to get soot off the floor, but that is a job for tomorrow. Rebaited traps and back to cabin in an hour with two field-dressed rabbits. Skinned them and had enough meat for tonight and tomorrow morning. Skins hung in plastic bag from pole between two trees beside squirrel skins. Definitely have to start curing process tomorrow. Fire started, skinned rabbits skewered on long green poles suspended over fire by forked sticks to either side, we cooked them for thirty minutes. Large rocks anchored forked sticks so skewers would not move. Kept dogs on short leashes away from the fire pit, which drove them crazy. They could both see and smell

their supper. While cooking, I made quick water run. Lots of washing up tonight. Wife had rice boiled when I got back. We were ready. Cut meat from each carcass and mixed with rice. Dogs were starved. At least the way they attacked the food, you would have thought we had not fed them in days. We ate slowly. Protein digested more slowly and didn’t want to get tummies upset. Lots of water to help the process. When done, just sat there for a while relaxing. Boiled all collected water, first for washing dishes, then for breakfast tomorrow, and finally to wash ourselves. Smelled of smoke, soot, and sweat all mixed together. Changed into clean clothes as well. Tempted tomorrow to go jump in Bear Creek and clean off even more.

All that done, we built our first real fire in the cabin fireplace. Not a big fire, but enough to give light to the whole inside of the building. Let it burn down slowly. Dogs sat on sleeping platforms and watched the flames. Decided to sleep on plans for tomorrow and talk about them over breakfast. Figure out then what we need to do. Now just need to relax. By 9 PM dogs were asleep, and we soon followed after prayers of thanksgiving, scripture, and just small talk. The Lord has been so good to us today. The cabin now feels even more like a real home with the fireplace working. It’s been a long hard day but worth it. Good night, sleep tight!

Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18:6)

Reflections Preparation and Planning: Moving into the Future

The month of June begins tomorrow. We have been on the banks of Bear Creek, our final destination, for eight days. They have been hectic, busy days starting the building of our new home. Finishing and continuing to work on some major projects is a given. As time es, the major projects we have planned will end, and we’ll move to maintenance and fine-tuning efforts. We will likely identify new projects as we gain more understanding of our surroundings and as unexpected events occur. It is time now to begin living as normal a life as possible on a day-to-day basis. The Lord has been good to us since the day we left Texas. He continues to be our strength, our guide, and our hope. Our faith and trust in Him have grown mile after mile as we have traveled. They will continue to grow daily as our world of mountains, small valleys, small creeks, and woods fills our daily activities. God is so good.

We are starting a transition tomorrow that will take us into a future that is yet unknown to us. But we have prepared. We have planned. We are making and will continue to make ourselves as ready as is humanly possible to deal with whatever comes our way. Tomorrow is truly the beginning of the next phase of our lives. We look forward to it. We anticipate struggles. We anticipate surprises. We anticipate that we will have to adapt and adjust everything about our lives. Dangers will be encountered. Human confrontations will happen. Our physical, emotional, and psychological health will be tested. Our patience will likely be frayed at times. At the end of each day we will look back upon it and marvel at how we were able to survive. In time, we will gain more understanding of how the Lord will use it all to prepare us for the tasks that He is making ready for us to undertake. We look forward to knowing more and more each day. We are ready to be used for His glory. That is our prayer.

Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Joshua 22:5)

June Building the Foundation

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. (1 Timothy 6:18–19)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #9

June 1

Overslept a bit if there is such a thing. Woke to dogs licking our faces around 6:45 AM. Quiet outside. Dogs on long leashes, attached to nearby trees to do their business. Fire started, eggs and bacon ready pretty quickly. While eating, planned the day. First, tear down lean-to and erase any sign of us being there. Second, back to camp, release dogs from leashes, and pray a lot. Third, build table and two stools for inside cabin. Fourth, continue chinking chimney, and repairing cabin foundation. Would finish these today if all went well. Close out afternoon hunting for fresh meat and checking wire traps. Weather looked a bit iffy. Lots of fast moving high gray clouds. No thunderheads. Wind coming from southeast. Assuming rain tonight or at least by tomorrow. Made water run while wife cleaned up after breakfast. Back at cabin we decided to make two lists. One of all the projects we could think of that we had to complete. The second, a list of our daily chores that we have to take care of. We knew we would be adding to each list over time but needed a starting point. Sat outside cabin and did that while dogs smelled, explored, and rooted on ends of their long leashes.

Ongoing projects:

Tear down lean-to

Chink cabin & chimney

Build garden protection wall

Build table & stools

Build dog run

Build rain collection system

Moss off roof

Repair roof

Build hide curing forms

Build smoker

Roof over front door

Fish funnel trap in creek

Clear big field

Clear line-of-sight

Inside water pump

Build pool at spring

Food hanging racks, cabin New fire tins

Build early warning system Dogs off leashes

Build permanent privy

Reinforce ladders

Water carrying yoke

Fabricate water buckets

Scout in all directions

Build wood supply

Daily chores, jobs, tasks:

Personal hygiene, health, ticks Cook meals, food rationing

Secure water

Daily fire fuel

Build long-term wood supply Hunting, trapping, fishing

Repair clothing

Prepare animal pelts

Dogs, care, feeding, safety

Weapons maintenance, ammo Gather natural foods

Prepare natural foods

Cabin upkeep, maintenance

Garden – cultivate, harvest

Maintain BOBs, IOSs, EDCs,

Boot maintenance & repair

Spiritual, Emotional health

Prayer, Scripture reading

Meat preservation, smoking

Scouting

Radio, weather, news

Security threats – humans

Security threats – critter

Dishes, utensils – cleaning

Boil water

Move traps around

Build & maintain traps

Sundays – partial rest day

Took about thirty minutes to come up with lists. A good start. A bit overwhelming, but everything absolutely necessary as a foundation. Prepared dried beef for cold lunch at lean-to site. All away-from-cabin gear checked and loaded. Dogs on long leashes. Not going to let them loose until we got back to cabin. Secured cabin doors and windows.

On our way to lean-to by 9 AM; arrived thirty minutes later. Quickly tore down lean-to frame. Wife tore apart fire ring. Using pine branches, we started to brush away footprints. Dogs sensed something before we heard or saw anything. They started barking toward the north. Grabbed our weapons. Saw three men walking south along the creek all carrying shotguns and wearing orange vests. They heard the dogs and started walking our direction. We stood out away from our work, and they stopped when they saw us. The men slowly came toward us. We called out, and they did as well. From a distance said they were hunting and were at a cabin six miles north of us. Told them we had set up at abandoned cabin thirty-minutes to south. Said they meant us no harm, and we started to walk toward them.

We converged and introduced ourselves. One in early sixties introduced himself, one son in his mid-thirties, and other son thirty years old. Introduced ourselves as well. Dogs were barking at them from distance. Told us they were staying at family camp. Did that one week a month during summer. Briefly told them about our journey, and they just looked at us. Said we were trying to get the abandoned cabin livable. Older man smiled. He then told us cabin was his father’s original hunting cabin. Had been there fifty years. His father had spent hunting seasons there until three years ago when he had died at the age of eighty-five. Told us his father would be happy that someone was going to get some use of a place he loved so much. Said we were welcome to use it.

Another ten minutes of small talk, then heard them mention the situation to the north. Four families had hunting camps in same general area about six miles

north of where we were standing, about halfway to Sackett PA. All four families were from Ridgway PA. of the same church, they had moved into their cabins when country fell apart. Seems like we had heard the same story from our friends to the south. Told us they looked out for each other. Said they were thinking about starting a Bible study and home church that would meet every other Sunday. When they invited us to them, we told them about my seminary training and our Christian background. Said they were moving into their cabins permanently in a week. That done, they promised to stop by our adopted cabin to see how we were doing. Told them that sounded good. Short prayer, and they were on their way. Watched them cross to east side of Bear Creek as they were going to hunt their way back to their cabins. At last sight they turned around and waved. We just looked at each other.

Back to work. Took all the old pine branches that had been on lean-to and randomly piled them over former site. Last bit of work was to scatter leaves and sticks over the whole thing. Stood back and looked at our work. Someone would be hard pressed to see any evidence that we had ever been there. With that done, loaded everything up and headed back to cabin with dogs on short leashes. Quick trip back down the slope and we were home. Was time for lunch, so we pulled out the dried beef we had prepared and shared a bit with dogs before we even opened up cabin. We said a prayer and unhooked dogs from their leashes. They just stood and looked at us. We wanted to be at cabin, a familiar place to them, before we let them loose. Hopefully they would stay close. They stayed on our heels until we started next jobs, when it seemed to dawn on them that they were not on leashes.

My first job was to haul up more clay from creek while wife chopped up more dry grass. When it was mixed together, she started chinking more of the cabin foundation, except where I would have to put new stones in places where it was fallen in. While she did that, I went to collapsed privy and retrieved old roof. It was four-foot square lumber form covered with very rusted tin. Removed tin and put four braces across bottom of square where I would attach legs. Back to edge of trees and cut down couple small pines, three inches in diameter, for legs. Cut four legs three and a half feet long. Using old nails from shed, attached legs to braces on tabletop. Smaller logs attached between the four legs to give it

stability. Toted to cabin and inside to set up and see if level. Using bowsaw, had to cut inch off two of the legs. Reset on floor, it was pretty close to level. No sandpaper or fine saw, so decided to put shims under two remaining legs and nail in place. Another test and table did not wobble. Back outside with it and cleaned off tabletop as much as possible.

That finished, built two stools. Back to woods, cut and de-limbed a couple more pines, and cut eight two-foot long three-inch diameter logs for stool legs. Then cut two small oaks into small logs that would be the stool seats. Cut remaining oak into a couple dozen three-foot long logs, one to two inches in diameter. Last piece of puzzle was four three-foot logs and four two-foot logs. Used those to build seat frames. Attached legs to those finished frames. Then built seats using twelve small logs nailed to seat frames. Did the leveling test and had to adjust a couple of the legs on each stool. When satisfied that they would sit well with no rocking, placed next to finished table and we had our kitchen furniture. Hauled all of them back into cabin, and we were in business. No more sitting on floor or sleeping platforms to eat. Wife had finished chinking earlier and had already washed the table before I took it inside. Dogs were following us everywhere we went, both curious and hesitant to get very far away from us.

With all of that done it was already 4 PM. Made a water run while wife kept dogs in cabin. Will take them on water run tomorrow with me—an adventure, I am sure. Back at cabin, wife had fire started. Rice and dried beef already cooking. Decided would not do any hunting today as not enough time after supper. First thing tomorrow, out to traps and hunt in area of beaver dam. All tired from the excitement and work of the day. Talked a bit wondering what the man was like who had originally built the cabin. Fire slowly going out in fireplace so decided to hit the sack. Secured doors and windows, washed bodies, checked for ticks, nothing today. Dogs ready for sleep, as were we. Prayers, scripture and to bed. Small talk until we fell asleep. Thank you, Lord!

Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons;

and they built a house for David. (2 Samuel 5:11)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #10

June 2

Up bright and early. Dogs anxious to go outside, so out they went. I started fire and then, with dogs following me, went on a water run. Figured as good a time as any to get them away from cabin. They stayed pretty close to me out and back to spring. Couple times ventured a bit off the path we had started to wear through the grass and brush, but soon came charging back to me. Little one, Sophie, has quite a nose on her. She picked up a scent and started to follow it but looked back at me and decided scent could wait until another time. Wife made fuss over them when we got back to cabin. Important to do that. Reinforces them to come back to cabin if out and about. They will be looking for our approval.

Probably food had something to do with that also. While wife cooked up eggs, four slices of bacon, and coffee on fireplace hearth, we discussed task plan for the day. First, get the steel cooking structure up and running. Second, scope out holes in cabin foundation and haul rocks up from creek. Put them in place so wife could chink them. Third, cultivate the garden mounds. Fourth, clear moss off the cabin roof. If time allowed, before I headed out to get some fresh meat, would put tin from shed over spots in roof where we’ve had rain leaks since we got here. An aggressive plan. Add water trips, keeping tabs on dogs, and collecting firewood for the next couple days, we would be tired tonight. Agreed to all of that. Breakfast ready, all sat down in the cabin, us at new table, dogs beside us, and ate. Dishes cleaned and put away, we started our day.

Used wire from shed to reattach swinging cooking arm on swivel so we could put into hearth and pull out when food cooked. It squeaked a lot but will work for now. Also used wire to attach steel hooks to face of hearth. They had fallen

off where they were attached to lugs in top of hearth opening. Would use the hooks to hang pots to boil water, slow cook some things, and expand amount that could be cooked at once. It all seemed to work OK with jury-rigged wire. Will test it out this afternoon when boiling water and tonight when cooking supper.

Wife checked all of our clothing for repairs and mended them while I walked foundation perimeter of cabin. Most of the rocks that had fallen out were still by the wall. When done, figured only had to haul a dozen or so up from the creek to put in holes where rocks had fallen under the cabin where I could not reach them. Wheelbarrow collected, and dogs following, headed for creek. Collected about twenty rocks of different sizes to use. Dogs up and down west side of creek bank sniffing and barking. I headed back to cabin slowly with load. Dogs stayed at creek for a bit but quickly returned up slope after me to cabin. Wife came out, no clothing repairs needed. She then helped me put rocks in few holes in foundation I had found. Those in place, could now put mud-straw mixture in any cracks that needed it. She started working on the south side of house first. Of course, I had to make a mud run to creek while she chopped up dry grass. Dogs followed me again but came back with me as soon as I started back. Mixed mud and grass, and she got to chinking holes. My next task was to reinforce ladders. Off to the woods I went to the west again, dogs underfoot. More sniffing and barking. So much to explore. Kept looking at me to make sure I was still with them. Couple small pines cut down and cut up into four-foot lengths. Hauled small logs back to cabin, got some rusty nails from shed, and started attaching logs to ladders. Diagonal pattern the full length of each ladder. The actual carpentry only took about half an hour. Leaned both ladders against chimney. Climbed up them to test them out. Much more stable.

Lunchtime. Dried beef and a can of fruit. Dogs got bit of both as well. No dishes, other than forks, as we ate right out of the can. Water run with dogs in tow and when back to cabin wife tested out cooking structure by boiling water over fire in hearth. Worked OK. While wife was doing that, I collected rusty hoe we had used in garden. Put longest ladder on east side of cabin. Reaching as far as possible could get to within couple feet of crown of roof with hoe. Started pulling moss off the roof. Stuff was damp and heavy. A lot of huffing and

puffing. Dogs underneath me until hit by a clump of moss. They then went to see what their mama was up to. I just kept grunting. Took an hour to get east side of roof cleared. Quite a pile of damp moss lying on ground. Would put it to immediate use filling up holes in outside walls of cabin. Carted ladder to west side and repeated the entire process. Another hour. Two more steps and roof would be able for the time being. Ladder on south side got up high enough to reach as far as possible along crown of roof. Pulled moss off. Then to north side and repeated process. When all done a section of moss, couple feet wide and six feet long, still left on crown of roof. Will think tonight on how to get that off as well. After three hours total, the roof looked much better.

Was only 3:30 PM, and if I hustled I could cover northwest of roof where we had water leaking into the cabin. Collected three four-foot-square sections of tin from shed, and up the ladder I went. Wife headed out to cultivate the garden. Should not be too bad since had only planted it less than a week ago. Three sections of tin on roof attached to roof beams with screws tightened down through existing roof. Covered up screws and edges of new tin with strips of duct tape. Only about one-quarter role of tape left after doing that. Hopefully duct tape will provide enough of a seal to keep water from seeping under tin and back into cabin through holes I was trying to cover. Dogs had gone with wife to garden. About the time I was climbing down ladder, they came running up wanting attention, which they got. She got back a few minutes after them, saying garden in good shape. No shoots showing yet. Garden wall needed to be up in next three days or so.

4:30 PM and we had had a busy day. Another water run for supper, hygiene, and breakfast tomorrow. Wife started it boiling while I got ready to go out for fresh meat. She would wait to start supper until I got back. Dogs in cabin, I set out with .17 HMR. First stop was to check traps in the old cleared area. First three were empty. Picked them up to bring back to cabin for a bit of maintenance. Fourth trap had a small raccoon in it. Dispatched it quickly. Always carried surgical gloves in my hip EDC pack. Those on, field-dressed raccoon. Would skin it back at cabin.

Walked up toward spring, sat down on bank, and watched for squirrel. Saw a couple but too far away to take a good shot. Will have to try our first raccoon tonight. Back to cabin, met by some excited dogs. They could smell the critter. They were at my feet as I skinned it and skewered carcass on spit in hearth. Built up fire to cook it completely. Dogs just sat in the middle of the cabin and watched. Wife at first turned up nose about eating raccoon, but that changed when she had her first taste a bit later. She put small pot of rice on one of hearth hooks to cook it slowly. All of that started, I made another water run. Dogs were torn: stay near food, or go with me? Food won out. On way to water discarded surgical gloves in privy pit. Would wash up with alcohol rubs when got back. While walking back to cabin, had brainstorm about how to get last moss off the roof. Would throw length of rope over the cabin. Wife grab end on east side. I would do same on west side. Pulling together we would scrape moss off roof with rope moving south to north. Will try it tomorrow. Hope it works.

Washed up in hot water. Time for supper. Meat cooked forty minutes until well done, to kill all possible parasites. On counter in corner of cabin, deboned meat. Had couple pounds of great smelling meat when done. Each of us would get about a half-pound. Would not be able to save any until we had a way of preserving it at least twelve hours. Didn’t have that yet. Also, with such a new kind of meat, didn’t want to push our luck. Will save small bit of leftover until AM, and dogs will probably be OK eating it for breakfast. Dishes washed and stored, got to last chores for the day. I made another water run with dogs in tow. Wife brought load of firewood into cabin for small fire tonight and breakfast fire in AM. When I got back, I brought a lot more wood in as I had seen clouds building from south on last water run. Rain likely tomorrow. Almost 8 PM before got all this done. Dogs were already on sleeping bags just watching us, yawning. A busy day for them. Think the mountain air agrees with them. Freedom was also a big part as well. Full tummies didn’t hurt either.

Quick hygiene wash and tick check for everyone. Couple ticks on each dog. Of course they protested removal process. I had three on me, wife had none. Removed and covered with antibiotic. Light from fire was wonderful. A bit of warmth as well. Starting to dry the inside of the cabin a bit. Cooking smells filled the place. Would linger all night. Secured windows and doors and sat at

table under fire tin light reading scripture. Lots of prayers for safety and thanks for all that we had. It had been a good productive day. Into sleeping bags and not long before lots of snoring going on. Watch over us, Lord!

And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. (Matthew 10:42)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry Day #11

June 3

Heard first rumble of thunder off to the south in middle of night. Lightning and thunder quickly moved over us with very heavy rain. Dogs huddled closer. When we got up, it had been pouring for quite a while and didn’t look like it would let up very soon. Glad we had hauled quite a bit of wood into cabin last night for cooking and light. Fire started, cooked rice and dried beef for breakfast. Hot coffee as well. Dogs got a good breakfast along with the few pieces of raccoon left over from last night’s supper. Rain coming down in buckets. Pretty loud hitting newly uncovered tin roof. Poncho on, made quick water run to spring. Dogs started out with me, but as soon as they took care of their business, they hot footed it back to cabin to get out of downpour. Things were muddy, of course. Took a few extra minutes to make trip. When back, put what empty pots we had outside to collect rain water. Might not have to make as many water trips today. Rain coming down in sheets. Loud thunder right over us. Could see lightning strikes on mountaintops every now and then. Inside projects at least until all of that ed by us.

A nice fire going, we moved table and stools closer to it. Dogs content to lie on sleeping platforms and nap. Decided to do some planning for the next week. Some key projects need to get done. Two in particular topped list. First is to build a garden protection wall. Plant shoots are bound to appear in next few days. We are not in the business of feeding every critter and deer that might our way. Second task is to finish chinking outside cabin walls where old stuff has fallen out. It’s insulation from dampness and from the winter that will come.

We spent some time talking through which daily chores will be my primary responsibility and which will be my wife’s. Knew that we will help each other

with everything as well. This is a partnership in everything. Talked a bit about her doing some target practice with larger rifle. She needs to be able to shoot food. If I am laid up for any reason, she becomes the temporary meat provider.

Several times during morning collected a pot full of rainwater from outside and boiled it. Only have three pots, so that didn’t take long. Pots are primary storage tools as well. Filled canteens obviously. Spent balance of morning talking about all these things. Rain still pouring down. Dogs started bugging us about food. They could eat themselves to death if we let them. Simple lunch. Opened a can of tuna and mixed with bit of dried beef. Dogs got a small portion. They went nuts at smell of tuna. Dishes washed, along with empty tuna can; will make another fire tin with it. Dogs outside quickly for necessities.

Grabbed our four wire snare traps, and did some repairs on them. Then did maintenance on our firearms. Wet and damp is not good for them; needed a good coating of gun oil. Thunder and lightning had moved north, but was still pouring. Wife spent some time organizing and cleaning, especially around hearth. Juryrigged cover over chimney was keeping rain out. Dogs lying on platforms asleep, we decided to stretch out for a short nap. Some rest would be good for us.

Woke up two hours later when dogs decided they needed to go outside. Rain had let up some, so out they went, did a bit of exploring, then barked to get back inside. Finished boiling all collected rainwater. After supper, make another run to spring for nighttime and morning supply. Kept fire going for light since had doors closed. At 4 PM figured some critters might be coming out since rain had slackened off. So packs on belt and shoulder, poncho on, air rifle in hand, headed out to try for some fresh squirrel or other game for supper. Walked back toward old lean-to site and went about one-half mile past it. Quite a few squirrel nests. Sat on log and watched two nests at eye level in trees about forty feet downslope. Eventually a couple squirrels came out onto limb and started chattering. Long shot with air rifle, but did OK. Two squirrels hit the ground. Field dressed, skinned, and butchered them. Pieces of meat into plastic bag in

my EDC. Back to cabin ready for a good supper.

Dogs were barking behind door when they heard me coming. Inside, they were all over me. Could smell the meat I was carrying. Good fire going, put two hearts into small skillet. Gave cooked hearts to dogs to keep them quiet. Rest of meat followed. When it was seared and cooked completely, fixed some rice and mixed it all together. Sat down at table for good meal. Dogs on floor beside us scarfing theirs from small plates. Hot tea to wash it all down.

By time dishes cleaned, rain was only a light sprinkle. Off to the spring I went. Dogs decided they would go along and stayed reasonably close to me. They never let me out of their sight. Back at the cabin, they were soaked rats. Too much running through brush and grass. Tick check first thing. Both had several. Some yelping as we removed them and applied antibiotic. Wife and I had none. Dogs, after treatment, retreated to top of sleeping bags and just watched us. Nasty humans. Tomorrow is Sunday, the Lord’s day. We have some projects and chores but will make sure to the importance of Sunday. Just sat paying attention to dogs. Quiet day for everyone, but they were soon asleep. After prayers and scripture, we soon ed them. Sounds like rain has stopped. Thank you for the day of recovery, Lord. We needed it.

The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; They break forth into shouts of joy. (Isaiah 14:7)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #12

June 4

Bit of sunshine when we woke up. Lots of clouds yet, but no rain. Dogs out first thing, business first, then some exploring. Fire started, fixed eggs with four slices of bacon. Dogs barked at door. They could smell food from outside. Ate quickly, dishes cleaned and stored. Discussed projects and tasks for the day. Lord’s day, but knew He would honor what we had to do. One project only today, the garden wall. Close to a week since we planted seeds. With rain and sunshine, plants will sprout soon. No water run needed; still had good supply of rainwater. Next trip to spring around lunchtime. Dogs anxious to get outside.

Geared up, wife and I headed off into woods next to old cleared area to cut small logs for garden protection wall. Dogs with us, venturing further away from us in time, exploring, but keeping us in their eyesight. We are their security. Worked cutting pine trees. Softer wood easier to cut and de-limb. Worked steadily until 11:30 AM. By then had probably three dozen fifteen-foot long poles in a pile. Before lunch dragged them all to the side of the small garden.

Time for lunch. Dogs slowly followed us back to cabin. Washed up. Lunch of dried beef and water. Dogs got a few pieces. No dishes to clean. Closed up cabin and back to the woods. Tree felling and de-limbing until 4 PM. Dragged all the cleaned logs to garden side. Counted a total of fifty fifteen-foot logs for the day. A lot of progress. Will build the structure tomorrow and cut any more logs we might need. Good if we can have the protection wall done by end of day tomorrow. Back to cabin, time for a water run to spring. Off the dogs and I went. As we ed old cleared field, they got on a scent and away they went. Circled the entire field, and I saw the rabbit they were chasing. It disappeared into pile of brush that we had built up when clearing line-of-sight earlier. Dogs circled pile

barking up a storm. Eventually they gave up and started following me to spring. On way back to cabin with water they went over to brush pile again and barked. Finally figured out rabbit was not coming out. Eventually the three of us made it back to the cabin.

Wife had fire going in hearth. Asked why dogs had been barking. Explained it all to her. Fixed eggs and rice mixed together for supper. No fresh meat. Will put repaired wire traps out in the morning and hopefully by end of day have something fresh for our supper. Time will tell.

Has been a long, productive Lord’s day. Only one project worked on but a very important one. Food from our garden is crucially important for us. While dogs nosed around outside the cabin, we took stools outside and planned our day tomorrow. First task, finish garden wall if possible. Second, set out wire traps and hunt for fresh meat. Third, if time allows, work at chinking chimney and foundation of the cabin. Figured that will be a full day for us. We were all bushed after all the tree cutting and prep work. Secured cabin windows and doors. Prayers and scripture read. Nice little fire burning as the four of us lay down. Lots of small talk and paying attention to dogs. Not sure when we fell asleep but it was pretty early. Bushed. Lord, give us strength!

It had a great and high wall. (Revelation 21:12)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #13

June 5

Sun shining when we woke up. White puffy fair weather clouds overhead. Dogs outside with no interest in coming back into cabin. Exploring, likely feeling more secure. Water run first thing. They went with me and stayed pretty close. Beat me back to the cabin running the whole way. Must have had something to do with breakfast. Back at cabin, wife had built fire and eggs were cooking. Mixed some dried beef into them, and we all ate a good breakfast. While eating, revised work plan for day. Spend AM working on garden wall. Then clear cabin roof of remaining moss. Third, chink holes on east and north outside walls of cabin. And last, gather three days’ firewood and set it in sun outside to dry as much as possible. Cover with plastic overnight and let dry some more tomorrow. Of course, multiple runs to spring for water. Finally before dark set out wire traps again in the large brushy field to south by garden. A lot to do, so got dishes done quickly.

Outside gear on hips, carrying weapons, we headed for garden. Figured would build until we ran out of cut logs. Would then know how much more needed. Dogs all over the place, but always in sight or earshot. Garden protection wall had to be about four-feet high. Deer may still jump it easily, but smaller critters will have a tough time at that height. Since thirty feet on each side, first step was to put in five-foot vertical poles, one at each corner and one halfway along each side. Used folding survival shovel to dig foot-deep hole for each vertical pole. Poles in place, added smaller noggin poles on east and south sides of vertical poles to add stability. Prevailing winds from north and northwest. Shore up big poles from being blown over. Filled in around poles with packed-down dirt. Will add creek rocks later to give more strength to the dirt. While wife filled in dirt, went to shed and brought back all the rusty wire I could find. Would attach fifteen-foot poles from corner poles to center poles with wire. Pain in neck cutting wire, but finally figured out how to get that done with nail removal slot

on hand ax. Attached eight poles to each section of wall. First horizontal pole at ground level, then other seven poles six to seven-inches apart. Made quite a bit of progress by lunch time. Got one wall done and second one halfway done. Working as team made it easier.

At 11:30 AM headed back to cabin, started cooking fire. I headed to spring for water while wife cooked up some rice and dried beef. Dogs stayed with her, watching their food being prepared. Back with water, lunch ready, we ate. Dogs as usual got a bit. Dishes cleaned up, cabin secured, we headed back to garden. Agreed we would work until 4 PM, then break to do couple smaller jobs. By that time, had second wall done and half of third wall finished. Have to finish job tomorrow. Have enough logs to finish third wall. Will have to cut some new shorter logs to finish fourth wall, leaving enough space to build a gate so we could access garden. Dogs spent a lot of time in afternoon lying around outside work area sleeping. Not much stirred them.

On way back to cabin with tools and equipment decided to tackle the remaining moss on cabin roof. Got rope out and pitched it over the roof. Got hung up on east side so had to get ladder and hoe to snag it and pull it the rest of the way over. Wife on east side, me on west side, we started pulling both ends of rope toward the north. Worked like a charm. Didn’t get a few pieces off, but 90 percent removed. Big clumps slid down the roof and onto the ground. What is left will likely not be a problem. Pulled rope back over the roof. Will need to be cleaned up some before using any of it inside cabin. Dogs very curious as to what was going on. Couple near misses with big clumps falling, which kept them at a distance. Built fire in hearth and started boiling water for supper. While that going on, I headed to spring for water with dogs. By time we got back, wife had rice and tuna dinner waiting for us. Hot tea to drink. Muscles aching, we sat down and enjoyed the break.

While wife cleaned up after supper, the dogs and I went back to large former field south of garden and put the four wire snare traps on some rabbit runs. We had saved a few pieces of corn from last can of corn, so baited snares with that.

Dogs spent time running up and down rabbit runs smelling and barking. At one point they took off as if had one on the run, but didn’t last long. Saw no critters, so headed back to cabin. First thing tomorrow morning will check traps. If empty, do some hunting in the afternoon.

Wanted to get one thing done before we called it a day. Started collecting firewood. Hopefully enough for next three days of cooking and light in the evenings. Didn’t cut any, just gathered downed pieces in area near cabin. Knocked down one good-sized dead tree, which shattered when hit the ground. Carried pieces to cabin. Will cut it up into smaller sizes when needed. While pushed and pulled down dead tree, wife held dogs away from fall zone. No need to risk them getting hit. Was a chore pushing and pulling at dead tree. It was only about six-inches around but not easy. Couple dead pieces fell off and nearly got me. Moved pretty quickly for old fart. Wife was the lookout, and when she saw something give way she yelled. I just reacted to her yelling. By 7:30 PM had a good stack built. Covered with plastic we used to cover hearth opening when cleaning chimney. Will keep dew and rain off wood so it stays dry.

Back into cabin we revised our plan for tomorrow a bit, not having gotten to a couple chores. First, if nothing else done tomorrow, have to get garden wall done. Any time left we will start chinking outside walls of cabin. Beyond that, water trips, checking traps, and hunting if necessary. Will be another full day.

Last tasks today, once we got dogs to come inside, were hygiene and tick checkup. Dogs clear tonight, thank goodness. We were too. Washed bodies and rinsed out clothing. Hung up inside cabin on piece of paracord hung across width of north side. Dogs made one final necessary trip outside. We sat on stools outside door as they messed around. Finally back inside, they hit the sack. Prayers said, scripture read, we soon followed. Tired but glad for the progress.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true. (Psalm 19:9)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #14

June 6

Two weeks ago today we arrived in the vicinity of our new home. We have done a lot, but only the tip of the iceberg. Fire started, wife boiled water for breakfast meal prep. While she was doing that, dogs and I headed up to spring on water run. They were full of it. Had tough time keeping them away from snare trap area. They wanted to chase something. Checked traps; empty so far. Check again later today. Water back to cabin, we enjoyed eggs, a strip of bacon each, and coffee for us. Dogs wanted more but will have to wait. Need some fresh meat.

Everything cleaned up, gear in hand, we headed back out to the garden wall. First got after finishing third wall. That done, headed into woods to cut more logs. This time needed sixteen logs, eight of them fifteen feet long, others twelve feet long. Wanted to build gate three feet wide for garden access. Took couple hours to get all the logs cut and limbs off. All dragged back to garden side.

First job was to sink another five-foot vertical pole for second half of gate frame in wall. Same process as yesterday. Five-foot pole sunk a foot into ground with two noggins attached. That done, attached eight logs in two open wall sections with same process as yesterday. Was after 12 noon by the time all of that done. Would come back after lunch and build the access gate and attach it. When walls done, gate in place, would start weaving smaller sticks into all four walls and gate. That would take at least another day. As we walked back to cabin, decided to do the preparation of materials and weaving tomorrow. Wanted to get to a couple other jobs today. Sun shining brightly all morning. Got warm. At cabin had dried beef and can of fruit for lunch. Ate directly out of the can. Not many dirty dishes. Dogs, as usual, got a bit.

Lunch finished, got after the outside wall chinking. Wife had gotten foundation holes chinked couple days ago. We decided on a team process. She would look for holes that she could reach and fix those. I would use ladder and work on stuff she couldn’t reach from there to roof. Worked our way around the cabin slowly from the east side. Most of holes or gaps were on lower part of walls. I finished higher stuff on east and south walls before she was done with lower places on east side. We finished that side and south wall by the time we needed to break for water run, checking traps, and hunting if necessary. Dogs in tow, we headed to the traps first. Bingo, one rabbit in third trap. Field-dressed and skinned. Showed wife how to skin it. She had never seen it done before and needed to know how to do it. Carcass put in plastic bag. She carried it back to cabin. Made a stop at the spring to get water. We had brought folding bucket with us. Dogs knew there was a treat tonight for supper.

Wife started fire and got water boiling while I cut up the rabbit, wearing surgical gloves as always after cleaning hands with alcohol wipe. A bit of bacon grease in skillet, I fried up the heart. Cut it in half when done and gave half to each dog. Added bacon grease and fried up the rest of the rabbit. Wife had already gotten rice boiled. Combined them and sat down for supper. Tasted good with a pinch of salt. Dogs as always wanted more, so they got a bit more meat until it was all gone.

Dishes washed and stored, took stools outside and sat out in open looking at clouds and talking. Worked out plan for tomorrow. After I haul mud from creek and wife chops up some grass and we’ve mixed it all together, she will start on chinking west wall of cabin. I will head back to garden to build and attach access gate. When I am done with that, will call her to come and help me cut, gather, and prepare smaller pieces to weave into wall. We will work on the garden wall the rest of day. Of course, do regular chores as well: check traps, carry water, and if time allows, head down to beaver pond and try luck at fish for supper.

Both satisfied with that as our plan, spent rest of evening daylight paying

attention to dogs when they were not running around in the woods. They are having a ball in their new world. We are very lucky that they have adapted so well. All the attention we have given them over the years is paying off big-time. We are a bit less worried about them when we cannot see them. Will always worry about them, but that’s our nature because they are so important to us.

Finally got darker so went inside. Didn’t close creek door for a while as the crickets and frogs were singing. Dawned on us as we listened to the frogs that they are a ready-made supply of meat. The beaver pond has to be full of them. Going to have to do some frog gigging for variety to our diet. We’ve heard frog legs taste like chicken. Hopefully we will soon know. Dogs finally were tired and went into cabin and onto beds. We closed everything up and put security system in place. Some light from fire yet, so we sat on stools near fire and said prayers and read scripture.

Has been a very busy day again. We have a plan for tomorrow. We thanked the Lord for giving us our health and strength over the past two weeks in getting so much accomplished to set up our new home. Even our conversation with our new friends from the north confirms that it’s OK for us to be here. God is taking care of us. Good night! Tomorrow is a new day.

He said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Please grant me success today.” (Genesis 24:12)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #15

June 7

Dogs outside first thing, but not for long. Knew breakfast would be cooking soon. While wife fixed eggs and four slices of bacon, I checked on moss that had come off roof to see if useful for outside wall chinking instead of mud and grass mixture. Decided won’t work, as moss is pretty rotten from being wet for so long. Breakfast done, I headed out with dogs in tow to get water. On way to spring, checked wire traps, found nothing. Would move them to a different location later today after other jobs. Decided then and there to head for beaver pond late this afternoon and see if fish were biting. Back at cabin, hauled fresh loads of mud up from creek, chopped grass, and blended together.

Breakfast all squared away, wife came outside to work on walls. I headed to garden to fabricate access gate. Found small pine with trunk long enough to make the four sides of gate, and cut it down. Also, cut another down to make a log to attach diagonally to outside frame to add strength. Tied whole thing together with wire. Attached one side to wall vertical with wire that was just loose enough to swivel open. Last step was to put two nails into other vertical , attach wires to gate frame that could be looped over nails to keep gate closed. That finished, back to cabin to get wife so we could start getting material to weave garden walls and to rest a bit. She was almost done with west wall chinking as far up as she could reach. Dogs had been going back and forth between us all morning. They ed us back at garden. There were lots of saplings all over the place, so we started cutting them down and cleaning off limbs. Worked on that, making piles of material, for next three hours.

Realized it was 12:30 PM and needed to break for a little lunch. Back to cabin. Dried beef and water. Enough to give us fresh surge of energy. Then back to

garden work. More sapling preparation. Around 3 PM hauled everything we had cut back to garden. Realized we needed a lot more. Will be at same task tomorrow. Given lateness of the hour, decided we’d better head down to beaver dam and try to catch fish. Back to cabin to secure it and get gear. Took couple six-foot saplings and cleaned off branches to make poles. Wife would be fishing too. Got fishing line and hooks out of my pack and built poles. Had lots of hooks. Couple pieces of dry wood, one inch in diameter, one inch long, for bobbers. Wife put couple ounces of dried beef in plastic bag for bait. Not the best possible, just hoped it might work. With that all ready, we headed down to beaver dam.

Got there about 3:45 PM. Agreed we would fish until 5 PM. Took .17 HMR along in case saw any kind of critter. Stopped about twenty-feet north of dam, baited hooks, and threw them in. Took fifteen minutes or so before bobber on her pole went under. She pulled six-inch trout in quickly. Another half hour and we both landed similar-sized trout. Kept at it. Not long before had couple sunfish on bank beside us. Decided that was enough for tonight. Would keep a bit of it cooked for breakfast tomorrow as well. Gutted fish away from bank and dogs. Kicked up some dirt and buried remains. Fish into another plastic bag. Would cook fish whole as they were not large. Pick meat off and give to dogs. No chewing on fish for fear of bones. Dogs sensed something. As we walked away, frogs were croaking. After sun went behind ridge to west, dusk started to settle in and frogs got noisy. Will have to try and get some, either by trapping or gigging, at first chance.

Back at cabin, got fire going. While it was starting, made quick trip to spring for water with dogs. They ran around with me. They just like to be running and free. Quick walk back to cabin. Dogs eventually showed up as well. Wife had rice boiled already. Prepped some green sticks for cooking fish rather than marshmallows, but same general process. Each with two sticks, couple fish on each one, we sat in front of fire cooking them. Good thing about fish was they didn’t take as long to cook as critter meat. Dogs beside themselves as cooking fish smell filled the cabin. Had them all cooked in about thirty minutes. Picked flesh from two of them for dogs. Each dog got all the flesh from one fish with small portion of rice. It was gone before we even started to eat. Then the begging

started. Sat down at table with couple small fish for each of us and rice. It was such a good change from critter meat. Different flavor. Picked bones of fish clean as we could.

When all done, I took leavings and small shovel and into woods to west and buried it all. Dogs went with me hoping might drop something. No such luck. Back to cabin wife had everything cleaned up. All four of us on another water trip for tomorrow. Checked traps on the way, but nothing. Need to change their location tomorrow. Finally back at cabin. Wife showed me how much progress she had made on outside walls. Good chance she can finish fourth wall tomorrow; then I only have to finish higher repairs. She has a right to be proud of her work.

Sat outside on stools and watched dogs run around. Was becoming our nightly routine of relaxing. Dogs were tired, so they were soon sitting beside us while we petted them. Our little family. Decided that before we do anything else tomorrow, we will walk up ridge to our west to a high point and see if we can get any radio reception. Closest powerful station that might be relaying NOAA weather and emergency news stations is fifty miles away. In these mountains signal will be tough at best, probably elusive and weak. Need to know what is going on around us. Over two weeks since we had any kind of radio report. Have to know, if possible, if there are any human threats out there. That decided, headed inside. Dogs did not resist. They headed straight for beds and curled up. Would be asleep soon. Fresh fried fish smell in cabin. We sat on stools in front of last fire embers and just were quiet. Prayers said, scripture read, we hit the sack around 9 PM. Another long day. Another long day tomorrow. Lord, watch over us and guide us every minute of the day. Watch over us tonight, and keep us all safe.

So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.

(John 21:9)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #16

June 8

Up early. Dogs outside for business and back inside to wait for breakfast. Fire started. Eggs and four slices of bacon cooked. Bacon grease saved, of course. Smelled wonderful. Quite a bit of fog sitting in the valley this morning. Dogs did not go too far from cabin earlier. Dishes finished, we got our kit for a hike together. As we decided last night we were going to hike to top of ridge to our west and see if we could pick up radio signal of any kind. Decided to put dogs on short leashes since we were going into unfamiliar territory for them. They didn’t like it at all. But that’s the way it’s going to be. Outside, secured cabin door, and we were off. Past garden and into small gully that went up the ridge. When gully ended, we walked in switchback fashion to top of ridge. Took us a couple hours with quite a few five-minute rest stops. Good idea that we carried two full canteens of water. Finally did reach the top and sat down fairly winded. We sat for fifteen minutes before attempting to turn radio on. We had brought long leashes with us. Put dogs on them so they could snoop around a bit.

Turned radio on and took a few minutes to find a very weak signal. Put radio between our heads, each with an ear an inch or so from it. Volume up as high as would go. First heard NOAA weather forecast and local forecast for our area. Basically to be warm with occasional showers for the next week. That was OK with us; we can work outside in showers. Then tried to find emergency station. Found one after a few minutes and listened carefully. Very silent around us as we listened, even dogs were quiet. Seemed like birds stopped singing as well. After fifteen minutes turned radio off and just sat there occasionally looking at each other. Didn’t realize it, but we were holding hands when we knew it was time to go back to cabin. Dogs on short leashes again, we slowly headed back to cabin. Silence the whole way back. Dogs silent too. Zigzagged our way back down ridge. Ninety-minutes later we walked up to cabin door and opened it. We were gone three and a half hours. Seemed like only a few minutes. Fire started back

up, cooked up a few eggs and ate in silence. A few pieces of dried beef for dogs. Cleaned up and headed out to the garden to work on the wall again. Decided tonight would write into our diary what we had heard.

Back at garden, we started weaving new smaller logs into the frame we had built. Wove them in vertical, horizontal and angled ways through the eight horizontal logs on the first wall. Then went on to a second side. Finished second wall and didn’t have any weaving materials left. Tomorrow will be more materials prep before we do anything else. 3:30 PM headed back to cabin. Wife needed to rest from our hike. The dogs and I went to spring for water. When back, dogs following behind me, fixed an early supper of rice and dried beef cooked together. We all sat and ate without saying much. Hoped we will be able to resume our work pace tomorrow. No planning tonight; there was just too much to think about.

Supper cleaned up, we took stools outside and sat watching dogs play. They seemed to want to stay pretty close to us. Pretty dark at 8 PM when we finally went inside. Wife resting on sleeping platform with the two dogs. We said our prayers and read scripture. Knew she and the dogs would fall asleep soon. I lit a fire tin and pushed table near fire for extra light and started writing. Once done writing secured windows and doors. Carried one of the dogs to my platform and climbed into sack. Lay there for a long time thinking about what I had just written. Lord, keep us safe. Watch over our families and friends. We trust you for the future. Use us as you would. Your will be done. Eventually drifted off to a fitful sleep.

Sad and Scary News:

It had been just over two weeks since we had any local, national, or international news. It seems that a lot has happened in all three spheres since then. Some quick notes that hopefully capture what we heard.

Internationally Russia, China, Iran, most of the countries in the Middle East, and many of the countries across North Africa have entered into a treaty pledging resources and in any way that would accomplish their individual and common efforts. Russia has indeed invaded Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Hungary and now stood on the borders of , Austria, and the Scandinavian countries. Russia’s military forces have rolled back the inadequately prepared and lightly armed defenders in each of those countries. Western Europe is trying to figure out how to stop the onslaught. China has swept into Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, eastern Pakistan, and Nepal. Their navy surrounds Taiwan and the Philippines and is patrolling the west coast of Japan. There are fears that the Chinese navy will next head toward Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and other islands in that area. Australia and New Zealand are alone in the South Pacific.

Iran’s armies have swept quickly to the Mediterranean Sea, completely surrounding Israel. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Yemen all were overrun fairly quickly. In north Africa, terrorist militias from Libya swept across the deserts and met up with Iranian forces at the Suez canal. Great swaths of the world are now under the direct control of the armies of the new global alliance. Western Europe and the British Isles have undergone daily terrorist attacks with thousands being killed. The countries of the West were shut down completely. With the EMP that exploded over that part of the world back in April, they are defenseless. It is only a matter of time before the Russians push further westward, possibly all the way to the Atlantic coast. There is no reliable word on the status of American forces in these areas. It’s being assumed that they are no longer viable fighting forces. Every UN ambassador has been called home, and the headquarters building in NYC sits empty.

Domestically the US has ceased to be a national entity. The federal government is powerless. The country has in all practicality split into seven separate entities. The West coast (WA, OR, CA, NV, AZ); the Rockies (ID, MT, WY, UT, ND, SD); Central & Southwest (IA, MO, NE, KS, CO, NM, OK, AR, TX, LA); Southeast (TN, NC, SC, MS, AL, VR, GA, FL); Upper Midwest (MN, MI, IL,

WI); Central Midwest (IN, OH, KY, WV, Western PA); and the Northeast (Eastern PA,, Maryland, VA, DE, NJ, NY, CT, MA, NH, RI, VT, ME). Alaska and Hawaii are no longer viable elements of any future US. Leaders in each area have met to attempt to create a sense of control and identify for each region. So far there is no word on whether any has been successful in doing that.

Terrorist cells have come out of the woodwork across the country. They hit all kinds of targets across each state in the union, far too many to list individually. It is enough to ID general categories and the human impact of the terror. Every major pipeline across the country has been bombed. All major ports have suffered truck bombs at critical locations. Railroad bridges across the country have been destroyed. Every major oil and chemical center has been bombed, most several times. Every major military base has been attacked by small groups of armed suicide squads. The EMP made it unnecessary to attack the communication, power, and water grids. Multiple incidents of armed terrorists attacking meetings of any kind including church services, schools, and hospitals. There is virtually no area, private or public, that has not seen some form of attack across the country. Armed militias, some radical, some connected to local police forces, are trying to deal with crime and the ongoing attacks. Starvation is found in every major population center and is now starting to be felt in smaller cities and towns. Killings over meager supplies are a minute-by-minute happening. People are turning on each other over food, water, fuel, and other critical necessities. The number of dead from all this chaos is estimated to be well over 200,000. The number is growing quickly every day.

Locally, in western PA, one of the few areas of relative calm is in the mountains. This, plus a few areas in the Rocky Mountains in the west, because they are fairly isolated, do not seem to be quite as bad. The Pittsburgh and Erie areas are not immune from stuff. In Youngstown OH and western NY, violent influences, gangs, are being felt quite a bit. Philadelphia, NYC, NJ, and Washington DC have had developments similar to those in the eastern half of PA, with incidents being reported in Williamsport and Hershey. It would seem that the mountains are one of the best areas to be hunkered down. Warnings have been issued that small groups of unknown individuals have been seen in the mountains, but those reports are few and far between. The former infrastructure has completely

broken down here as well, but that seems to only affect population centers.

All this news caused us to pause on the top of the ridge. What will be its ongoing impact on us in our new home? When will we face real threats to our security and safety? From whom? What kinds of threats? What do we need to prepare for, and how? We pondered these and many other questions as we walked back to the cabin. It is no wonder that we will hardly sleep tonight. Lord, protect us.

While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #17

June 9

Dogs woke us up about 6 AM. For them nothing had changed. Their little world revolved around us, the cabin, and the woods around them. Wagging tails, bright eyes, showed us that there was still something good around us. Out the door they went, barking. Started fire and fixed eggs and four slices of bacon. They smelled it and were soon back at door wanting in. All sat down to our breakfast. Talked while eating. Our lives have to keep going. Some things would move up the list of priorities that needed to get done. In the end we can only worry about the things we need to survive. We will prepare for and deal with any unknowns when they enter our world. That said, cleaned up after breakfast, gathered outof-cabin packs and weapons, secured front door, and headed for garden.

First job was to prepare weaving materials. Off to the woods. Cut and took limbs off saplings all morning. Dogs roamed all around but stayed pretty close. Once cut, we dragged all materials to garden. Twelve noon and we had all that we hoped we would need. While wife headed back to cabin, dogs and I made a water run. Twenty minutes later, back home and ready to eat. Hot rice and some dried beef for lunch. Needed to check traps when we went back to garden and spend some time late this afternoon either hunting or fishing for meat.

Back at the garden dogs were off exploring. Heard them barking so knew they were not too far off. Got to weaving third and fourth walls of garden protection barrier. Made good progress. Had figured out a system to work on it together. Three thirty, wife headed back to cabin to rest a bit and start supper in an hour or so. I finished last part of fourth wall and access gate. Called dogs, and they eventually came. Headed back to cabin. They ran, I walked. Decided to make a water run before supper. Dogs stayed in cabin where wife was slowly preparing

rice and dried beef mixture. Food always came first in dog’s minds. Back shortly, and we sat down to eat while water boiled on hearth. Planned to check traps after supper and that would be it for the day.

Dogs went with me to check traps. One rabbit. Field-dressed it, fighting dogs entire time to keep them out of entrails. Planned to skin and cook when back at cabin. Decided to take them downstream a bit to widen their world. Walked about halfway to beaver dam and then headed back to cabin. Wife was sitting on stool in front of cabin relaxing. Dogs happy to see her. While she kept them entertained, I skinned rabbit. Cut it up and cooked it on small fire wife had kept going on hearth. Heart first, cut in half, treat for the dogs. Rest slowly cooked for breakfast in the morning. ed wife when done, and we sat watching dusk turn into darkness. Finally back into cabin and secured windows and doors. Tick check for everyone. Nothing found. Hygiene wash for us. Every day we work so hard it is necessary to wash bodies as much as we can.

Decided to do a quick check on our meds before hitting the sack. Supply of antibiotic cream holding up. Wound dressings, Band-Aids all good as well. Over-the-counter painkillers, still had half our initial supply from TX. Most important, we still had a seventy-five-day supply of vitamin tablets if we each took one every day. Critical that we have the vitamin C and others to balance diet of a lot of meat. Decided to cut intake to every other day to double the time we have them. When able to pick fresh berries and eat garden produce, will cut back a bit more on pills. That could probably stretch the pills out through the end of the year. We need to do everything we can to get balance of nutrition and vitamins in our diet. Have read about early pioneers who ate a meat-only diet and died because of malnutrition. Nothing like having a full stomach of meat and not living. We were not going to do that.

Day went by quickly. Not much time to think about news we heard yesterday. Nothing we can do about it but continue to build a safe and secure life for ourselves. Dogs snoring on platforms, we prayed and read scripture. Final check to make sure windows and doors were secure. Climbed into sack and slowly

went to sleep. Lord, watch over us and give us wisdom. Good night!

And came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. (Luke 10:34)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #18

June 10

Woke up more rested than yesterday. Dogs outside barking as usual. Fire started, fixed eggs and four slices of bacon for breakfast. Reheated last evening’s rabbit and mixed it in with eggs. Dogs heard us putting it into their dishes and were inside in a flash. Scarfed down their food and back outside. We ate slowly and planned our day. Goal was to finish garden wall if we had to work until dark this evening. First thing tomorrow will revisit our project list and decide what needs to get done in the next week. Made water run to spring while wife cleaned up breakfast stuff. Dogs surprisingly would not leave her side. Must have figured there would be more to eat. Met them on path coming back from spring. They were likely out looking for me when no more food appeared. Jumping up and down, some petting required, before we could head rest of the way back to the cabin. Would boil water when we came back to cabin for lunch break.

All gear ready, we headed out to the garden by 8 AM. Dogs off to explore and bark. We started to drag all the small brush we had cut to the garden. Wife started to weave small branches into the wall structure clo all holes possible. Will still be some small gaps but we knew if critter wants into garden, only way we can stop it is to build concrete wall. That was a real possibility here in the woods, NOT! While she was weaving stuff, I headed out into woods and along large overgrown field to cut scrub and small trees and then drag stuff back to garden. Kept this up all morning until had three very large piles sitting at garden side. On one trip when got back to garden, wife said take a break and look at what she had found. Into garden we went, and there were small green shoots growing in almost every mound. We could have some leafy veggies in couple weeks maybe. Big smiles and even more motivation to get the wall done today.

At noon headed back to cabin for leftover rabbit, dried beef lunch. Cup of coffee was a treat. While eating, boiled the water collected this morning. Lunch cleaned up, we headed back to garden. Took water containers along. Would make spring run before we headed back for evening meal. I cut and hauled brush for another couple hours, wife weaving stuff in walls the whole time. By 2:30 PM I stopped cutting and started weaving. Two walls were finished this morning, so we had two more to go. She had done a great job. Dogs spent time supervising, checking on us, and running around exploring. By 4 PM wife was done for the day so headed back to cabin to fix us something to eat. Told her to call me when ready. I would make the water run on my way back. 5 PM and heard her. Supper ready in thirty minutes. I headed to spring then to cabin. Dogs were with her, food was being fixed. As I walked past garden on way back from spring, looked at it. We had gotten all four walls done. One more step to complete and we would call it finished. Starting after supper, using wheelbarrow, I planned on hauling rocks up from creekside to put around entire outside perimeter of wall to act as a stop against critters digging under the fence. Again, won’t stop them all, but will make them work. Probably have to finish that task in the morning.

Hauled ten loads of rocks by 8 PM. Piled next to garden. Thought about continuing to work in the dark, but decided not to; way too dangerous. Larger critters will be out after dark. Needed to be at the cabin when there was no light outside except in an emergency. So back to cabin. In morning will use those rocks and then haul more and finish the last garden wall building step. Will feel good to get it done. Back to cabin, and dogs already in bed. Wife had done tick check, removed a couple, and done her hygiene wash. I did the same. Had a couple ticks; removed and covered spots with antibiotic. We felt good about progress made. But also realized there were other things to get after. Garden wall has taken a long time to get in place. But future food is better protected because of it. Dogs snoring up a storm, worn out. Secured windows and doors. Sat by light of fire and read scripture and prayed. Asked Lord for continued strength, courage, wisdom, common sense, and faith. Onto sleeping platforms and quickly asleep. Pleasant dreams.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

(Matthew 7:24)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #19

June 11

Sunday, the Lord’s day. Dogs outside, eggs and bacon cooking, while I headed to spring. Checked traps on way, another small raccoon. Field-dressed, would skin and cook back at cabin. Add it to our breakfast and lunch menu. Back from spring a bit later. Wife said worried it had taken so long. Dogs with me of course. Went nuts while cleaning critter. Great breakfast. Everyone full when done.

Told wife to stay at cabin and rest from hard work of yesterday. No argument. Gear collected, headed down to creekside to start hauling rocks at 8:30 AM. Did that until 11 AM. Figured that was enough. Laid rock along one side of wall and heard call to lunch. Wife had fixed rice and left over raccoon. We had saved heart for dogs for their lunch snack. Reheated meat, and that was our lunch. Back to the garden wall for me. Dogs running ahead barking up a storm. Figured to collect traps at end of day and do any repairs on them. Then put in different location tomorrow morning.

Able to finish applying rocks by 2 PM. Looked good. Another water run and collected traps on the way. No bait left in any of them. While wife boiled water, I started chinking outside walls that she could not reach. Had to haul up mud, of course. She chopped grass, and we mixed it together. Shorter ladder and up I went. Surprising how fast it went. Able to get all the walls done up to edge of roof by 5:30 PM. When I came inside after washing mud off hands and arms, we went outside to inspect all the work. We were very pleased.

Two key priorities were in pretty good shape. Shelter was good to go except for some periodic outside maintenance work. Cabin interior was livable. Not yet as comfortable as we want it. That will take more time. Food, meaning garden, is as good as it will get. If we have good rains, warm weather, a good chance we can harvest a meaningful quantity of food. Will likely not last the whole winter, but if rationed, will help a lot. Water does not seem to be a problem. Want to build retention pool at spring to make collecting water easier. Get that done in next couple of weeks. All in all, late in third week at our new home, we felt we were in a much better place than if we had to stay in a reinforced lean-to and depend purely on food we could kill or gather.

Special supper tonight, rice and tuna. Dogs could smell tuna heating up. Bright eyes of course and noses twitching like crazy. While wife cleaning up after supper I went on another water run, dogs in tow. Back at cabin boiled it for tomorrow. Stools out to front of cabin, our evening ritual. Dogs running around and coming back to us for attention. Talked about and planned what we will do tomorrow. Finished the evening outside singing some gospel songs and hymns. Great place to have a praise service in the woods with all the smells, birds singing along, and dogs barking at every sound. Would have been quite a CD if we could have recorded it.

Our plan for tomorrow has a few key things in it. First, secure fresh meat. Second, trip down to beaver dam to collect cattails. Third, build fish funnel trap in Bear Creek below cabin. And fourth, if time allows, build curing racks for hides and skins. That will make for a full day. Seems reasonable as long as we don’t run into any big problems. Dogs were tired from all the running. Wife and I sat on stools in front of hearth as the fire slowly died away. Lots of reflection on the past three weeks and on our trip since we left Houston. We were silent for a long time, each lost in our own thoughts on the struggles and successes we have experienced. Eventually hugged after prayers and reading scripture. Onto our sleeping mats and to sleep. Before I fell asleep, realized we need to put new pine tree branches on the beds. Have to find a better solution sooner rather than later. Lots of unpleasant poking through our sleeping bags.

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. (1 Corinthians 3:10)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #20

June 12

Woke up better rested. We have moved beyond the news we heard a couple days ago. Dogs out first thing to snoop and bark. I set out to get water. Wife started fire in hearth and fixed eggs with bit of dried beef mixed in. Dogs and I got back. They ran back to cabin. Must have smelled cooking smoke coming out of chimney. Everyone hungry. Quick eating of breakfast. While eating, planned projects for the day. Only one involved heavy labor. First, wife would cultivate garden. Second, I would go down to creek bank and build a funnel fish trap. Third, we would make a trip down to beaver dam to harvest some of the cattails we had seen there. Some carbs and vitamins for our diet. Rest of projects were fairly small and we could do them at the cabin. Last thing this afternoon, take repaired wire traps to a new location and then head out to see if I could get a squirrel or two.

Breakfast cleaned up, wife headed to garden. Downslope I went to creek bank. Didn’t lock up cabin since we both were only going to be no more than fifty yards from it for most of the morning. Funnel fish trap was a pretty simple design. Lots of raw materials in the creek to use to build it. Had cabin shoes on so would get into the water. Same shoes worn on our walking journey in camp. I concentrated on collecting rocks of all sizes and throwing them into a shallower part of the creek on the inside bank where a sand bar separated the creek into two parts. Knew when wife finished cultivating, she would come down to help. Water was fairly warm but knew we were in the mountains because it still was chilly. Design of funnel trap was to build a rock wall on south end stretching from sand bar to west bank of creek. Built so stuck out of water at least six inches. Then built wall south to north on the sandbar about twelve feet long. Wife showed up when I had the first two walls built. She was into creek immediately helping me build the last two walls. Angled first wall from wall on sandbar at 45-degree angle and four feet long. Then built second angled wall

from bank to within eighteen inches of angled wall from sandbar. An opening which fish hopefully would use to swim into the little pool that the walls surrounded. Rocks on all four walls stuck up at least six inches above water. A simple principle. Fish that found themselves in small pool would swim around sides trying to get out. In theory, they would not hunt for small opening in two angled walls. Theory yes. In reality some would escape. But also some would not. We would have to either catch them by hand or fashion some kind of net to get them out of water. Our hope was that we would have a few fish in it every day to add to our diet. Took us until 11 AM to get it done. Wife, when she came to help, said there were tracks around the outside of garden wall. Would check them out later to see what they might be. Might be a good place to put a box trap for more meat. Will add box trap build to our project list.

Next project we got after was to build hanging rafters in the northwest corner inside the cabin. We needed some place to hang our supplies as well as any meat we cure to keep it all safe from outside critters. First made water run. All four of us went so we could carry more back. Dogs were excited to get away from cabin. While walking, I mentioned need to build a yoke so could carry more water back. Was already on project list but had not been a priority to date. Back at cabin, wife boiled water, and I headed to woods to cut different lengths of poles from three feet to eight feet long. Would attach them at 45-degree angle from smallest out to largest from the top of inside wall where roof rafters rested. Rest them on tops of top logs of wall. Nail in place so they won’t move. Was back in an hour with all the small materials. Wife had been busy boiling water and fixing us a lunch of eggs and can of fruit. Was our last can of fruit. Lunch first. Was wonderful. Cleaned up few dishes used. Dogs back outside with cabin door open so they could come and go. Not too interested in what we were building.

Only took about forty-five minutes to get everything securely in place. Will make natural rope from plants and vines to hang anything from the cross . We can store a lot of meat and produce from garden this way. It will be very handy. Likely to add some interesting smells inside cabin, especially any smoked meat. That done, we gathered all of our away gear and packs to go down to beaver dam. Also packed a large plastic garbage bag we have been using since

Houston to carry back our harvest. Wife carried folding bucket and one large pot. We would stop at spring for water on the way back. Secured cabin doors. Dogs running circles around us we headed south. Would be new territory for them. Have to keep an eye on them. They might see a beaver and go nuts. Took about thirty minutes to get to pond behind dam as dogs were not making quick progress. Too much to look at and smell. But did get there.

We had noticed cattails on north end of pond in shallower water. These plants are wonderful source of both protein and starch, depending on the time of the year. We were looking today for a few specific things to harvest since it was already summer. Found plants, probably twenty-foot-square area of them and waded out into the water. Mucky bottom; had to be careful not to lose shoes. Shoes would have to be cleaned and dried well to keep them viable after getting so wet. Mud would stink to high heaven. Wife stayed out of water, watched for snakes, and kept eye on dogs. I cut off any unopened flower pods from top of plants and threw them to her. These unopened pods can be boiled, outer leaves peeled off, and eaten like corn on cob. Good starch source. Any open pods I carried over carefully to her. She put them into a large zip-top plastic bag. The pollen is a great source of protein when dried and crushed into a flourlike consistency. Could cook into a kind of flat bread with salt and powdered milk over fire. Last thing I harvested was white bottom of plants that were underwater. Basically, from pond bottom up about six inches on each stalk. When tough part peeled off, pure white inner part could be boiled and eaten like a potato. When done, we had three-fourths of a thirty-gallon plastic bag full of edible wild veggies. The ziptop bag was half full of pollen-bearing flower pods. Not bad for a start. We know this small area of beaver pond will not provide enough long-term stuff, so will have to look for other cattail sources. But we had some things to give us good stuff for our diet right now. Finally able to get dogs to listen to us and we started back to cabin with stop for water at spring.

Was close to 4 PM when got back to cabin, and we were hungry. Quickly cooked up some rice with dried beef pieces. While it was cooking took my dirty cabin shoes down to creek and washed off dirt and mud as best I could. Sat them out in sun on a rock to dry. Washed ourselves really well also. No need to get sick as result of harvesting food. Supper was good, double portion of rice so we all had

our fill. Dogs licked their lips the whole time eating. We cleaned up after supper. I made a quick water run. Dogs started to go with me, then went back to cabin. Enough exploring for one day I guess.

Wife boiled water while I went out on next chore. Grabbed away-from-cabin gear and headed west of the garden into woods partway up ridge. When we were going up to listen to radio had seen half-dozen squirrel nests. Took air rifle. Sat down on ridge to wait. Could see the cabin and our little farmstead from where I sat. Watched dogs from corner of one eye as they ran around. As dusk settled in, squirrels got active. After couple thirty-foot shots, with two squirrels fielddressed and skinned, headed back to cabin. Dogs met me with questions in their eyes. Back into cabin, cooked two hearts, and dogs got an evening treat. Squirrels cooked, cut up and into plastic bag hanging from racks, ready to be eaten in the morning for breakfast. Did evening tick check. Nothing. First time in a while with none. Trap repairs and resetting will have to wait until tomorrow.

Stools outside, we sat, watched dogs, and listened to nature. A lot done today. Will prepare the cattail harvest tomorrow morning and have some for supper tomorrow night. Tired. Closed up cabin. Dogs on platforms. Wife and I watched fire embers go out, then into the sack. Prayers and scripture read. Small talk for a bit, then silence. Thank you, Lord, for your provisions.

And you will eat the plants of the field. (Genesis 3:18)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #21

June 13

Dogs up early and standing under bag of cooked squirrel meat hanging from rack in the cabin. We laughed. Agreed that once more stuff hangs there, it will be one of their favorite places to hang out. Hopefully a ing fad, but doubted it. Opened door and out they went, but not for long. Too much food smell in the cabin. Wife started boiling water for rice, and I headed to the spring alone. Dogs just sat watching everything she was doing. Back with water, rice, and squirrel meat simmering over fire in hearth. Dogs sitting by their dishes on the floor. While we ate, planned out the day. Going to be partly cloudy with no real sign of rain. Lots of small projects to work on today. First, cut more pine branches, and change out our branch mattresses. Second, build several hide-curing racks of different sizes. Third, build frog traps. Fourth, cultivate the garden. Fifth, prepare all the cattail stuff we collected yesterday. And lastly, put out wire traps in a new location. Seriously thinking about taking them down near beaver dam and see if we get anything there. Dishes cleaned and stored. Headed to garden to cultivate it. I went to look at tracks wife said she saw outside fence in dirt. Found a few. Looked like raccoon and possibly a possum. Definitely needed to build box trap later and put it out. While she was busy in the garden, I went into the woods and cut small logs to build the trap’s frame and enough to fill in all the sides. She was done with cultivating, and we headed back to cabin together with the dogs.

We then set about working on the cattail supplies. I went down to stream and got a reasonably sized rock that was a little concave on one side and a second smaller rock as round as I could find. A mortar and pestle for grinding stuff. Cattail flower pods in plastic bag shaken up to get pollen to fall off. When done, had probably 5 or 6 ounces of pollen. Would mix that in with powdered milk and pinch of salt and make a flatbread over fire. Took pestle outside with pot of boiling water. Poured water over concave part of rock to scald it clean. Same process for the mortar. Back in house, wife crushed cattail pollen into as fine a

meal as possible. Would be coarse but could make some flatbread with it. I took unopened pods out to edge of woods and peeled all the unopened leaves off them down to core. Roast those, or boil them, and eat like corn on cob. Lastly cleaned white lower part of plants and discarded what peeled off. Would boil those like potatoes tonight. Would fix all of this for supper. Lots of starch and some protein. Good diet supplements to round out calories. Quick energy as well.

When all this was done, getting toward midmorning. Decided we should pack a cold lunch of dried beef and the four of us head out on an adventure. So prepared all our out-of-cabin kit and packs, secured doors on cabin, and headed to the south along Bear Creek. Dogs free to roam until we got to beaver dam; then put them on their leashes as we were going into unknown territory. They protested, but didn’t do any good. Have to get them somewhat familiar with new territory before trusting them off leashes. Got to beaver dam and hooked them up. Stayed on west side of creek. Had to stay away from creek because of brush growing up on its banks below beaver dam. Walked for a good thirty minutes south of dam around another ridge that jutted out toward creek. Creek moving very slowly, about twenty feet wide and not too deep.

Got around small ridge and saw our grocery store. Small valley in which stream was flowing widened out dramatically. Some good flat land on both sides. Tons of berry bushes in blossom. What really caught our eyes was the marsh that stretched 100 yards across the valley. Absolutely stuffed with cattails. Lots of watercress and probably other types of edible water greens. We looked to the west where the flat land met woods. Saw a solid wall of vines. We just hoped some were wild grape. Will check that out on next trip down this way. We had not prepared to harvest anything but we knew where the store was. Started back and had lunch of cold dried beef and water by the beaver dam. Let the dogs run, and they wanted so much to go out onto the dam, but they saw folly in that. They did smell around a lot, and there was some barking. Picked out area where I would bring the snare traps to set out later today.

Stopped for water at spring and then on to cabin. Opened it up, and dogs decided

to take a nap. Wife lay down on her sleeping platform also, and I closed door behind me and headed into woods to north to get material to build box trap. Finished cutting wood that I needed, and had just started back to cabin when something across the creek caught my eye. It was several hundred yards away halfway up the ridge on other side of creek. Stopped and stood stone still. Something dark was slowly moving across the ridge. Glassed it, and it was a small black bear maybe 125 to 150 pounds. A yearling headed to the southeast. Without a sound, shouldered the scoped .17 HMR to confirm what it was. Yep, a small black bear. More than likely a male on the prowl. Waited till it was completely out of sight over top of ridge, then made way back to cabin. Told wife about sighting. She was unsure what it meant. Told her bears were around, and we had been lucky not to have seen one before this. We will just have to be even more careful when out and about. Where there was one, there might be more fighting for this territory. Glad dogs had not seen it or smelled it.

Decided would work on box trap after supper. Had a couple hours before supper, so decided to work on curing racks. Simple structures. Four logs for each one tied together at each corner. Out to woods to west again and cut wood for three sizes of racks: four-foot square, six-foot square, and eight-foot square. Handle different sizes of hides that way. Easy to fabricate after cutting logs and taking limbs off them. All scrap went onto our small firewood pile to cure. Did that before taking all the cut logs back to cabin. Used rusty nails and wire from shed to hold four corners of each rack together. Decided would have to cut smaller logs for each one and apply one to each corner to make racks more stable and stronger. Do that tomorrow if necessary.

Wife started cooking some rice mixed with dried beef. In another pot she put cattail sections to boiling. Had mixed pollen powder from cattails and white flour with powdered milk. It was sitting in skillet next to fire in hearth slowly cooking, our first flatbread in our new home. Smells coming from cabin were wonderful. I put tools away and washed up. Wait until after supper for another spring run to get water for hygiene wash for all of us tonight. Dogs were glued to floor of cabin next to hearth and table. Wife and I dished everything out and put a dash of salt on veggies and rice dish. No salt on dogs’, of course. We had a feast, the best balanced meal we’ve had in weeks. Almost too much. Made sure

to eat all the veggies, great flavors. Saved some rice and dried beef for dogs’ breakfast. Took us a while to clean everything up, but well worth it. Dogs and I made water run and quickly back to cabin. Wife had put stools out in front, and we sat there until I had finished building box trap.

Simple primary box trap structure. Four sides, each four feet long. One end would be closed by two-foot-square wall. Other end I had to figure out how to make an entrance so that critter cannot turn around in box and get out of trap. Too tired to work brain that hard tonight. Figure that out tomorrow. Basic box was done. Fine tuning could wait till then. We finished a busy day. All were pretty tired. Back into cabin. Dogs jumped up onto the two platforms. Were soon snoring. Wife and I sat in front of hearth. Was becoming our devotions habit. Read scripture, prayers of thanks, and some small talk. Not long before we hit the sack as well. Watched fire embers die and were soon asleep. Lord, watch over us, keep us safe.

For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #22

June 14

We all slept in a bit. Must have been the big supper last night. Dogs eventually had to go outside for obvious reasons. Of course, lots of barking. Quite a bit of carrying on, running around the cabin. Must have been some critters snooping last night. Dressed and off to spring for water. Wife heated up leftovers for dogs and cooked eggs and two slices of bacon for us. Back from spring, breakfast was ready. Dogs could smell it from 100 yards off and made beeline to cabin. While we ate, boiled up some of the water. Needed hygiene cleanup that we skipped last night. Gave dogs a rinse as well. They were smelling like dogs big-time. They didn’t like it at all. Several projects to finish today. Finish box trap, build holding pool at spring, and the big one, build a smoker for meat. Would get to several other small things if time and energy allowed. Wife would head out to cultivate garden, handgun on her hip. Yesterday’s bear sighting made us extra vigilant.

Closed up cabin, all gear in hand. We left together, and she stopped at garden. Dogs were torn: stay with her or go with me. They started following me and looked back at her. Ran partway back, and then decided to go with me. Kind of comical to watch them. Reached spring with hand ax on hip. Not going to spend a lot of energy building pool wall. Just enough when combined with a few stones to give us ten- to twelve-inch-deep area to dip pots into. Cut quantity of two-foot logs and built foot-high three-sided containment wall about four feet out from spring seep. Used small rocks from bank and run bottom to hold logs in place. Watched for thirty minutes, and it filled up slowly. Later today would be functional, I hoped. Filled up water containers. Dogs out of sight. Called them, and they came running from above me on the ridge above spring. Panting a lot, they had to stop for a drink. Together we headed back to cabin area. Wife had already returned there from garden.

Had a couple jobs from yesterday to get finished: reinforce curing frames, and figure out how to put entrance on box trap that would prevent something from getting back out of it. Wife boiled water just brought from spring. We try to wash clothing every third day. Only have two changes of jeans, so they need it at least that often. Still have three-fourths of an eight-ounce bottle of concentrated dishwashing soap left. But she uses one of our remaining bars of hand soap to always do the laundry. At best gets some of the grime out, and they smell better. Helps us smell better as well.

While she was doing laundry, I headed out to get wood supplies to work on racks and trap. Brought what I needed back to cabin. Spent about forty-five minutes putting corner reinforcement on each of the curing racks. Sure seemed to make them more stable. Next was the trap. ed models of fish traps I had seen in the past. A hole big enough for a raccoon, rabbit, or possum to squeeze into box to get bait but not enough room to turn around and too small to get back out. Now had to figure out how to build that so it would be strong enough to stand up to an angry, scared critter. Finally landed on building a frame and attaching it to the open end of the box with wire from the shed. It amounted to attaching four-inch-long sticks to the outside frame of the open end. Whittled one end of each stick to a sharp point to be directed toward inside of box. Critter will easily by them on way in. Points stab at them when they try to get out. Pulled the pointed ends together into a five-inch wide opening by braiding wire from shed around them one to another. Final crimping drew them into five-inch hole. Once that was done, attached blunt ends to box frame and drew it together as tightly as possible. Finished. The test would be whether it worked. Doesn’t look pretty, but I hope it’s functional. Necessity the mother of invention again. Adapt and adjust.

Wife had laundry hanging on paracord we had strung between a couple trees. Sun and breeze would dry it quickly and would have a fresh smell. Time for lunch. Dried beef and a piece of the cattail bread. Saved one piece for each of us, dogs included, for supper tonight. While dishes being washed, dogs and I made another run to spring. Pool was working, yippee. Adapt again. We were both

going to need to work on the smoker. Too many moving parts to together for one person. First we had to figure out how to do it. Spent fifteen or twenty minutes drawing various options on paper. Ended up with a basic design that had a firebox on the bottom and a four-foot square-smoking section on top. Would build entire frame with three-inch diameter logs. Then put in spaced two-inch diameter logs three feet above the bottom. Would fabricate some kind of fluid catch basin to sit on the two-inch diameter logs with nail holes punched through it to let smoke flow up from the firebox. Had to use pretty green wood so it will smoke a lot and not flame up too much and burn the logs holding the grease catch. Would cover the entire outside with the remaining tin from the shed. Whole thing would get hot and help the drying process. Have to keep dogs away from it and we would have to let it cool before removing smoked meat. Sounded good on paper at least.

Took ninety minutes to cut and remove limbs from logs. Once done, wife and I put whole thing together with nails and wire from shed. Prepared five small logs, bark removed, for hanging racks at top of smoker. Placed in holes punched and expanded on two opposite sides of the smoker. Enough room to hang pieces of meat, doubled over, that hung down six-inches from the rack rods. Next step was to use last piece of tin to make grease catch. Crimped up each side about an inch. Then wife punched small nail holes on flat surface. Could slide the whole thing into the frame pretty easily. Last step was to attach remaining tin to outside of frame. Built slots on front of frame into which last piece of tin would slide to close up the front. Front cover for firebox would be couple small boards from former privy with a slide to hold it in place on larger frame. Whole thing will leak some smoke, but majority of smoke will do the job we need, rising into the top part containing racks and smoking the meat. Finally got it all done. Took about three hours to complete the job. Dogs mostly lying on ground watching us. Every now and then they jumped up and barked, but nothing came of that. Wife went inside to fix supper, and I built small green wood fire in firebox to test contraption. Took a while to get fire going. It did create a lot of smoke. Upper compartment filled up pretty quickly. Draft from bottom pulled smoke up to top and out nail draft holes we had pounded into the piece of tin on top of smoker. Seemed to do what it was supposed to do. Real test would be first meat smoking attempted.

Supper ready, headed inside. Wife had fixed rice with can of tuna and can of veggies. One piece each of leftover cattail bread. Washed down with cup of coffee. All tasted great. Dogs enjoyed it as well. No hunting today, too tired. One final water run while dishes being done. Water all boiled when got back. Time to relax a bit outside. Dogs just lay on ground beside us satisfied. Talked about tomorrow and the visit from new friends to the north. When I ran into them they said they would visit on the nineteenth, next Monday. Have to figure out a meal for them.

Inside fairly early. Tired. Dogs made no argument. Onto platforms they went. We sat in front of last embers in hearth and read scripture and prayed. Thanked the Lord for a safe productive day. With that, secured windows and doors and into bed. Tomorrow will be here soon. Good night!

You are My friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:14)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #23

June 15

Up around 6:30 AM. Dogs were our alarm clock as usual. Outside they went. Fire started. Eggs and a piece of bacon for each of us for breakfast. Cleaner clothes were wonderful. Dogs and I headed for spring. Little pool was working pretty well. Didn’t have to spend fifteen minutes waiting for little flow of water to fill up containers. Dipped into foot of water and they were full. Back to cabin where wife was getting ready to head out to garden to cultivate again. We talked and put together plan for the day. Lots of little jobs and one big one that would now become a daily chore. That would be getting wood supply built up for cold months and cooking. Figured we would begin to feel much colder temps beginning in late August or early September here in the mountains. A good chance we will have snow before middle of September as well. Brrrrrrr. We have to get working on firewood now. So decided we would spend at least two hours every day cutting and stacking logs. More on this when we get at it later today.

Try to knock out the little projects and chores this morning first. When she headed out to cultivate garden, I went along to place box trap close to the garden wall where we saw critter tracks. Took a few feet of para-cord to tie box to one of the four main vertical posts on wall. Didn’t want trap to get dragged off. Had grabbed last piece of cattail bread to use as bait. Trap in place and anchored, I headed back to cabin. First I did maintenance on the rifles. Would do handguns tonight. Then I checked on small hides we had been storing in plastic bag. Opened it up and about lost my breakfast. Wife arrived then, and I told her we had just learned a big lesson. If we were going to cure critter hides, we had to start the process the very day they were killed. At a minimum had to scrape the skin side of the hide to remove all leftover fat and connecting tissues. Man, what a stink. I took the whole mess out into the woods to the north and buried it a good 100 yards from the cabin. A life survival lesson. Won’t make that mistake again.

We brought table outside and sat down on stools next to it. Grabbed couple of the cleaned empty tuna cans and started to build more fire tins. Had one empty veggie can full of bacon grease and fat saved from critters. Small fire in hearth started it all melting down into a liquid. Wife cut some of the heavy sewing thread we had carried from TX and braided it into wicks. Once grease and fat was melted, would pour into cans. But first had to decide what to put in cans. We had no cardboard boxes to cut into strips like all of the survival books talked about. We finally landed on the hard cover front and back of our spare journal. Cut it up into three-quarter inch wide strips. One sheet of thick cover for each fire tin. When done not as tightly packed as would want, but it would likely be functional. Poured hot grease into the tuna cans on top of spiral thick paper. She poured and I put the braided wick in place. Had attached one end of wick to small stick which we laid across top of tuna can. When fluid hardened would cut wick off the small stick. It should stay upright in hardened material. At least we hoped it would. Would just have to wait and see. With that done, I headed out to spread wire snare traps at the beaver dam. She would stay at cabin and do some cleanup she wanted to do. Said I would be gone at least an hour. Would plan on a cold lunch of dried beef when I got back. She might cook some rice too.

Grabbed water bucket on way out door along with weapons and med kit. Dogs hot on my heels as I headed out. Twenty minutes later at beaver dam, started placing wire snares. Baited with some pieces of cattail seeds that we had been saving for the purpose. Rabbits love veggies. Dogs snooping around, but left snares alone. They did take off on a scent for about fifteen minutes, but finally gave up on that. All the snares in place, will check them in the AM. Spring stop on way back. Took about an hour to get everything done and back. Water boiling for rice would take fifteen minutes. It all tasted good. Dogs as usual got a bit. They were burning up a lot of calories just like us. We had stopped losing weight after our first week at the cabin. We were all thin enough. Hoped not any more of that. We were burning up more calories than we were eating. That is not good in the long run.

We went down to creek and checked funnel trap. Had fashioned a simple net

while eating lunch as well to help get any fish out of the water. Using stick with large fork on end, tied a shirt that was no longer worth wearing on the stick fork. Kind of a small shovel that would not hold water but might hold fish. Would have to be quick with it and throw each fish up on bank where we could corral it. Got to creekside and looked into trap. Saw three forms lined up against stone wall. Into the water I went, wife on bank ready to play catcher. Took a couple tries, but eventually got the thing to work, and fish were soon on the bank. Dogs thought was a great game. Wife had to work to keep them away from fish. Imagined they might snatch one and take off. Early raw supper. Finally done. Had two nice trout, seven or eight inches, and a smaller one. Gutted, heads, fins, and tail cut off, we headed back to cabin. What better time than now than to try out smoker? Built a small fire of green wood mixed with small pieces of hard wood. Smoke immediately. Fish hanging on racks, we closed up smoker. Would let smoke for six hours and see what we had.

Fish smoking, dishes cleaned up, feet dry after being in water, we gathered up woodcutting gear and our safety protection kits and started for the woods. Figured we were headed for minimum of six months of cold and very cold weather. Likely start mid-September and end first of April next year. Whew! By mid-September wanted to have at least twelve cord of wood cut. Four cord of pine logs and eight cord of hard woods. Pine will cure quite a bit over the summer. Hardwoods are a different game. Needs nine to twelve months to cure, so less smoke and hotter fires. Hardwood burns slowly, so could make due with eight to ten decent logs in fire hearth overnight to give us warmth on really cold nights. Pine, with its resin, burns faster and hotter for short time for cooking and getting fires going.

With that in mind, knew we have a big task ahead since every bit of the wood has to be hand cut and split. We decided to work around the com. First to the north, then west, then south, then east. At each com point we will cut three cords of wood, one pine, two hardwoods, cords to be stacked in sight of cabin. We will need to relay wood to cabin and have at least one cord at cabin at all times. Decided to use our secondary tarp and build a simple shelter to keep the wood as dry as possible when stacked near the cabin. Will daily haul twentyfour-hour supply into the cabin from that cord close by. Sounded like a lot of

work, and it is and will be. But we need to stay warm. One of the five or six critical survival priorities. Much of the first wood we secure will be dead trees still standing. Agreed logs we produced would be between four to six inches thick at their largest. Felling and cutting up anything else would be a difficult task for the two of us, since we have to do all the cutting and sawing by muscle power.

We knocked down three thirty-foot dead oak trees this afternoon. Felled mostly through a lot of grunting and groaning and a little sawing. Wife held dogs back as I did the knocking down. Then the two of us got to cutting two- to three-foot logs. Using the bow saw, we worked in shifts, each making a couple cuts before handing saw to the other. Slow work. Lots of sweating and a few breaks of course. Glad we had full canteens and more water back at cabin. We called it an afternoon at 3:30 PM. Looked at stack we had cut and frowned. Not much for two hours of hard work. Decided to move time spent on wood each day to three hours. We would do it in the coolest part of the morning after breakfast before anything else if possible.

Back to cabin and checked on smoker. Fish not nearly done. We may have underestimated the time necessary to smoke it. And fish was not nearly as dense as red meat. Given all that, I grabbed .17 HMR and water bucket and headed south. First checked traps at beaver dam and had one rabbit. Field-dressed it. Back to spring for water. Pool working great. Set up squirrel watch above the spring and sat there for an hour. Nothing. Had rabbit, so headed back to cabin. Skinned rabbit. Quickly cooked heart and cut in half for dogs. Happy dogs. Pan seared rabbit in what was left of bacon grease. Smelled wonderful. Rice fixed. Cut up rabbit, deboned it, and we had a good supper with dogs getting a lot. Decided while eating to keep fish smoking all night. Last thing before going to bed, would make sure had good green wood smoldering fire in firebox. We were trying to only use hickory in the smoker. Great taste if it worked. I did weekly maintenance on boots while wife cleaned up the few dishes. Once that done, final water run for the day with dogs. Back to cabin and boiled all that water.

Cabin door open we sat on stools outside the door. Watching and listening. Dogs content to snoop around close by and every now and then run to us to get some attention. We were really tired from firewood cutting. Didn’t sit outside very long. Checked fire in smoker. Back into cabin, windows and doors secured. Time to get some rest. Dogs snoring quickly. As we did each night, sat by embers in hearth and prayed and read scripture. A hug and good night. We climbed onto our sleeping platforms. Lord, give us rest for the day tomorrow.

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes. (Jeremiah 7:18)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #24

June 16

Woke up to overcast morning. Likely get some showers today. Hoped they would not be heavy so could work outside. Quick water run, dogs in tow. They went nuts when got to garden. Box trap was occupied. A single rabbit. Left it alone until we got back from getting water. Dogs torn between going with me and staying at trap and barking up a storm. They stayed at trap. Goofy dogs. Returned with water and dispatched rabbit in trap. Field-dressed, carried back to cabin to skin and prepare it after breakfast. Wife had eggs and slices of bacon ready. While we ate, boiled water just hauled. Talked about the day. Number one priority was wood. Plan to do that this afternoon. Will do it even in rain. Have to be much more careful on slippery ground with tools and falling trees. Checked fish that had been smoking all night. Some tracks around smoker. Curious critters. Probably raccoons because they really like fish. Hot sides of smoker kept them at bay. Pulled well smoked fish out and hung on ceiling rack in cabin. Try some for lunch. Dishes done and cabin cleaned up a bit. Did maintenance on handguns even though not fired recently. Skinned rabbit, and wife cooked up all the meat for lunch and supper. I stretched our first skin onto a drying form, scraped fat from inside of skin, and set form outside to start drying.

First real task for the day was to take primary tarp and rig it as a roof over front of cabin. Would cover entrance and wood pile of kindling and fuel we would have close by. Simple concept for tarp roof. Two main poles for southwest and northwest corners. Slight slope down from roof for water runoff. Attach to roof using tarp grommets. Reinforce corners of tarp resting on poles with layers of duct tape against tearing. Center pole to build up slope in three directions for runoff. Again duct tape reinforcement. Last step would be to cut pegs, drive into ground, and tie to grommets on three sides of tarp not attached to roof. Would also tie off to couple trees on south side using paracord. Very strong winds might blow it down; will deal with that if and when. Heavy snow in

winter could be another problem. If need tarp in an emergency, can tear roof down pretty quickly. Design all figured out, and all poles and stakes cut, wife and I put it up. Took about three hours to complete the job, but we now had place to pile dry wood for easy access and some protection from rain. Last step was to dig water trench around perimeter to take water downslope toward creek.

That all done, went down to creek to check funnel trap. We all went down that way; I carried the old shirt scoop. Surprised to find four more five- to six-inch trout in it. Played pitcher and catcher again. Once on bank gutted, heads, fins, and tails cut off, back to cabin. Started fire in firebox of smoker and in went fish halves on rack. Set green wood fire and closed up; hopefully smoked fish for breakfast tomorrow. Did not put rabbit from this morning in smoker. Had cooked it earlier for supper tonight. Close to lunchtime so we heated up some water, cooked rice with dried beef mixed in. Dogs were hungry of course, so they got a bit more than normal. Ate the smoked fish from yesterday cooked in frypan with a bit of bacon grease. It tasted great. Dogs got some as well.

After good lunch, full and ready to get back to work. Wife headed out to cultivate garden. I sat down and figured out how to build frog trap to use down at beaver dam. Same design as box trap built yesterday only smaller version. Gathered sticks one inch in diameter and built the same type box. Will bait with dead bugs, bees, and grasshoppers. Frogs like insects. Made sure had paracord anchor rope. Would attach to tree by side of pond. Take trap to beaver pond when checking wire traps later today. Wife had come back from garden and said sprouts were about an inch tall now. That is good news. Lots of critter tracks around the garden wall. Wife reheated rabbit and would reheat it again for supper tonight. Dogs very interested in what she was doing. While all that going on I scraped rabbit skin again. Wife and I figured out how to scrape off remaining fat and stuff from skin using a couple stones from creek. Used hand ax head, the flat part, to break off some of each stone to make them sharper.

While wife was scraping rabbit skin again, I headed down to beaver dam to check on wire traps and put out frog trap. Nothing there, so rebaited and then on

to spring for water. Dogs stayed with wife, watching her, hoping to get a piece of rabbit fat. Of course they got a couple small pieces. Rest was put into an empty can for melting down for more fire tins. When I got back, she was finished. Looked really good. We then punched small holes through hide, and using paracord, tied and stretched hide on frame a second time. Hung up where some sun would hit the scraped side. Would take into cabin tonight, hang from racks, and put back out in the morning for more curing. Probably tomorrow evening will finish the curing steps. More on that tomorrow. We had fresh rabbit for supper and hopefully smoked fish for breakfast and supper tomorrow.

Was 2 PM when all of this done. Had been raining lightly all day. Not hard enough to keep us from working outside, obviously. Wife needed to rest so I gathered up wood axes and bow saw and headed to north location where we had cut wood yesterday. Told her I would be back at 5 PM. I could still see cabin from the location, but she wouldn’t be able to see me. Agreed on whistle emergency signals, and off I went with kits on hip, tools in hand, and rifle on shoulder. We were still worried about bear. Work was slow going with only one of us. Quite a few breaks. Not raining hard enough for poncho, but tools when wet were slippery. Extra cautious when using them. At 4:45 PM started packing up to go back to cabin. Had only cut or knocked down pines today. Wanted to start on one of target cords of that soft wood. When leaving site, looked back to see a four-foot long pile, two feet high, of medium-sized logs, all three to four inches in diameter. Also, large pile of cut branches in place. They will make great tinder and kindling.

Got back to cabin. Dogs running alongside, headed to spring for water. Wife had started cooking supper, so when we arrived, it was ready. Smelled wonderful when went into cabin. Reheated rabbit and rice. She had also boiled up last of white cattail veggies. Pretty healthy supper. Everyone was starved. Wife said she had spent afternoon repairing clothing, checking on fire in smoker, sweeping out cabin, fluffing up pine branch mattresses, and taking a short nap before starting supper. Dampness in air made her fibromyalgia kick up. We prayed every day that she would not have pain from it. Supper done and cleaned up, we did a hygiene check and wash for all four of us. Couple ticks removed from dogs and myself. Made another water run before calling it a day. Checked box trap at

garden on way to spring, but nothing. Dogs went with me and ran off some of their supper. Finally, back at cabin, pulled stools out of cabin and sat under our new front porch roof. Only drizzling. No leaks in roof, and water not pooling on top of it. Water runoff trench working OK. With clouds and drizzle we went inside early. Sat in front of hearth and planned out tomorrow’s work. Wood cutting of course. Need to make another cattail veggie pickup at our southern grocery store. Check all traps. Smoke any meat we are able to get. Design and, at minimum, collect materials to build a more secure and permanent privy. Likely can’t start building it until day after tomorrow. Not using fire tins for light, saving them. Working only by light from fire in hearth.

We were tired. One final check of the smoker. Secured windows and doors. Hadn’t even noticed dogs climbing onto sleeping platforms and falling asleep. Another busy day tomorrow. Prayers said, scripture read, we went to bed tired but satisfied. Fell asleep trying to design privy in my head. Didn’t make too much progress on that. Lord, keep us safe tonight.

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. (Psalm 127:1)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #25

June 17

Dogs lazy this morning, let us sleep until 6:30 AM, then outside they went, barking. Fire started and rice cooked with pieces of smoked fish mixed in. Carbs and a bit of protein. Coffee would hit the spot. Dogs’ food in their dishes, they charged back inside. Quiet while they ate. Finished, cleaned all the dishes.

Then off on a water run to the spring while wife headed to garden to cultivate it. She was excited, said there was a raccoon in the box trap. Dogs must have missed it when we walked by. While she boiled water, went down to box trap, dispatched the critter, field-dressed it, and brought carcass back to cabin. Wasn’t very big raccoon, but more than enough meat for supper. Cooked it up so it would not spoil before eaten. Dogs wanted some, so gave them each half of the cooked heart. Rest of cooked meat in plastic bag hanging from ceiling rack. Couple important projects today on top of daily woodcutting. First thing, down to beaver dam and checked traps. Success, one rabbit. Field-dressed and took it back to cabin. Skinned and cut up rabbit. Decided to put meat in smoker. Fire restarted, and in it went. Would see how well it smoked and tasted compared to fish. Will likely take longer, so planning to save it till our company from the north visits us in two days.

Wife went out to scrape skin that was already on curing square again while I sat down and figured out materials list and structure design for new privy. Once we were both done with that, wife put skin back out in sunshine. Not raining today, partly cloudy with some sun. All of that done, we packed up to go down to beaver dam and get supply of cattail veggies for ourselves and for our company. With dogs at our heels, we finally arrived at dam. Into the water I went again, repeating process used few days ago. Found only a few protein-rich tops of

plants. Into plastic bag. Might have enough to make some flatbread. Collected immature seed pods; can take husks off and boil them as well. Last supply was the white, great tasting sections at bottom of plants. Will clean and roast for the visitors on nineteenth. On way back we noticed that all of the berry bushes in the area are blooming. That is a good sign. In sixty to seventy days we’ll have fresh blackberries. Back at the cabin wife started to clean and prepare all of the cattail stuff. With my list in hand, headed into the woods to cut and gather materials for the new privy. Hauled it all back to vicinity of our temporary privy. Will be an all-day chore to build the new one. Likely wait until after friends from north visit us in couple days.

Lunch of some dried beef and rice mixture. Dogs got a small portion to keep their energy up. Finished, dishes washed, kits on hip, cutting and sawing tools in hand, weapons on shoulders and hips, we headed back to the north to cut wood. Spent the next three hours cutting pine trees. Wife cut off limbs and piled cuttings on pile I started yesterday. Cut down about a dozen medium-sized pines. Lots of work. Spotted four smaller dead hardwood trees and pushed, pulled, cut them down with a crash. Wife kept dogs under control, out of danger. As we were working, heard what must have been shotguns off to the east. Very faint so they were likely some distance away from us. Assumed were hunters. We’ve been surprised so far not to hear shots before. We are in small valley surrounded by large hills or small mountains, so not totally surprised. Sound of shots likely blocked by the land around us. A bit worrisome just to know there are others out there with guns. Put it aside and kept working. Always on the alert.

By 4:30 we were done for the day. Packed everything up. Dogs did not want to go back to cabin. We got after them in no uncertain , and they finally listened. Made water run while wife started fire and heated supper. Dogs with me were full of it. They were getting used to being able to run. Back at cabin, sat down to supper of raccoon and rice. Lots of meat to go around. Dogs smelled it for a while, then finally dug in. Everything was new and strange. Dishes washed, headed back to spring and to rebait box trap on the way. Scared off another raccoon when got close to garden. Veggies were calling them. All that done, back to cabin for the evening.

Wife had warm water waiting for us. Everyone got a hygiene wash, tick check, and removal if necessary. Scratches and small cuts cleaned and medicated. Had last water on fire, boiling it for tomorrow. Things outside had dried a bit, so sat by front door on stools and watched dogs. Mosquitos started bugging us. Broke out one of the mini-vodka bottles and spread it on all uncovered skin. Makes a great bug repellant. Much better use than drinking it, which we did not do. Checked dogs’ paws for thorns, cuts as well. Nothing bad but rinsed them with saline solution we had been carrying. They don’t need infections either. The dogs are getting to be tough as nails. Living in woods is agreeing with them. Think it agrees with us as well. Tomorrow is Sunday, the Lord’s day. Will have our normal chores plus some prep for visit from north. Really looking forward to the visit.

Dusk setting in, so into cabin for the night after a final check on smoker, its fire, and rabbit smoking progress. All looked good. Rabbit probably done by midday tomorrow after restart fire in the AM. Secured windows and doors of cabin. In front of fire embers in hearth for prayers and scripture. Dogs didn’t get onto sleeping platforms until we did. Decided to change out pine branch mattresses tomorrow. Needs to be done. Dogs wanted lots of attention so got a lot of petting as we all gradually fell asleep. Lord, we thank You for all that You provide for us. Amen!

They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. (Psalm 65:8)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #26

June 18

Woke up refreshed. Dogs out first thing. Lot of barking near the smoker. Some critters must have been inspecting it last night. Other than the one bear, we have not seen or heard any larger animals. They are out there; we just haven’t run into any yet. Breakfast of rice and last of smoked fish. Looking forward to other meat later today. Dishes done, I made a water run with dogs. Hard keeping up to them, they were way ahead of me. Checked box trap on way past garden; nothing, and no bait left. Something small had gotten in and played thief. Rebait it later today. So far no critters had gotten into garden. Spring pool worked great. Lots of maintenance and cleanup to do today. Wife wanted cabin to look as good as possible. I did check fish funnel trap and saw some shadows. Worry about those later today. Hopefully still there.

I wanted to get new privy materials organized, so tackled that task. Laid everything out at location. Decided to start on the pit in the ground. Worked on it an hour or so. Lots of roots and rocks, slow going. Heard some squirrels chattering to my west, so climbed ridge in that direction a bit. Had a couple fairly close for a minute. Dogs starting barking below trees squirrels were in, and that was the end of that. Back to cabin around 11:45 AM. Felt could get privy pit dug tomorrow afternoon after visitors left, then start build out the next day. Lunch of smoked rabbit, warmed up on fire in hearth, few pieces of dried beef, and some powdered eggs. A big lunch for once. Dogs got some eggs and rabbit. They were in heaven. Cabin was spotless. Dishes done, dogs and I went on water run. Rebaited box trap. Looked over wall into garden. It looked really good. Imagine we will have first cutting of leafy veggies by end of month. Will be tender and tasty. Mouth watered. Toted water back to cabin and started some to boil. Should mention that chimney was working well. No leaks from roof either. Everything we had made to this point was functioning pretty well. A lot of work, but that is our life now.

Wife asked me to get fresh pine branches for platform mattresses. Said it will make the cabin smell fresher tomorrow. So off to do that. Hauled three loads from the pile we had made while cutting firewood to the north. Pretty quick job. Just some grunting and walking. Replaced old branches with new. With old ones, started pile of kindling under tarp roof at front of cabin. Wife wanted to keep cleaning, so I grabbed woodcutting tools, hip kits, weapons, and full canteen, and headed to woods edge to north. Dogs went with me. They went further north of me, and I heard them barking. Nothing unusual; assumed they were after squirrels again. Go get ‘em, girls; good luck. Cut down mostly dead hardwoods for three hours. When they hit ground, dead branches broke off, so not much work to clean them. Cut into two-foot lengths. Collected all broken stuff and started to build pile for tinder and kindling. Important stuff. Just lots of hauling to come. Old wheelbarrow will come in handy. Quite a few breaks. Mostly cloudy. Likely to have showers again tonight.

Dogs finally reappeared and headed to cabin. Must be ready for supper. They were no help in collecting tools. By 4:30 PM packed up and headed back myself. Cleaned all the tools. New edges on the axes. Usually did that once while cutting also. Water run, dogs stayed home. Something cooking had their interest. Nothing in box trap when I ed. Bait still there. Needed to make a quick run to beaver pond and check snare traps after supper. Rice mixed with last can of tuna for supper. Dogs’ noses going crazy. Enjoyed sitting quietly, eating and watching them. Wife washed dishes and cleaned up while I hurried down to beaver dam. Dogs with me as usual. Would stop at spring for final water run on way back.

Arrived at traps. Hit the jackpot. Rabbits in three of the four snares. Quite a bit of work to field-dress them with the dogs in the middle of it all. Finally finished, headed back to cabin. Water stop of course. Home, I got about skinning, cutting up, and cooking rabbits. Hung cooked rabbit in plastic bag on ceiling racks as usual. Looks like we will have smoked fish and fried rabbit for lunch with visitors. A celebration feast. Busy exciting day tomorrow so we decided to rest after evening hygiene check and washup. Plenty of hot water. Dogs did not like

it as usual. Nice fire in hearth as we were boiling water, so just sat inside. Starting to sprinkle outside. Dogs made one last run outside, then onto sleeping platforms. Small talk in front of fire as it started to die down. Prayers, scripture, Lord, may our home be warm and friendly to our visitors. Please be with us. A good day, gradually fell asleep in anticipation of tomorrow. Good night!

And prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat. (Genesis 27:4)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #27

June 19

Up at the crack of dawn. Too excited to sleep. Dogs could sense something. Quick breakfast of eggs and dried beef after dogs came in from outside. That finished, dishes cleaned, headed to spring for water. Made two trips. Need to figure out something that will allow us to carry more water per trip. Yoke solution is on project list. Drizzled some during night, but just cloudy and warm this morning. Nothing in smoker, everything ready. Wife working like a bee getting the inside of cabin as clean as possible. She has always been a wonderful hostess. This was her cup of tea. I made us a cup of coffee while I helped her. Left to go cultivate garden and check box trap and funnel fish trap. Nothing in box trap, but several shadows in funnel trap. Did the pitching and catching myself. Dogs too busy elsewhere. Five fish: two small ones, three more five to six inches long. Cleaned, heads, tails, and fins cut off, as was our practice. Immediately into smoker, fire started in firebox and shut up for the day. Lots of smoke. Some leaking, but that was to be expected. Helped wife finish up, and then we sat down to talk and wait till visitors arrived.

Around 10 AM we head a voice from north of the cabin along Bear Creek. We called out and then walked a short distance in that direction. Dogs uncertain; stayed pretty close to us. The three men I met a couple weeks ago, when I was erasing the lean-to campsite, came into view. The dogs saw them and started to run toward them, barking. Arriving at the men, they started jumping up and down and got some attention. Shouted a welcome out to them, and they soon ed us at the cabin. Handshakes and introductions all around. Wife was glad for some human , as was I. She had been planning the lunch menu for quite a few days. All three men had backpacks and of course their long weapons. Invited them into the cabin, where they deposited their packs. Gave them the three-minute inside tour, and they said we had made the place quite livable. Marveled that we had the fire going on the hearth. Told us it had been years

since a fire had been there.

Offered to take them on a brief tour of what we had done outside. They agreed, of course. Dogs running in circles around us, we inspected the smoker and curing racks, visited the garden, went to the creekside to look at the fishing funnel trap, and finally inspected the roof and outside walls. Said place has never looked better. A lot worse for the wear over the years, but it looked very solid. Dogs got tired of chasing after us, so they headed out into the woods to west to explore and bark. Explained to the men how we were harvesting edible food from both the beaver pond and the marsh south of it.

I asked them what their dad and granddad had done when the field just south of the garden plot had been cleared. Explained to me that it had been cultivated in many things: sunflowers for seeds, potatoes, corn and lots of root veggies during summer; in the fall it was planted in winter wheat which was harvested the next spring and ground into flour. When the original owner had gotten too old to do that, he had just let it go natural.

By the time they had explained that all to me wife was calling for us to come to lunch. We had a feast. Cooked smoked squirrel and rabbit, smoked fish, cattail pseudo potatoes, two cans of fruit cocktail, and coffee. Wife was anxious to see what their reaction would be. Dogs even got some of the meat as a treat. Men said was a wonderful meal, and wife beamed. Youngest of the three offered to help clean up lunch, which wife gratefully accepted. We all cleared table. While the two of them cleaned up, we all talked about the local situation.

To catch my wife up, they explained about the five families that are living in their hunting cabins about six miles north of here. All the cabins are within a two-square mile area. Told us about a planned rendezvous they are going to have, August eleventh to thirteenth. Invited us to them. Wife answered yes immediately. Also, told us the small group is thinking about starting a twicemonthly home Bible study meeting. Will start out twice a month and expand

from that if makes sense. Invited us to that. Wife answered yes, of course.

That opened up a conversation about our and their Christian faith. Explained to them our background as well. When they heard about my theological training, they asked if wife and I would consider leading the planned Bible studies. We said we would pray about it but would be glad to if it seems to be what the Lord wants us to do. Will make a quick trip up their way in late July and let them know. Said we’d arrive on July 20 and camp at their cabin overnight, if that was OK. Said we are most welcome.

Time flew by quickly as we sat and talked. They had earlier told us that they needed to head back by 2 PM. It was already 1:30 when we finished catching up. They told us they had some stuff for us that their families had collected as a housewarming gift for us. We just looked at each other. They then opened their packs and put the contents on our small table. We just stood there speechless. They unloaded the following.

20 pounds of rice

20 pounds of flour

10 pounds of powdered potato flakes 10 cans of mixed veggies 10 cans of fruit cocktail

2 pounds orange drink mix

2 loaves of homemade bread

½ pound salt

6 pounds beef jerky

2 pounds lard

3 yards heavy cotton cloth

1 lb. hard candy

2 pounds of butter

1 jar of peanut butter

We did our best to thank them. They just smiled and said we would repay it all back as we led them in the Lord’s word in the future. With that we formed a prayer circle and asked the Lord to give us all safety, health, and comfort. We watched as they walked away to the north. Everyone waved as they rounded the bend in the ridge, and they were gone. Kept dogs on long leashes for quite a while so they wouldn’t take off after them. Back into the cabin, we just stood looking at the gifts. The Lord was so good to us. He had given us new friends. He had given us supplies that would help us increase our calorie intake and stay healthy. Our God is truly good.

It was 3:30 PM when we decided that there were chores to get done. Wife starting organizing all the new supplies. They had brought it all in sealed plastic bags. Stuff was shifted around on cabin shelves. We decided to finish the meat left from lunch for supper with some mashed potatoes. Something we hadn’t had in months. Fresh cut bread with peanut butter on it for dessert. Strange dessert, but it was good. Lots of dishes to clean, so we both got after that. Dogs got an extra bit of bread with peanut butter on it. They had been so good. Dishes done, I made one more water run. Dogs along as they needed to run a bit. Back pretty quickly. Nothing in box trap at garden. Started to drizzle again, so we sat inside cabin and talked about conversation we had with the guys over lunch.

Talked about bears. They told us there were two sows in the area, one getting older and the other pretty young. There were a couple males who wandered area as well. Their range of roaming was pretty large. Said we might see them every now and then, but in fall when they were feeding for hibernation, will be around more. Also talked about coyotes. Told us there was a small pack in the area. Their range of wandering also very large. No one had seen any for a month or so. Might see them this summer but more likely to see them when winter hits and food is scarce. That’s when they will be a threat to our dogs, our cabin, and our food. Last thing we talked about was hunting. They will be hunting primarily to our north. Anything to east is probably folks from Ridgway. Said quite a few camps three or four miles to our south. Portland Mills folks will be hunting to the south. No population to west or northwest. Anything that direction will be

folks from all over. Not many camps in that direction. Basically, told us area is still pretty safe. Just advised us to be cautious at all times.

Everyone worn out, so closed up cabin securely. Prayers and scripture by fire embers. All to bed, and it didn’t take long before we were all asleep. Good night!

And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #28

June 20

Overslept a bit this morning. Dogs slow getting around but eventually outside. Drizzling a bit. Didn’t stay out long. Fire started, to take dampness out of cabin and to cook breakfast. While fire getting started, made water run to spring. Dogs stayed by the fire and warmth. Nothing in box trap at garden as I walked by. Bait gone again. Little critter I guess. Peeked over wall, and we need to do some cultivating today even if a bit muddy. Back at cabin for breakfast of rice and some of the new jerky. Boiled water while eating. Tasted good. Planned the new day. Woodcutting of course. Work on constructing the new privy as well. Wife wanted to clean cabin. Will check all the wire traps and fish funnel. Head out to hunt squirrel late this afternoon.

We decided to cut firewood first. Ponchos on until we get to woods to the north, and with kits on hips, weapons, and cutting tools, we headed out. Dogs went along but eventually went back to lie at cabin door under the tarp roof out of the drizzle. Cut and stacked wood for couple hours until we were soaked. Looked at pile when done, and we had about a half cord of hardwood and pine cut. Some progress but a lot of work. Loaded up gear and headed back. Tomorrow will start hauling cut wood back to cabin and put under tarp roof to dry. Wife got after cleaning up the cabin. With the dogs, I headed down to beaver dam to check snares. Stop for water again on way back. Nothing in snares so picked them up to bring them back for repairs. Will set them out in new location tomorrow.

Raining a bit harder so decided to both work inside on scraping skins we had on hand, preparing them to put on curing forms. We had one raccoon skin to put on medium form and five rabbit skins to cure on smaller forms. Need to build a couple more small forms as we are likely to have to do more small skins rather

than larger ones for right now. Wife working on table, me on the floor, we worked on the skins. Collected all the fat scrapings for boiling down for fire tin fuel. Dogs got a scrap of fat or two. They just sat on the floor never too far away from us hoping for more treats. Worked on all the skins until around noon then broke to fix lunch. Good fire going all morning, so cooking started immediately. Simple lunch of rice and dried beef. Dogs got a bit of leftover meat from yesterday’s lunch. Not much cleanup required.

Wife sat down to keep working on the skins. I geared up and headed to the piles of materials for the new privy. Had saved the seat from the old one and hoped to use it in the new one. No sense working on the pit, it was just mud. Have to wait till it dries out some to dig any more. Started on the main frame of the small building. Four feet by five feet shape and six feet tall. Had all of the main frame logs cut, so started to attach them together. Used nails from old shed. Added diagonal small logs at each corner on inside to give frame more strength and stability. Then worked on door frame. Had two hinges from old shed supply left yet and would use them. Door would have to be thick and heavy to bear-proof it. Same design that we used for front door on cabin. Main frame reinforced, built five-foot-tall door frame with vertical logs attached first. Then attached threefoot logs to those horizontally. Door is three feet wide with six-inch privy walls on each side of it. No more work on it today. Once pit finished will lift frame over it and then build walls. Attach door last. Since made of logs, will be way too heavy to lift into place if built it out completely before standing up over pit. Last piece finished today was roof. Used last few boards from original privy to build the roof. Cross were logs. Roof five foot square to give some overhang so rain does not run down inside walls. Will use mud from creek to chink the whole thing where it needed it. At 3:30 PM headed back to cabin. Wife had all the skins scraped and hanging on ceiling racks inside cabin. Dogs happy to be dry and warm. I prepared to head out to do a bit of hunting. Poncho on, hip kits in place, headed out. Told wife to secure doors while I was gone. Safety first. With that I headed out, saying would be back no later than 5 PM, probably soaked.

Went up on ridge above new privy. That way could see cabin through the trees. Piece of plastic to sit on, I settled down. No sounds at first. Then heard a faint

wail far to the west. Just barely heard it. More than one animal making the sound. First thought was that maybe coyotes were out there. Would have to keep a lookout every day. With all the food prep we were doing and everything that was stored in cabin, imagine they will eventually come snooping around. Have to watch the dogs very carefully. Had been sitting for just over an hour when saw couple squirrels coming north along ridge in trees. Hoped they were heading to nests just off to my right. After twenty minutes of playing around they were within twenty yards. Very quietly drew air rifle up. It was a very quiet gun. After first shot able to take second shot without spooking critters. Missed on first shot. Success on second. Fresh squirrel for supper. Field-dressed and skinned. Deboned and put meat in plastic bag with the heart. That was enough for today.

Back to cabin with prize. Close to 4:45 PM when went in door. Dogs there to greet me. They smelled something. Quickly put two pieces of heart into pan and fried. They sat beside me watching in anticipation. Onto their plates and gone in an instant. Back to fire where I was frying up rest of meat looking for more. Wife handed me pot of water and rice in it to cook. She got dishes out and cut some bread. Peanut butter bread for supper. She gave couple small pieces to dogs with peanut butter as pre-supper treat. They love peanut butter. I served supper to wife as she had been working very hard on meals last couple days. Sat down and we slowly enjoyed our meal with coffee. Told her about possible coyote sounds to the west. Frowned and checked to make sure handgun on her hip. While she cleaned up, I made quick water run with dogs. They had lots of energy after being inside all day and having just eaten supper. Very light drizzle falling. Nothing in box trap when ed by. Word must have gotten out to all the critters. Back at cabin put water on to boil. Used leftover before cooking to do hygiene cleanup. I was only one who had ticks, three of them, probably from sitting in woods hunting. Ouch. Antibiotic and Band-Aids. Last chore was to clean air gun. Built up nice fire on hearth, and we decided to stay in for evening. Clouds looked like breaking up a bit. Hope sun shines tomorrow. Warmth from fire made us sleepy. Let embers burn down as we said prayers and read scripture. Plan tomorrow in the morning. If sun shining, put skins out to cure. A good day, some rest, some work. Needed a semi-down day after excitement of visitors yesterday. Lord, give us strength, courage, and wisdom for the new day.

Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.” (Genesis 5:29)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #29

June 21

Middle of night sounded like a catfight outside near smoker. Dogs barking and scratching at door to get out. First thing would have to go out and look for telltale signs of what had gone on. Took long time for dogs to settle down again. Short night for all. Finally, bleary-eyed, we all got up. Kept dogs inside until I checked out the likely fight scene. Some black fur lying around and a couple drops of what might have been blood. My guess was a couple raccoons got into it over drippings outside smoker. Don’t want to mess with an angry or cornered raccoon. Vicious little animals. Let dogs out finally, and they had to inspect the scene also. Noses to ground running around in circles. While wife built up fire on hearth, dogs and I headed to get some water. Picked up the box trap on way back. I will relocate it near the smoker later today. Breakfast of powdered eggs, dried beef, and orange drink. Dogs were hungry but more interested in going back outside. So out they went to hunt for something.

While eating, planned the day as usual. No work on privy pit, still too muddy. Sun was poking through clouds so would build two more small curing forms and put hides out to dry in sun. More firewood cutting and haul more to cabin side this afternoon to build up our close-by supply. Check all the traps and place in new spots late this afternoon. Main task this morning would be to cut and carve a yoke that I can use to carry multiple pots and our bucket back from spring in one trip. Will be able to haul more at a time that way.

Wife set out to cultivate garden and bring box trap back to cabin if empty. Would be muddy work but had to stay ahead of the weeds. When she got to garden, she yelled for me to hurry over there. The culprit that might have been stealing bait out of the trap was in the trap. Another raccoon. How many were there around

us? Must be a bunch, all drawn to the fresh food smells of our home. Let my wife dispatch it. She needed some practice at actually shooting critters as she had not done any of that growing up. Did just fine, air rifle pellet at rear base of skull did the trick. A bit of a chore to get out of the trap through small opening. Surgical gloves on as usual. Always carried couple pair in my pocket. Wife did the same. Time for her to field-dress critter as well. Took a bit of time and a few yecchs included, but did it well. Would let her skin it and cut it up when she got back to cabin after cultivating. I hauled it back and hung it on log we had put between two trees several weeks ago for hanging food and packs. I quickly went over to woods to our north and found a recently fallen small oak tree and cut a five-foot length to haul back to cabin. Then sat on stool outside carving indentation for neck and shoulders. Took off all limb stubs and all the bark I could. Cut notches on topside of yoke for handles to hold bucket and pots in place. Rough finish but it will likely work OK. Probably can use it for all kinds of hauling.

Got after skinning of raccoon. Surgical gloves again. Took our time and wife did just fine. A few more yecchs, of course. I then put skinned carcass on spit in hearth. Planned to cook whole thing and try to use for two meals. We washed up really well and had cold lunch of peanut butter and bread and a few pieces of dried beef. Dogs each got half slice of bread with peanut butter. Outside the dogs went, headed toward garden. Few dishes cleaned up and stored, we headed outside to work on curing hides. While wife was stretching a raccoon pelt on medium-sized form, I quickly built two more small forms. That gives us three of that size. When done we worked together on getting three rabbit hides on forms. Then put all four forms out to get as much sun as possible. Next skins to be done hung outside on butchering pole. Hope can put them on forms tomorrow. Need lots of sun. Once on the forms and placed in sun, wife scraped skins again to get last pieces of fat and connecting tissue off them. I headed down to creek to check funnel trap. Got there and saw two shadows in water. Did not take scoop with me, dumb, so had to try to catch them by hand. Comedy of errors. Pretty drenched when done, some laughing as well. Finally had them gutted and heads, fins, and tails off. Straight into smoker and got fire started in firebox. More reason to put box trap there, which I did, and tied off to nearby small tree.

Day was going by quickly. We decided to head out with dogs and put snare traps along west side of Bear Creek. Needed to let the other areas rest. Way too much activity and needed to let our scents go away in those areas. Dogs also needed to stay out of field and down by beaver dam for a couple days as well. Spaced traps about a hundred yards apart on couple runs we found. Just after starting back to cabin, dogs started going crazy, looking across creek and barking up a storm. Glassed the hillside and caught glimpse of something disappearing over the hilltop. Not sure what it was. It was kind of big and dark in color. Just looked at each other. Might be our bear friend again. Got the adrenaline going for sure. Dogs would not let it go. Had to put them on short leashes and drag them back to cabin.

Made a quick run down to the beaver dam to check frog trap. No dogs. Even on long leashes, didn’t want them in the area, as I said before. They were not happy. Frog trap had a medium-sized bullfrog in it. Chicken legs for supper, yummmmm! Killed it, buried innards, and cut off hind legs and into plastic bag. Fry them for supper tonight. Water stop on way back to cabin. No yoke yet, still had to pad the area carved out for neck and shoulders. Dogs glad to see me coming into front door. Obviously, no woodcutting today, ran out of time. Will haul some wood in wheelbarrow after supper to build up cabin-side supply.

Restoked fire and fried up the froglegs while wife boiled water for rice. Everything done, we sat down to a different kind of supper. Dogs got half the meat off each leg, wife and I the rest. Rice, bread, and fruit cocktail for desert. All was good. While wife cleaned all that up, I headed out to our wood piles to north with wheelbarrow and made four trips back and forth with wood of all sizes. Dogs were exploring to the north and some down by the creek. They have long memories and were still trying to figure out what they saw earlier today. All that done, brought hides on racks into cabin, no more sun today. Closed up and secured cabin. Dogs still had lot of energy, so played with them in cabin. Tug of war with sticks. Lots of growling and grunting. Wore them and us out a bit. Fire going out, so read scripture and prayed. Didn’t get as much done as we had hoped today, but a good day. Another possible sighting of danger. Constantly had to be on our toes. Good night!

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. (Proverbs 18:4)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #30

June 22

Rolled out of bed pretty early. Dogs outside messing around mostly around the smoker. Really foggy this morning; couldn’t see the east bank of the creek. Hopefully, if there is sunshine, will burn fog off quickly. No breeze blowing yet. Likely be a warmer day for the mountains. Fire started. Fish not done enough in smoker to eat. Rice and dried beef cooked together. Last couple slices of first loaf of bread with peanut butter. Orange drink. Dogs standing at door when I stood up. Before headed out for water wrapped curved part of yoke with a T-shirt to provide some padding. Off I went with dogs and carrying empty water containers on yoke. No problem but nothing heavy yet. Checked garden in ing, sprouts almost two inches high. Saw one spot where something tried to dig way through wall. Have to come back and repair that today. Back to cabin, started water boiling. Took hides on forms outside for sun to hit them. Imagine finished by end of day, if sun shines, then will attach those still left.

Dogs and I then went upstream on east side of creek to check traps. Believe it or not, two squirrels in snares. Dogs attacked one before I could stop them. No harm done. Dispatched each animal and field-dressed. Dogs being a pain so will wait until back at cabin to skin and cook for lunch on spit in hearth. Skinned and ready to cook by 9 AM. Decided to cook right away. Two hearts, so each dog got one. That done, went out and checked privy pit. Still pretty muddy at bottom of what had been dug. Sun starting to burn off fog so hoped it would dry out bottom of pit some.

Wife had headed to garden to cultivate it and came back talking about how well things were growing. She saw a second spot on wall where something had been digging. Decided to fix those right now. Wheelbarrow to creekside and half

loaded with rocks. Tough push back up to cabin, then on to garden. Covered dug up dirt with rocks. A couple layers. Also filled in some other possible weak areas with more rocks. Satisfied with that, back to cabin. Since had wheelbarrow all warmed up, decided to haul some wood to cabin from northern stack. Made six trips before wife said lunch was ready. She had reheated squirrel meat and cooked rice. Coffee to drink. Dogs got some of the rice and meat. I cleaned up dishes while wife pulled out the three yards of heavy cotton cloth northern visitors had brought us. Said she wanted to make a couple of real pillows. We had been using hoody sweatshirts for pillows for months. Biggest question was what to stuff them with. Decided to stuff them with some of the extra winter clothing. Will pull it out of pillows when weather started to turn colder. Adapt and adjust as always.

Sun had burned off fog by noon. A great day. White fluffy clouds and a little breeze. Dogs were anxious to get out and about. Gathered up hip kits, cutting and sawing tools, weapons, and couple full canteens. Headed north to same area had been working in. With both of us working, make better progress we hoped. Dogs headed north to location of original lean-to. We could hear them barking but nothing dramatic. They came back to where we were every now and then to make sure we were still there. Got our cutting and sawing system working. No more dead trees in area, so got after cutting down oaks and pines. Red oaks and white oaks. Lots of acorns on the ground when trees fell. We had brought along a medium-sized garbage bag and gathered acorns when not cutting and on rest breaks. After removing tannins from acorn meat, will dry and grind it. Then add to our white flour supply to expand it. Give bread a nutty flavor. Also, could eat tannin-free nutmeats as a snack. Great food. Vitamins and energy. Dogs could not have them. We worked slowly for four hours. Given I had hauled some of wood down to cabin we replaced what had been hauled and maybe a four-foot square of small logs in addition. Felt good to do this kind of manual labor. When done had about half a cord of mixed wood cut.

Tools gathered, calling to dogs, we headed back to cabin. Dogs and I went on water run. What a beautiful day. Went slowly just to enjoy the warm sunshine. When got back, wife had fire in hearth started. Decided to have dried eggs and last of bacon for supper. Last pieces of loaf of fresh bread and added peanut

butter. Could not let bread spoil, so have to eat it all. Dogs ate their fill of everything. We ate slowly and talked about tomorrow. Major project for tomorrow will be the privy. Lots of daily chores, but privy comes first. If time allows, will haul more wood to cabin side.

After supper took dried hides off forms and hung on racks in cabin. Put remaining raccoon skin on medium-size form and three squirrel skins on small forms. We both scraped them until done. After scraping, took them inside. Back out tomorrow. A quick trip down to trap in creek. A couple more shadows in the water. Get them tomorrow morning if still there. Dogs made one more run to garden, then inside. Wife worked on cutting cotton cloth for pillows. Too dark in cabin to work long on that. Dogs by hearth, we sat down for prayers and scripture. Weather was great today. All tired and headed to bed pretty early. Lord, protect us, give us wisdom and strength.

Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (Luke 10:3)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #31

June 23

One month ago today, around noon, we arrived at what became our temporary lean-to home on the ridge to the north of the cabin. Time has flown by. So much more to do before winter arrives. It will arrive much earlier than we are used to. Some fog this morning but not as bad as yesterday. Dogs out first thing then back because they knew breakfast was coming. Fire started. Eggs and jerky this morning. Everyone ate pretty quickly. Cleanup followed. Dogs outside waiting for me to make water run. They wanted to go of course. Bucket and pots on yoke got that chore done pretty quickly. Heard some shotgun reports to the south. Very faint so probably quite a way off again. Others were looking for food too.

Back at the cabin wife headed out to cultivate garden. I headed to privy location. She would me when she was done. With folding shovel and old shovel from shed, I dug into finishing the pit. Dirt was not quite mud anymore but it still was work. Water in soil made it heavier. Easier to get around stones though. Cut through roots with hand ax being very careful to not take a chunk out of my legs. Wife decided to go back and work on pillows in cabin. Dogs followed her as nothing exciting happening where I was working.

A few minutes later was glad they had gone with her. Heard couple sources of howls much closer than the other day. Sounded definitely like coyotes to me. Somewhere atop the small mountain to our west. Just hope they got no closer. Rifle might not be powerful enough to stop them. Handgun might, but only with several shots hitting in the right place. Kept one ear to the west. Took couple hours to get the pit dug out. Four feet square and four feet deep. A good pile of dirt to use to cover up waste. No more sounds to the west. Last I heard sounded like they had moved to the north. Back to cabin for a break. Asked wife to come

out with me to help me lift the privy frame into place over the pit. A whole bunch of grunting and groaning. Even the bare frame was almost more than we could handle. That done back to cabin to rest a bit and have some cold lunch of jerky and juice. Made a quick water run to spring after that, dogs with me. Rifle and handgun at the ready every minute now. Nothing happened and we were soon back at cabin.

Wife and I both headed to privy to start working on enclosing it and finishing the inside. First thing was to put in the floor. Used floorboards from the old privy for that. Once that done, put the old privy seat in place. Simple structure. A front wall and a seat with a hole in it. Let wife nail the thunder mug in place. She got a kick out of that. All that was left to do was put logs on three sides and six-inch spaces on each side of where door would go and then put the roof in place. Had all precut material right there. Put six-foot logs on front at sides of door. With those in place, attached the door using last two old hinges we had found in shed. The door was heavy and we had to be careful wrestling it around because of the bear security nails sticking out. Same design as we had put on cabin door. Bearproofed it to some degree. Got logs up on one of the sides before calling it a day. While I was doing that, wife checked on hides curing back at cabin.

When I finally called it a day on privy, she had skins scraped again and hanging from racks inside cabin. We would put remaining squirrel skins on forms after supper, scrape them, and keep inside overnight. Out into sun first thing in the morning. Will do my best to finish privy tomorrow. Pretty tired when got back to cabin. Made water run without dogs while wife started supper. Dogs more interested in food than going with me. Rice, dried beef, and coffee for supper. Got a lot done, but also a bit worried about sounds of possible coyotes so close. Sat down outside, put three squirrel pelts on forms, and scraped them one last time. Outside to dry tomorrow. Wife showed me pillows. She had used some of our spare winter clothing to stuff them. Would be nice tonight. We did a thorough hygiene wash, tick, and cut check on all four of us. Nothing really significant found. Made quick trip down to creek to check fish trap. Not enough light to tell if anything in it. Check that first thing in the morning. No wood cut or hauled today. After finishing privy tomorrow, have to get after wood again.

Back to cabin, stoked up fire a bit so we could read scripture. Long season of prayer for safety and giving thanks. When done, secured windows and doors and got ready to hit the sack. When we turned to sleeping platforms, we just laughed. Dogs, one on each platform, were sleeping on top of the two new pillows. So much for having the pillows to ourselves. We looked at each other and said they were way too spoiled. Climbed onto platforms and each of us got about half a pillow. Better than nothing. Small talk until we both drifted off to sleep. Lord, give us a peaceful night tonight.

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #32

June 24

Up before wife and dogs. Still worried about possible danger of coyotes. Will worry about that every day. Started fire. Quickly stepped out and cleaned mud off our boots from working on privy yesterday. Back inside, everyone else was up. Wife was fixing eggs, dried beef, and coffee for breakfast. While it was cooking, I waterproofed our boots with mink oil. Dogs liked smell of it but would not let them lick the boots. Not sure if it would make them sick or not. Ate breakfast, cleaned up dishes. Big task today: finish the privy. Anything else would be gravy on top of that.

We all headed out to privy site. Wife and I would work together on getting all the wall logs attached and roof on top. She held the logs while I pounded them in place using old nails. Took couple hours to get all the logs in place. Last step for walls was to put two sets of horizontal braces, the first two feet up from bottom and second two feet below the roof line. Nailed and tied in with wire. Wall logs still have small cracks between them. Will chink those small gaps before winter. I went back and got our smaller ladder. Needed it to move roof from old privy onto top of new one. Still had tin on one side to repel rain. It was pretty heavy. Wife could only steady ladder as I pushed the old roof up the ladder. Slide it up ladder pushing from below until it flopped onto top of new structure frame. Pushed it up ladder at an angle so that when it fell onto frame, it would not drop straight down into the privy itself. Once on top, wrestled roof into place. Covers building with about a one-inch overhang on each side of frame. Carefully nailed roof in place, one old rusty nail from shed through roof into each wall log top. That took some time. But it will take an earthquake to separate the roof from the walls. Slowly climbed down ladder when last side nailed tight. We both stood back and ired our work. It was rough and will need a bit of winterizing this fall. But we had created the design and built it ourselves. We will both be more secure using it when dangerous critters might be snooping. Last thing we did

was put two braces inside the door, to hold a log that locks the door shut when someone is inside. Did all that we could to make it secure and private. One last look and we headed back to the cabin. Dogs following slowly behind us. One other thing. They had to explore the inside of the privy before they would leave it. Not sure why. We just grinned.

Back at cabin, we realized we had worked right through our normal lunch time. Dedicated we were. After cleaning tools and washing up, had a cold lunch of jerky and a can of fruit. Added orange drink to boost vitamin C intake. Water run with dogs after lunch. Back at cabin, decided to haul some wood to cabin side. Arms worn out, so cutting and sawing will have to wait until tomorrow. Using wheelbarrow, made eight trips back and forth. Probably fifteen logs per trip. Starting to see progress next to cabin. But disappointed that stack in woods was not getting any larger. Wife helped me unload wheelbarrow each time I got back to cabin with a load. Dogs back and forth first couple trips, then they decided that was enough for them. Rather explore around the cabin. Brought table outside with two stools. Wife worked on revised food rationing plan given new supplies we had been given. While she did that, I scraped the squirrel hides on curing forms. Left in sun rest of afternoon and would be finished. Into cabin tonight and hung from ceiling racks. We would soon have enough small hides to start making something with them.

By 6 PM we were pretty exhausted. Quickly cooked some rice with jerky pieces mixed in. All four of us ate very slowly. Not much talk. Last task for the day was a water run which the dogs and I did very slowly. Will plan projects and chores for tomorrow in the morning over breakfast. Enough work today. Built up fire a bit and secured windows and doors. Sat in front of the fire talking and wondering what was going on in the world. Need a radio session soon. Scripture read, prayers said, and again dogs got to the pillows first. Sleeping arrangements were funny. Cold of winter will be even worse. Lord, show us the path you would have us take each day.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #33

June 25

Sunday, the Lord’s day. Built fire, then had a little church service sitting in front of it. Scripture reading, a few songs, and prayer. A good way to start the day. Then headed out on water run while wife fixed breakfast. Dogs stayed in cabin, there was food in the air. Simple meal: eggs, dried beef, and coffee. No interest by dogs in going outside until they had eaten. Then it was off at a run, barking, toward the old lean-to site. Decided to spend the day doing a lot of maintenance tasks and daily chores. Put off any heavy work until tomorrow. Could hear dogs barking, probably treed a squirrel. Did maintenance on weapons and boots.

Checked all our dried skins and discussed what to do with them. All were small. We decided that I would make them into a small rug to put in front of the hearth —a place for dogs to stretch out that’s softer than hard floors. That would be my first project after lunch. Wife cleaned up cabin, swept, and dusted shelves. Made a water run before anything else got done. By myself, made better time than when dogs were with me. Checked garden. Seemed OK. A few critter tracks around it but nothing done to wall. We decided we would set out traps in new locations. West to the ridge behind the privy. Set out the four snare traps about fifty yards apart on a rabbit run. Took box trap back to the garden to see if it gets lucky again. I headed out to the garden to cultivate it. Only takes forty-five minutes to do that but important to keep our plants growing. Decided that after lunch we would climb the bluff to our west and check for radio reception.

We were about to start lunch when dogs starting barking and running to the north. Quite a ruckus. Wasn’t long before they came around bend of ridge, and dogs were with a man and woman walking toward us. Hard to walk with dogs jumping on them. Had yellow hunting vests on and rifles slung over their

shoulders. They called out to us saying they were friends of the three guys who had visited a week ago. Told them to come on to cabin, they were welcome to our home. Introductions and small talk followed. They were one of the other families that had a hunting cabin to the north. Part of the group of people all living in that area. Visitors from last week had told them , and they decided to pay us a visit. We thanked them for the gifts that we had received. They were grateful for that. Said we would do the same for them if necessary. Invited them to lunch, and they accepted. Got busy with fire and starting to cook. Rice, jerky, a can of veggies, and orange drink. Dogs got some as well.

Dishes washed, sat down to talk. Folks told us their story, and we shared ours. They were originally from Ridgway and had moved to their hunting cabin when country started to slide downhill. All their kids were scattered. No word from any of them for several months. Same boat as us. They marveled as we told them about our long journey from TX. By 2 PM they said they needed to head back north. Had walked and wanted to be back to their cabin by suppertime. Just before they left, they gave us an envelope. Opened it and it was a letter from the oldest of our three earlier visitors. Letter said we had his family’s permission to live on his father’s lease and in the cabin. Lease was for five acres around cabin and all of the buildings. Such a gift. Told them we were planning a trip up their way toward the end of July. Asked them to thank the older man for his thoughtfulness, and they were off.

Put dogs on their long leashes so they wouldn’t follow. Waited an hour before letting them loose again. They took off north but finding nothing were soon back at our feet. While dogs leashed, I made another water run and boiled it back at cabin. Wife and I sat down in front of fire to make the small rug. Laid pelts out like a jigsaw puzzle on floor to figure out how to fit them together the best. Turned into a circus as dogs would grab a pelt and head for sleeping platform. Between chasing them to get pelt back, and them repeating the thefts, took us a bit to get the pattern. Once decided, I started punching holes in pelts. Wife, using heavy needle and thread, started to sew them together. When done with holes, I took over the sewing as her wrists were bothering her from her fibromyalgia. Some more tug-of-war with dogs over pelts.

At 4:30 PM the rug was in place in front of the hearth and dogs were resting on it. Wife’s wrist pain better, we headed down to fish funnel trap to see if we had some meat for dinner. Four shadows in water. A couple of creek chubs and two small trout. Pitcher and catcher game again. Once on bank, usual cleaning process. While cleaning them, wife got fire back up in hearth and started to boil some rice. Put fish in small frying pan and cooked them up. Smelled great. Dogs sitting on new rug in anticipation. Everything on table and pieces of fish mixed in with rice in their plates, we sat down to eat. Lots of little jobs done today. Even more importantly a visit from folks to north.

Water run after supper. Dogs went with me and they were running around everywhere. Needed to get rid of some energy. Slow trip back to cabin trying to get them to come with me. Eventually made it, and they headed down to creek bank to smell where fish had been cleaned. Nice sunny day today. Tomorrow will get back to all the projects and chores. Woodcutting will be important. Plan that all out in the morning.

Sat in front of cabin on our stools watching the evening happen around us. Quiet except for crickets, frogs, and birds. Peaceful. Starting to get dark when we finally went inside. Secured cabin. Dogs at our feet on rug as we prayed and read scripture. Hugs all around and we climbed onto platforms, dogs soon ing us. Would sleep well tonight. Listening to all the noises outside, we drifted off. Lord, this has been your day. Thank you for showing us your love. Good night!

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #34

June 26

Tough getting up this morning. Really comfortable. Dogs beside us didn’t seem to want to wake up either. Eventually they got down and headed to the door. Out they went, barking as usual. No fog this morning. Cloudy but didn’t look like rain. Water run, with dogs leading the way. As soon as I picked up yoke and containers, they knew where we were going. Wife got fire started.

Back at cabin I mixed some powdered milk, flour, and a bit of salt together and cooked up some flatbread. Added dried beef. Dogs liked the flatbread of course. Orange drink to wash it down. Planned the day while eating. Cleaned up dishes, still talking. Woodcutting of course. Cattail veggie trip and trap checks. If traps successful, skin the catch, stretch on forms, and start smoking meat. If enough meat, fix some for supper. All that depended on catching anything. Would go squirrel hunting if traps were empty. Would lay out dog run at creekside door. Run will come in handy if don’t want dogs running off but still a place where they can take care of business. Will use when larger critters are in the area as well to keep dogs somewhat safe. Plan run today, materials tomorrow, build after that. An aggressive plan for day. Would get done what got done. Rest the next day.

Cattail visit to beaver pond and marsh first. Geared up, we headed out with dogs running ahead of us. Seemed to know where we were going even when they made side trip to the spring. Would stop at spring on way back and get some fresh water. First stop at beaver pond. Worked for an hour and had some good stuff. Still a few pollen-filled heads not opened. Worth a lot to have them because of protein. Done there, we headed down to marsh where there were a lot more cattails. Tough getting dogs to leave beaver dam. They smelled something.

Eventually followed us. At the marsh got busy. Spent hour and a half there. Lot more unopened pollen pods. Not much longer for those. When finished, had three-fourths of large plastic bag full of stuff as well as what would turn out to be three-fourths pound of pollen. A successful veggie trip. Slow trip back to cabin. Dogs stopped at beaver dam again, but not for long. Decided to take veggies to cabin then back to spring for water. Dogs thought it was great heading out again. Yoke, containers, and dogs, off we went. They followed me back slowly. Started boiling water immediately. Boiled up some of the white cattail veggies and had that with dried beef. Coffee to drink.

Lunch done, I headed out to check on all the traps. Wife cleaned cattail veggies while I was gone. Came back with two field-dressed rabbits and skinned them. Fire in firebox of smoker, then rabbit meat in to smoke. Made quick trip down to creek to check funnel. Only one shadow. Will check it again in the morning. Wife and I scraped one rabbit skin each. That done, put them on small curing forms and out into the sun. Probably won’t be done until tomorrow because not much sun today. At 1:30 I headed up to the woods to north to cut firewood. Not haul any today. Decided to only cut trees down today. Will cut into fire-sized logs tomorrow. Wanted to clear out a bit more line-of-sight to the north, so small trees came down. Didn’t tackle anything larger than six inches in diameter. After couple hours of working had ten trees felled. Wife and I agreed later that we will use this process from now on. Cut trees, then cut logs on following days, stack or haul small logs, and then repeat process. Will try to keep moving west and south to clear 200 degrees of line-of sight. Not many right-sized trees between cabin and creek. Not much potential firewood there.

After three-hours I had had it for the afternoon. Headed back to cabin, gear in hand. Cleaned tools, sharpened them all, and made another water run before supper. Dogs decided to stay at home since wife had started fire in hearth, and they knew what that meant. Back at cabin fixed cattail veggies, eggs, some leftover flatbread and coffee for supper. Dogs sat on new rug and waited patiently. At least they tried. After cleanup we did our hygiene and tick cleaning. One dog had four ticks. The other had three. Yep, they were not happy with removal process. A lot of time in tall grass and weeds today. Not surprised to find ticks. Wife and I did not have any. I had couple nicks on lower arms from

tree cutting. Fixed those. We checked food on hand before heading outside to sit for a while.

Lots of noise in the woods tonight. Clouds getting thicker, may rain tomorrow. Dogs content to lie on ground beside us. Lots of running today; they were tuckered out. Dusk settles in very quickly here among the mountains. Cools down quickly also. Time to go in. Secured windows and doors. Fire going out in hearth as we prayed and read scripture. Another busy day tomorrow. Lord, thank You for your grace.

Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #35

June 27

Didn’t hear a thing during night. We all slept very soundly. Woke up finally to birds singing outside. Clouds had cleared out some. Sunshine coming through tree canopy. Dogs and I headed out for water run while wife started fire. Dogs half asleep, so not much running around; thinking of breakfast, I expect. Back at cabin, sat down to eggs mixed with dried beef. Smell was wonderful inside cabin. Added any remaining grease to our empty cans for later fire tin fuel and maybe cooking. Water boiling while we ate. Dogs wanted more so gave them a couple pieces of beef jerky.

Planned the day as usual while we ate. Firewood again first priority. Would check traps and then hunt if necessary. Finished eating, took two rabbit skins on forms outside to continue curing. Checked rabbit in smoker. Rebuilt fire in smoker firebox. Should be done by lunchtime. Wife and I each took a curing form with rabbit skin and scraped them a second time. One more scraping and they will be ready to come off forms and hang in cabin on racks. Dogs antsy to get outside, so let them out. They headed up on ridge above new privy. Could see them barking on a scent as they headed to the north. We gathered our woodcutting tools, hip kits, some jerky, and lots of water. Plan was to cut wood until midafternoon. Eat lunch at cutting site.

When we got to where I had felled trees started cutting them into two- to threefoot logs. Wife cut limbs off, and I followed with bow saw and ax, cutting logs. She dragged her cuttings and added them to the pile we had started for tinder and kindling. When I had each tree sectioned, carried new logs and added them to the cord of wood we were building there. By the time we quit in the afternoon, had only replaced what we had hauled to cabin side from original pile of logs.

Combining that pile with one by cabin, we probably had close to a full cord of wood cut. We broke for jerky, sat, and rested for a bit. Of course dogs at our feet wanting a piece or two. Didn’t sit for too long. Have learned not to sit long, or we stiffen up and it takes a bit to get the old muscles warmed up again. Dogs stayed within eyesight the rest of the time we were cutting. They had run all their energy off.

By 2:30 PM had cut up half the trees I had felled. Good progress. Gathered tools and headed back to cabin. Sat down on stool outside and sharpened all cutting tools. Also sharpened our survival knives. Had not done that for a while. Dogs took a nap on the rug in front of the hearth. While they were doing that, wife went inside to lie down a bit, and I made a water run. Checked garden along the way. Need to cultivate it. New sprouts four to five inches tall now. Sun is making them grow along with warm light rain we’ve been having.

Back at cabin, others still asleep, so I headed out to cultivate garden. Eventually dogs came running up and wanted some attention, which they got. Finished cultivating and back to cabin. Still had time to check traps and move some of them. Dogs came along. Box trap was empty. Nothing in snare traps as well. Last check was at fish funnel trap. Couple shadows, so into water I went. Eventually caught them. Gutted and cleaned, cuts made, hauled them back to cabin and into smoker immediately. Rabbit in smoker was done. Built up firebox fire. Fish will for sure be ready for breakfast in the morning. Took box trap back out to garden and secured it for the night. Last thing I did before getting cleaned up for supper was to carry smoked rabbit inside, and wife started deboning and cutting it up. Lots of meat for supper. Cooked some rice and some of the cattail white veggies. Great supper. Smoked rabbit was really tasty. Dogs got their fill along with rice. Wife and I had meat, rice, and veggies. Cup of coffee afterward hit the spot.

While wife cleaned up after supper and swept out cabin, dogs and I headed up the ridge behind privy to see if we could get a squirrel. After an hour of no luck, came back to cabin and scraped rabbit hides on forms one more time, removed

them from forms, and hung up on racks in cabin. Checked on fish in smoker, doing OK. Stoked firebox fire and added some green wood. Lots of smoke. Decided to go down to creek with fishing pole and some fish guts from earlier fish funnel catch and see if could catch anything else in deeper pool on east side of creek. What do you know? In 15 minutes pulled in two more trout. Cleaned, prepared, and into smoker back at cabin. Will have fish for all three meals tomorrow. Dogs got a treat, couple pieces of jerky, as we closed up cabin for night. Windows and doors secure. Prayers and scripture by hearth as coals burned out. Everyone into the sack by 9 PM. Some small talk and off to dreamland. Was a good, simple day of hard work. Lord, protect us, give us wisdom and courage for the day tomorrow. Good night!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #36

June 28

Light rain when we woke up. Dogs out quickly and then back inside. Don’t like the rain. Day is going to be mostly regular chores and woodcutting. Brought in half of fish from smoker, part that was there all day yesterday. Made a quick water run, dogs walking along with me. They didn’t seem to be too interested in doing much. Back at cabin we cooked breakfast, rice and heated up smoked fish. Threw in a few cattail veggies as well. Dogs don’t seem to like fish as much as meat. Probably not as filling.

After cleaning up and saying a prayer for the day, we got busy. Wife went out to cultivate garden, while I prepared to head to woods to keep working on firewood. When she got back, she would also head to the north side. Wanted to cut up rest of trees I had felled today. Tomorrow, and maybe the next day, will haul cut logs and limbs down to the cabin. Light drizzle didn’t faze us, just made us work a bit more carefully. For some reason, slow going on the work. Probably accumulation of weather and being tired. Kept at it steadily.

At 11:15 AM sat down for jerky and water lunch. Dogs got usual couple pieces. While we were eating, noticed they were circling brush pile we had built and once in a while barking. Grabbed my handgun and went to see what that was all about. Threw a couple cut logs on pile, and a possum took off up the slope behind brush pile. Dogs in hot pursuit. I couldn’t keep up with them but eventually came upon them. They had trapped animal in a small rock overhang. This was dangerous for dogs. A cornered possum is very dangerous. On top of that they probably carry more diseases than most critters in the woods, including rabies. Last thing we need is for the dogs to get bitten or scratched. Wife eventually caught up with us. Handed dogs over to her. I had been holding them

back by their collars.

Now had to figure out how to get rid of the critter. Could see an outline of it back under the rock. Its teeth were bared. Dangerous shot if I missed it. Slug could go anywhere after hitting rocks. Wife and dogs off to one side, I fired two quick shots. The possum didn’t move. Took long stick and jabbed it. Nothing. Next challenge was to get the carcass out of the hole in the rocks. That took a while. Got heavier stick and used leftover broken limb sticking out from it to slowly pull body out into open. Dogs going absolutely nuts. Now what? Quick trip back to our gear and got folding shovel. Dug hole couple feet deep beside rock formation. Wearing surgical gloves, got carcass into the hole and quickly buried. Laid some heavy rocks on top of dirt pile to keep dogs from digging it up. Will have to check later to make sure they’ve stayed away from it. With all of that excitement done, we went back to cutting wood. Had said we would work until all the trees were cut up. Last one done at 4:45 PM. We just sat there for a while and rested. Will stack it all and start hauling tomorrow. Enough for today.

We had eaten some jerky at wood pile for lunch. We’re all pretty hungry from the exertion of woodcutting. Dogs and I went off to get water while wife started fire and worked on supper. Back to cabin, got remaining two fish out of the smoker. They were ready. Dogs stayed close to food cooking on hearth. Done cooking, we had smoked fish, rice, cattail veggies, and some mashed taters made with powdered milk. Needed a good meal to regain strength. Dogs ate as if they had never eaten before. While eating talked about visitors we will have from south in five days. We have some chores and preparation to get done before they arrived. Starting to get excited.

Raining a bit harder, so stayed inside cabin except to make last water run. When back, wife had supper all cleaned up. Dogs content to stretch out on rug by hearth. Pulled out topo maps of area. Before going out on planned scouting trip, decided to look at what we might be heading into. Our site, along Bear Creek, is about 600 feet above sea level. To north, northwest, west, and southwest surrounded by small mountains 1,800 to 2,000 feet tall. To northeast was the

same. We are sitting in a very protected location. Also know that it will get really cold in this little valley during winter. To south and southeast valley widens out a bit, which we already knew. Little Bear Creek s main creek about two miles to our south. Little Bear Creek likely climbs pretty quickly back into the mountains. Decided on south-southeast for first scouting trip; want to do it in next few days and go alone. No dogs in new country yet. Used fire tin filled with our grease and critter fat for first time. Light was OK but smoked some. Gave off faint bacon smell as well, which didn’t hurt. That all done, made one more water run. Dogs stayed on rug in front of hearth as it was raining harder. Back and boiled all that water.

Dogs out one final time and up onto sleeping platforms. And yes, they ended up on pillows. Wife and I read Bible story of the Good Samaritan. Talked about implications of it for our new life with neighbors so far from us. Prayers followed. Sat by hearth and just talked about what our days are like here in our new home. Lots of hard work to come. But it is quickly becoming our home. Finally, onto platforms, petting dogs. They loved that. More small talk as we all drifted off to sleep. Lord, thank You for keeping us safe. Give us strength and discipline for tomorrow.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #37

June 29

Up first and off on water run while wife and dogs rested on sleeping platforms. Foggy this morning. Drizzle had stopped. Checked garden on way past. Needed to be cultivated again. Noticed some raccoon tracks in mud by wall as well. Would have to take box trap out there later today. Back at cabin, started water boiling. Decided I would fix breakfast and let wife rest some more. Woodcutting took a lot out of her. Dogs on rug by hearth as things cooked. Rice with jerky mixed in. Hot coffee to help with the damp coolness. Decided to put off any firewood work until this afternoon to see if it might quit raining.

Lots of little things could be done inside this morning. First, cleaned handgun used to kill possum yesterday. Then cleaned long guns. Sharpened all our bladed tools and weapons. Wife moving a bit slower this morning, her t pain kicking up in the wet weather. Dogs outside for a bit, but drizzle and our being inside brought them back in. We had been talking for a while about putting a trotline into Bear Creek down by ridge point south of garden. Seemed like a good time to put one together. Cut ten-foot-long piece of paracord to act as anchor line. Then attached six five-foot-long pieces of fishing line to it spaced about two feet apart. Hooks attached to lines. Put four-inch wooden float, made of very dry wood, at one end of paracord to float whole setup downstream and keep baited books off creek bottom, hopefully. Had saved some fish guts from previous cleaning in tin can covered with a bit of aluminum foil we had carried from TX. Would not bait hooks until creekside. Imagine smell would have fouled air in cabin. Wife and I stretched it out and it looked pretty good for amateurs.

Rain had stopped, so I headed out to cultivate mud in garden. Took box trap with me and the can of fish remains. More tracks in mud around garden. Looked like

a couple of raccoons this time. A mess cultivating. Lots of mud but got it done. Leafy veggies were no more than a week away from making first harvest. Things grow fast in the dark soil here in this little valley. Only need more consistent sunshine. Baited and anchored box trap to vertical garden pole. Man, the fish guts did stink. Raccoons would love that. Slowly back to cabin to be greeted by two dogs wanting attention and wife who was doing better. Had taken some pain meds and that seemed to be helping. Was lunchtime already. She had rice and dried beef cooking. Had made some orange drink as well.

Dogs in usual position on rug in front of hearth. While wife dished out lunch, I put water on to boil—enough to fill up canteens for afternoon and cook supper tonight. Would get more after supper to do our personal hygiene washup. Would check feet really carefully tonight because of all the wetness outside. Also, needed to waterproof boots again. Lunch done, I geared up and headed out with dogs to check, rebait if necessary, and relocate all the traps. Decided to put out trotline in the AM. Rain had stopped, so took air rifle along in case saw a squirrel or two. All geared up, headed out. Wife stayed at cabin. She needed to get some rest. Her health is more important than her going with me to check traps. Dogs torn as to what to do. They eventually decided to head back to cabin after following me a bit. Nothing exciting going on in their minds probably. Checked snare traps to north. Three picked clean of bait, but a rabbit in one. Field-dressed and into pouch on my hunting vest, to skin and smoke later at cabin. No need to check box trap as I had just put it out earlier today. Collected snare traps for maintenance tonight. Put out in different location tomorrow AM when put out trotline.

Walked further north along east bank of Bear Creek and found a stump to sit on and watch couple squirrel nests just upstream. Sat there for a good hour before noticing some movement in trees. Two squirrels playing tag. Fun to watch, comical. They worked their way closer to me and stopped about forty-feet from me in a big oak tree. Took three shots, but brought them both down. Fielddressed and back to cabin. Dogs could smell me coming. Decided to put rabbit meat and one squirrel in smoker. Cook and eat other squirrel for tonight’s supper. All the meat prepared, into smoker and rest on fire in hearth to cook slowly. Smelled good. Dogs knew they had some treats coming. All the hearts. Extra

tonight because of three animals.

I made another water run while they sat by fire. Nothing yet in box trap when I ed by garden. Water back to cabin, and helped wife finish cooking meat and rice for supper. She had made some flatbread with powdered milk, cattail pollen, white flour, and bit of salt. It really smelled good. Great smells all through the cabin. Put on plates, and we sat down to eat after I started next supply of water boiling. Needed it for cleaning plates and our hygiene check later. We ate slowly, enjoying every bite. Wish could have videoed dogs when they each got one and a half animal hearts. Sad thing, it would have only been about ten seconds long, as they swallowed meat almost whole. Talked about next couple days and visit from the south. Continued to plan meals. Will spend all day Sunday, the second, preparing and resting. Until then, have a lot to get done, regular chores, and firewood prep.

Dogs too full to move after supper when I headed out on last water run of the day. Content to lie on rug by fire, lick lips, and sigh. They are funny. Unconditional love. Back to cabin in about thirty minutes, put new water on to boil. With dogs so relaxed, did hygiene check on them first. No ticks, as had not been out much today. Wife and I did careful wash of our bodies. Paid special attention to our feet. Let them air dry a long time just sitting there. We both had a couple irritated spots on feet from boots, so put moleskin on each one. Just sat and talked. Watched fire slowly die after water boiled. Last task of the day was to skin and cut up meat from rabbit and one squirrel and put meat in smoker for the night. Skins hanging on pole outside. Will scrape and put on curing forms first thing in the morning.

With that done, called it a day. Dogs slowly made their way to platforms when they saw me close up windows and doors. That was their signal. Wife and I sat in front of fire and talked some. She was feeling much better. Rain had stopped outside and that helped. Spent some time in prayer and reading scripture. Made sure we had our plan worked out for tomorrow. Will be another busy day. She hit the sack first and was soon asleep. I just sat by fire until last ember had died out.

We are close to the end of the month and I was trying to reflect back on the month of June. More on that tomorrow in our diary. Finally, too groggy myself to stay awake. Climbed onto platform beside dog on our pillow and lay looking up at cabin ceiling. Could see all the stuff hanging from racks we had built. Good beds, food prepared, supplies on shelves, we are very lucky. Good night, Lord, we are in your hands.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #38

June 30

Everyone up early this morning. Dogs outside snooping around the smoker. We looked to see what they were excited about. Some larger footprints in the dirt—if not a bigger raccoon then something else. Dogs got on scent for a bit down to creek but ran out of it when critter must have gone across the water. They seemed frustrated. Picked up yoke and containers and headed for spring. Dogs soon caught up to me and we made a pretty quick trip there and back. Wife had started fire and had rice and jerky pieces cooking. Looked into smoker, rabbit and squirrel meat inside it would be done by lunchtime once I got fire in firebox going again. Did that and inside for breakfast. Once done and cleaned up, water boiled, we prepared to head out to put trotline into creek at bend to the south. Dogs were excited, something new. Geared up and we were off.

When we got to a decent spot, inside creek bank, not too high, identified tree to anchor line to. Somehow it had gotten tangled up in transit, so took us a bit to get it all unraveled. Tied it off to a stout tree and threw wood bobber out as far as I could. Current gradually moved bobber downstream until anchor line was taut. Water seemed pretty deep because none of the six five-foot lines seemed to snag on the bottom. We stood there and watched it for a few minutes to make sure didn’t change. Then back to cabin. First stopped at the spring for water, then past garden to check on box trap. Still baited but empty. A few new tracks around it but nothing had gotten curious enough or hungry enough to try for the bait. Would check it again early this evening. Garden looked OK otherwise. Didn’t need cultivating. That could wait until tomorrow. We stopped briefly at the cabin to pick up snare traps to take to new location. Checked smoker, and meat would be done by lunchtime for sure. Smoke pouring out of green wood in firebox.

Geared up again and headed to the south and then west at the garden. Went down the west side of the big former field. Had not used the traps in this area before. While wife kept dogs under wraps, I set out the traps along two rabbit runs. At least we thought they were rabbit runs in the high grass and weeds on that side of the field. Dogs had headed into the woods to our west. Barking, we could see them at a tree. I glassed the tree and could see a squirrel above them teasing them. If dogs could only fly. Decided to check fish funnel trap at creek after got back to cabin. Hadn’t looked at it in at least twenty-four hours. Our patience was rewarded with three shadows in the water along trap wall. Wife hurried up slope and came back with the simple net made of T-shirt. Pitcher catcher routine again. Went much faster than before. Getting the hang of it a bit. Wife is a good catcher. She just had trouble keeping dogs away from fish. All three fish, small trout, on bank, I climbed up and cleaned and cut them up. Meanwhile wife got our bait can from cabin and had a good supply of bait for traps and trotline when done. Three fish popped into smoker. Took smoked rabbit and squirrel out. Hung the smoked meat on racks in cabin for meals when visitors are here. Need to build up enough smoked meat for four adults and two dogs for two good suppers in the evenings.

Good, busy morning. Had already gotten a lot done. Dogs and I made another water run while wife started fire and cooked rice and dried beef for lunch. Mixed up some orange drink as well. Fixed full meal for dogs, as they acted hungry. Big surprise. Beagles are called a stomach on four legs for a good reason. Sat down to eat and rest a bit. Dogs ate quickly and started begging. No way, young ladies. Once lunch cleaned up, we needed to do two things this afternoon. Scrape two squirrel and one rabbit hides and put on curing forms. And second, haul cut wood from stack we had built to the north.

We split up the work. Wife would work on scraping hides while I hauled logs in wheelbarrow. Dogs ran back and forth between us the whole time. When she was done with scraping I would stop hauling and we would put hides on forms. Then back to hauling wood. We started about 1 PM and were committed to work until 5 PM, if necessary. Dogs had a ball running back and forth.

Took wife about thirty minutes to scrape each pelt. At 2:30 PM she called out that they were ready to put on forms. When I brought load of logs to cabin, stopped and we finished with hides. Out in sun to start curing. Then back to hauling logs. Dogs finally figured out if they stayed by cabin instead of running back and forth with me, I would eventually come back. So ended the running. By 4:30 PM had made fifteen runs back and forth. Wife always helped me unload and stack at the cabin. At end of last trip was able to tell her the pile at the cutting area was almost gone. We stepped back and I did some rough measurement of pile at cabin. We had a cord of wood there. Combination of oak, pine, and some scrub tree logs. Only eight to ten more cord to go before first snow. Going to be a long ordeal.

Made water run to spring. Checked box trap at garden. Still baited, with more tracks around it. Dogs sniffed around a bit and eventually caught up to me. Back at cabin, fire in hearth started and rice boiling. Would have a treat tonight. Opened up a can of fruit to go along with rice, jerky, and coffee. We were all hungry. Didn’t take long to eat. Dogs outside to bark and snoop around, wife and I cleaned up dishes. Talked while working. Tomorrow I will make scouting trip to south with radio and climb higher to check for reception. Dogs will stay at cabin on long leashes until I return. Wife, armed, will keep an eye out for stuff. Had our emergency signal system in place.

Dogs came inside when called and we all sat by fire to rest. One last check on fish in smoker, built up fire there, and then inside and secured cabin. Place smelled good from supper and dried meat hanging on racks. Lots of running for dogs today. Up on platforms early. Wife and I prayed, read scripture, and were soon in beds as well. Some small talk but soon to sleep. Wanted early start in AM. Lord, keep us all safe tomorrow.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

June Reflections

The month of June flew by. Thirty days of beginning the building of the foundation for our new life. Major projects and daily chores took every waking minute each day. Did we make any progress? Considering what we started with, we had laid good foundation for the future. The cabin is much more livable than when we arrived. We have a good water supply. Our first garden is progressing as well as we could expect. Fresh meat, though not secured on a daily basis, has been enough to put protein into our diet. Veggies, cattails, have been a good beginning source of vitamins and carbohydrates. Our health is OK. Lots of little things due to our hard labor, but nothing that was a threat to us. The dogs, let loose, have become even more comfortable in their new home. Threats from critters have been around but to this point are no serious danger to us. We have become more familiar with our surroundings within a mile or so of the cabin and have plans to explore even more. Weather has not been a real problem to date.

New friends from the north have made and gifted us with some wonderful supplies. They offered us the potential of moving into more service to them in the future. Plans are in place to make regular visits with them. Our friends from the south will be visiting us in a few days, and we are so much looking forward to that. We are slowly improving the security around our little home. That will take a few more weeks to get in place. And we have started preparing for the cold winter to come. Lots of preparations remain, but we can see initial progress. New things are constantly added to our project list. Daily chores have become routine, and we finish them without constant reminders. Our tools and weapons are in good shape, as is our clothing. We have begun to make additional items to use inside the cabin. All-in-all, we are better off than when we first arrived beside Bear Creek.

Spiritually and emotionally we are a team. The Lord has provided all that we need to this point. Our little family is closer than it’s ever been before. We now look forward to what the Lord has in store for us in the days and weeks ahead.

Disciplined, we are committed each day to follow the path that He is showing us. His word has become our strength and our promise. Prayer has become a constant communication with Him. We wait with anticipation to see what each day will bring. Lord, we give You our lives, our strength, our daily efforts. May each bring praise and honor to You. What will July hold for us? Your plan is already in place. Your plan will be perfect for us. Give us the wisdom and strength to live in the center of that plan.

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)

July Community, Challenge, Safety

I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing. (Ezekiel 34:25–26)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #39

July 1

Got up really early for a long day of walking and probably some climbing. Quietly went out into faint morning light and made water run. Everyone else still in sack when I got back. Started fire in hearth and got breakfast to cooking. Some smoked fish with rice. Coffee to wake us up. Everyone up, sat down to eat. Dogs outside first and right back in. Didn’t waste any time.

Talked about morning plan. I was going to head across Bear Creek and walk down east side. Needed to explore that side a bit. Would eventually climb on angle up last ridge point that showed on topo map. Likely where Bear Creek and Little Bear Creek up. On ridge’s high point, would try to get some radio reception. Wife would cultivate garden while I was gone. She also wanted to start cleaning up cabin a bit for visitors. Would keep dogs on long leashes so they didn’t try to go find me. Keep close to her in case there were any threats. Would not like that, but tough for them. I geared up for hike including some jerky and lots of water in case it took longer than I planned or I had to deal with unexpected event. Weather was going to be OK. Probably a bit warm for climbing. Dogs unhappy on leashes, I set out. Our signal system confirmed as well.

Didn’t get wet crossing creek. Used shallow rocks to avoid that. Dogs barking at me as I walked away. Not long to get opposite garden and then the beaver dam. Not much brush along bank, so pretty easy going. Below beaver dam, getting closer to marsh, brush increased. Had to walk along straightest line possible over small ridges that came out toward marsh. Lots of squirrel and rabbit sign. Other tracks as well—beaver of course and probably raccoons, possums, and something a bit bigger. Saw deer tracks. We have not seen any deer yet, which

surprised us. They are around but hiding most of the time. We are too busy to look for them a lot. But have kept mental notes as to where there was deer activity. Fawns just likely weaned in last few weeks from their mothers.

Kept walking and came in sight of large ridge coming from east. Decided that would be the big climb. Likely be able to see Little Bear Creek from the top. Slow going, zigzagged my way to top. Finally, at a point of rocks sticking out from it, I decided to stop and glass the area and try the radio. Had been walking couple hours by this point in time. Far enough.

Could see small valley coming from northeast. Felt like that was Little Bear Creek. Could not see where it ed Bear Creek but could not be much further south. Glassed in all directions. Sight lines tough because of trees, but mountains to west continued as far as I could see. Finally turned on radio to full volume and tried to get reception. NOAA came in OK. Weather to continue with showers on and off every day for next week. Took me a bit to find national emergency station out of Pittsburgh. Very weak signal. Had to listen really carefully. News pretty much the same. A couple things will note this evening before going to bed while talking to wife about them. Decided to head back to cabin. Followed same route. A little quicker going back, knowing what lay ahead. Would be a tough hike for wife. Dogs would love it. So much critter sign.

Finally, back to cabin at 12:30 PM. Wife let dogs loose when she saw me. They mauled me, knocked me down, and licked me for long time. Missed me. While I was gone, wife had moved meat from one rabbit, two squirrels, and three fish from smoker to racks in cabin. Dried beef and rice fixed for lunch with orange drink. Saving smoked meat for visitors. Last of our supply of dried beef. Ate slowly, and dogs got a bit as always. Planned rest of day. Wife had scraped hides on forms, cultivated garden while I was gone, and had checked fish funnel. Said there were a couple fish in it. Would get them in PM to smoke all day tomorrow. She said dogs moped all day because I was gone. Decided would check trotline and traps on water run. Helped her clean up lunch, and we all geared up to head out. Later would try to haul down some tinder and kindling brush from pile to

north. Off we went, dogs happy as clams to be going along.

Garden looked great. Plants continue to grow. Figure week from today will have a small quantity of fresh cut greens to eat. Left water containers and yoke at turnoff to spring and continued south to check on trotline. Bingo. Four lines were taut. Pulled it in slowly and had four five- to six-inch trout on it. Had forgotten to bring bait can, so after cleaning fish on the spot rebaited hooks with fresh stuff and back out into water. Fish gutted and cleaned, in plastic bag in carrying pouch on back of my game vest. We headed back north to old cleared field to check snare traps set on west side in high grass on rabbit runs. Success again, one rabbit. Field-dressed and into pouch still in skin. Lots of work to get that all in the smoker later. Meat supply growing for visitors. Probably with these had enough for two suppers and a lunch. Made our way back to turnoff to spring. Wife waited there while dogs and I got fresh water. Back together, we headed to cabin. Nothing in box trap by garden as we ed it. We had been very lucky with our trapping and fishing in past twenty-four hours. Unusual to get so much. Decided not to haul any brush today as I was bushed from all the walking this morning. So we got after skinning critters, putting meat in smoker, and scraping and mounting skins on curing forms. That took the rest of the afternoon to get that done. But by the time we broke to work on supper, we had completed it all. Kept smoker fire going with green wood. Smelled good.

We were pretty tired so fixed simple supper. Some powdered eggs, last of veggies from cattails and fruit drink. Supper over, while wife cleaned up, made one more water run with dogs. Last of walking for the day. As soon as back started boiling the water. Used water had gotten earlier for hygiene wash. Checked my feet carefully from all the walking. Mole skin put on other day worked well. Dogs outside smelling and barking some. Eventually they came inside and sat next to me on their rug. They wanted a lot of attention because I had been gone so long.

Explained to wife what I heard on radio earlier in the day. North Korea has overrun South Korea. Fighting has broken out between Germans and Poles

against Russians. Southeast Asia has quieted some. US situation is much the same. Starvation and violence in every section. Federal government is just trying to survive in some of the major cities. Sad story.

Dogs waited until we had prayer and scripture reading to head to sleeping platforms with us. Both dogs climbed up with me. Still wanting to feel secure that I was there. Not much small talk tonight, too tired. Agreed that we will spend all day tomorrow preparing for our southern visitors. Dogs snoring, and I think we were doing the same. Lord, watch over us and protect us.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #40

July 2

Stiff and tired on waking this morning. Wife had fire started when I climbed off sleeping platform. Dogs were being lazy. They just lay in bed watching us. Finally got up and outside. Pretty foggy. Not sure when fog will go away. NOAA forecast saying we had a good chance of rain. Finally off on a water run. Back and fixing breakfast. Rice, jerky, and coffee tasted good. While eating, boiled new supply of water and talked about day of preparations. Dogs finished eating and back outside, but not wandering off too far. Critters not moving; may be telling us something about the weather. Breakfast cleaned up and off to cultivate garden. Lots of tracks but nothing in the box trap. Back at cabin, about forty-five minutes later starting to rain lightly. Thunder and lightning off to our south. Appears to be getting closer.

One new project that we talked about over breakfast was our need to build a temporary bug-out location should we ever have to abandon the cabin because of human dangers. The thought of building another semi-permanent rough shelter did not thrill us, but we knew we needed to do it. On next couple scouting trips will try to locate a good location even further back into the woods. More than likely that will be somewhere on Little Beaver Creek, but will have to take a look before finally deciding on that. Added this to our growing special project list.

By 9 AM ready to get after preparations. Wife would be cleaning the inside of the cabin while I made as many trips as possible to piles of wood and brush to north and hauled fuel to cabin side. This afternoon I would then work on outside area around cabin to clean it up a bit, if not raining. Outside gear on waist and shoulder, headed out with wheelbarrow. We both worked steadily all morning.

By noon I had managed to move eight loads of wood fuel. We had a full cord sitting by cabin and an eight-by-eight-by-four-foot stack of tinder and small fuel at cabin. Rain had gotten steadily heavier as I worked. By noon, when I was done, was coming down pretty hard. Dogs ventured out a couple times but finally retreated to inside of dry cabin. Thunder and lightning even closer now. Put poncho on and made another water run in downpour. Soaked to the gills when done.

Shed wet clothing and boots outside front door to avoid mes inside of cabin. Dry clothes felt wonderful. Wife had nice fire going in hearth so warmed up in front of it as water boiled for lunch. Can of veggies mixed into rice was warm and filled us up. Dogs picked at veggies but eventually ate them. Out into the rain for a necessary run. Rain coming down harder and lots of thunder. We hoped will not be raining tomorrow when visitors arrive. Watched Bear Creek out back door starting to get higher and move faster as rain runoff from up in the mountains started to move south. We just hoped fish funnel trap and our trotline to the south would survive high, fast water. We continued to work on inside of cabin. Built up a large pile of wood to side of hearth. Checked for bugs and creepies before carrying it inside. It was damp and would need to dry out by fireside. Wife worked on menu plan for the visit. She had it all thought out in an hour or so. Everything we will use was pulled from shelves and off hanging rack and stacked meal-by-meal on counter in corner of cabin.

As there was not much else we could do I did couple maintenance jobs. Cleaned firearms, sharpened all our knives, did a full check of our IOSs, BOBs, and LTKs, something not done for some time. Did a full body tick check on the dogs. They liked the attention but didn’t like it when had to remove a couple from each of them. Stood under tarp cover at front door and shook out the sleeping bags. Hung them from inside hanging racks to air out a bit. Checked on pine branch mattresses. They needed to be changed. Have to wait to do that till after rain dries up some. We got a lot of little things done that we had not done for a bit because of all the other heavy work that was needed. Rain started to let up around 4 PM, so made another water run. Nothing in smoker; firebox had flooded. Garden full of water between the planting mounds. Storm had moved north but still raining lightly. Water run done and boiling, we prepared supper.

Couple of smoked fish and rice. Coffee to warm us up. Dogs were hungry even though not outside much. Supper dishes washed we took stools outside and scraped hides on curing forms. Hopefully some sun tomorrow to keep the curing process going.

We sat inside then by fire and just talked. A lot about what had happened to our country. Even more about our families. Not knowing where they were or what condition they were in bothers us every day, but we try not to dwell on that too much. Dogs just sat on rug by fire letting us pet them as we talked. We are prepared for the visit. Nothing else we can do other than rest and prepare for a couple busy days. Just hope our little home is comfortable for them. Fire started to die in hearth, so everyone climbed onto sleeping platforms. Had read scripture by fire. Prayers while lying in bed. Dogs were quiet, loving the attention. To sleep finally, but not well, too excited about tomorrow. Lord, grant us peace. Give us the gift of hospitality.

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. (Matthew 5:11)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #41

July 3 – Celebration at the Cabin

Woke up really early this morning. An exciting three days of human ahead for us. When we stopped at friends’ farm west of Portland Mills, we had all agreed to meet every other month or so at each other’s place. July fourth, they would visit us. We were excited and dogs picked up on that. Quick breakfast of eggs, coffee, and a bit of beef jerky. As always, dogs enjoyed theirs. We were to meet friends on dirt mountain road west of us in woods at noon. Wife had been preparing the menu for their stay for last couple days. Some of the last cattail veggies, smoked rabbit and squirrel for main meals, and cans of veggies. Had been working hard to get cattail tubers ground up, and she had baked a loaf of flatbread from that. Coffee and water to drink. Not very fancy, but the company would make each meal a five-star restaurant one.

Would take us two or three hours to get to point where we planned on meeting friends. Trek was uphill most of the way and dogs would be all over the place. Got all of our gear ready. IOSs, EDC bags, med kits, ammo belts, canteens of water, weapons, hand ax, and survival knives, and put on clean change of clothing. Would sweat a lot on our climb out, but it felt good to have different stuff on. All ready, dogs ready to go, we set out for the road at 8:30 AM. Going to be warmer today. Sun shining nicely. A slight breeze.

Took us about thirty minutes to get to what had been the location of our original lean-to camp. Could not tell we had even be there. Had done a good job of erasing sign. Rain had made everything look like original. Turned directly west. Couple more hours of gradual uphill walking. Finally reached dirt road around 11:30 AM and started south. Had told friends to come about two miles north on the road and we would walk to them. Only way I knew of to make sure we

connected. After about thirty minutes heard the sound of a vehicle coming toward us and we got off the road quickly and into a clump of pines. Vehicle coming north slowly. Finally came into sight and we breathed sigh of relief. It was our friends on an ATV that seemed to be loaded down pretty heavily and pulling a small trailer.

We jumped out of the trees and started to wave and yell at them. Saw us and came to a stop on road directly in front of us with big smiles. My first question was obvious. Where did they get the fuel to run the four-wheeler? Quick answer back. They had been stockpiling everything for at least a year before things got bad, so had supply. He laughed and said he could make fifteen round trips on a single tank to this location. It was only about five miles from their farm, so no big deal. We asked about the load they had with them and they said just wait, we’d get an answer. Two things we had to do. First get the ATV off the road and hide it as best we could. Second, since they said all the load was to go to our cabin, had to figure out a way to carry it.

Took about an hour to get ATV out of sight. Friend drove it about 100 yards off road to the clump of pines we had been hiding in. He and I covered it with a tarp, green side up. Then covered whole thing with cut pine branches. Pulled battery out, to take to cabin for safekeeping. The wives, meanwhile, starting at the road, did their best to cover up any tracks with leaves, sticks, normal stuff found in woods. Took all of us about an hour to finish those jobs. Next was to figure out how to carry everything back to cabin. Lifting two burlap feed bags out of ATV, asked if they had bricks in them. Guessed combined total at 150 pounds. Whew. Just got a grin from friend and a snicker from his wife.

Decided best way to transport stuff was a travois. The two men could pull it to the cabin with a lot of our gear piled on top. Friend had a small tarp, eight feet by eight feet, on the ATV which we would use. While he was collecting that and some rope, I started to cut two twelve-foot-long poles. With tarp spread on ground we rolled edges around the two poles. Used grommets on tarp to attach it to poles. Took an hour to build it and load stuff onto it. Men each picked up a

pole, and we were off. Dogs wanted to jump on the contraption and see what was in the sacks. Was a pain controlling them, but ladies handled it. Slow going at first as we figured out how to keep the thing level and pull it evenly. Lost some of the smaller stuff off the top a couple times when we got out of whack. Quickly reloaded and back on our way. Would have been a chore to pull it up hill. Thank goodness we were going downhill slowly. Wives walked behind us to cover up pole tracks as best they could. No need to call attention to ourselves.

Took us a full three hours to make it to the cabin. Dogs were happy to be home. Everything looked normal. No critter issues around. Pulled travois into area under tarp roof where I had been keeping grass and brush cut away with machete. While I opened our security door, friend moved sacks to door front and then tore down our homemade trailer. A good French and Indian idea from long ago. It was very functional, though a little clumsy. Needs a horse to pull it. Tarp and rope rolled up for trip back. Two poles put next to our firewood supply. Will cut them up, add them to the green wood pile, and let them cure for the next six months. Pine logs don’t take long to do that. Pine sap in them helps them burn well. Carried everything into the cabin while the dogs ran around outside exploring. Looked at watch, and it was 4:30 PM, and we were back home. It was only then that we realized we had not eaten any lunch.

Now we could enjoy our company. We asked if they were going to open the sacks. They told us that no way were they going to open them. In fact they told us we could not open them either. We had to wait until they’ve been gone in couple days to get into them. Seemed crazy to us, and a bit unfair, as we were very curious. But figured they had their reasons. So forgot about that for time being, even though it did drive us crazy at times. Explained sleeping arrangements, and they were fine with everything. While I hauled three buckets from our spring water source, wives started to get everything ready to fix for supper. Friend went with me. Said garden and its protection wall looked really good. As we walked by the bigger area that I wanted to clear, shared with him some of our plans for growing other things next spring. As we carried folding bucket and our cooking pots, we were soon back to cabin with enough water to get us through till morning.

I started a cooking fire on hearth. My wife got everything ready, rice, jerky, smoked rabbit, and can of veggies. Fire going pretty quickly, and the ladies proceeded to cook while talking. Said it would be thirty minutes or so before supper ready. Took friend down to Bear Creek and showed him the fishing setup I had built. Could see several small trout in the funnel into the small pool at the creekside. Said we would have fresh trout for supper tomorrow night. Wife hollered at us. Supper was on the table. Dogs beat us to the back door. Surprise! Moved table up to wives’ sleeping platform and put other two homemade stools opposite. Lots of light from the fire. Shared a deeply felt prayer of thanksgiving and enjoyed a wonderful meal. The dogs went nuts getting dried jerky and smoked rabbit and squirrel at the same time. Wolfed theirs down and then bugged us for more. Eventually they jumped up on my sleeping platform and stared at us.

Over dinner, friends described a small group of couples and families that had banded together back on the other side of the Clarion River and pooled all their resources to make sure everyone survived. Told us that when that group heard , they had decided to send us a few things to help us as well. But friends would not tell us what was in the sacks. We hadn’t paid any attention to their small backpacks that they had brought with them. They were very protective of them. Even when they unpacked their stuff, they made us stay away. Drove us nuts.

Explained that the of their small group were all Christian farmers within a ten-square-mile area. They had attended the same church and Sunday school class in the past. All had figured out more than a year ago that they were going to have to take care of themselves—to learn how to survive in a different world and then do it. About six months ago they had met and decided to keep a watch out for each other. Each had a different set of skills on top of being small farmers. Farming was not a good business to be in here in the mountains. Tough to get anything to grow. They all had a few head of milk cows, lots of chickens, and quite a few hogs. All were hunters from the time that they first learned to walk. They all knew this part of the state well. Probably find their way through

the mountains blindfolded. Recently the group had started to reach out to others. They had taken under their wing several families that had really been struggling. It seems like word is getting around, and they have been able to start a couple house churches for anyone interested. Told us last Sunday forty-five people had been in their meetings combined. They were trying to live the reality of Christian love and charity even in the tough times they were all going through. Dishes cleaned, we went outside and sat on the bank above Bear Creek and talked.

I should take a minute and explain how they became our friends in the first place when we lived in TX and they were here in the mountains of PA. While I was attending Asbury Theological Seminary back in the early ‘70s, I met a young man who had finished medical school and had come there to get biblical training. We hit it off quickly as we were both originally from PA. Our senior year he married a young lady studying pre-nursing at the college across the blacktop Jordan, as we called the street. Graduation separated us as we ed different mission agencies and went to distant countries. We stayed in touch over the years as best we could. When by chance we were on furlough at the same time we tried very hard to see each other.

After thirty-five years of running a mission medical clinic he and his wife retired and settled back in the area where he had grown up. Buying eighty acres of land, they went about setting up their dream farm. My life took a different turn, and in the early ‘80s I left missions and went into the business world, keeping active in Christian things as best I could. When we had decided that we were going to prepare for our initial survival journey to PA, we ed them. After a few months, we settled on the idea of trying to get into their area for our final goal. The rest is history. We were there, and they were sitting in our cabin in the mountains after a great supper.

Lots of small talk. Dogs out to do their business. Looked at watch and realized we had been talking for three hours. It was 9:30 PM. Time to secure everything and hit the sack. Dogs were sound asleep and snoring. Fire was almost burned out on hearth. Lit one of our candles for light as we closed up the cabin. Security

bars and shutters in place. Place smelled wonderful with mix of meat smells and faint odor of smoke from the fire. Was warm, and we were happy. Short time of prayer. We shared our life verses and explained why they were so important to us. Hugs all around. Everyone climbed into sleeping bags and light blown out. It was very quiet, as I imagine we were all lost in thought as we drifted off to sleep.

A friend loves at all times. (Proverbs 17:17)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #42

July 4 – Celebration at the Cabin

Alarm clock went off pretty early. Surprising when a cold wet nose and rough tongue wake you up. Sadie said very clearly, Get up and get me some breakfast. Seems like everyone slept pretty well but a little stiff for guys. Sleeping bag not much cushion on the hard wood cabin floor. Let dogs out. Usual barking and running around, letting all of God’s creatures know they were out and about. Dressed in shifts. Ladies first while guys went in dirty clothes we had slept in to get water from the spring. Back, we went inside and changed while wives messed with dogs outside.

We were all ready for breakfast. Simple fare. Last of scrambled dried eggs with a bit of jerky mixed in. Dogs didn’t complain. Hot coffee hit the spot for humans. While eating, discussed the day. Friends said they wanted to help with any jobs that they could today. Even though it was holiday for birth of our country, we all knew some chores had to be done. More on our country and its beginnings tonight at supper. Decided wives would cultivate our little garden, then come inside and clean up the cabin. He and I would go down to the beaver dam. Asked if he could help me build a fish cleaning table down there. We also carried some simple poles I had manufactured out of some thin eight-foot-long branches, about ten feet of line on each, a bobber for each made of some dry wood, and hooks. Took couple extra hooks in case of broken line or snag. Bait would be a few pieces of corn from can we had eaten couple days ago. Would try our luck for a bit.

Off we went, all standard away-from-cabin equipment on our belts and shoulders or in our hands. Whistle alarm signals reviewed with wives. Dogs stayed with them. Less of a worry if they stayed close to cabin. Twenty minutes later, he and

I arrived at pond behind dam. I had already cut all of the logs for table legs and for the table top. Table frame took most time to build. Built it with crossbeams on top forming a grid. We attached small log legs to frame with nails. Will be a big help, allowing me to clean fish far away from cabin. Might even be a good place to set up permanent critter butchering site. Will make that decision later.

Table finished, we wet a line in the pond. Sat down on bank and just talked about the years that had ed. So many memories. Little did we foresee when we were in school together the world that we would live in these many years later. Spent some time just being quiet, lost in our own thoughts. Fished for an hour and then put cleaning table to use. Walked back to cabin with three six- to eightinch cleaned trout. Would fry them whole. Would be a great addition to our evening meal. Wives’ eyes smiled when they saw the fish. Dogs were sure to let us know they had seen the fish as well.

Arrived back at cabin to find that ladies had turned it upside down. Pine mattresses were emptied. Hmmmmmm! When we saw that, we knew a job had been added to our work this afternoon. Simple task. Collect fresh-cut branches and build new mattresses. Not hard work just time-consuming. Everything from shelves was sitting on sleeping platforms, and they had been busy cleaning shelves, washing windows, picking wildflowers, and arranging. Asked them if cultivating was done, and we just got the look. When we walked into the door, smelled something I hadn’t sensed in a long time. Some kind of soup was cooking on the hearth. And I smelled fresh bread. They were heating up some of the bread my wife had made from cattail flour. All of a sudden we were very hungry. I asked where the soup came from and just got the look again. Something told me there was some kind of conspiracy afoot. Friend just played dumb. He was no help.

Lunch eaten, we guys made another water run. Back, water boiling, wives said get after the mattresses while they cleaned up. Kind of branches we needed were best found in two places: the previously cleared area and down by the beaver pond if we needed more. Saw and axes in hand, we were quickly at it. Good

system. One would cut while the other collected branches into piles. Then we would switch off the jobs. In about thirty minutes we had it all done. Now back to cabin to do the building. Took us three trips to haul all the cut branches back. Dogs kept getting underfoot. Fifteen minutes to actually build mattresses on platforms. Finally done, about ten inches thick. In a week, they would only be two to three-inches thick and would need to be rebuilt again.

Wives were still working on inside of cabin. From somewhere a small plastic tablecloth had appeared. I just kept quiet. The look was waiting for me if I said anything. Even worse was the wagged index finger. That was more than I could bear. Asked friend if he could help me finish one job. Wanted to hang an eightfoot long, four-inch diameter log between two trees I had de-limbed about fiftyfeet north of cabin, back in an indentation in the ridge there. For now, wanted to have a place to butcher larger animals should I have the chance to kill one and increase our meat larder by a factor of N. Said not a problem. Simple process. Had big log already cut. Had prepared two small oak trees. Cut off facing limbs on each tree up about eight-feet. Attached hanging frame to middle of log with length of rope. Hanging frame looked like a triangle made out of small logs. Bottom horizontal bar three feet long. Two riser bars were small logs two feet long. Whole thing tied together with paracord. From each end of the horizontal bar hung two-foot long pieces of rope. Almost looked like a wind chime without any metal on it to clang around. Any large critter, say a deer, will be hung from the two ropes at the end of the bar. Wood or metal hooks attached to the ropes will then be inserted on animal’s hind legs between bone and large tendon at back of leg. Have seen it done that way since I was a small boy for any large animal being butchered, whether a deer, hog, or cow. Messy getting carcass lifted up to hang it, but once hung, butchering much easier.

Our big problem was figuring out how to get the ends of the large log onto the prepared oak branches. We stood and thought about that a while. Had the two ladders we could use. Finally landed on friend climbing up one ladder with one end of log and putting it in place. I would lift the other end as high as I could until he had first end tied in with paracord. Then he would transfer ladder to second tree. I would then carry or tug free end up onto the second branch. Since friend was not eight feet tall, we had a stout stick with a forked end on it, similar

to a homemade crutch. He would lift the free end in the crook of that stick while I went up the ladder. It worked. Biggest problem was moving tree branches out of the way while I placed prepared location. Securing it went pretty quickly once in place. We both stood below it breathing heavily but satisfied with our work. Would have to brag a bit back at the cabin. Dogs sat and watched us do the whole job without any offer to help us.

Back to cabin, wives had it shipshape. Looked great. Asked us to make water run, which we did gladly. Dogs went with us. Got their fill of spring water as a result. Water back, boiling process started. Took about an hour, and then wives fixed rice, smoked squirrel, and freshly caught trout mixed in with it. Can of veggies and bread warming on side of hearth. I took the job of frying up the fresh trout, rolled in a bit of flour and salt. Trout cooked very quickly. These were young and they had not had the summer to totally fatten up. The smell was wonderful. I had a very attentive four-legged audience. Everything ready, we sat down just like yesterday. Prayer of thanksgiving, a warning not to spill anything on the floor, and enjoyed supper very much. Dogs had their fill of rice and squirrel. A couple happy stomachs. Water was the best thing possible to wash it all down. While friend and I took all the supper waste to the privy and buried it, the wives cleaned up dishes.

Asked us then to make one more water run so we could boil enough water for breakfast and to fill friends’ canteens for their trip home. I got my courage up again and asked about the sacks of stuff sitting in the corner. Instead of two looks I got three looks this time. I changed the subject. Spent the evening sitting on the creek bank talking again. Talked mostly about the birth of our country, its values, and the current mess. Agreed that we would head to the farm on September fourth and come back to cabin on September sixth. Friends said they were going to invite everyone from their safety group over for the afternoon on the fifth, Labor Day, so we could meet them all. Sounded like a great idea to us.

Dusk set in pretty early here in the mountains. Dogs went to back door and wanted in. We stayed outside another thirty minutes until time to shut the day

down. Dogs were asleep on the sleeping platforms. Each wife would have one with them for the night. Secured the cabin. Blew out only fire tin we had lit thirty minutes earlier. Enough glow from embers in fireplace for light to climb into sleeping bags. Talked among the four of us for fifteen more minutes, then was silent all of a sudden. I drifted off thanking the Lord for these lifelong friends. Good night, Lord, thank You for all our blessings.

For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. (Luke 12:23)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #43

July 5 – Celebration at the Cabin

Up early. Dogs made a fuss over our friends. Must have known something was up. I made water run. Friends wanted to get their stuff packed and on their way. Drizzling when we woke up, so going to be a wet trip home for them. When I got back to cabin with water, a can of tuna had mysteriously appeared, and there was rice boiling on the fire in the hearth. Didn’t ask. Just went about my business. Tasty breakfast of rice with tuna mixed in. Hot coffee hit the spot. I noticed while we were eating that they had done no packing. Hmmmmmmm! Something was up. Dishes cleaned and dogs outside to do their business.

Friends put their packs on one of the sleeping platforms and announced that they had a few things for us. Friend picked up soft rifle case. Said they had noticed when we were at farm that we were not carrying a heavy caliber rifle. Said with bear dangers and needing something powerful enough to bring down a deer for meat, they had a weapon for us. He pulled out a .243 caliber unscoped rifle and seventy-five rounds of ammo. It was an older model, but he said it worked as good as new. Had small bottle of gun oil and one of cleaner as well. I just sat there dumbfounded. Friend and his wife just sat and watched us as we tried to cope with such a great gift. Immediately some of our safety worries were gone. Later, I thought that was true if I could shoot straight. We hugged them both. My wife had a sheepish look on her face. I just played dumb. They announced that they would not hear any objections on our part, so we accepted the rifle.

They repeated that what they had for us had been collected from their little group back across the river. They said they all knew that we would have things for all of them in the future. They then opened their packs and started to lay everything out on the sleeping platform. We just sat on the stools slack-jawed. Far too much

to list completely, so will just list the things we saw. From the wife’s pack.

A small iron skillet

A 4 quart pot

2 dozen zip-locking plastic bags

4 towels and washcloths

2 8 ounce bottles dishwashing concentrate 4 bars bath soap 6 3”x6” candles

5 yards of cloth

8 pair women’s underwear

6 bras

1 set women’s long johns (union suit style) 2 pairs of women’s leather gloves 1 pair women’s 12-inch rubber boots

6 pairs wool socks

Assorted spices and meat tenderizer

1 bottle shampoo

1 lipstick – red

Small containers assorted makeup

My wife rushed over to friend’s wife and hugged her for the longest time. My wife has always taken such good care of how she looked. Past months have been hard on her because she couldn’t primp even a little bit. Now she will be able to do that. The new clothing was great. All of her stuff was getting pretty ragged after rigors of survival journey. She sat down on a stool and cried for a bit. Cabin was silent. Nothing needed to be said.

On to the other pack. We were still speechless. From his pack, he produced this.

2 pounds 8 penny nails

2 pounds assorted screws

100 ft. fishing line, assorted hooks

100 ft. of rope

2 pair men’s leather gloves

8 pair men’s underwear

1 set men’s long johns (union suit style)

1 pair men’s 18-inch rubber boots

2 rolls duct tape

6 pairs wool socks

1 can pipe goop

2 prepared mattress cloth bags (single bed si

1 gallon lamp fuel

6 feet of lamp wick

2 stainless steel water bottles

1 outdoor thermometer

6 8” square panes of window glass

1 pair tinsnips

Small bottles each of Tylenol, aspirin, Benadryl 2 small rubber balls for dogs

Some tears flowed. Not ashamed to it it. Dogs chased balls around the cabin. I looked at my friend, and he knew what I was saying. Had a t hug, all four of us, in the middle of the cabin. We stood there and prayed. Thanked the Lord for our friends and the group back across the river. Thanked Him for His care and provision. Asked that He protect our friends on their way home and until we went to visit them. Lots of sniffles and snorting as we all tried to get back to business. Took a few minutes. All of us hugged the dogs. Dogs not sure what was going on. They were just enjoying their new toys and all the attention.

Time to really pack. Took only a few minutes, as packs were empty now. I could not help myself so I asked about the big burlap bags again. This time I got an answer. Friends told me, with my wife grinning, that their group had collected some food supplies and sent them to us. Still did not want us to open them until after they were gone. We could thank the entire group when we met them in September. My wife knew what was up. The cat had been let out of the bag yesterday while we guys were down at the beaver pond. She just smiled. We did tell them to thank the folks to our south even without knowing what was in the sacks.

We hugged them and outside we went. They insisted that we not go back to ATV with them. They could find their way easily. Would hear nothing going on hike with them. We said OK. Made sure they had water in their canteens. Everything ready, they headed out around 10 AM. We watched them until they were out of sight. Then we went back into cabin and looked at everything that was laid out on the sleeping platform. Just stood there for a few minutes holding each other with our heads bowed. Sadie and Sophie were even quiet standing beside us leaning on our legs for assurance.

Finally we could stand it no longer. I lifted the burlap sacks onto the sleeping platforms, one per platform. Each of us emptied the sack on our platform and laid it all out. There were gasps and sighs as we did that. We stood back into the

center of the cabin to take it all in when sacks were empty. There were no words beyond a softly spoken thank-you. The Lord, through our friends and their friends, was watching over us. We saw so much stuff. Could not know exact weights of what we found, so made some educated guesses.

30 pounds of potatoes

20 pounds of rice

20 pounds dried beef

12 cans of tuna in water

20 pounds dry dog food

10 pounds white flour

10 pounds coffee

10 pounds apples

10 pounds corn meal

8 8-ounce packages of lard

12 cans assorted soups

12 cans assorted veggies

8 Mylar packages freeze-dried powdered milk 8 Mylar packages dry noodles 8 Mylar packages pinto beans

8 Mylar packages freeze-dried soups

It was all too much to take in. We walked outside the cabin in the drizzle and just stood there silently. The dogs stood inside the open door watching us. Later we realized that our reaction was not just the result of all the gifts that would help us so much. It was time to have a good cry and let all the pent-up emotions of the last six months come flooding out. We just stood there until we sighed and hugged once more. We needed the release. Dogs looked up at us and seemed to be saying, Come back inside and pay attention to us. So inside we went. Rain coming down harder, so not going to do anything outside the rest of the day. We had plenty to do inside.

It was close to lunch, so we decided to have a special treat. Opened up one of the freeze-dried soups, cheese and broccoli, and into pot it went. I headed out for water while it simmered. By the time I got back, the cabin was full of the soup aroma. Man, it smelled good. Dogs got as close to the hearth as they could without getting burned to smell the soup. When hot, poured some into dogs’ dishes and let it cool a bit. We also shared a bit of smoked squirrel and rabbit left over from last night. Dogs sat like the old RCA dog watching their dishes. We had enough for two hot cups for each of us. Dogs got theirs, and we slowly sipped our first cup. When we looked down, dogs were looking up at us saying More. They got what was left after we poured our second cups. Nice warm feeling all the way down. Dogs ran outside to take care of some business, then back in and onto my sleeping platform to watch us. While we were eating, decided would spend the afternoon organizing everything. After that was done, I would try to capture some notes from the conversations that my friend and I had about country and world situations. It was not good.

Took us from 12:30 PM until 4 PM to get the cabin in order. We combined all on-hand stock with the new supplies we had just received. Wrote down a complete list so wife could do an updated ration plan. Again, made some educated guesses on weights.

4 pounds beef jerky

20 pounds dried beef

12 cans tuna in water

1 ¾ pounds powdered milk

38 pounds rice

30 pounds potatoes

10 pounds coffee

10 tea bags

½ pound salt

30 pounds white flour

10 pounds cornmeal

½ pound sugar

9 pounds potato flakes

2/3 jar peanut butter

10 pounds apples

2 pounds butter

7 cans fruit

12 cans assorted soups

20 cans assorted veggies

6 pounds lard

8 Mylar packages freeze-dried powdered milk 8 Mylar packages freeze-dried noodles 8 Mylar packages pinto beans

7 Mylar packages freeze-dried soups

1.5 pounds orange drink mix

1 pound hard candy

20 pounds dry dog food

On top of the food we had material to make true mattresses for our sleeping platforms and some heavy cotton cloth. Things to use inside the cabin to make it more homelike. Will certainly help with sleeping, if nothing else. Wife has a wonderful ability to organize. I trusted her completely on that stuff. Dogs were satisfied with watching us and taking naps with lots of snoring. Could not imagine them not being with us. Kept fireplace going to take the dampness out of the air in the cabin from the rain outside. Our little home had a warm cozy feeling about it.

At 4:30 PM decided to eat early supper. Fixed rice we already had on hand with dried beef mixed in. Dogs ate slowly. We ate slowly as well. Dishes washed, I made water run for the night and morning. What would we do without ponchos? While water boiled, we sat down at table with two tasks. My wife worked on food rationing plan for all of our new supplies. We knew that any success I have in gathering, fishing, trapping, and hunting will extend how long supplies last. The hunter-gatherer had to get busy. While she was doing that, I sat and wrote down thoughts related to local, domestic, and international situations, based on what friend had told me. We had not had any detailed word via our little radio for the last week or more. It was time to record what we now knew.

Update on external events and situation:

Quickly made notes on what my friend and I had talked about. Western Europe is in its death throes. Russian forces are systematically moving toward the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea. Israel is completely surrounded by enemies and preparing for a last-ditch fight for its survival. All western-leaning countries in the Middle East have been brought to heel by radical neighboring dictators and their armies. In the Far East, China has signed treaties with all the nations to its south, effectively taking control. Japan is still holding out. The Philippine islands are surrounded by Chinese ships and starving. Other hot spots in the world seem to be minor compared to the big three areas.

The situation in the US has grown steadily worse. Attacks from terrorists are happening almost on an hourly basis. Nothing seems capable of stopping them. Large migrations of US population headed north into Canada and south into Mexico. The various regions of the US have begun to fight among themselves for dwindling resources. Starvation, no water, and armed conflict have overtaken the country. People are daily butchered in their homes if someone believes they might have food. Industry is completely shut down. There seems to be no planned effort to try to overcome the effects of the April EMP. The federal government has holed up in a few cities and on military bases just trying to survive like everyone else.

Western PA has lit up around major population centers. The only area where armed groups are not fighting each other is in the mountains of the central part of the state. Even then, certain locations, like State College, Kittanning, Clarion, Dubois, and Clearfield, are beginning to see violence brought by roving groups from the larger cities to the east and west. People are on the move into the mountains. It’s only a matter of time before we likely encounter some of those folks. All of this, together, paints a very dark picture.

After my wife read these notes, we had a long talk about needing to build an emergency bug-out location even further back into the woods than where we’re now located. We had added that to our project list earlier. By 8:30 PM we were exhausted from the very busy day. Let the dogs outside one last time. Rain had slowed to a drizzle again. Hope tomorrow is no rain. Prayers said. Special prayer of thanks again for friends. Scripture read, hugs and attention for the dogs. As usual, Sadie was onto my platform, Sophie on my wife’s. Just lay there thinking about the day. Lord, so many are suffering today. We are so grateful for your love, your care, and your protection. Show us what You want us to do with the new lives that You have given us. We put ourselves in your hands. Good night!

For everything created by God is good,

and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. (1 Timothy 4:4)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #44

July 6

Woke up to what looked like would be a sunny day. Sun not up over ridge to east, but could see fluffy clouds through the trees. Dogs full of energy and outside. Took off to the north on a scent. Tough decision to know what to have for breakfast. Too many choices with new supplies. While wife started fire and made that decision, I headed out for water. Dogs came bounding after me. Garden needed cultivating. Box trap empty but lots of tracks around, some bigger than others. Need to come out really early, or at dusk, to see if I can figure out what the big prints are from. Don’t need any big predators around.

Boiling water while we ate breakfast of rice and dried beef. Coffee smelled wonderful. Need to replenish our fresh meat supply. Nothing left after visitors departed. Couple of urgent small maintenance things this morning. Check on funnel trap in creek and trotline to the south to see if damaged by recent high fast water in creek from rain.

Cleaned up after breakfast together. Wife heading to garden to cultivate it while I do the maintenance checks. Water had gone down and cleared up. Fish funnel wall closest to main part of creek was damaged some. New rubber boots on, waded in and put stones back in place. No fish in trap, all likely washed downstream. That done, got the dogs and my gear, including new rifle, and headed out to check on trotline. It was a tangled mess, and one of the hooked lines was actually hanging on low tree branch. Whole thing basically out of the water. Unhooked anchor line and slowly freed line from low branch. Carried it back to cabin to re-jig the lines. Then put back into position.

Back at cabin wife was busy sewing new mattress bags together. Meant would have to get after grass cutting to stuff them. Grass that we cleared earlier has grown quite a bit. Would start with that then move to big overgrown field, tackling that tomorrow morning. While she worked on mattresses, I untangled the trotline. Had to replace couple hooks. Took me better part of an hour to get it back into good shape. Pain in the neck. Fishing line way too fine for my stubby fingers to work with. Couple of the lines I just cut off and replaced with new hooks. No sense getting frustrated. Sat under tarp in front while dogs ran around on several scents within sight. They were having a ball. Need to make sure snare traps are OK as well later today. While we were doing all of that heard a couple shots off to the south. Sounded like shotguns. Hopefully just hunters from Portland Mills. Planned the rest of the day while we worked. Wife would organize all the non–food supplies. I would head back to north and fell trees that we will start cutting into logs tomorrow. Liked this new way of doing that: felling trees one day and cutting into logs next day or two. Seemed to be more efficient.

Lunchtime snuck up on us. Dogs made it clear what time it was by bugging us. Wife restarted fire while the dogs and I went for water. Hot chicken noodle soup and orange drink for lunch. What a wonderful treat. Decided while eating that we would not touch any canned goods again. Put them into reserve for times when fresh meat is scarce, which are bound to come. Water boiling would get us through supper. Make at least one more trip to spring later today. I got kit together, cutting tools, weapons, and canteen and headed out to fell trees. Wife at cabin organizing. Dogs with me of course. Looked at watch when got there and was 12:30 PM. Had told her would be back by 4:30 PM. Four hours max of how much cutting I could do alone. Time went by quickly. Several breaks as sunshine made it warm. Dogs ran around for a while then just lay down near me to rest and nap. What a life.

Time to head back and inventoried work done. Fourteen twenty- to twenty-fivefoot trees on the ground, mostly small hardwoods and pine. Lots of logging to do. Wife had done what she could with stuff. We decided needed to make cattail run for veggies but also for material to weave storage baskets that we can hang from rafters, walls, and hanging rack. Dogs and I made another water run and

got back just in time to see couple men walking south on the east side of Bear Creek. Dressed like hunters carrying shotguns, handguns on hips, and a few squirrels hanging over their shoulders. Said they were from Portland Mills and were heading home. Told them to stop by if in area again and had time. Seemed nice enough. They didn’t offer us any squirrels, but that was OK. Imagine they had others to feed. Watched them disappear to the south.

Wife went inside to restart fire and cook some rice and dried beef for supper. While she did that, I rebuilt fire pit outside a bit away from tarp roof. Built it with higher walls. Made sense to rebuild as we could sit outside longer in the evenings that way. With all the rain we’ve been having, mosquitos are worse. Smoke will help keep them away. Called me to come in and eat. The dogs beat me inside. Sat down to good supper with some coffee. Seconds for the dogs; they had been running a lot today. Cleaned it all up and made a quick final water run. Wife sat outside and worked to complete sewing of mattress bags.

I headed down to garden with two long guns to sit and watch for critters at dusk. Sat next to some trees to west of garden at top of a small slope. Clear sight line to garden and box trap. Dogs had stayed back at cabin with wife which was good. Could just barely see when I spotted a couple forms coming out of overgrown field toward garden. Groundhogs, or woodchucks as country people called them. .17 HMR had enough power to kill them. First one slumped to ground, and second one hightailed it back into cover. Dogs came running when they heard the shot. Critter weighed a good ten pounds. ed shooting them on grandfather’s farm when younger. Field-dressed, hauled back to cabin, skinned it, and hung hide on log between two trees for the night. Will start curing process tomorrow. Meat into cabin and quartered it, with each quarter enough for a meal. Got smoker firebox going, and set meat to smoke. Would get up in middle of night to restoke the fire. Will take meat longer to smoke than rabbits and squirrels. Not sure what it will taste like, but with a bit of salt probably OK. Dogs spent rest of time outside beneath the hanging meat. A temptation.

Fire in new outside pit slowly going out so into cabin for the night. Wife had everything in great order. We needed storage baskets for it all now. Have two burlap bags from our friends for bigger stuff, once ready to store everything. Water boiling on hearth, we sat down to prayer and scripture. Dogs headed to platforms long before us and soon snoring. Cleaned rifle used to kill groundhog. Time to hit the sack. Another very busy day tomorrow. Lord, thank You for your provision of our needs. Good night.

For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. (Luke 12:22)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #45

July 7

Up middle of the night to tend smoker firebox. Meat slowly getting finished. Hope by bedtime tonight it will be done. A few tracks around smoker, likely curious raccoons. Dogs gave it all a good sniff. Quick water run with dogs and back to fire in hearth and breakfast cooking. While waiting, prepared medium curing form for groundhog hide. Wife fixed some flatbread with bit of powdered milk, flour, and pinch of salt. Some jerky to go along with that and coffee. Dogs got half the bread and good bit of jerky. They were outside as soon as done eating, snooping around smoker again.

Everything cleaned up, we headed outside to first task. Spent most of morning cutting grass for mattresses. Laid it out on the ground to dry in the sun. Would check for bugs before we put in mattress cases. Finished clearing around cabin first. Then went down to overgrown field and cut more grass. Carted two big bundles back to cabin, and spread it out. Should be dry enough to stuff mattresses this evening and use them tonight. Dogs took off to the south about 9 AM, and we didn’t see them again until around noon and lunch time. No barking, so assumed they were just exploring.

When they got back, I was on the other side of the creek trying to get a squirrel or two. We had seen them in trees over there when we got up this morning. Came back with one. Air rifle was enough power to get it. Already field-dressed it, so skinned it while wife fixed simple lunch of rice and jerky. Water to drink. Would have squirrel for supper. Checked smoker, and groundhog meat looked to be done late this evening. Kept firebox fire going all day. Lunch dishes cleaned, we got ready to cut wood.

Gear on hips, each carrying a rifle, tools in hand, we headed to the woods. Got there about 1 PM and took limbs off felled trees and cut them into logs. Worked steadily all afternoon. Dogs off and about, would come back and check on us once in a while. At 4 PM headed back to cabin. Cut and stacked a half cord of wood and lots of tinder and kindling brush. Decided to stuff mattress bags before supper. Didn’t take too long with both of us working on it. Stuffed bags to the gills because they will flatten out over time. Took out old pine mattress branches. Put them on tinder and kindling pile next to cabin. Put new mattresses on platforms. Of course dogs had to try them out first. Stayed there much of the rest of the evening.

I started fire in hearth and fixed our supper. Wife quickly sewed up open ends of mattress bags, done when supper was ready. Powdered potatoes, can of veggies, squirrel. We were all hungry and ate our fill. While wife cleaned up, dogs and I went for water and put it on to boil. Checked groundhog in smoker, and it was done. Brought it inside and hung with paracord on hanging rack. Meat for tomorrow. Will see what it tastes like. Squirrel skin scraped and on form. Out in sun in the morning. Brought in groundhog hide on form for the night. Another day to work on it. Built fire in outside fire ring. Stools outside and we shot the breeze until dark.

Talked a lot about our conversation with friends from the south. Filled in more detail about situation in US and locally. Our friends have had a couple run-ins with small groups of people traveling south out of New York. Got a little dangerous as the strangers threatened them if they did not turn over food and water. Rather than let it escalate further, friends cooked a meal for them and gave them a week’s worth of rice and dried beef. That seems to have settled things down. Told us that several of their neighbors have also been confronted by the group. One local man was roughed up a bit, but nothing else worse happened. They watched for a few days to make sure the group didn’t come back.

They have been lucky. But at the same time they have become more watchful.

Decided to build a community supply depot at a distance from their homes. Crossed the Clarion River and went six or seven miles north into the Allegheny forest. Built a log hut in the most secluded place they could find and moved a couple years’ worth of dry and canned goods to that location. It was close enough for them to reach in a day’s walk should they have to. Gave us the com coordinates in case we had to bug out as well.

This was all fairly unnerving for everyone involved. They told us that Ridgway PA was pretty much deserted. Those who could had headed into the mountains just like us. Everyone else had left to reach their families in other locations. A town of 4,000 was now down to just a couple hundred who had stayed. They told us that most of the small towns within twenty-five to thirty miles south had done the same. People had moved out and into the countryside and hills. One couple was murdered in their home and the place ransacked. No one knew who did it, but as a result people were very scared. Radio has indicated that such events are increasing all along the I-80 corridor.

Nationally, within the US, as noted earlier, terrorist attacks on every vital piece of infrastructure have increased. Most disconcerting are the numbers of people found in their homes with their throats cut. The great majority of those killed were practicing Christians. The persecution is starting in earnest. American military forces seldom venture outside their bases. Several bases have come under direct attack by individuals using trucks full of explosives. Word from the federal government is that they are attempting to coordinate a response to all this violence but will concentrate in large cities initially. Warnings are out, and actions suggest that anyone outside those cities is on their own for protection.

Starvation in cities has reached a level last seen in Western Europe during WWII and in Africa in recent decades due to tribal strife. Thousands have died in the last three months, and those numbers are expected to increase tenfold in the next six months. People are desperate. People are being killed. People are turning on their neighbors and friends. The only sanity left seems to be among small groups of people who have banded together for protection and food as far off the grid as

possible. The country appears to be no longer functioning as a viable option for people. After this conversation we vowed that we will do everything we can to prepare for any threat or possible confrontation that might come our way.

The dogs wanted inside and headed for the new mattresses. With the outside fire ring extinguished, we headed inside as well. Secured the cabin. Lit one of our new candles in front of the hearth and had prayer and read scripture. Sat in front of the fire for quite a while lost in thought. Finally climbed onto platforms. Man, what a difference from the pine branches we have been sleeping on. Felt almost like a real mattress. Could smell the grass around us. That will eventually go away, but a nice change. Before we drifted off to sleep, Sophie with my wife, Sadie with me, we talked about our work for tomorrow. Going to be a busy day. Lord, keep us safe! We are in your hands. Good night.

For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. (Luke 12:23)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #46

July 8

Dogs up with first light barking to get outside. They made a beeline for the garden. With flashlight pointed that direction, saw them flush the first deer we had seen close to the cabin—couple does with fawns, likely wanting to get at veggie shoots growing there. Dogs stayed hot on their heels until they realized weren’t going to catch them. Back to cabin with tongues dragging and breathing heavily. Made a fuss over them for their chasing the deer off. Looks like another threat to our food supply has decided to surface. Going to have to raise garden wall somehow to keep deer from jumping over fence.

Fire started in hearth, headed out on water run. Had .243 on shoulder in case deer had not run far and were on way back to garden. Would try if offered a good shot. No deer, no shot. Back at cabin, wife boiling rice and heating up first quarter of groundhog on spit. When done, I cut it into pieces and mixed with rice. Cooked together for another ten minutes. Dogs of course sitting on rug by hearth waiting. Smelled good. Tasted OK. A bit different, but something we can easily get used to. Dogs got heart, liver, and lungs. That made their day. All full, we cleaned up and planned our day. Lots of chores, maintenance, and then cutting wood of course. Those decided, we headed out, all gear on hips and shoulders.

Headed first to garden to cultivate it and make first cutting of young tender lettuce. Too early yet for kale and spinach. Wife stopped to do that while I kept going. Moved snare traps. Repaired if needed and rebaited. Put them on what seemed to be runs down the middle of overgrown field. Back to garden, where wife had a nice bunch of small lettuce leaves for supper salad. Everyone back to cabin. We put skins, one groundhog and one squirrel, on forms out into the

sunshine. Scraped them a second time. One more scraping, and they would be done. Only need two or three more skins to make second rug for dogs.

Grabbed our gear, guns, and rebuilt trotline and headed out. First stop was at creekside. Three fish in the rebuilt funnel trap. Stopped in our tracks. Went back to cabin to get handmade net and my boots. Into the water and played pitch and catch with fish. Not very big, but combined would be enough meat for a meal. Cleaned and back to cabin. Into smoker, started fire in firebox, then geared up to head downstream and install trotline. Same setup as before, same location. Took thirty minutes to anchor, bait, and throw into water. Works OK, it seems.

That done, back to cabin. Checked around garden for tracks. Deer, raccoon, and likely another groundhog. Box trap empty. Dogs out and about during day probably keep critters away from the box trap. Scraped hides on curing forms for last time. Off forms tonight and put with other hides in cabin. Dogs sniffing everything about them. Morning had flown by. Time for light lunch, then out to cut wood. Finished cooking another quarter of groundhog on spit in hearth. When done we all ate it along with the last of the flatbread wife had made earlier. Water to drink. While she cleaned up, dogs and I made water run to spring.

Then time to prepare and head up to cut more firewood. Wife stayed back at the cabin to keep an eye on smoker, garden, and funnel trap every now and then. Dogs and I headed for woods. Could see when walking there that all the tree cutting had increased our clear line-of-sight to the north quite a bit. By 1:30 PM I started felling trees. Decided to do just that and wife can help me with limbs and log cutting tomorrow. Got eight twenty-five- to thirty-foot trees on the ground by 4 PM. Dogs had left me and gone back to cabin to nap. What a life.

Collected gear and headed back. Cleaned and sharpened cutting tools while wife removed groundhog and rabbit hides from curing forms. Simple supper again. Third quarter of meat on spit in hearth, lettuce washed and boiling, rice boiling

as well. Fresh greens made new smell in cabin. Ate slowly and shot the breeze. Cleaned up, then checked fish in smoker and saw they were done. Breakfast and supper tomorrow. Dogs and I made a final water run and then checked funnel trap. Another couple shadows in water. Boots on went solo in catcher role. Caught and cleaned couple small fish. Up to cabin and into smoker they went. Pulled three finished fish out of smoker and hung on rack in cabin.

Sat by fire outside and planned tomorrow. A trip down to marsh to get cattail veggies and leaves. Will use leaves to weave small storage baskets. Start weaving baskets if possible. Majority of day will cut logs and haul firewood and brush. Will check traps and if time allows, hunt some small game. That ought to wear us out. One cord at cabin is progress but a long way from goal of at least ten cord of logs and three cord of brush by September first.

At 8:30 PM closed up cabin. Dogs resting in front of hearth, ready to go to bed. A lot of running today. Prayers and scripture, we sang a couple hymns. Tomorrow is the Lord’s day. Will be a busy day. Have to make sure we make time to worship the Lord as well. After an hour of small talk in front of hearth, we all climbed on sleeping platforms. Very quiet, lost in thought. Don’t even know when we fell asleep. Lord, even as we worship You tomorrow, give us strength and wisdom to work.

Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! (Luke 12:24)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #47

July 9

A repeat of yesterday morning. Dogs up at first light and at the door. Outside, they tore off for the garden. Just enough light to see them chase off the deer again. Got a better look, two does and three fawns. Confirmed need for work on garden fence first thing. Adult deer could easily jump the fence now in place. Grabbed guns and water gear and headed to spring. Dogs caught up to me after they gave up chasing deer. At spring they drank a lot. They looked in direction deer had run off in, all the way back to the cabin. Wife had fire going, groundhog and rice mixture heating up. Dogs at attention on rug. Hot coffee smelled good when made, even if it was instant. Ate pretty quickly, wanting to get to work on garden. Talked about how to fix garden wall. Gear in hand and on hips, dogs and I headed out to woods west of garden at 7:30 AM. Wife watched smoker, worked on some clothing repairs, and scraped hides one last time.

Dogs with me, they of course ran off into the woods on deer scent. Could hear them barking in the distance. Simple plan to build fence higher. Cut three-foot extensions for all vertical poles. Spliced extensions to in-place vertical poles using wire for strength. Cut fifteen two-inch diameter poles to attach horizontally to splices all the way around garden. Deer can jump very high. Hoped high horizontal additions would be enough. Took couple hours to cut all the new logs. When done and laid out around garden, went and got wife to help me attach them. That would be a challenge. Brought small ladder back with us. Sat ladder against existing fence and started building. In-place fence seemed to be strong enough to hold my weight on ladder against it. Slowly worked way around garden. Simple process. Splices all done first. Then attached one end of horizontal pole to splice. Then on to attach other end of pole to next splice. Slow going at first but as we got the system going, were able to work faster. Wife held up untied end of horizontal pole until I got other end tied off. Hard on the arms doing that. Several breaks while we both rested. Dogs all over the place. Into the

woods barking then back to check on us. Took another two hours to get all the new poles in place. A full morning’s work.

By time we got done was 11:30 AM. Everyone hungry, so back to cabin for lunch. Tools and gear in hand, got back in time to see the deer on the other side of Bear Creek. Dogs went nuts of course. Down to creekside, but not into water, they went barking at top of their lungs. Deer headed south. Seems like they had headed south both yesterday and today. Was that telling us something? Lunch of rice and cold smoked fish. As usual, dogs got a bit. Finished and wife cleaning up, dogs and I headed out on water run. They were out of sight quickly, following deer scent again. Finally showed up when I was almost back to the cabin. Sat outside and had our Lord’s day worship. Sang some songs, read scripture, and prayed. Quiet time for another fifteen minutes after that. Then time to get busy again. First, a trip to marsh and beaver dam to cut long-leaves from cattails for basket weaving. Second, log cutting to the north.

Geared up, we headed out with one of the burlap bags friends brought their gifts in. Trying to get some cattail veggies since we were going to marsh. Both had rubber boots on, so wading in water, if necessary, wouldn’t get hiking boots all wet. Dogs running all over the place having a ball. At the marsh used machete to cut down a fairly large bundle of cattail leaves. Would be a start. Spent forty-five minutes collecting last of pollen and some white bottoms of plants to add to our food store. Back to cabin. We had been gone two and a-half hours. Another water run to spring for boiling.

Needed to get some of felled trees limbs taken off at minimum today. Wife stayed at cabin working on cattail leaves, sizing and organizing them. We would do some experimenting tonight with those, as we only had read about how to make baskets from them. Geared up, I headed off to the woods to the north. Dogs back and forth between trees and cabin. Worked for couple hours and got limbs off of six felled trees. Some progress, but more to do tomorrow. Back to the cabin at 5 PM. While wife fixed supper of cattail veggies and smoked fish, I cleaned and sharpened cutting tools. Dogs content to sit in cabin and watch

supper cooking. Cleaned up, we sat and ate quietly. Talked about tomorrow a bit.

We realized a few weeks ago that getting anything done here in the woods takes much longer than back in our old life. No power tools, no one to contract to do the work. It’s all us. We have to use our time very carefully and prioritize everything with a long-term view. Supper done, I headed out for the spring. Needed water for tonight’s hygiene wash and breakfast tomorrow. Dogs did not like their mini-bath when water had boiled. Had quite a few ticks on them as well. Wrestling with them is so much fun. We sat outside messing with cattail leaves figuring out how to make small baskets. Couple redos and eventually figured out how to make a strong basket weave for the bottom. Will work on this when time available, mostly evenings, we expect.

Wife and I did our hygiene wash, tick check, finding a couple, and closed up cabin for the night. Interested to see if deer give up food hunt at garden when they see fence change. Sat by hearth, a dog by each of us getting attention. Cabin smelled good inside, mixture of cooked food, smoked food, and slight aroma of smoke from hearth. We were all beat from the busy day. Closed the Lord’s day with prayer and scripture. The Lord has been so good to us. We are so grateful. Onto new mattresses and pillows, sharing with dogs of course. Quickly asleep with dogs snoring in our ears. Good night!

And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? (Luke 12:25)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #48

July 10

A repeat of last two mornings. Dogs at door barking, and out they went toward garden. Deer were there but not inside the fence. Addition to the fence may work. After a short chase dogs made way back to cabin. When light enough, headed out to the spring. Need to work on indoor pump so not as many trips to spring required. Fire in hearth, and got cooking quarter of groundhog and some flatbread. Great smell inside the cabin. Dogs onto platforms waiting for their breakfast. While eating, planned out the day. A couple necessary things. Firewood and checking traps topped list. Bunch of smaller chores and projects would fill the rest of the day. After we cleaned up breakfast, I geared up to check all traps. Carrying larger caliber rifle now every time out. Wife would stay at cabin and work on basket weaving.

Dogs and I set off down to trotline first. Took twenty minutes to get there. Dogs were off somewhere to my west exploring. Three lines were taut. Pulled them in with three good-sized fish. Cleaned and prepared them and into plastic bag in vest pouch. Could hear dogs barking up by the spring. Had folding bucket along, so stopped on way back to get pail full of water. Dogs had treed a couple squirrels. Not going to waste large ammo on them. Come back with air rifle later today and see if they were still around. Quick visit to garden. Lots of tracks around it, but nothing had gotten inside. Lettuce, kale, and spinach will be ready to cut in three or four days. Box trap empty. Hauled it back to cabin. Plan to put it on other side of creek. May work better there. Too much dog noise and chasing near the garden.

Back at cabin started water to boil. Wife had finished one small basket and started on second. Fish in smoker, fire in firebox, headed back south to check on

snare traps. Surprise: two rabbits caught. Field-dressed. Skinned back at cabin and then into smoker. That done and meat in smoker, went to check funnel trap. Nothing there for first time in days. Dawned on us when got back up to cabin that our time for collecting small game will eventually become much more difficult. Need to build up store of as much smoked meat as possible in the next couple months. Cold temps will arrive early here in the mountains. More than likely have first frost before September first. Winter, snow, frozen-over creeks and spring will all make it much harder, if not impossible, for days at a time to secure fresh meat. Have to keep that in mind every day. Food and firewood will become critical for us quickly.

I scraped two new rabbit skins and put on forms and out into sunshine. Wife continued to work on basket weaving. Had to wear leather gloves because cattail leaves are stiff and very sharp on the edges. That slowed process down a bit. Made a full water run with yoke and several containers. Started it to boil when back.

Nice sunny day today. Needed to get NOAA weather forecast soon by radio. All signs pointing to more rain in next couple days. Decided to make a few hauls of tinder and kindling brush from piles to north back to cabin before lunch. With gear, gun, leather gloves, and wheelbarrow, off I went. Dogs along of course. In next hour made three trips back to cabin, leaving a lot still to move. Wife had rice and dried beef mixture cooking when I finished. Smelled great. Checked smoker, stoked fire in firebox. Three fish and two squirrels would be done this evening and hung on racks in cabin. Lunch ready, we took a break to eat. Dogs got a small bit as always.

All cleaned up, we collected cutting tools and headed out to cut firewood. Was close to 1 PM when arrived at north location. Not too many right-sized trees still standing there. Will have to move southward along western ridge probably tomorrow. Wife got after taking limbs off felled trees. I cut up logs from trees already down for couple hours and built up one-third of a cord. After couple hours she went back to cabin to rest and work on small stuff there. With her gone

and the dogs with her, I decided to fell the last four or five trees in the area that were the right size. Sweating a lot. Took my time and in an hour had them all down. Still only 4 PM so back to cabin to get wheelbarrow and haul logs to start second cord at cabin side. Made six trips with logs.

Wife finally told me to stop, it was 5:30 PM and time to get supper ready and eat. Back to cutting area, collected all the tools and back to cabin. Would sharpen tools tonight. Pretty tired but made one final water trip for the day. Dogs were having a ball running around. Back to cabin, wife had supper ready. Three fish, rice, and last of cattail veggies we had collected on basket leaf trip. Almost too tired to eat. But we finished the meal to keep our energy up. Dogs ate and took off outside. Didn’t see them for couple hours. Who knows what they were up to?

Everything clean, we set up shop outside on stools. Wife continued to work on basket weaving. I sharpened all cutting tools. Checked on meat in smoker and it was all done. Hung it all on racks in cabin. Collected all skins we had outside. Enough to make second rug for dogs. Figured out jigsaw design to fit them together. That done, punched holes in them and sewed them together. Second rug was done. Put it inside by hearth. Took dogs no time to discover it. Rugs would be great way for them to cover up and stay warm in colder weather when sleeping on platforms. We need some larger skins to start making hide blankets for our own warmth this winter. Talked about making some inside moccasins for us as well.

What a long, successful day. We were all tired. Early to bed tonight. Closed up cabin after dogs took last necessary trip outside. Sat by hearth, one dog per rug, prayers and scripture. Will plan out tomorrow in the morning. Quickly asleep once we were on sleeping platforms. Lord, thank You for your love and provision. Clouding up outside when looked out the last time. Rain coming. Good night!

If then you cannot do even a very little thing,

why do you worry about other matters? (Luke 12:26)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #49

July 11

No dogs barking at door this morning. Hopefully deer threat ended with fence improvement. As soon as there was enough light, off to spring, dogs running beside me. Full day ahead so early start helped. Dogs got special treat for breakfast this morning, some of the gifted dry dog food. Wife and I had boiled rice and half an apple each. Boy, did the apple hit the spot. Rest of apples going into long-term food larder. Discussed the day as we ate. Cleaned up dishes and had a long list of things to do. Major projects were firewood and building spring traps to replace worn-out ground snare traps. Also wanted to clean chimney, as it had been several weeks since first used, and wanted to make sure there was no soot buildup. Lots of other little chores to do as. Made a second run to spring for water for rest of the day. Would let fire in hearth burn out and cool down before cleaning chimney. Decided to get after firewood first thing before it got too warm. So we geared up, grabbed sharpened cutting tools, closed up cabin, and headed south along west ridge from northern cutting site. Took wheelbarrow along just in case needed break in cutting. Could do some hauling instead. By 8 AM we were already at new site.

Quite a lot of dead small trees in the new area. While wife corralled dogs, I set about knocking down dead hardwood. All told, seven of them. Broke up some when hit the ground. Wife stacked the pieces while I started felling other trees. Took a break from all that at 10 AM and made three wheelbarrow trips, hauling logs and brush from the northern site. Looks like we can finish that area tomorrow if weather cooperates. Back to felling trees. By the time we quit at noon, had knocked down seven dead wood and cut down another ten assorted green trees. Was hard work but felt good. Wife had left around 11 AM to go back and finish basket weaving at cabin until she ran out of material. Would need several more marsh cattail leaf trips to get enough baskets made. Wheelbarrow and cutting tools all back to cabin shortly after noon. Water trip to spring with

dogs. Checked garden. No new tracks around it. Looked over wall and leafy stuff definitely ready to harvest a cutting this weekend. Washed up really well. Opened up one of the Mylar bags of chicken noodle soup and had that for lunch. Dogs like noodles so gave them a bit. Simple lunch, easy cleanup. Now to the afternoon. Last thing to be done before having fire to cook supper would be to clean chimney.

Dogs and I made water run to spring and on the way walked along the western edge of the overgrown field, the one nearby location where we might find berries. This time looked specifically for wild strawberries along field edge. Came upon a few spots where there were plants with very green berries on them. We will be competing with critters for the berries when ripe. Have to keep a close eye on them. picking them by the bucket full as a kid. Probably ate more than I picked. Back to cabin, boots on now, took box trap to other side of Bear Creek. South a bit along eastern bank until I came to some thick bushes and grass. Likely spot for rabbits, raccoons, and other small critters. Baited with some small pieces of lettuce greens. Prime food for rabbits. Back to cabin, wife had run out of basket weaving material. She had two small ones done and a third one about halfway done. Likely run to marsh for more materials tomorrow. We sat down on stools in front of cabin and built three new spring traps. Had some great steel wire and didn’t take long to make them. Used fishing swivels to attach to wire so twisting fighting critter would not break the wire or the cord when hanging from tree spring. Fine work, so took some time to finish. Will put them out tomorrow on east side of creek to the north.

That done, checked hearth and it was cool enough to clean chimney. Longer ladder against chimney outside, climbed up and took off the cover we had made. Took a bit to uncinch the wire holding it in place. While I was doing that, wife cleaned out hearth. Put some of the charcoal in a plastic bag to keep. Charcoal ground up and mixed with water is wonderful treatment for upset tummies. She then put plastic sheeting over front of hearth. Had saved long handle for sweeper from first cleaning. Out into nearby field to cut new dried grass for the head of the sweeper. Took a few minutes to get it cut, collected, and attached to long handle. When ready, climbed up ladder and pushed brush down into flue. Small cloud of soot but nothing like before. Then inside and repeated process up the

flue. Again small cloud and a few ashes down into the hearth. One last trip up ladder and sweep all the way down chimney until wife could see it at top of hearth. While she cleaned up these ashes I attached chimney cover to top using new wire. It took us about an hour to get this messy job done. New fire in hearth when finished. Nice clean smoke coming out of chimney. Wife, of course, started wiping down inside of cabin to clean up.

I decided to try luck with air rifle back by the spring where dogs had treed squirrels the other day. Water bucket with me as well. Sat down above the spring eye level to two nests about forty feet from me. Dogs with me. Heard them to my right and then saw three squirrels making beeline for the nests, of course teasing dogs the entire way. They stopped just to my right across small gully in oak tree. Turned out to be a mistake. While they were occupied with dogs, I made five shots. Brought all three squirrels down and then had to rush to keep the dogs away from carcasses. One for supper tonight; the other two into the smoker. Field-dressed them and, bucket of water in hand, headed back to cabin. Wife had it in tiptop shape. Skinned squirrels, cut up two of them and into smoker. Third one whole in plastic bag to cook on spit tonight for supper. Three hearts and livers in bag as well for the children. Made trip down to funnel trap and had two fish. Boots on, in I went after them. Cleaned on bank and immediately into smoker.

Wife had started fire and called me in to cook the squirrel. Cleaned up and got meat on spit. Into hearth and told her to turn it every five minutes while dogs and I went to spring. Back quickly, took over cooking of squirrel. She had also started some rice boiling. Quickly fried hearts and livers in our new iron skillet. Dogs drooling on their rugs. From pot and skillet quickly onto plates. Dogs couldn’t contain themselves. Ate slowly. At least the human critters did. Talked about all we had done today. Days go by so quickly. Seems like we just got up. Last water boiling while we ate. Use that for evening hygiene. Dogs and I off to spring for morning water supply.

Sat out front listening to all the sounds of the woods until too dark to see. Too

dark except for a couple pairs of eyes glowing at the edge of the woods to our west. Good thing dogs didn’t see them. Everything inside, smoker checked, fish were done, squirrels have to smoke all night. Good fire in firebox. Cabin closed up, we got our evening hygiene done. Dogs saw us start and headed under sleeping platforms. We just laughed. All we could see was their noses sticking out. Had been a good day. Another busy one tomorrow. Sat by clean hearth with small fire and prayed and read scripture. Physically tired but mentally fine.

Looked over and dogs were on platforms, tails wagging. Got their new toys, the small balls, and played fetch inside the cabin for a few minutes. When they sat on platforms and looked at us to chase the balls that game stopped. Both of our dogs were rescues. There were times when we wondered who rescued who.

Finally all in bed. New mattresses were wonderful. Hardly felt the ropes tied underneath them on platform frames. No branches poking us in the ribs either. Lay there just talking as dogs slowly wound down. Eventually no sound or movement from them and we drifted off. Last thoughts were of wondering what had happened to our kids, families, and friends. We put them in the Lord’s hands as always.

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. (Luke 12:27)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #50

July 12

Light drizzle falling when we woke up. Dogs outside quickly. Weather would mess with some of our project and chore work today. Checked garden on my way to spring for water. Rain was really helping our plants. No new deer tracks seen, so hopefully they had given up. Dogs started to go with me but headed back to cabin when saw it was raining. No ponchos for them. Wife cut up one of our potatoes, and we made home fries in small iron skillet with some bacon grease. Added some broken-up beef jerky to it as it cooked. Dogs got some potatoes mixed in with their dry dog food. Boiled water while eating. Worked out plan for the day given the rain. Would work inside cabin this morning to see if rain stopped before going outside. Need to see if I can get another big indoor project done, the hand water pump.

We got some pipe goop from our friends on their visit. Had pieces of Travel Trekker tires for possible gaskets. Big problem would be taking the pump apart to get at insides. Only thing I could figure was that current gaskets were not able to create a vacuum to pull water up pipe. If that was not the problem, it was a lost cause. Had been carrying a small crescent wrench since day one. That was my only chance. At best it would be very difficult to break pipes apart after years of no use and rust. But had to try. No solvent to break nuts loose either. So had to be muscles and luck.

Crescent wrench fit on bolts holding pump to counter. Took a bit but got them loose. Unscrewing main pump unit from pipe that came up well was another matter. Finally landed on using a fulcrum log wedged in between two wall logs and putting my weight behind it. Broke first log almost immediately. A second one broke as well. Finally, third log strong enough to get the pump top to budge.

When pump lifted away, gasket seal was hard, dry, and cracked. Next had to make a couple of disconnections to look at top gasket seals on pump. Took thirty minutes of grunting and gnarling up a couple knuckles before broke loose. Innards out of pump, and same situation with main seals inside it.

Next chore was fabricating three new gaskets out of rubber tire. Getting right size was difficult. After couple tries got one done and then used that one as template for others. Put holes in both ends of each rubber form and cinched the ends as tightly together as possible with braided steel wire from our kit. Took a while to force gaskets into and around pipe. Added goop to help seal the connections. Finally, ready to put the whole thing back together. Forced new seals into pipes with hand ax and blunt small log. Ended up with one-inch diameter hole for water to flow upward. Innards reconnected and pump assembly put back on pipe from well. Gooped each connection up as well as I could on the outside. Much easier to put together with goop all over screw threads. Acted like a lubricant until I got everything tightened down. Would be tougher to get apart again at some future time. That was all I could do. If problem was down in well pipe, all this was for nothing. Even with that, no way to heat pipe for the four feet between top of soil, up through open space under cabin, and last foot or so as it went through counter. Might consider putting hole in foundation and climbing in and wrapping something, maybe burlap bag, around exposed pipe.

The moment of truth was upon us. Slowly pumped handle. Nothing for quite a while. Tried priming it by pouring water down the pipe. After fifteen minutes of slow pumping got a slow trickle of very rusty water. Another ten minutes, flow had increased to at least as much as was flowing out of our spring. It was still very rusty. Wasn’t surprised at all. Would wait an hour or so and try again to make sure it was still going to work. Knew if it did would be pumping for a week or so to get all of the rust we could out of the pipes. Once clearer, would likely always have to strain the water in an old T-shirt to take out remaining flakes of rust. Will continue to use spring water as primary until ready to strain. Boiling will be mandatory. Wife had helped as much as she could. Once rusty water flowing she made a strainer using one of her old ratty T-shirts. Took three hours to do the job. Dogs outside most of the time, but every once in a while came to door to check on what was going on. They needed some exercise. So

decided we would make trip down to marsh to get more cattails to make baskets. Fixed my knuckles first. Washed, antibiotic, and some Band-Aids. Would be sore, but didn’t want infection from old rusty metal shavings.

Gear on hips and carrying weapons on shoulders, machete, and cordage, we headed down to marsh. After about an hour came back with couple bundles of long leaves. More baskets by tomorrow. Stopped at spring for bucket of water. Dogs happy to get away from cabin. Running all over the place. Was 1 PM before we even thought about lunch. Not much energy to fix anything. Ended up with rice and jerky mixture. Dogs got a couple pieces of dried beef. Not much cleanup. Decided to check on box trap on east side of creek. Empty, but bait was gone. Rebaited. Checked funnel trap on way back and had three shadows. Boots on luckily, into water, and soon had one small and two medium-sized fish. Supper tonight. Cleaned and ready to cook. Wanted to set out new spring traps on east bank to the north. Wife and I geared up, added hand ax, cordage, and snares, and off we went. Made dogs wade and swim across the creek. Might be a mistake to take away their fear of crossing water, but no way was I going to carry them across.

Took a bit to get the first snare in place. New process for us. Did all we could to cover up scents. Dog scent was a problem, but we gave up on doing something about that. Next two snares up much more easily. Back to cabin by new path. Dogs hesitated but made it across water again on their own. Guess they didn’t want to be left behind. 3 PM already and only a couple things done. Granted, not easy tasks, but day was slipping by.

Although tired, wanted to haul some wood from north location. Thankful we had old rickety wheelbarrow. Hauling wood would have been next to impossible without it. Made five trips. Probably only another five trips tomorrow, and will have all wood from north at cabin. I had had it for the day. While I was hauling firewood, wife was busy getting cattail leaves ready to use to weave baskets. She would likely get three more done this evening and tomorrow. We were filthy, so made a trip to spring for all the water I could carry. Boiled some and washed

well. Dogs got shower as well, to get creek smell off them.

Around 6 PM ready to think about supper. Boiled rice and fried fish on the menu. We even had an apple split between us for dessert. Hot coffee to drink. We both took a mild pain killer, Tylenol, to help with tired aching muscles. Going to be tough sleeping tonight. For the rest of the evening we just sat and rested. Dogs not interested in much either. Still raining lightly, so stayed in by the fire. At 8 PM secured the cabin and sat and watched fire in hearth die out. Prayer and scripture, then hobbled over to bed. Dogs on the pillows, we were soon all snoring. Tomorrow will take a while to get going. Sleep tight! Thank you, Lord, for success.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! (Luke 12:28)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #51

July 13

Woke up this morning very stiff. Everyone else sound asleep, so decided to make a note concerning diary. From the first day of our bug-out the last thing I did every day before hitting the sack was to make notes from activities of the day just completed. Will continue to do this every evening as long as there’s paper and strength to do it.

Still stiff when dogs had to go outside. Off they went barking, waking up the neighborhood. Pumped water up from well. Still really rusty. Dumped outside. Won’t start using it until it clears up a lot. Got fire started and then made quick run to spring. Dogs eventually caught up with me and were full of it. Too much energy. Back to cabin, boiled water, and started breakfast. Rice and fish from yesterday. Dogs were starved. Double portion of rice. Dishes washed.

Wife going to work on weaving baskets this morning. Geared up, I headed out to garden to cultivate it. Day after tomorrow second cutting of lettuce, first for kale and spinach. A nice salad of greens. Other shoots doing OK; no real blossoms yet on peas, peppers, or tomatoes. Dogs back at cabin started to go nuts and headed for creek. Six deer took off to the south. Two does, three fawns, same ones we saw few days ago probably. But also a young buck. Hard to make out how many points on antlers, maybe four. Not enough light to really tell for sure. Looks like other side of creek is a deer highway. Have to that.

While wife worked on baskets went to check on box trap on other side of creek to north. Closer I got to it smell got worse. Knew what was around and didn’t

want to run into it. Critter with black body and white stripe down back was in trap. Used handgun to kill it. Head shot so as not to spread smell by hitting it in a certain gland. Still smelled to high heaven. Dogs very curious. Hard to keep them away. Had piece of cord in kit, so hung carcass from tree limb while I went back to get folding shovel to bury it. Back and buried. Hands did not smell good even with surgical gloves on. Dogs pawed at grave until I literally dragged them away. Put stones on top to make it harder to dig into. Box trap useless with skunk scent all over it. Have to build a new one.

Back at cabin checked in with wife. Making good progress on baskets. Likely have three more done today if no other interruptions. Dogs and I made water run to spring. Pumped water in cabin and dumped out. Still full of rust. Talked to her about building a meat drying rack so we could make jerky and other meat forms for the long-term. Agreed was a good idea. If and when able to harvest large critter, like a deer, had to have a way to preserve meat to build up our larder. Drying meat was by far the best way.

Headed to west ridge and cut raw materials for building it. Five six-foot-long oak logs, three inches in diameter. Another twelve two-foot-long smaller logs, one-inch in diameter. Hauled all this back to cabin. Had to chase one of the dogs who picked up one of the smaller logs and took off. Wanted to play or chew on it. Back at cabin took all the bark and limbs off the logs. Construction was pretty simple. Tied all five big logs together using paracord about six inches from end of each log. Stood them up and spread out into a teepee form. It was really pretty stable. Then tied smaller logs between upright logs about a foot apart. Last step was to head back out to brush pile to north and cut a dozen or so three to fourfoot long one-inch-diameter sticks. Back, laid them across small horizontal attached logs on teepee. That way built several shelves of sticks that meat could be hung from. Could move the last ones around to take various thicknesses of meat being dried. Stood back and looked at it and guessed it would work. Wife clapped hands and had grin on her face. While I was doing this, she had finished one basket and started on another. Made another water run to spring with dogs. Started it boiling when back. Pumped water from well and threw it outside. I was ready for lunch so boiled some rice and as treat opened can of tuna. Boy, did that taste good. Gave dogs a bit but didn’t want to spoil them.

Dishes cleaned up, wife back at weaving, I headed out to check snare traps on other side of creek. Nothing in smoker and nothing fresh for supper. Hoped we had something. If not, would make an effort to do some squirrel hunting later. With gear and weapons in hand, headed out. Wife sitting in front of cabin weaving baskets. Didn’t take long to come to first spring trap. Raccoon hanging by neck, dead. Checked next two traps to north and had one rabbit, also strangled. Removed carcasses, baited traps, and reset them. Traps would likely only last one more time because struggling animals really tore them up. Fielddressed catch on east side of creek and buried innards. Back at cabin, butchered rabbit and put in smoker with fire in firebox. Same for raccoon, except kept half of it out of smoker to fix for supper tonight. Dogs would get hearts and livers. Scraped the two skins and put them on small and medium curing forms. Out into what little sunshine we had this afternoon.

Wife needed a break, and so did I. We decided to go check out wild berries in the overgrown field. Gear in hand and on hips, we headed that way. Dogs took off on a scent, so we stopped to watch. Eventually we saw a groundhog disappear into the field, dogs hot on its heels. Checked garden again; looked good. Lots of green blackberries and wild strawberries to be seen. Another week or so, might have some ripe ones. Lots of competition for them from small critters, deer, birds, and maybe even a bear. Will have to check berries on regular basis to get some.

While wife headed back to cabin, dogs and I went to spring. Returned, started water boiling for supper, and pumped rusty water again. Rabbit and half raccoon in smoker would be done tonight. Other half on spit cooking. Rice boiling. Dogs on rugs of course, watching. When done, we sat down and had our supper. Decided to rest tonight and really hit things tomorrow, like firewood. Stools out in front of cabin, wife finished weaving third basket. I sharpened cutting tools for tomorrow and cleaned all our weapons. Just sat there talking as we worked. Thought back on what we have gotten done in last few weeks and felt good. Dogs all over the place. Into the woods, back to field looking for groundhog, back to cabin, then into woods again. Never stopped entire time we were sitting

working on stuff. By 8 PM time to close up for the day. Everything secured after pumping rusty water again. In front of hearth and small fire read scripture, did diary, and prayed. Lord, give us rest and strength for the new day tomorrow. Everyone finally on platforms, small talk, and gradually fell asleep. Good night!

And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. (Luke 12:29)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #52

July 14

Dogs made an awful racket at door just as dawn started to break. Grabbed .243 rifle, forced them to stay inside, and went out to see what was causing such a reaction. Looking to north saw black form walking along ridge to west in area we had been cutting wood. Not enough light and too far to take a possible meat shot. Rather than use .243 ammo, took handgun from hip and fired couple shots in vicinity of the bear. It reared up and looked at cabin. Eventually it ran off up the ridge to the northwest. Imagine it was headed for the wild berries to our south. Kept dogs in cabin through breakfast. Secured door just in case bear came back. Quiet breakfast. I fixed some flatbread of flour and powdered milk, and we cooked last of half of raccoon. Dogs got heart and liver with their bread and devoured it all. Cleaned dishes and pumped bucket of water; not quite as rusty in dull light of fire and one candle we had lit.

Because of bear, decided we would both go down to garden and cultivate it. Cut fresh greens of lettuce, kale, and spinach. Salad for tonight. Back, wife washed up greens while I made water run to spring and dumped out rusty water from pump. Talked and decided she would finish last basket this morning while I went west to ridge and worked on firewood. Plan was to do that all day today. Check on traps this evening. Large rifle on shoulder, cutting tools in hand, headed to the west.

Was about 9:30 when got to cutting. Felled trees until 11:30 AM, then broke for lunch. Dogs spent most of their time on scent from the bear. Disappeared for quite a while but eventually came back. No barking, so knew they were probably safe. Wife done with baskets, she had also scraped raccoon and rabbit hides on curing forms. All scrapings on fire in hearth melting down. Lunch of leftover

rice, rabbit, and flatbread. Not heated up but still tasted good. Of course dogs got a bit. Cleaning all done, water pumped and dumped, we all got ready to go back to cutting wood. Gear in hand, weapons on hips and shoulders, we headed out. At 12:30 PM we started, 4 PM we called it quits. Felled more trees while wife watched dogs. She worked on cleaning limbs and stacking. When tired from cutting down trees, started cutting others felled the other day into right-sized logs. We stacked everything before quitting. Had about a third of a cord of logs stacked and two good-sized piles of limbs. A good, productive day. Walking back to cabin, talked about how strong we had become physically from all the work. It felt good. Considering all our health issues, we were doing OK.

Back at cabin wife started organizing and categorizing some of our supplies. A different category went into each of the new baskets that had been made. Would hang baskets from rafters tonight. Went on water run to spring with dogs tagging along. Back to find supper cooking in the hearth. Rice, dried beef, and our first veggie salad from the garden. No dressing for salad, but eating plain gave us real sense of taste of each of the greens. Great vitamin source. How grateful we were as we said a blessing over the meal. Dogs didn’t like greens, which was fine with us. Rice and dried beef mixture was a different story. Dishes cleaned, dogs and I headed out to spring again. Pumped and dumped water. Probably only half as rusty as on first day.

Back at cabin, built fire in outside pit and relaxed. Pulled out field natural plant food manual we had been carrying to see if we could identify natural sources of plant food that grew in our area. Came up with a list of a dozen or more to start looking for. We are so glad we had brought several field pocket manuals with us, all targeted for the final area that we ended up in. Dogs off and smelling things. No barking. They just did not want to sit with us, we guessed. Let fire burn down to coals and called dogs inside. They slowly came in not wanting to give up on the day.

Boiled water for the AM, all of us sitting in front of the hearth. Washed and cut up an apple for an evening treat. Dogs got a piece, and all they did was play with

it. Not their favorite. Long season of prayer asking for guidance and wisdom. Read scripture and eventually hit the sack. Last thing written was list of possible natural plant foods we needed to look for and collect. Hope to find some of the following in their season: hog peanut, Jerusalem artichoke, spring nettle, cattail (already using), pine needle tea and seeds, wild berries of all kinds, burdock, lamb’s-quarters, bulrushes, sassafras, nuts (acorns, walnuts, hickories), and wild rice, wheat, and oats. A slight expansion of our original plan.

For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. (Luke 12:30)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #53

July 15

Early start to the day. Dogs at door as usual wanting to go outside. Out they went barking and running in all directions. Must have been some critters out and about during the night. Took raccoon and rabbit hides outside on curing forms. By noon, after final scraping, they would be done. Wife up and about, dogs and I went on water run to spring. Checked garden on the way. Dogs mostly in old field on scents, barking up a storm. Back to cabin, water boiling, rusty water pumped and dumped. Breakfast of cut-up potato home fries in iron skillet with pieces of jerky added in. Coffee and orange drink as well. While wife cleaned that up, I went over to woods to west and cut off bunch of tender pine needles. Brought back to cabin to make pine needle tea with lunch. Cut up into small pieces and ready to go into hot water later. Dogs curious about goings-on.

Everything cleaned up, wife geared up to go cultivate garden, then me cutting firewood. I, with gear and cutting tools, headed right to the woods to our west. Felled another eight trees before she ed me. With both of us working, we cut off limbs and cut fire logs. Committed to work on this all morning. If time allowed this afternoon, would start hauling back to cabin side. Sunny, partly cloudy day, and warm. Quite a sweat generated. At noon we declared the morning done. Gathered up tools and gear and went back to cabin. Planned on spending afternoon mostly on small daily chores to catch up a bit. Wife made pine needle tea while dogs and I went to spring. Had cornmeal and powdered milk flatbread cooking in hearth. Decided that with tea and some jerky would be good for lunch. Dogs each devoured a piece of the cornmeal flatbread.

I cleaned up lunch while wife got ready to cultivate garden and check on all the berries in old field. When she headed out to do that I made a trap run. Starting

with spring traps. Had one rabbit. Field-dressed and ready to skin. Decided to pull all the spring traps back in and replace them. Back at cabin, cooked rabbit for supper later. Pulled cured raccoon and rabbit skins off forms and hung on racks in cabin. Scraped new rabbit skin, put onto form, and set out in sunshine. Wife was in cabin organizing more things for basket storage. Had noticed several shadows in funnel trap in creek on my way by. We headed down there to play pitch and catch. Two medium-sized trout cleaned and ready for smoker. Fire in firebox, in they went. Would be smoked by tonight. Hadn’t checked trotline in a couple days, so we all went that way for an outing from other work. Forty-five minutes later back with three more cleaned trout which went into smoker immediately. Enough meat for two meals tomorrow. Now 2:30 PM, and off to start hauling fire logs, tinder, and kindling brush from west ridge. By 5 PM had made eight trips back and forth. Now had half of a second cord of logs at cabin and a new third pile of brush. Enough brush by cabin for now. Leaving other brush piled up in cutting areas for the time being.

Made another water trip and pumped water in cabin. Rust disappearing. Hope only couple more days until we can pump and strain water from the well. Time will tell. Dogs were hungry and they let us know it. Reheated cooked squirrel from earlier, boiled rice and last pieces of cornmeal flatbread. Took our time eating. Talking, decided to make trip to top of west ridge tomorrow and see what we could hear on radio. We were curious as to what was going on. Finished supper with hot cup of pine needle tea. Steeped it about twenty minutes with jury-rigged lid on cups. Surprising how good it was and packed with vitamin C. No scurvy wanted.

Looking back at the day as we sat outside with our cup of tea, didn’t seem like we had done many things. But had done more than we thought. Firewood supply is a constant worry. Putting it up is a lot more work than expected. Lots of hard physical labor. We were lucky with meat supply. Pulled all the fish out of the smoker. Breakfast and lunch tomorrow, a good supply, but need to be putting more up in our long-term larder. A lot of preparation yet to be done for the winter months. Getting pretty dark when back inside cabin. Windows and doors secured, watched fire in hearth die. Prayers and scripture read. Tomorrow is the Lord’s day. We are going to climb west ridge and have a little worship service on

top. Then try to get radio reception before heading back to cabin and our chore and project list. Dogs onto platforms and sound asleep on their rugs we had put there. We would actually get pillows tonight. Lots of small talk as we drifted off to sleep. A good day. Tomorrow will be packed as well. Good night!

But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. (Luke 12:31)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #54

July 16

Got up early as we had quite a hike this morning. Had put five fish from smoker on ceiling racks in cabin last night. Pulled couple of them down for breakfast. Dogs got some dry dog food with fish mixed in. Wife and I ate most of fish and some orange drink. Would make water run to spring when back from ridgetop. Enough light for us to set off. Took Bible, as we would have our little worship service after the climb. Dogs antsy to get going. They knew something was up. Geared up, with weapons, water, and an apple for a snack, we headed out. Last thing was to secure cabin from the outside.

A bit of fog when we started. West to ridge past where we were cutting firewood. Dogs way ahead of us up the hill. We had about an 800 to 900-foot climb to the top. Up at an angle, then switch back in other direction. Used that method all the way to the top. Took us a good ninety minutes to make the climb. Few months ago would have taken us twice that long. Crested last part of the ridge and found spot where we had come up weeks ago to listen to radio. Dogs all over the place but for some reason when we sat down for prayer, scripture, and a few songs, they sat down quietly beside us. Fascinating. Spent twenty minutes just thanking the Lord for His care and love. Was a very meaningful time for us on the top of the ridge. Dogs knew when done because off they went. They were having a ball. Could hear them barking in the distance partway back down the ridge.

Pulled out small NOAA radio and turned up as loud as it would go. Reasonable reception, given we were so far from any large repeater. Weather forecast was for occasional rain for the next week. Temps in mid-seventies during day, fifty at night. Sounded good. Then searched for national emergency channel. Reception not quite as good, but we got essence of the news. Internationally Russia, China,

and the Middle Eastern powers are consolidating their advances. Sort of a lull in the fighting, if such a thing was possible. West and East coasts of the US are in flames. Open conflict has broken out between local militias and large groups of gangs over what few resources remain. Have been a couple major terrorist attacks in Washington DC, group of armed individuals storming both the Capitol and Pentagon. They were beaten back but lots of casualties. Someone tried to drive an explosive-laden truck through security walls at White House, but truck exploded outside the wall. Several guards and military were killed. President and other leaders are in conference trying to figure out what to do next. Locally, in western PA, confrontations have decreased in smaller towns as residents appear to have beaten back any roving groups that caused so much trouble weeks ago. Commentator advises local residents to prepare for next wave of threats. The lull will only be temporary.

Listening to all that made us even more grateful for the Lord’s protection. We were amazed how our lives have changed so much because we paid attention to signs and events six months ago and realized we had to do something. That something was our trip here and this new life in our mountain home. We had heard enough. Had another time of prayer for continued protection and thanks, and loaded up gear to return to cabin. Dogs came roaring back up ridge to us when they saw us walking down. Quicker trip back as was the case most of the time. Did stop at one point and watched dogs under a tree barking at a squirrel. Too long a shot, so we just kept going. Location in memory.

We were back to cabin at 11 AM. Dogs headed for spring trying to tell me something. Grabbed yoke and containers and followed them. Wife went with us as far as garden. Took hoe and did a bit of cultivating till dogs and I came back with water. Neither of us felt much like cooking, so had jerky and orange juice for lunch. Dogs got a bit of jerky. Wife had looked at berries in garden area. Thought midweek next week might get some if we were alert. Decided to work on new spring traps tomorrow as well as a new box trap.

Wanted to work on firewood this afternoon. Geared up, cutting tools and

weapons in hand, dogs and I headed back to the west. Wife stayed in cabin to rest and put organized stuff in dedicated baskets. Cut limbs off felled trees for first half of afternoon. Rest of time cut down another eight trees. Will cut into logs tomorrow. Almost 5 PM when headed back to cabin. Pretty tired from morning climb and working on firewood. Dogs stretched out, and wife already napping, so headed to spring for water. Back with that, pumped water in cabin and dumped outside. Everyone finally up, started fire in hearth to cook supper. Needed both carbs and protein, so broke a rule and opened Mylar bag of pasta. Into water with pinch of salt and cooked. Added dried beef to it and fixed coffee. Wife grateful that I took all that on so she could rest. Dogs love pasta, and the beef was a big hit.

While wife cleaned up all my mess, I pumped water and dumped it. Then on to spring. Dogs slowly walked with me a bit, then turned around and went back to cabin. Hike up ridge had pooped them out too. Scraped and pulled last rabbit pelt from form and hung on rack in cabin. Need to do some real hunting tomorrow. Try for a larger critter or two. No sitting outside tonight. Closed up cabin early and everyone climbed on sleeping platforms. Lots of exercise today and early start did us in. Prayers and scripture while resting. Needed to rest for a busy day tomorrow. Lord, provide a restful sleep for us.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #55

July 17

Everyone slowly up. Boiled water and did hygiene wash and tick check on everyone. A few ticks among us all. Dogs ran under platforms again when realized what was going on. We have tried to eat fresh meat every other day or so. Needed to get some today. Do not want to use up our long-term supply if we can avoid it. Made water run while wife cooked us something to eat. Rice and dried beef. Coffee to drink. When I got back it was ready and we sat down to eat. Realized as we talked that we had a planned trip north overnight on the twentieth and twenty-first. Given that, have a lot to get done because we will lose two days of project and chore work while gone. Did some planning for today and the next two days before we left. Firewood and fresh meat were top things on the list. Dogs outside while we cleaned up after breakfast. Pumped water and rust content down more. Hopefully when we get home next weekend, we will be able to start straining and using water from well. Wife would cultivate garden and I would haul wood until everything that was cut to the west was at the cabin. She would come and help me when done with the cultivating. This afternoon would work on securing meat. Early part of afternoon go squirrel hunting and just before dusk set up on east side of creek and sit and wait for deer.

Off we both went geared up, she carrying her sidearm, me with the .243. About an hour later had just gotten back with wheelbarrow full of logs when I heard the dogs screaming at top of their lungs. Wife was blowing her whistle. Emergency! Was running back to cabin when I heard three quick shots from her handgun. That made me go faster. Saw her holding dogs by the collars on south side of cabin as they barked. Got there and came upon the scene. A dead raccoon lay in the corner where chimney and cabin wall met. Ran inside and put on pair of surgical gloves and back out. Picked up raccoon carcass so dogs would not get it. Hung it up on log between two trees, then tried to calm everyone down a bit. Got the story. Wife had heard dogs going crazy and went outside of cabin to find

them with cornered raccoon. Likely had been snooping around smoker when dogs got after it. Said she was shaking so badly she was lucky to hit it. First shot missed and hit chimney. Second shot hit critter in hip. Third shot in the shoulder did it in. Hugged her for a long time. Able to laugh a bit as she realized what she had done. She had defended our home and our children. Need to get her more able to use the .17 HMR sooner rather than later for larger threats.

Blood dripping on ground from critter. Needed to dress and skin it quickly before blood ruined the meat. Got after that with dogs watching everything I did. Hung skin back on the pole. Would put on curing form tonight. Carcass into cabin where I cut it into four quarters. Bury remains, guts, head, etc., on way back to west side woodcutting area. Would have one-fourth of it for supper tonight. Rest immediately into smoker with fire in firebox. Lots of attention to the dogs for their hunting success. They would get heart and liver tonight for supper. A couple more hugs for wife as she reloaded clip for her handgun. Said she should relax until lunch and I would get back at hauling wood. She agreed. Sat outside the cabin with the dogs running back and forth between us. Hauled wood until I had no more to haul. Was about 1 PM when declared job done. Tools back to cabin, headed to spring for water. Dogs tagging along in hunting mode. Got back and we boiled some of the water. Rice and dried beef for lunch. Decided to cook raccoon heart for dogs’ lunch as well. Liver tonight. Orange drink, as it was pretty warm. We all sat outside and ate our lunch. Retelling the story of my wife’s first kill. The great hunter would never be the same. Another water run, water pumped from well and dumped, lunch all cleaned up. Wife would never be without her handgun again outside or inside the cabin. She needed to kill larger critter at least with the .17 HMR to take the next step.

Decided to stay close to cabin early part of afternoon. I built a new box trap, as we had torn old one apart and it now sat on kindling pile. Same design, just a bit larger logs used to give it more strength. Took couple hours to get it done. Wife went and cultivated the garden part of the time I was working. Dogs in hunting mode were everywhere. They had finally cornered and conquered a critter. At least they did their part. We were proud of them. They were learning. Box trap done, built new spring trap snares. Looks like will only be useful a couple times, so this will be a regular construction project. Didn’t take too long to get them

done. Put them out tomorrow. Took some time to look at my barked knuckles from couple days ago. Seemed to be healing OK. Just pretty sore, especially with leather gloves on and handling logs. Would survive.

Dogs looked at me, and the direction to spring, so off we went for water. Back, pumped and dumped rusty water. Only about one-third as much rust now. It was getting there. 3 PM and I started to get ready for hunt. Targeted a deer. Was a bit early but I needed to set up and just wait. Fresh mud from creek covered my face. Camo hat and light jacket on, geared up, and went across creek to the east. Went south to where brush thicket was along creek. Might be a bedding and resting place for deer. Went further south to watch southern end of thicket. That way I would be downwind. Climbed about thirty feet up small ridge with clear line-of-sight to thicket and sat down. Dogs were back at cabin with wife even though they had wanted to come along. Could faintly hear them bark every now and then, but they did not follow me.

Sat with one eye on thicket and one eye above me in case something else showed up. Sat there for almost three hours before I saw some movement. Looked like same two does and fawns coming out of thicket. No shot on them as long as fawns were still with their mom. Another half hour and the same small buck wandered out. Would take this shot. Young buck would be tender and it was not the rut yet. Would have gained back weight lost during last rut. Was shaking a bit as I drew bead just behind its left shoulder. Fired and it leaped three feet in the air and took off north. Gathered myself and starting tracking it north. A few drops of blood on leaves helped me follow it. About seventy-five yards to north came upon the carcass. Shot had been true, through the lungs. Fielddressed it while it lay on its back on leaves. Tossed innards into a hole and covered them with some brush and a few stones from creek bank. Tied rope to antlers—there were indeed four of them—and starting pulling carcass back to creek crossing at cabin.

Once there took all my gear to the other side by the cabin. Back across with the dogs. They had to give it a good smell. Wife watching from other side looking

very proud of me. Hoisted carcass onto shoulders and slowly crossed creek. Took to large butchering pole between two trees. Threw rope over the pole and hoisted deer as high as possible off the ground where I could skin and butcher it. Had put heart, lungs, and liver in plastic bag. Probably a couple pounds of vitamin- and mineral-rich meat. We would cook that up tonight. Decided not to skin tonight. Meat would handle the overnight if hide still on. Temps were to get around fifty tonight. That would be cool enough. But with warmup tomorrow, the morning would be spent skinning, butchering, and starting to dry as much of the meat as we could. Would check on carcass before went to sleep tonight and at first crack of light in the morning.

I had a lot of cleaning up to do. Made water run in half-light with dogs. Wife came along as look out and security should we meet another critter. Lots of chatter about deer. Dogs were really excited about the day they had. Water back, boiled some up. Everyone washed up really well. I changed out of bloody clothing while wife roasted heart, liver, and lungs directly in fire, wrapped in aluminum foil. Made sure it was cooked very well. Rice and celebratory can of fruit with meat for supper. Dogs were beside themselves. Checked deer and then sat down to eat. Heart, liver, and lungs were acquired taste. Strange to us, but OK. We would get used to it. Finished eating, dogs and I made another water run. Wash well again before went to bed. Tick check. I had five on me. Took a bit to get them off. Raccoon meat in smoker doing OK, stoked fire in firebox. We talked about taking some of the meat on our visit if we could get it ready in time. Will work hard on that. Good fire in hearth, we finally closed up cabin at 8 PM. Totally dark outside. Prayers of thanks, scripture, and quite a bit of attention to dogs. Exciting day, we were more than ready to go to bed. Eventually onto platforms and ed out pretty quickly. Thank you, Lord.

Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. (Luke 12:35)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #56

July 18

Up early and checked new thermometer outside cabin front door. Was 48 degrees. Deer should be OK but urgent that we get it butchered and dried or smoked. Made water run with dogs in half-light while wife started fire in hearth. Back, pulled one quarter of raccoon out of smoker for breakfast. Cooked it and rice on the side. Dogs would get a bit of their dog food plus rice and raccoon. Coffee as well for us. Talked over meal that we needed to dedicate the entire day to deer meat. Will put traps to rest for a couple weeks to let smaller critters get over us hunting them all the time. Important that we get a good fire going in outside pit and keep it going well all day. Didn’t look like it was going to rain. Partly cloudy with a good breeze coming down the valley. Breeze would help keep things a bit cooler.

Water boiling in cabin, I started fire in fire pit. Placed drying rack downwind from it three or four feet. Just close enough that heat would get to it in the breeze. Smoke from fire would keep flies off meat while drying as well. All of that done, got going on the skinning and butchering of the deer. Rested big ladder to side of hanging carcass so I could make higher cuts on hide without lowering the deer. Looked like nothing had bothered it all night. Some tracks below it but nothing damaged. Dogs at my feet the whole time looking up at deer. Took an hour or so to make cuts and pull hide off the deer by hand. Deer has less connecting tissue and fat between muscle and hide than other animals. It is very lean meat. Pretty healthy diet. We would still have to get enough fat intake to counteract its leanness. Hide pulled off, took down to creek to wash blood off it and to give hair on outside a chance to wash clean. Wife set about putting holes in it and attaching it to large curing form. When she was done, I would help her set up form in the open so it could sit in what sun we had. Breeze would also help in the curing. Sharpened survival knife as sharp as I could get it. Wife tended fire in fire pit. Building up good base of red-hot coals.

First removed two lower quarters of deer. Probably twenty pounds each. Would put those on dryer to form crust on the outside. Crust would protect meat on the inside. Scratch off the crust when ready to eat, and meat should be OK underneath it. Hoped drying frame could handle the likely eighty to ninety pounds of deer meat we would have. Next removed the backstrap. Very tender meat. Put it on dryer immediately. We talked and we would take dried backstrap to neighbors to our north. Then separated rib cages from both sides of spine using knife and hand ax. Hard, messy work. One rib cage on dryer as well for the trip north. Second rib cage into large plastic bag and hung from rack in cabin to dry using same process tomorrow. Should be OK overnight. Not enough fat to start going rancid like groundhog meat. All this took entire morning.

Broke for lunch. Wife had cooked another quarter of raccoon with some rice and fixed orange drink. Meat had been smoking all morning, and cooked only a bit more to make sure it was done. Would leave final quarter in smoker until this evening and then hang on rack inside. Wife cleaned up lunch and I got back to deer. Two front quarters cut off; one onto dryer, other into cabin and laid on piece of plastic to start cutting into jerky. Cut across the grain to make it easier to chew when done. As I cut, wife put on dryer. She also kept the fire going really well. Took couple hours to cut it all up and onto dryer. Would put all meat on dryer inside tonight to keep critters away from it. Planned on keeping fire and smoke going until at least 9 PM, then call it a day. Looked like we would have twenty to twenty-five pounds of jerky from each quarter. Cut off bottom of each leg, and wife scraped meat from them. Would stew that with potato and leafy veggies from garden. Wife went to collect the veggies and get potato ready. Washed up well. Wearing surgical gloves while doing all the meat work. Quick meal. I made water run with dogs. Dogs were totally wrapped up in what was going on. No running around today. Looking for anything we might drop to scarf up.

Continued to work on jerky drying. Actually, had enough time to start on second front quarter. At 3 PM stopped butchering and prepared undried meat in plastic bags inside burlap bag and hung on rack in cabin. More work for tomorrow. Our

main task was to continue to dry meat already on rack. Started stewing meat from lower legs, potatoes, and veggies so it would cook for couple hours before eaten. Temp for day only got to 70 degrees and with breeze felt cooler than that. At 4:30 PM made water run with dogs. They were still watching everything we were doing. Back, both of us had a full hygiene washup before eating. Sat down to plate full of stew. It was hot and tasted really good. Dogs thought so too after we let theirs cool a bit. Took our time eating to rest and talk about tomorrow and next day’s prep for trip north.

Once done eating, made another water run. Then put all big pieces of meat from dryer in large plastic bag and hung in cabin. Jerky was in good shape. It was flexible but not brittle. Picked through it and any pieces that weren’t finished went in plastic bag for overnight. Will go back on dryer in the AM. Stuff that was flexible and not brittle went into gallon-sized plastic zip-locking bags and hung from rack. Had five one-gallon-sized bags full of dried jerky when done. Probably twenty-five to twenty-eight-pounds total. What a haul. We tried a couple pieces and it was fine. Chewy but not moist. Dogs got a piece too. Lay by fire in hearth and chewed it down.

All the meat inside, we let pit fire die down. Sat on stools and relaxed as that happened. Last thing done outside was to take last piece of raccoon out of smoker and hang on inside rack. Washed up one more time before bed. At 9 PM we secured windows and doors of cabin. Not much outside to be gotten into by critters. Wouldn’t put it past a raccoon to try that. But deer not really a part of their diet. Sat in front of hearth as fire died. Cabin full of interesting smells. Prayer, scripture, and small talk. Had been a very productive day. Long-term food supply much better now. More to do tomorrow. Dogs got their attention and we all quickly were sawing logs. Thank You, Lord, for your provision.

Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.

(Luke 12:36)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #57

July 19

Up early again this morning. Dogs wanting to go outside and check out what was left of the deer. Two things to get done today. First, finish deer meat preservation. Second, prepare for our trip north tomorrow. Water run first. Pumped water and pretty sure we can start straining it and using it when back from our trip. Wife pulled down last smoked quarter of raccoon she shot, wrapped in foil, laid on hearth next to fire, and started to heat it up. Rice on to boil as well. When hot, cut meat off bones and mixed with rice. Coffee to drink. Finished eating and all cleaned up by 7:30 AM. Started fire in outside pit. Checked drying rack and none the worse for wear. Hauled two rib cages out and put on rack. Both hindquarters had decent crust already on them, but put them out to dry some more just in case. Once all of that done, pulled down second front quarter from rack and started cutting more jerky. Anything left on bones was cut off and would be used for another stew tonight.

Wife headed to garden and came back with four carrots, each about two-inches long. Our first root veggies from garden. Said saw few cucumbers and small tomatoes on plants as well. Peppers will be ready soon. Peas and beans starting to form pods from initial buds. Progressing OK in a pretty short time. Another three weeks or so and we should see increase in harvest.

Had cut another ten to twelve pounds of jerky from second front deer leg. Wife put it on dryer and I kept cutting. Finally had it down to where bones needed to be cleaned for stew. While wife did that, I removed deer hide from form and washed it again at creek. Scraped skin side and brushed out hair with small stone before rehanging on form. Still a bit of sunshine coming through clouds and trees. Will wash one more time, dry, roll up, and hang on rack in cabin until we

are back from trip. Will finish curing when we return home. Drying rack really loaded down. Likely fifty to sixty pounds more meat. Beyond what we will take north, we probably have sixty to seventy pounds of good deer meat in our larder. Felt good about that. Takes away some stress. Will likely do the same thing again in late fall or early winter with another deer. We hoped so.

Made another water run as it was lunchtime. Simple lunch of rice and some pieces of deer jerky. Had to try it, venison fixed like that. Tasted fine. Dogs got couple pieces of jerky. Cleaned everything up. Made another water run while wife tended fire in pit. Would dry meat all afternoon and into evening. Crust forming well on larger pieces. Should be enough. Jerky likely ready as well for storage.

Kept an eye on all that as we worked on trip preparations all afternoon. Wife was sorting out clothing and packing her pack for the trip. My first task was to clean long guns we used yesterday. Also, cleaned my handgun to prepare it. When done cleaning weapons, sharpened all bladed knives. Then turned to my pack. We both checked outside fire periodically. Dogs looking at us funny, wondering what was up as we worked with packs. We prepared our IOSs and EDCs as if we were bugging out again. Decided to put three Mylar meals into our bags in case of an emergency. Change of clothing as well, multiple pairs of socks, long johns, heavy coats, rope, and cordage. Made water run midafternoon. One more this evening. Would boil it all up and make sure canteens are full when we leave. Couple water straws packed as well. Enough dry dog food for dogs for three days. Packed one bag of deer jerky as snacks and lunches if needed. Last thing was to prepare meat to be taken north for our neighbors. Wrapped side of ribs in large plastic bag, then into one of the burlap sacks received from friends to south. Backstrap in bag will go into my pack last thing in the morning.

All of this done, kept checking on drying rack outside. Making good progress. Crust on second hindquarter was done. Would let it cool then hang inside. The last of the jerky was done as well. Doused fire with water from pump. Would do that again before going to bed and one last time in the morning. Don’t need a fire

starting while we are gone. Wife started stew around 3 PM so it would cook for couple hours. Added potato and the small carrots from garden. Smelled great and tasted even better. She also made some flatbread with powdered milk and cornmeal; with peanut butter, would be dessert. Final water run when finished eating. More water from pump on fire. Dogs just sniffing around inside cabin especially under hanging rack. Lots of new smells. Drying rack empty, pulled it over by trees where deer carcass had been hanging.

Last outside job for the day was to dig a pit to the west near ridge and bury what was left of the deer. Used ax to cut antlers off head. Each dog got an antler, carted it into cabin, and sat in front of hearth chewing on it. Likely take them with us on trip so they could have those to chew on again. Remains buried except for a few bones saved to have as material for possible tools in future. Washed up really well. Deer hide washed, rolled-up, and hanging from rack in cabin. Closed up cabin securely. Too much temptation for animals of any size now hung from racks inside.

Sat in front of hearth closing down the day. Checked weapons one more time. Extra ammo of course. Wife will be carrying .17 HMR, and I will have .243. Both handguns with two clips and extra ammo for each. Sat down for prayers and scripture. Dogs content to chew on antlers and eventually carried those up onto sleeping platforms. Later fell asleep with antlers beside them. Long season of prayer of thanks tonight. The Lord has provided just as He promised. He has kept dogs and my wife safe from run-in with raccoon. She was feeling pretty good that she had protected dogs and also provided some meat for us. Fire out, we hugged and climbed onto our sleeping platforms. Planned to rise early in morning, hoping to get good early start on trip north. Decided nothing else to prepare and drifted off to sleep with dogs snoring beside us. Sleep tight and safely!

Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes;

truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. (Luke 12:37)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #58

July 20

Woke early this morning, no doubt excited about our travels today. Dogs seemed to have an extra bounce in their step as well. They definitely knew something was up. We did not want to start a fire in hearth this morning, as making sure it was out would delay us. So breakfast was jerky, one of the apples, and water to drink. That finished, we started on final preparations of our packs, kit, and gifts. Added hand ax, machete, rope, and backup tarp to our equipment. Finished preparing our venison gifts, the ribs and backstrap. Drowned the outside fire pit one more time.

Once all of that was done we hauled everything outside the cabin and secured it after one last check inside. Back door and windows all closed up and secured, we closed the front door behind us. For extra security nailed it shut. Too many temptations inside, primarily food, for any critters that might come wandering by. Dogs running around us in circles the entire time. Probably thinking, Let’s get going. Wife and I loaded up. We are in much better shape now than when we first picked up backpacks, med kits, EDCs, utility and ammo belts, canteens, emergency tools, walking poles, and weapons a few months ago. Loaded, looked at the dogs, said a prayer for the safety of our home and our travels, and we were off. A new adventure.

Once dogs realized what direction we were going, they took off in a blur. Took us twenty minutes to catch up to them. They were sitting at our original temporary campsite, looking in our direction. Guess they figured they were at their new home again. We kept right on going, after petting them, and they eventually followed. We had an 800 or 900 foot climb out of the valley, so it took us a bit. Threw in a couple rest and sweat stops, to be expected. After

ninety minutes, we finally emerged from the woods onto the old Forest Service road and headed north. Dogs were having a ball. All new territory for them from that point on. Ran back and forth into woods on both sides of the road as fast as they could go. Eventually that grew old and they stayed pretty close to us. We knew we had between three and four miles to go until we came to the turnoff to the cabin of our new friends. We set a steady pace, stopping every now and then to rest for five minutes.

Kept an eye on the woods on both sides of the road. Heard lots of birds, squirrels chattering at the dogs, and an occasional shot or two as we walked. Every time we came to a place in the road that was bare of leaves we saw all kinds of critter tracks. Rabbits, squirrels, what we thought were coyote prints, deer, and at one location some very large paw prints that had to be bear. Bears were the largest critter in the woods in this area. Looked like bear was also traveling north. Only good thing about the bear prints was that they were not recent. But the fact that we found them made us extra careful.

At 11:30 AM came to the markers that we were told to look for. Three small crosses nailed to a tree on the west side of the road. They told us to make a left there and go down a faint pathway about three-quarter mile and we would arrive at their cabin. We could hear a couple dogs in that direction. Our dogs returned the barks but stayed pretty close to us. After ing a slight bend in the path around a large rock formation, we saw the cabin situated across a small stream nestled up against the west side of a small valley. We were there. We could see people milling around just to the south of their cabin. One eventually saw us and called out to us. Dropping our packs at the front of the cabin we walked the fifty feet or so to where everyone was standing. Hanging from a log between two large oak trees were the still unskinned carcasses of two deer.

We were welcomed with hugs and handshakes. Introductions between everyone. Seven adults greeted us, including the three men we had met originally. Quickly they told us that the guys had been out on a deer hunt earlier. They had to drag their kill over a mile back to the cabin and had just hung them up to start the

skinning and butchering process. The wives said that could wait a few minutes until we got settled and everyone had a bite to eat. So lunch came first. While that was being cooked, we presented them with our gifts, and they were most grateful. Said our meat would be supper tonight. We sat down to a warm lunch of rabbit stew, some canned green beans, a fresh loaf of bread, homemade wild strawberry jam, and water. All the dogs, ours and our friends’ two bluetick hounds, got some cooked rabbit that had not been thrown into the stew. Lots of small talk as we ate. Lunch finished, the guys headed outside to skin and butcher the two deer. Wives cleaned up and then got about some projects for each of the cabins in the area.

I marveled at how quickly and efficiently the two deer were prepared. Years of experience paid off big-time. Helping when I could, I mostly asked a lot of questions and observed. In two hours the deer were done. Each family in the little group got a front quarter, a hindquarter, and a slab of ribs. The two backstraps were halved and shared. All the meat was then hung on the same pole used for the butchering to begin the crust development on the meat’s surface. The host cabin said that his side of deer ribs would be cooked for supper this evening. Of course, all the dogs were underfoot the whole time. The deer skins were rolled up and put in a large barrel of water to soak overnight. The scraping and curing process would start tomorrow.

Midafternoon we all grabbed our long rifles and shotguns and headed out to look for some squirrel. Was just another time to shoot the breeze, really. If we got any squirrels, that would be a bonus for supper tonight. Came back to cabin an hour and a-half later with five squirrels. Didn’t take long to skin. Would cook them later on skewers on open fire outside. Wives had made it back to central cabin from a couple side trips to other cabins, and everyone got involved in cooking our meal. We were finally able to help instead of just watching. Built up a fire in outdoor fire-pit and let it burn down to bed of red-hot coals. Deer ribs put on horizontal bar and placed on s to cook directly over fire. Each of the men had a hand-held skewer with a squirrel on it as well. Again, men sat around fire talking and cooking the meat. The wives were inside fixing rice, a fresh lettuce salad, flatbread, coffee, and juice. Everything was finished about the same time, and we all sat down for a feast. The dogs each got a deer rib covered in meat and

some rice. They all went to their separate corners outside to eat.

Over supper we discussed having a Bible study and pseudo worship service every other week. Everyone was much in favor of the idea. As the three men had asked us to consider leading it when they last visited, my wife and I had discussed doing it many times, even on our walk north this morning. We agreed to do it if scheduled for every other Sunday morning. We would come north the Saturday afternoon before and leave right after noon on Sunday to return home. That was agreed to. When we asked them what they would like to study, they answered very quickly. They wanted to study the concept of servanthood. Sounded like a great idea to us. We would start in two weeks, on the fourth of August.

With that we sat around and talked about where each of us was from, how we had ended up in the Allegheny National Forest, our families, and a bit about the sad current state of the world and our country. By 9 PM everyone was bushed. Those in other cabins headed home, promising to be back for breakfast tomorrow. Our hosts showed us our sleeping situation, and we quickly prepared and hit the sack, after a final prayer together for the day. We and the dogs climbed into regular bunk beds with real mattresses and fell asleep very quickly. It had been a good day. The Lord has really brought us full circle. We now have new friends, a new ministry, and a common bond with others as we build our future. Thank You, Lord!

Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. (Luke 12:38)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #59

July 21

Do you know what it is like to wake up with four cold wet noses in your face? Between our two beagles and the two bluetick hounds of our host, everyone got an early wake-up call. As soon as the door was opened, they went tearing outside into a heavy fog barking at the top of their lungs. Look out, world, here we come. Our hosts actually had a shower, with water heated by a bank of solar s on their cabin roof. Our third or fourth full shower in the last six months. Didn’t last long because of the hot water supply, but we were in heaven or at least felt like it for five minutes.

We all pitched in and worked on breakfast. Wasn’t long before we heard a callout and knock on the cabin door. Other of the group started to arrive. By 8 AM everyone had arrived, and breakfast of scrambled eggs, venison jerky, fresh bread, jam, and coffee was on the table. Even with the big meal of last night, everyone seemed to be very hungry. The dogs ate quickly and were back outside running around. Over breakfast, our hosts told us that a week before we had arrived, a small pack of coyotes had come very close to their cabin. Five approached and only three ran away. The two dead coyotes were buried quite a distance away.

They also said that there was indeed one black bear who had the area as his territory. They warned us that as fall arrived the bear would likely be more aggressive. Another word of caution. Once we hit late November or early December, that threat will not be around as the bear or bears will be hibernating. Come spring, likely in March, the bear danger gets bad again, as sows will be coming out of their dens with new cubs and will be very protective. Some quiet thought as we all considered the dangers of those times. Everyone pitched in

again and cleaned up after breakfast.

That done, and the morning ing quickly, we all sat back down to talk about the rendezvous. The dates had been adjusted and were agreed to. It would take place on Saturday, August sixth. Word would go out to everyone within ten miles to the events of the day. It will be modeled after the rendezvous of the mountains in the early days of western expansion of the country attended by trappers, hunters, and those who had settled in the wilds. There will be trading, contests, lots of food, music if possible, and lots of talking. Everyone would bring their stuff to build temporary shelters just as had been done centuries before. We said we will definitely be there if humanly possible. We also agreed that we will prepare a worship service for the meeting if others in the small group around us would help. We will make it the second session of our planned regular Bible studies. That was agreed to as well.

When we were finished talking, it was past 11 AM already. Time to prepare for our hike back to our cabin. Our hosts insisted that we eat first. They quickly heated up the backstrap we had given them, boiled some rice, and made coffee. Everyone had a small lunch with lots of excited conversation about all the plans. They would not let us help clean anything up. Our dogs knew another change was coming when we started putting everything back into our packs. By 12:30 PM that was done. Our hosts led the group in a prayer for safe travels for us and for our work in building our new life. Everyone hugged, we picked up our packs and got the dogs to move a bit, and we were off. The blueticks were hot on our heels until we were back up at the Forest Service road and turning south. Our dogs didn’t know whether to follow them back north or go with us. They finally figured out they better go with us.

The walk back was uneventful. It didn’t take us as long as we were going gradually downhill the whole way. Going around the last little ridge by Bear Creek we saw our cabin. The dogs ran, barking and seemed very excited to be home. I looked at my watch; it was 3:15 PM. We still had another five hours of reasonable light until full darkness in our little valley. Plenty of time to get

reorganized. Took a few minutes to get the nails out of the front door. I went in first, handgun at the ready in case a visitor had come in the back door. Nothing found. Things seemed to be like we left them. Wife had quickly walked down to garden and came back saying it was OK and that some leaf vegetables needed to be cut before we went to bed. Also, said the fruit on the other veggies was getting bigger as well. A couple more weeks and we will have a much larger harvest. We unpacked everything. The smell of all the smoked meat hanging on the racks filled the cabin. We did notice tracks of all kinds around the cabin. Some looked like coyote prints or a group of large dogs. Hopefully the events north of us had taken care of some of the critters, and they wouldn’t bother us for a while.

Everything unpacked, I headed out for water run while wife started fire in hearth to boil the water. Once back I pumped several buckets of water from our well pump and dumped those outside. My one project after we got back was to build a filter system to strain out any remaining rust particles. We would then boil that water as well and begin to use it in small amounts until we determined whether it would cause any stomach or intestinal issues for us. I would rig that up after we fixed a simple supper. Together, we prepared rice, with pieces of our own venison jerky mixed in with it. Some canned fruit for dessert with coffee to drink. The dogs ate some, but after the big meals they had up north, not really much interested in food. They wanted to be outside and were all over the place making sure our neighbors knew they were back in town.

Dishes cleaned up, I got busy making the water filter. It didn’t take long to fabricate it. Used one of my wife’s fine weave T-shirts that had not been worn and had been recently washed with dish soap. Sewed the neck hole and arm holes closed, wove steel wire around the waist and cinched it into a hole about four inches in diameter where the water could be poured in. Attached two loops of paracord to that steel wire so the contraption could be hung from a limb to let the water drain through the filtering materials inside the shirt. Wife and I went around our little piece of land gathering the filter materials. Put them in sequence, starting from the bottom and working upward. Starting at the bottom, first put in sand from creekside. Then added the finest small creek bottom gravel we could find, then a bit larger stones, then pebbles, and finally small stones

about the size of marbles. Each layer was a couple inches thick. In theory, at least, any particles in water, put into the system, would adhere to the progressively smaller materials. The final water product that leached through the system and out into a container below it should be almost completely particle free and after being boiled should be drinkable. As said earlier, we will be very careful with it to make sure it does not make us ill.

That all done, there wasn’t much light left outside. We were tired from a very busy two-days. The dogs were already asleep when we tried to locate them. We sat by the fire for a few minutes as it died out, prayed, and read our nightly scripture. It truly had been a good two days. Tomorrow means back to our routine. We will plan the day over breakfast in the morning. Good night, Lord, and thank You!

But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. (Luke 12:39)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #60

July 22

Everyone slept in a bit this morning. Tired from our two-day trip. Dogs outside into the fog, barking and running around. Since they were outside, made water run to spring and checked condition of little pool I had built there. It seemed OK. Looked at garden on way back, and it needed cultivating badly. Task for later today. Wife had fire started and water boiling for rice when we got back to cabin. Dogs seemed hungry as they sat by the hearth waiting. Breakfast hit the spot. Everyone got their fill. Coffee really tasted good. Worked together to clean up dishes. Wife swept out cabin and cleaned away cobwebs from our time away. Noticed her broom and brush were showing some wear. New ones needed to be made for her birthday in about a week. Have to come up with other gifts as well. Will be hard to hide what I might make. Ready, we got about with our first chores of the morning. Dogs back outside and running around barking at every scent they found. Pumped water from well and put through cloth strainer. Collected it in pot below it. We would test a bit later today.

Wife headed to garden to cultivate it and cut some lettuce and spinach for supper. I grabbed homemade fish scoop and headed to the funnel trap at creek. Hadn’t looked there for a few days. I needed my human catcher. When I was done, had six medium-sized fish on the bank. Took a bit to clean them. Glad dogs were with my wife at garden. All gutted and cleaned. Back up to cabin and got smoker fired up and all six fish in it. Would eat three of them for supper after done cooking them over hearth. Once smoked would put on racks. We would start to use oldest smoked fish and then rotate them as we caught more. Fish for breakfast tomorrow sounded good also.

We both got done with our jobs about the same time and tasted water from the

pump that we had strained. We each drank about one or two ounces. Not too much. We would wait rest of day and see if we had any bad reactions to it. Wife had brought a nice bunch of greens back from the garden. Would taste good tonight. Might braze them over fire and add a bit of bacon grease or venison to them to give them more flavor. Wife decided that she would do more cleaning and organizing in cabin. Before she started, took rolled-up deer hide off rack and put it on curing form outside. Wife would scrape it after it had dried for an hour or so. I collected woodcutting tools and weapons and set out for the woods to our west to get after wood supply. Told her I would be back around noon.

Decided would spend today cutting down or knocking down right-sized trees. Get as many done today as I could by 5 PM. Tomorrow, the two of us would head back to cut logs, take limbs off, and cut into fireplace size. Will repeat that process the next two days, cutting trees and then logs. On third day will spend the day stacking it all into cords. Needed to make a serious push on firewood for a week. Got to woods around 10 AM and cut trees until noon. Counted downed trees before heading back to cabin. Had felled six more trees. Very dangerous work when doing it alone. Had to keep an eye on the dogs. May have to put them on leashes later for their own safety. Worked up quite a sweat. Drank one and a-half canteens of water. Parched.

Back at cabin for lunch break, made water run to spring with dogs. Simple lunch of cold dried beef, leftover flat cornbread, and couple ounces of the pump water. Now we would wait and see if any reaction. Another water run while wife cleaned up lunch. Dogs were anxious to get out and about. They started for beaver dam but headed to spring with me when they saw that was where I was going. Lots of birds singing and an occasional squirrel barking at us. That drives the girls crazy. Back at cabin wife wanted to keep cleaning, watching deer hide, tending smoker, and resting a bit. Sounded good to me. I grabbed woodcutting tools, weapons, and full canteens and headed back out to cut wood. By 1:15 PM I was situated. One job this afternoon. Cutting down more trees very carefully. With breaks and constantly on guard for dogs being safe, got quite a bit done when called it an afternoon at 5 PM. Ten more trees lying on the ground. Pretty sore as I picked up tools and gear and headed back to cabin.

Dogs had deserted me earlier to go do more exciting things. Got back to cabin and they were on platforms resting. Cabin was spotless and looked great. While wife pulled three fish out of smoker and put on hearth wrapped in foil, I headed to spring for water. On way back, walked west side of overgrown field to check on berries. From the look of things, we can probably harvest wild strawberries this week. Blackberries looked like they will be ready first thing next week. Wife was excited to hear that when I got back to cabin. She had fish cooked and rice and coffee made when I got back. After cleaning up we sat down to a good meal at our little table. Dogs like fish in rice. Always looking for seconds or thirds. Easy supper cleanup. One more run to spring for water. All four of us went for a slow evening walk to do it. Back, pulled fish out of smoker and hung them on inside racks at back of smoked fish supply. Oldest smoked fish for breakfast tomorrow. Built a small fire in outside pit. We were just going to enjoy the evening relaxing and talking. Had been a really good day, and we had gotten back into our routine pretty easily.

We watched the small fire go out as dusk set in and went into cabin. No ill effects of pump water yet. Will see how we are doing in the morning. Built up the fire a bit in the hearth. We talked about what made the most sense for the Bible study in two weeks with our friends to the north. Decided what to do. Will start working on it tomorrow. We agreed that we should lead the study together —something we did when we both worked in the corporate world many years before. Dark outside. Time to close up the cabin and hit the sack. Let the fire go out slowly. Dogs were already asleep when we climbed onto platforms after prayer and scripture reading. The Lord had given us a good day. Quickly fell asleep. Good night!

You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect. (Luke 12:40)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #61

July 23

Realized it had been two months since we built our temporary lean-to near Bear Creek when we woke up this morning. Time has flown by very quickly. Pressure to prepare for long, cold winter is growing each day. Also, knew it was Sunday, the Lord’s day. Would take some time this evening to have a simple celebration of His goodness to us. Dogs and I off on a water run. Some fog this morning. Looked to be a cloudy day. Wind from the south likely meant we would have some rain soon. Back at cabin, fire in hearth already started, boiled water, and warmed up three fish with some rice. Hot coffee to drink. Boiled bit more strained water and drank it. Feeling no effects of drinking boiled strained water from yesterday. Planned out the day. Wife would work on deer skin, scrape it again. Then work on garden some more. She would check fish trap and see if she could catch, clean, and start smoking any new fish. I would head back to the woods this morning and start taking limbs off trees I cut down yesterday. In the afternoon, she would me in woods. All that agreed to, we set off to our tasks.

With cutting tools and weapons in hand, with the dogs of course, I went west to woods. Around 10 AM heard her use whistle emergency signal, and I hustled back to cabin. Found her standing in creek. Was having trouble catching the two fish that were in the tarp. Talked her through it, and we soon had two new fish for lunch. Helped her clean them and back to cabin. She would start them cooking immediately, and we would eat cold for lunch. Back to firewood task. Worked until 12:30 PM when she called to me to come for lunch. Needed to figure a way for her to call me by hitting a metal rod hanging outside cabin. Another project. Lunch of almost cold fish, jerky, and coffee. Lots of protein for hard work. No real cleanup other than a couple plates and utensils. Dogs and I made a water run to spring while she did dishes. Back to cabin we boiled water as we both scraped deer hide on form. Done, rolled it up and hung on racks in

cabin.

Was 2 PM when we both headed back to woods. Had agreed to work until 5 PM on firewood. With the two of us working we were able to take limbs off half the trees I had cut down. Dogs were underfoot a bit but also exploring up the ridge to our west. They spent some time barking at squirrels in trees, at least that’s what we figured they were doing. 5 PM arrived quickly. We gathered up tools and weapons and headed back to cabin. Dogs and I went on water run to spring.

Wife had cut up a potato and was making home fries in hearth. We added the cut greens, some beef jerky, and some salt to the mix. Boy, did it taste good when we sat down to eat. Dogs really liked it a lot. While eating, we looked at some tasks for tomorrow. Woodcutting of course. Need to go check on trotline to the south. Hopefully it’s still there. Need to begin our preparations for the Bible study as well. Lots of other little chores we will probably do, but we will wait to see what weather does before deciding those. We did decide to all make the last water run of the day together just to get out of the cabin and tire the dogs out a bit more. They were more than ready to go. On way back, we all went along west side of overgrown field to check on berries. Picked handful of wild strawberries. Boy, did they taste sweet. Sweet was something that we had not had much of for a long time. Dogs were more interested in smelling critter scents.

Back at cabin, boiled new water pumped, another supply to put through strainer. Sat outside while the strainer did its work. That done, was getting pretty dark, so headed inside, secured windows and doors, and pulled table and stools to fireside. Pulled out Bible and started to look for scripture we can use for the study up north. Decided we will trace idea of Jesus as a servant through the New Testament. Start working on details tomorrow evening. Dogs yawning the whole time. A signal, we guessed. Didn’t take much to get them onto sleeping platforms.

With last light from fire we read scripture and prayed. Not many individual tasks done today but made good progress on the firewood situation. Since it was Sunday, we sang some hymns of thanksgiving as we prepared for bed. Both pretty tired, it didn’t take long for us to fall asleep once on sleeping platforms. Dogs were snoring up a storm with their deer antler chews beside them. Lord, watch over us tonight, keep us safe and in your arms. Good night!

Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? (Luke 12:42)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #62

July 24

Middle of the night dogs at the back door barking and going crazy. With the .243 long gun and flashlight, stepped carefully outside while wife held dogs by collars inside cabin. Immediately saw three sets of eyes on the other side of the creek in beam of light. Coyotes! They saw me and bared their fangs. Hard to take a good shot trying to hold rifle with one hand and keep flashlight on target. Was going to kick a bit. Slowly drew bead on lead animal and put a slug into it. Not sure where I hit it but knew from loud yelp that it had been hit. They ran off to the east, up the ridge, and back into the night. A wounded animal is extremely dangerous. As we calmed down, two thoughts came to us. One, if it was wounded badly enough, the other two coyotes would finish it off. And second, they would be hesitant to come back around the cabin for a while, given that there was some real danger from us.

The dogs settled down slowly once I went back inside. But none of us slept much more during the night. I would head over that way in the morning and see if I could pick up a blood trail. It would be dangerous, but we needed some certainty as to what had happened after I took the shot in the night. We finally got up really early. Fighting to go back to sleep was not worth the effort. Not going to let dogs out, off their leashes, until I had done some looking on other side of creek. Made water run without them while wife started cooking fire. Dogs were not happy with us, but that was tough. Back, quick breakfast of rice and dried beef. As soon as it was light enough, I headed out to check on results of last night’s shot and if possible track the coyotes.

Crossed the creek and found some blood on the other side. Given direction I saw the three coyotes take off in, I started a slow steady tracking process, being as

quiet as I could. With the breeze still coming up the valley from the south, I knew I had some time to stay downwind from the critters hopefully. Had told my wife to keep a sharp eye out in case they backtracked to cabin and to watch dogs on leashes very carefully. Tracked small blood trail past where I had shot deer. It eventually turned up a small draw. Followed it for a bit and decided to climb up side of ridge a bit and keep going in that same general direction hoping coyotes had stayed in the draw. Walked about a half-mile further, as quietly as possible, and heard some yelps in the distance. Slowed to a crawl using trees for cover whenever possible. Finally, looking up the draw about a hundred yards, saw one animal clearly in distress with the other two circling it slowly.

Got down on my hands and knees and crawled another fifty yards until I could see them clearly. The one I had shot was doing its best to fend off the other two. Fearing they might smell me or that I might spook them with some sound, I set up to try to dispatch at least one of the other two. Slowly drawing down on them with the .243, I squeezed off a shot, hitting the second animal just behind its left shoulder. It dropped immediately. The third one jumped and ran off a bit but slowly came back to inspect the scene. I went motionless. Rifle at my shoulder, I waited until I could get another good shot. Eventually the third coyote turned broadside to me and then at a 45-degree angle with its head away from me. Another shot caught it behind the right shoulder, and it fell at once.

I waited for about ten minutes to see if there was going to be any movement. The only thing I saw was the first one I had shot this morning trying to get up to get away. It could not. With my handgun drawn, I slowly approached the group. From about fifteen-feet I put a slug into the back of the head of the first, then followed quickly with one in the same spot in the other two. Poked with a long stick, they made no movement. They were dead. With that I sat down and breathed for the first time in probably twenty minutes. It is hard not to shake when you have done what I just had to. I silently thanked the Lord for keeping me safe. I also thanked Him for His creatures, even though I had to take the lives of three of them to protect our home, ourselves, and our dogs.

After sitting for a while I pulled out my folding shovel and started to dig a pit in the side of the draw to bury the carcasses. Not sure how long it took me to do that but eventually was able to bury the three of them. As always, I only handled the bodies wearing disposable surgical gloves which I also buried in the pit. We did not need any other scavengers drawn to the dead bodies. The last thing I did was to cover up the mound of dirt with dead branches, leaves, and other loose materials. I wanted the site to be hidden. All of that done, I collected my stuff and headed slowly back to the cabin. It took me a bit to get there because I was still a little shaky. But eventually, I crossed Bear Creek and walked around to the front where the dogs, on their leashes, greeted me happily. I let them run free and they were very happy. It was only then that I looked at my watch and saw that it was already 2 PM and that I was hungry, not having much breakfast and no lunch.

My wife came out and hugged me, and we talked about what had just happened. She said she heard the two rifle shots followed shortly by what she probably figured were rounds from my handgun. She had worried about the pistol shots and prayed the whole time that I was OK. She was relieved when I showed back up. Quickly told her about the whole event. We hoped that with this done, the small pack of coyotes that had been nosing around for weeks was no longer a problem.

Told her I was hungry. She produced some venison jerky, cornmeal flatbread, and some coffee pretty quickly. Ate it all except for the snacks that the dogs got. I couldn’t turn them down. Wife told me she had tried to get some stuff done while I was gone but had spent most of the time with the dogs.

Finished eating, I headed to spring to get water. Dogs were very happy to run free. We decided that the only task remaining this afternoon was to go check on the trotline. Stressful day. Firewood work could wait until tomorrow. With that decided, gathered up replacement parts for trotline should it need repairing, some bait for hooks, our weapons, canteens, and EDCs, and headed south. Twenty-minutes later came to spot where trotline was located. Anchor line was

still there, but only three of the five fishing lines were still attached to it. Pulled whole thing to shore. No hooks left on any line either. Repaired the rig, baited the hooks, and put back into the creek. Not sure what had broken parts of it. Will leave that as a mystery. Everything done, we headed back, checking berries on the way, as well as the garden. A few more wild strawberries hit the spot. Another water stop at spring as we had also carried folding bucket with us. Not really very hungry when we got back, so we just sat outside the cabin in the open watching the dogs. Started to drizzle, so headed inside. Dogs stayed outside until started to rain harder. They were full of energy because had been on leashes so much today. Decided to have an apple, a few pieces of venison jerky, and some coffee around 6 PM. No dishes to wash that way. Did fix helping of rice for the dogs with some jerky mixed in it. We just sat and talked while eating.

With it raining outside, we lit a fire tin and put on table next to hearth. Combined light from tin and hearth fire allowed us to choose scripture for the first Bible study in a couple weeks. We talked about how we would use it and what we would say. Took a while because we were still stressed from the day. Dogs sat on their rugs by the fire and yawned and scratched. By 9 PM we were all ready for bed. Prayers of thanksgiving said, scripture read, and hugs for the dogs, we all climbed onto the sleeping platforms hoping for a quiet night. Took a bit to fall asleep but eventually did. Thank you, Lord for safety and protection.

Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (Luke 12:43)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #63

July 25

Slept reasonably well given the events of yesterday. Dogs outside first thing and headed for the creek. Called them back and they slowly returned to the cabin. Hunger overcame their desire to check out the other side of creek. Helped wife fix rice with dried beef mixed in. Boiled water and had cup of coffee. With that, headed to spring for water with the dogs. As always carrying weapons. Yesterday was enough of a scare to keep us watchful. Knew an even more dangerous animal could be out there: bears. Cleaned up the few dishes. Pumped some water from well and put in strainer. No ill effects so far from the small drinks we had taken of the strained water. Taking no chances. In a pinch, could use water straws to drink some of it if unable to get to spring.

We geared up. Wife would head to garden to cultivate it, then me working on firewood supply. Dogs followed her as I left after she did. With cutting tools and gear, headed to woods to the west. Started cutting more trees down while dogs were with her. Had four more cut down before she arrived. When she arrived, dogs along of course, we started taking limbs off already felled trees and cutting trees into fireplace-size logs. Pretty humid, partly cloudy, so we went through our two canteens of water pretty quickly. Dogs nosing around all over the place. Chased couple squirrels up some nearby trees. Regretted not having air rifle with me. Could have had some fresh meat for supper. Will try in the same area later to get that meat from up in the trees. We worked steadily and by noon had made some progress. Took a lunch break around noon. While wife putting together cold lunch, the dogs and I headed out to get water from the spring. As we ate, we drank a bit more of the strained well-water as additional testing of its effect on us. No dishes to clean up, headed back to the woods. Took air rifle with us as well as our other weapons.

We were back in the woods by 1:15 PM working on firewood. The afternoon went by quickly. We were sweating a lot and going through a lot of water. Midafternoon, wife took both canteens back to cabin and refilled them with boiled spring water. Dogs started to follow her but decided to stay with me. By the time we called it a day, we had almost another cord of small logs ready to be hauled back to cabin side. Tomorrow will try to get it all hauled there. Did get a chance to get something for supper around 3:30 PM. Dogs were barking above us. They were standing below a couple squirrels who were on a limb above them chattering back at them. Squirrels were preoccupied with dogs, so I got pretty close with the air rifle. Took three shots to bring them both down. Dogs were beside themselves. Kept getting in the way as I field-dressed our supper.

Finally finished for the day, we headed back past the garden. It looked really good. Another week and we might have a few more veggies. Started fire in hearth and put two squirrels on spit to cook. Wife got some rice boiling while I headed to spring. Dogs stayed right by the hearth. Once back, I brazed two hearts beside fire with two very excited dogs watching my every move. Done and cooled a bit they each got one. Onto their pelt rugs and wolfed them down. Supper ready, we sat down and ate a fresh supper. Cleaned up and off to get more water. Dogs full of energy tore off in front of me. They knew where I was going with my water yoke. They played the entire time we were gone. Eventually they reed us at the cabin.

We had a few small chores to do before we called it a day. Wife scraped two squirrel pelts and put them on curing forms. I cleaned all the weapons we had used in the last couple days. We then went inside and arranged pelts hanging from inside rack. Folded them up and put in couple baskets wife had made and hung the baskets from rafters. Talked about tomorrow. Wife will go berry picking while I haul cut wood from woods to west and build another cord of wood by the cabin. Will build a rough rack to pile new cord on, so it won’t rot lying on the ground. Will do the same for any cords that we are able to cut. Will help the drying process as well. With first two cords, that was not necessary, as we will burn them long before rot sets in.

Table and stools pulled outside we worked some more on the Bible study for the meeting with northern friends. Going to start with Old Testament then move into the New Testament as the meeting progresses. We also talked about a possible new food source that we discovered this afternoon. While going after squirrels I noticed an old hollow fallen tree. Bees were coming and going out of a hole in the log. Guessed there was a likely hive in the log. Will do a bit more investigation of it, and if hive is indeed there, we will figure out how to collect it soon. Honey will be great if we can get some. Also, melted honeycomb had great potential for candles. An exciting thought to us. One final thing decided for tomorrow was to check the funnel trap in the creek and the trotline a bit downstream.

Finally got dark enough that we could not see much, so headed into cabin. Locked up and secured, we climbed on platforms pretty early. Firewood work was really tiring. Dogs were bushed as well. Lay on platforms for a bit talking some more about Bible study. After prayer and scripture reading we all quickly fell asleep. Lord, keep us safe tonight. Good night!

Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (Luke 12:44)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #64

July 26

Dogs up with just enough light to see outside. Out they went. I followed shortly after that and headed to the spring. Wife started fire in hearth while we were gone. She fixed rice, cornmeal flatbread, some venison jerky mixed into rice, and coffee. Dogs ate like they had never eaten before. Seemed to be nosing around hearth for more squirrel. Cleaned up everything. Pumped more well water and put it in strainer. We had about a gallon of strained water on hand. Got everything ready and we headed out the front door, wife to pick berries, dogs and I off to check the trotline. They were full of way too much energy this morning. Would stop at spring on the way back.

We caught up to her as she was still picking. Said that small critters were already into the berries but showed me a small basket full of wild strawberries and blackberries. Boy, would those taste good with a bit of powdered milk poured over them. Dessert for supper tonight. We were all back at the cabin by around 9:30 AM. We put the two new squirrel pelts on their forms, out in what sunlight we had, to start their curing process. Berries in small pot of water to keep them fresh, we geared up and headed to the woods with wheelbarrow. First thing, cut down small trees and prepare them to be the frame on which we would pile third cord of wood by the cabin. Logs all cut and limbs removed, we hauled them back to cabin and I constructed the drying frame. Took about an hour to get that entire job done. Then back at hauling.

We heard some shots off to our west as we worked. Stopping for a bit, we listened and watched to see if anyone came our direction. We guessed shots came from the other side of Forest Service road above us on the ridgetop. Hauled and unloaded logs until shortly after noon. Wife helped me load, unload

and stack every trip. She finally stayed at cabin to fix us a simple lunch while I made another run for logs. Back, I stacked it and we had our simple cold lunch of jerky, an apple, and water. Filled up canteens as well. Geared up again, pushing empty wheelbarrow, we headed to cut wood again. By the time we had finished later in the afternoon, had hauled more than twenty loads for the day. When no more logs to haul, we had 90 percent of a third cord back at the cabin. Should mention that we were always in catchup mode as well. We were burning wood from the first cord even as we built up additional cords. Would always be fighting that until we had as many cords of wood as possible in reserve.

By 4 PM, time to check and see if we had any fish for supper. Dogs and I headed down to trotline while wife got hearth fire going and boiled water. Two lines on trotline were taut. Pulled them in and had one medium and one fairly large trout on them, largest we had caught to this point. Probably twelve inches long and close to a pound. Cleaned them, then dogs and I headed for spring. Back at cabin, gave fish to wife and she started frying them in iron skillet in some lard. Dogs and I next went to funnel trap in creek. Boots on, I waded in and had three more small fish when done. Cleaned and back to cabin. Second round of fish cooking as we boiled some rice. Great supper. Enough fish for all, rice, water, and of course the fresh berries in milk. We took our time eating and enjoyed it. No berries for dogs. Even the very small seeds in berries not good for them.

Another water run to spring while wife cleaned up after supper. Dogs not moving as fast with their full tummies. We got back and they just decided to lie down in front of the cabin. Lots of yawning and scratching. Wife and I talked about tomorrow. Need to make another cattail run for basket weaving materials, some fresh veggies from plants and garden. Berry patch check-in also. Not many small jobs done today. Tomorrow afternoon will head back into the woods to cut down more trees and haul all the limb trimmings back to piles by the cabin. Legs and back really tired this evening. We sat around relaxing a bit, then when dogs jumped up on platforms, decided we would them. Prayers and scripture reading by firelight from hearth. All four of us asleep, probably all snoring, shortly after that. Thank you, Lord, for a good, safe, productive day.

When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, “A shower is coming,” and so it turns out. (Luke 12:54)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #65

July 27

Seem to be back on regular schedule. Dogs up and out shortly after it got light outside. Water run to spring. Leftover cooked fish and rice for dogs, rice and jerky for us. As we sat drinking our cup of coffee, discussed work schedule for the day. First, we would head to cattails down at marsh to get materials for more baskets and some fresh cattail veggies to eat. Second, wife would cultivate garden, collect leafy greens, and pick more berries if ready. Third, would spend the afternoon cutting down more trees to the west. And finally, in the evening, would do a maintenance check on our cabin, traps, food, water, and other small tasks as time allowed. Tonight, we would do a really good hygiene check on all four of us before going to bed. We had been doing daily quick washings, but it had been a few days since we did a really thorough check.

With all of that planned, we cleaned up after our breakfast and prepared for the day. We geared up, including water containers for a stop at the spring, and headed south toward the marsh. Boots on, prepared to enter the shallow water, we were ready to get materials and any possible food that we might find. The dogs were off like a shot, stopping at various points to see if we kept going. First at garden, which looked fine. Second, at the trotline which looked empty. Third, at the beaver dam to see if worth doing cattail harvest there. It wasn’t. And finally, at the marsh.

When we put everything down, they headed to the west into the woods to explore. Into the water, I cut as many cattail leaves as we thought we could carry. Then back into the water, pulled up stalks, and cut them down to the white part to be boiled and eaten. We worked for an hour and said that was enough. Everything bundled or in plastic bags, we headed back north to the cabin. While

wife kept walking, I made a side trip to the spring to get water. Dogs went with her so it didn’t take me long. Checked on little pool I had built at spring, and it was OK. Finally, back to cabin, unloaded everything. Wife started fire in hearth to boil cattail veggies. She would work on basket weaving after I headed out to cut trees. Prior to leaving I scrounged a couple pieces of old pipe from the shed and fashioned a type of gong and hung it outside cabin front door. The smaller piece would be the striker we could use to hit the hanging piece and send out a loud emergency signal. Done, told her I would take some jerky and canteen of water with me and I would work on trees straight through lunch hour. Needed to spend concentrated time on firewood. Planned to be back by 4 PM to tackle small projects identified over breakfast.

We both geared up, she heading for garden and berries. Once that done she would come back to cabin and work on baskets. I went west into the woods. Dogs didn’t know which way to go. In fact, they spent the afternoon running back and forth between us. Got to woods at 10:30 AM and starting cutting. Warm day, lots of breaks, and two canteens of water. Worked steadily. By the time I headed back to cabin at 4 PM, had another dozen trees on the ground. I was glad when dogs stayed pretty much away from where I was cutting. Maybe they were learning. Needed to sharpen blades this evening after a full day of cutting. Wife was sitting outside on stool working on basket weaving. She had a small one done, and a larger one was half done. Good progress. Probably had enough material to make three or four more small ones.

Told her would make a water run then come back and fix supper for us. Glad I was carrying .17 HMR as I walked past the old overgrown field. Spotted a brown head sticking up out of a hole on the northern edge of the field watching me. Slowly pulled rifle to my shoulder and waited. Critter slowly climbed up onto flat spot beside its burrow. As soon as it was completely out, I took a shot, hitting it in shoulder from about thirty yards. Dropped on the spot. Turned around to see my wife coming my way with the dogs. Yelled and told her everything was fine and that I had just killed our supper. A big male groundhog. Dogs were with me in a New York minute when they heard the shot. Was a job field-dressing the critter while the dogs were trying to get at it. Eventually got done and put innards down its burrow and pushed dirt over that with my foot. A

temporary fix. Water would have to wait for a bit. Carted dead animal back to cabin where I skinned it and hung meat up outside to prepare for cooking. Once skin hung up as well, made quick trip for water as originally planned. Dogs loitered around the carcass hanging from our butchering pole.

When I got back, wife was already scraping the groundhog hide and had a medium curing form ready to attach it to. Groundhog has plenty of fat between meat and skin. Scraping it is a real job. Meat also has quite a bit of fat in it, so when cooked thoroughly meat is usually pretty tender. Built up a good fire in the outside pit and let it burn down to a nice bed of coals. We were going to roast the groundhog in aluminum foil in its own fat. Would take longer but would be moist and tender. Decided to build up fire on top of aluminum package and let it burn down to coals to cook the meat faster from all directions. Figured should cook it for ninety minutes, constantly turning it, and then check to see if done. Would cook longer if necessary. It would give us enough meat for supper tonight and breakfast tomorrow. Once it started to cook, the dogs didn’t wander too far off.

As we would be eating supper a bit later, had time to get other small chores and tasks done. Wife continued to work on baskets. I removed two squirrel hides from curing forms and hung them on rack inside cabin. Then on to a careful visual check of all the chinking on the outside of the cabin. Seems to be doing OK. Will have to do some repairs toward end of August or early September to prepare for winter cold. Next moved on to repairs to box trap and wire snare traps. Probably wait another couple weeks before setting them out again. Continue to let small critters rest and calm down before using the traps. Then sharpened all of our blades, of all types. Cleaned weapons well and checked on ammo supply. Keeping a very careful count on ammo used. There will be no replacing it.

Walked down to fish trap in creek and fixed a couple spots with new rocks. Was starting to get really cloudy as we worked. We could hear distant thunder to our south. Looks like we may get a storm tonight or tomorrow. Winds picking up,

blowing from the south. Checked on roasting groundhog. It needed at least another forty-five minutes of cooking. Decided to make another water run and dogs went with me. Back, started fire in hearth, boiled water, then rice with cattail veggie mixed in with it. Could simmer all of that until we believed groundhog was done. Wife finally gave up on weaving. Her wrists were hurting. Any kind of handwork, like weaving, caused her pain from fibromyalgia.

Decided to do extensive hygiene check and wash before we ate. Dogs had a few ticks. Just a joy to get them to hold still while pulling ticks off them. Checked their coats, paws, and ears as well. Had enough heated water for my wife and me to take a quick pseudo-shower, pouring buckets of water over each other. We each also had a couple ticks. Everything medicated and OK. My barked knuckles were completely healed. Had a few new nicks, small cuts, and bruises from all of the tree cutting. Fixed those. Wife had small cuts, just like paper cuts, on her hands from cattail leaves. Fixed those.

All of that done, checked on groundhog and seemed to be cooked completely. Carried bundle into cabin and carved it up. Wife heated up previously cooked rice and cattails. Cooked groundhog heart in iron skillet, cooled it, and split it as first course for dogs. Meat cut up, everything laid out, we sat down to eat. Dogs got rice and half of hindquarter of cooked meat. We got half hindquarter each. Took our time eating, just relaxing. Done, wife set about cleaning up while I made water run. We each had another couple ounces of strained water from well. All back at cabin, pulled two squirrel hides off forms and hung on rack in cabin. Attached groundhog hide to medium curing form and sat outside and scraped it again. Thunder was getting closer and wind picking up even more. Dogs could sense storm coming so stayed close.

We had gotten a lot done today. More tomorrow. Secured cabin, sat by hearth talking, dogs on platforms chewing on deer antlers. We were tired. Prayers said and scripture read, we climbed into bed. Could hear rain staring to fall on cabin roof as we drifted off. Lord, protect us.

And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, “It will be a hot day,” and it turns out that way. (Luke 12:55)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #66

July 28

As near as we could figure, it was about 11 PM when we were awakened by rain coming down in torrents, loud thunder, lightning flashes, and the wind howling up the small valley. Could hear things blowing around outside. At one point heard our new gong hit the ground, curing racks fall over, and what we though were trees falling in the distance. Dogs were petrified. Hard to get back to sleep after that all started. Kept it up until just before dawn. Knew there would be some cleanup to be done in the morning. No leaks evident in roof, windows, or doors, thank goodness.

Eventually it grew a bit lighter outside, so we got up. Still raining, but not as hard. Creek would be up as a result of the runoff. Dogs had no desire to stay outside except to quickly take care of business. With poncho on, I headed to spring for water. We would be using well water more today, at least boiling it for cooking. Was soaked by the time I got back. Wife had hot breakfast of rice, jerky, two quarters of groundhog meat mixed in, and coffee. We all sat down to a quiet breakfast except for the occasional clap of thunder. Worst storm we had seen in quite a while.

Revised our plans for the day a bit, at least until it stopped storming. If it let up, would go take limbs off trees, clean up outside, and repair any damage to garden and curing and smoking tools. We sat together, inside cabin, and wove baskets until we ran out of material. By noon things had settled down quite a bit outside. Was able, wearing poncho, to go out and set up things that had blown over, like the curing rack. Rehung the emergency gong. Around 2 PM rain stopped completely, wind had died down, and things mostly back to normal. Very slippery and muddy outside.

Dogs and I went on a water run. Checked trotline while we were out and it appeared to be OK. Water was rising in creek, so would check it again in twentyfour hours. Garden wall was OK. Some of the garden plants had taken a hit. They were bent over, but none seemed to have been uprooted. At 3 PM I headed out to take limbs off cut-down trees for a couple hours. Wife would stay around the cabin and continue to clean up after the storm. Not much sound outside as all the other critters in the area were lying low.

Cut limbs until around 5 PM and checked the potential beehive on my way back to the cabin. Everything was soaked. Bees seemed to be getting back to their business. Need to work out plan to get honey and combs out of the dead log. If we don’t get it, good bet the bear will get into it. Back at cabin, realized had not eaten any lunch. That was not good. We needed a substantial supper this evening. While wife worked on that, dogs and I made another water trip. Back to smells of rice, cattail veggies, and beef jerky stew in the hearth. Needed a cup of coffee as well. I checked out all of our butchering, curing, and cooking stuff outside while supper was cooking. With those done, and meal ready, we sat down to eat. Took our time and we all ate until we were full. Dogs wanted out, so out they went. They headed toward garden. We hoped they weren’t going back to groundhog hole to dig into it. Would go after them in a bit if not back soon. Things very quiet outside except for birds in trees. A few bright spots in the sky as dusk set in. Not full sunlight but thinner clouds at least.

We spent what was left of the evening talking about the first Bible study on August sixth. We had decided to lead a study of Isaiah, chapter 53, for the first session. With the rendezvous scheduled on that weekend, or maybe a week later, figured that was the best place to start. Everyone needed to understand the concept of the Suffering Servant as a foundation for the idea of servanthood in the New Testament. Time flew by as we talked. Decided to wait until breakfast in the morning to plan out our next day. Fire going out quickly in hearth, we had a time of prayer asking Lord to bless our preparations for the Bible study. We read Isaiah 53 and talked about it after we climbed onto sleeping platforms. Dogs were sound asleep quickly, and we soon followed. Hoping for a quite

night. Lord, watch over us.

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. (Isaiah 53:2)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #67

July 29

A simple plan decided on when we crawled out of bed. After letting dogs out to run a bit, we worked on breakfast of rice, beef jerky, an apple, and coffee. Dogs seemed to be hungry, so they ate as much as we would give them. Our plan for the day was only a few things. I would spend the entire day working on firewood. Wife would cultivate garden, pick berries if they could be found, and then come and help me with firewood. That decided, made water run to spring with dogs on my heels. Wife ready to head out when we got back. Told her to be very careful looking for berries. This would be the last day when she would go alone. Too much danger from possible bears in berry patches for her to go alone. We would both go in the future, one as lookout while other picked berries. Plan included her bringing lunch with her to where I would be working, and we would break for lunch there. Meant jerky and water. Would have to make couple runs back to cabin during day to fill up canteens.

With that agreed, we loaded up our gear and went our separate ways. By 8:30 AM was cutting limbs off felled trees and cutting logs when done with limbs. Wife would pile up limbs when she ed me. Once had all downed trees logged out, would cut down more trees. Would have to move a bit further to the south to find more right-sized trees to cut. Wife showed up with dogs at 11:30 AM. I had all limbs removed from downed trees and had cut down five more by then. Sat down on felled tree and ate our jerky and drank quite a bit of water.

Talked about firewood progress to date. Going much slower than we hoped. Will have to spend three to four hours per day the entire month of August to make any headway toward our goal. Cutting wood in the coldest of winter not something we would want to do lightly. It would be hard. We started working at

noon again. At three PM, wife went back to cabin to scrape groundhog hide on curing form. Dogs went with her at first, but were soon back with me. Worked on cutting logs until 5 PM and then called it a day. Dogs were good, mostly exploring and watching me.

By 5:15 PM we were back at cabin. Made a water run. Scraped groundhog hide again. Will put it out tomorrow again if weather cooperates. Checked creek, and it was running pretty high. Quickly down to trotline. Came back with two cleaned fish for supper after making another water run to spring. Fish put on skewers, rice boiling, we soon sat down to eat. Surprising how much the dogs like fish. They always want more.

One more water run to spring after eating and we called it a day. We were both exhausted from lack of sleep a couple nights ago and the hard work of cutting firewood. Cabin secured, hygiene check and washing completed, we sat in front of hearth and continued our study of Isaiah 53. We were getting a pretty good idea of what we wanted group to study in a week. Dogs had already climbed on sleeping platforms while we read scripture and prayed. Lord, another hard day tomorrow, give us the strength we need. We love You!

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isaiah 53:3)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #68

July 30

Sunday morning. Three things to get done today. Two could be accomplished with a hike to top of ridge west of us. We needed to see if we could catch up on any radio news and weather information. While at the top of the ridge we would also have our little family Sunday worship service. The other thing needed to work on today of course was our firewood situation. We would leave as soon as we had a quick breakfast of jerky and rice. Made quick water run while wife cooked meal. Dogs seemed excited. Maybe they knew we were going on a hike together. They ate quickly and then wanted to go back outside. Cleaned up dishes. Weather looked like it was not going to rain.

We packed up gear, canteens, weapons, EDCs, ponchos, and some snacks just in case. Off we went, dogs at a run up past the privy once they figured out that was the direction we were going. Not quite as long a hike as last time. We had our path already in mind, so just moved along steadily. Dogs at times ran back to us to make sure we were coming, and then off they would go again. What a hoot. By 9:30 AM had reached location where we had sat the last time we made this hike. Turned on radio. Weather report found pretty quickly. A few days with slight chance of rain, then bigger chance in about four days. Will last couple days, then go back to partly sunny.

Took us a bit longer to find emergency channel, but eventually did. We listened with volume turned up as loud as it would go just to be able to hear the faint voice. Not surprised by what we heard, but it sent a chill up and down our spines. After listening for fifteen minutes, we headed back to cabin, but not before we had our little family Sunday worship service on the top of the ridge. Sang a few songs and prayed for ourselves, our families, our country, and

Christians across the globe. Things are not going well for Christians anywhere. Decided to record what we heard on radio after supper tonight.

Arrived at cabin around 10:30 AM. Wife needed to rest a bit, so I geared up and headed into the firewood cutting area. Took food and water with me so I could work through lunch. Told her to me if she wanted to, but better that she rest. Dogs started out with me but eventually went back to cabin. Was boring where I was. Started cutting at 11:30 AM, and worked steadily until 4:30 PM cutting down more trees. Got fifteen more trees on the ground. Took a ten-minute break to eat a bit of jerky and then kept working. When time to head back, collected gear and made the short walk. Dogs and I headed out to the spring. Back again, we worked on our supper, and it was ready pretty quickly. Pulled one of the smoked rabbits off the hanging rack, boiled rice, and sliced up an apple for dessert. Sat quietly as we ate, talking a bit about radio report. Once supper cleaned up, we sat down together and recorded what we had heard earlier.

Internationally the world is shifting to a new paradigm. In Europe, Russia has surrounded the British Isles with submarines and surface ships. They sent out a message to the rest of the world saying that any ship trying to reach England will be stopped and boarded and its cargo seized. The rest of Europe is now under Russia’s complete control except for the very northern parts of Norway and Sweden. The one country in the Middle East that still has some Western influence present, has agreed to a nonaggression pact with Russia, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Saudi Arabia has ceased to be a viable independent nation. Israel is now completely surrounded by countries whose leaders are sworn to destroy the tiny Jewish nation. The northern half of Africa is now completely under governments ed by or allied to terrorists. Countries to the south are quickly realizing that they will have to do the same, sooner rather than later. Before too long South Africa will stand alone.

In east and southeast Asia, China has for all intents and purposes become the leader of every country in the area except Japan and Australia. Japan is surrounded by ships and may slowly starve to death, but they will never

surrender. Australia has, for the time being, a bit of opportunity to prepare for more aggressive action on the part of the Chinese. It is rumored that China will next move to control the Indian subcontinent. Whether or not the Indian government has the courage to stand up to the threats is an open question. South America is descending into multiple alliances, all preparing to fight to gain more territory and resources. In effect, only a few countries, including the US, stand against the new great powers quickly taking over control of the world. All of this has a significant potential long-term consequences for events in the US.

Within the borders of the continental US, the new president has declared a curfew to be enforced by martial law. Many of the historic constitutional guarantees will be ignored. The nationwide curfew is in force from 8 PM until 7 AM. Anyone out during those hours risks immediate arrest and confinement for an indefinite time without the right to a lawyer or speedy arraignment. All commercial airlines have been nationalized. Railroads, banks, and all energyrelated industries are now also nationalized. Local and state police management is under the direct control of the military. Anyone using any type of weapon to commit a crime or fight governmental authorities will be immediately sent to military controlled detention centers. All public meetings, other than those sponsored by the government, are immediately outlawed. Schools, churches, printed media, TV, and radio were put under the istration of the Department of Homeland Security. Some meetings in churches are restricted to one per month. Schools will be in session only three days a week.

The reaction to all this across the country has been immediate and swift. In each of the split-off regions of the country, leaders have declared that the federal government no longer has any jurisdiction in their part of the country. Each region has declared that only laws, policies, and practices decided on by the citizens and leaders are valid in their territory. Armed conflicts have broken out between regions, federal forces, and armed groups of citizens. Many parts of the country are cut off completely. Federal forces hesitate to enter certain areas because of the danger. The country no longer has a viable voice in the issues and matters across the world. The US was ignored by the new world order. Federal leaders, hunkered down in Washington DC, can do little but talk. Even when they do, no one is listening. Warnings have gone out that even more stringent

controls will be enacted if those just reviewed are ignored. No one is expected to listen.

Wife and the dogs went to bed early. They were tired. I built up a nice fire outside and made a couple simple gifts for my wife’s birthday tomorrow. I had been collecting materials. It took me about thirty minutes to make her a new broom and brush. I also had been collecting freshwater clamshells from Bear Creek. I punched holes in the shells with my knife and, using a length of paracord, made a simple necklace for her. She and the dogs were sound asleep when I finally went inside. I left everything I’d made either on or beside our little table, where she would see it in the morning. I also planned to make some cornmeal flatbread in the morning, pick some berries, and mash them into a sweet sauce to put on the flatbread, a birthday cake.

Everything ready, I closed up and secured the cabin. I climbed on my sleeping platform and had a long conversation with the Lord. Could not get to sleep thinking about what I had written a short time ago. Wondering how the country that I loved, that my father, as part of the greatest generation, had fought for, and that had, in many ways, been a light on the hill, had fallen so far. Where were the ones shouting from the rooftops that there had to be a better way than the road the country was traveling down? Who was out there speaking a message of hope, courage, love, forgiveness, and service that had for so long been the value base of our great country? How could we in our current circumstances take that message to those the Lord had brought into our lives? What vehicles could be used to reach out to people who no longer believed that there was a future? No clear answers to my questions. I knew that my job was to protect my wife, our little dogs, our small rustic part of the world, but was there more? How could the Lord use us as we interact with the two small groups flanking us to south and north?

Finally, I could ask no more questions. I could only close my conversation with the Lord with prayers, asking for courage and wisdom to follow the path that He has been preparing for us since the beginning of time. With a final prayer of

thanksgiving, I was finally able to fall asleep, but sleep would be very fitful tonight. A long day. Good night, Lord.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:4)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #69

July 31 – Happy Birthday!

I stayed in bed a bit longer than my wife on purpose this morning. At least I did until she found the gifts by our little table. When I looked over, she was sitting on a stool crying softly. I hugged her, and we shared a quiet time together. Our dogs came and sat beside us as we shared a simple reminder of how this was her special day. Once the dogs had sat long enough, out the front door they went. The weather looked like it would be partly sunny today. I told her I would fix all the meals, clean dishes, do all her chores today. I also told her I was going to collect some berries and make a cornmeal flatbread, and then we could have the crushed berries spread over the flatbread as a cake for her. She insisted on helping me in all that. I finally agreed except for collecting the berries and making the flatbread cake. She agreed with that eventually. Breakfast was simple, rice, dried beef, and coffee. Made a lot of rice as the dogs were hungry. That done I cleaned up after breakfast and said I was going for water and would stop and pick some berries for later celebration.

When I got back, she had her new necklace on. Diamonds would not have meant more to her; at least that is what she told me. I wanted her to stay at the cabin while I went to the woods, but she insisted she needed to go along and help. I was not going to win that argument. So we geared up, collected our tools, and headed for the woods. Got there about 9 AM with our cold lunch and water for the morning. We had a lot of cut down trees to trim and logs to cut. Had our weapons with us of course. Dogs stayed pretty close to us. They seemed to be feeling both the birthday happiness and the sad news we had heard yesterday as well. For a long time they just lay by us yawning, stretching, and napping. Was really quiet. The only sound was the hand ax and the bow saw. A few grunts and groans were mixed in as well.

By noon, after three hours of work we had another half cord of wood piled up and two more good-sized piles of trimmed branches. Had our cold lunch and finished the second canteen of water. Wife and the dogs headed back to the cabin for more water. I continued to cut logs. If I could work until 4 PM, there was a good chance would have almost a full cord of logs piled up. Wife and dogs back, she worked on limbs until 2 PM and then called it an afternoon. Wrists were hurting, and she needed to go back to cabin and rest. Dogs stayed with me for a while but eventually went back to cabin as well. Made it to 4 PM and was a bit short of another cord of logs but we had made good progress today.

Gear and tools back in cabin I headed to spring for water, dogs trailing behind. Started fire in hearth when back. Carved about a pound of venison off the one hindquarter hanging in cabin, put in on spit and into the hearth to cook slowly. While it was cooking, smashed the blueberries, a few last wild strawberries, and a good portion of blackberries into a nice mess. Added a bit of sugar to sweeten it up a bit. Then made a double cornmeal flatbread. Put it next to fire in hearth to cook slowly. Plan was to use one tonight and the other for breakfast and lunch tomorrow. Cooked meat until 6 PM and it was done. Last thing was to boil some rice, and we were ready for birthday supper.

Made wife sit down and I served her the meal. Dogs just watched as they ate until their tummies were stuffed. They then went outside for a few minutes and were soon back lying on their rugs by the fire. Cleaned everything up and then made a water run to spring. We drank a bit more of the water from the well after boiling it. Made into some good coffee. Tasted different than spring water. No other plans for the evening other than to sit outside and listen to the sounds around us. Dogs ran around a bit but they were too full to get too active. We just sat there and talked about the past month and all that we have done and experienced. Would add those reflections to our diary after wife and dogs were asleep.

Finally, too dark to see anything, and sounds had stopped for the evening. Into the cabin we went, secured windows and doors. Cabin still full of smells of

supper. Wife said her flatbread dessert was the best dessert she had ever had and that her gifts were very, very special. Sat by the fire and had long season of thanksgiving prayer and closed the day by reading scripture. Dogs already on platforms, chewing on antlers, and quickly falling asleep. They seemed very contented. Not long after we heard them snoring, we climbed on our platforms and fell asleep easily. Things seemed OK with our lives. We cannot fret about what is going on in the world or in our country. We can only trust that the Lord has a great plan for everything. Thank You, Lord, for your blessings, our lives, our little part of the world, and for your love. Good night!

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

July Reflections

July has certainly been a full month. When we went to bed, the evening of my wife’s birthday on the thirty-first, it seemed impossible to us that the month had ed so quickly. Four very important things happened during the month.

First, we made significant progress in the building out of our home, the foundation for our lives, and our survival. We have been able to secure a reasonable supply of food on our own through hunting, trapping, and were just now beginning to see the fruits of our labors related to the garden. We have manufactured tools and structures to help us. We have made sure our cabin is secure. Our neighbors to the north gave us written permission to act as if our little plot of land and its buildings are indeed ours. We have discovered multiple sources of natural foods. We have shared the many chores, a true partnership, in building our future. Our dogs have continued to bring us joy as well as some aggravation at times. They have settled into their new lives pretty easily. We have possibly secured a water supply within the cabin for the long winter. We have been through some rough weather without any significant damage or being in danger. All-in-all, our lives have taken on a sense of normalcy, a new normal that’s very different than we had before. And we have remained healthy.

Second, we have made significant progress in building a relationship with our new friends to the north. They, as well as our original friends to the south, provided us with some wonderful gifts that will do a lot to make our life more comfortable. It appears that we were given a couple great opportunities to serve both small groups to the north and south in some way through the Bible studies. Our network will get larger through the Bible study and rendezvous with folks to the north. It would grow in the south with our trip over the Labor Day holiday at the beginning of September. We are not alone. We have other people we can trust with whom to build long-term relations.

Third, we have been able to keep ourselves safe from harm. Dangers are all around us, but through our own efforts and some lucky shots, we have removed threats from us. We know that other, greater dangers are out there. But we also know that with the Lord’s hand on us, and through a good dose of common sense, we will deal with those dangers when and if they present themselves.

And fourth, we have grown as a couple in ways we never imagined possible. Our relationship with the Lord is the foundation for all that we are, all that we do, and all that we will become. Our trust, faith, and hope in each other will be unbreakable forever. We have turned our future over to the Lord, trusting that He will care for us not just in this life but in eternity. To God Be the Glory! We wonder what the month of August has in store for us. It should be interesting.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord. (Psalm 4:5)

August Celebration, Heartache, and Winter Is Coming

Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak all of His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually (1 Chronicles 16:8–11)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #70

August 1

We all slept in a bit later than normal this morning. A good night’s rest. Dogs eventually wanted out so they could let the world know they were in charge. Made a water run with them running beside me. Back to rice, beef jerky, cornmeal flatbread, and coffee in the hearth. Smelled wonderful when I opened the door. Had to get out of the way or dogs would have run over me as they hurried to breakfast. Wife had pumped water from well and had it boiling. Going to transition more to the inside water over the month. If that continues to go well, spring will become our emergency water source.

Ate slowly, talked about the day, and our trip north this coming weekend. We will have the Bible study ready when we get there. Decided to concentrate on firewood this week with time for garden and trapping for food. Will keep an eye on little things around our home and repair if and when necessary. By middle of month we will move into full preparation mode for winter. Cooler weather here soon. Then the cold winter season will set in.

Dogs back outside somewhere. Could hear them barking at something. Wife would head to garden, cultivate it, and pick any veggies that were ready. After that she would head out to help me with wood. Work on wood all day, pick berries before supper, do upkeep on tools and weapons this evening, and then finish day with more Bible study preparations. A full day.

We geared up and headed out at 8:30 AM after locking up the cabin. Wife to the garden, me to the woods. Dogs confused about who they should go with.

Eventually just ran back and forth between the two locations. By 10 AM wife had ed me after dropping off garden veggies at cabin. She had also picked up some venison jerky and the final couple pieces of flatbread for our lunch while we worked. Worked steadily all morning, took short lunch break, then back at cutting wood. Was a nice day. Lots of sunshine. 4:30 PM arrived quickly and we looked at the results of our work. Had finished third cord, started on fourth, and made three more big stacks of brush. Tomorrow will have to start cutting more trees down. A long tiring day but we felt good about progress. Need to have seven or eight cords of wood stacked by the end of the month.

We got back to cabin, gear in hand. Checked on groundhog hide on curing form. Scraped it one more time then rolled it up and put with other hides on rack in cabin. That done, we got busy fixing our evening meal. Lettuce, kale, and spinach for veggies. Wife said other things probably a week to ten days away from getting first small fruit from plants. Double portion of rice, with smoked fish mixed into it. Dogs acted like hadn’t eaten in weeks. They are not quite as thin as when we arrived here back in late May. Cooking food smelled great. Ate a feast. Dogs got second helpings of rice. They did not care for the veggies, which was just fine with us.

I made water run after eating while wife cleaned up. She boiled more water from pump and used that to wash all the dishes. I checked trotline while down that way, and nothing on lines. Pulled them and rebaited a couple of them. High water from recent rain had probably made fish inactive. Water levels almost back to normal now. Dogs exploring all the way back to the cabin. Seems like they had energy levels back. Also, checked fish trap in creek. No damage from recent rain runoff but also no fish. High water levels let any escape that might have been trapped. Nothing in smoker, nothing on curing forms, nothing on meat dryer, everything was waiting for the next round of use. Need to do a bit of hunting this week and start trapping again after our trip north this coming weekend.

We sat outside mending clothing, sharpening blades, cleaning weapons, and

enjoying the wonderful evening. Dogs content to run around or lie beside us while we worked. Did hear a few shots off to the east. Likely hunters, in the direction of Ridgway. Other than that, only sounds were birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. One chipmunk stirred up the dogs by sitting on top of wood stacked by cabin and giving them a sound talking-to. Frustrated dogs that they couldn’t get to it no matter how much jumping and barking they did. We just sat and laughed at the whole scene. Eventually dogs got tired of the game and settled back down.

We sat outside until almost no light showing in the western horizon. A red sunset, which was good. Collected dogs, everyone went inside, secured the cabin, and sat down in front of the hearth to work on Bible study. Dogs on rugs half asleep in the lingering warmth from the fire. At some point, they hopped onto sleeping platforms and were quickly snoring. We said our prayers, read some scripture, and followed the dogs onto the platforms. Lot of small talk, planning tomorrow, a bit about details of the Bible study, and we soon drifted off to sleep. Lord, thank you!

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:6)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #71

August 2

Up early, well rested, a bit sore from woodcutting yesterday. Dogs and I headed to spring while wife boiled well water. She had fixed special breakfast for us of rice, a can of tuna mixed in, a few garden leafy veggies that were left from yesterday, and some orange drink. The change in meals was really good. We boiled spring water while eating. Once dishes cleaned up, we did a tick check on all four of us. Dogs each had their usual couple. Fixed that and checked ourselves. We each had a couple, probably from working in the woods cutting firewood. Fixed them, antibiotic cream on them, and we were good to go. Planned the day. Top priority was more woodcutting. Wife would cultivate garden again. After lunch, we would pick berries and start drying them in the sun to save for later. We would do that together watching out for larger critters. Would work on wood until around 4 PM, then check trotline and fish trap. Hopefully have fresh fish for supper. This evening would be maintenance chores plus more Bible study prep for the weekend. Would be another full day. Planned on taking air rifle to wood worksite and maybe get a chance at fresh squirrel. Dogs outside waiting on us to get ready to go somewhere. No barking, so no critters likely in the area.

Finally geared up, we set out in two directions. Wife to the garden, me to cut trees. She took dogs with her to keep them out of danger from falling trees. According to weather forecast of last Sunday, rain supposed to move in again day after tomorrow, so needed to get lot of wood cut. Could haul wood when raining without much danger other than slipping on wet grass and ground. Dogs barking down by the garden but no signal from my wife that something was around. Figured them just being dogs.

We were both busy by 8 AM. A good early start. By the time she ed me, I had cut down six more trees. She started to trim them up as soon as she got to the woods. I kept felling trees. We took a break at 11:30 AM and went back to cabin for cold lunch of jerky and more orange drink. Dogs got a couple pieces of jerky each and then ran back outside. Made water run and then we headed back to the woods. More limb trimming and felling trees. We called it a day at 5 PM. A long, busy day. Had another ten trees cut down by the time we left. Gear in hand, headed back to cabin. Made another spring run and checked trotline on the way back. Two small trout. Rebaited hooks. Water in cabin, went to check on fish trap in creek. One more small trout. Fresh cleaned fish for supper. Rice boiling, fish on skewer over fire, it cooked up pretty quickly. Sat down to a good healthy meal. Dogs back outside as soon as they were finished. Pumped water from well, boiled it, and used it to clean up dishes. Took stools outside, sat in quiet evening, sharpened all our blades. Wife worked on a few repairs to our clothing.

Once too dark to stay outside, we were back in cabin and everyone had a good hygiene wash. Used a bit of concentrated dishwashing soap. Dogs smelled of the woods and some of the stuff they got into. They needed to smell better since they spent a lot of time on sleeping platforms. Gathered empty tuna can and couple other soup and veggie cans and made some more fat-based candles. We had been saving fat from recent kills. Even when rancid, that fat still burned well in a fire tin. Wife braided some small paracord strands as I heated up fat and put in cans. Once heated fat was in cans, put homemade wicks in them and set up to harden as much as possible. With those, and couple others we had made before, plus unused gift candles, we were building up a good supply of light sources for dark days of winter. Dogs were curious as to what we were up to.

All done we closed up the cabin, sat in front of hearth, prayed, and read scripture. Dogs got a piece of jerky as a bedtime snack. Jumped onto platforms and chewed it down. They then started to chew on deer antlers. We were tired but seem to be getting used to the workload. Fell asleep quickly, looking forward to another dry day tomorrow. Good night, Lord.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #72

August 3

Crawled out of bed a little stiff from working in woods last couple days. Dogs seemed a bit sluggish as well this morning. Outside with them, made a quick water run to spring. They got occupied by a squirrel in tree on the way back. Once they realized I was not stopping, they caught up to me pretty quickly. While wife finished fixing breakfast, I checked the fish trap and it was empty. Will check again later today. Rice, jerky, and coffee for breakfast. Was filling. Dogs seemed satisfied. Top priority today was firewood. We would check on berries later today and dry some more for storage if we got enough. If not enough, would just have what we got for supper. Everything cleaned up, water from well boiled, we put out fire in hearth, geared up, and headed to the woods. Reasonable start.

Cutting logs and limbs by 8:30 AM. Planned on breaking for lunch back at cabin around 11:30 AM. Three hours of cutting logs and removing limbs from trees. Had one scare as we worked. Dogs started barking like crazy. They had discovered rattlesnake in pile of wood we had built up at that location. I grabbed long stick and was able to get it on neck of snake to pin it against the ground. Wife held dogs by their collars, which was hard because the two of them combined were really strong. Pulled out my handgun and put slug in snake’s head, killing it. It lay on ground writhing for quite a while. I took over holding the dogs back. Once it was definitely dead, hung it on tree limb out of reach of dogs. Snake meat was supposed to taste like chicken. We would find out later today. With that scare done, we continued to work until our planned lunch break.

Back at cabin wife fixed quick cold lunch while I went to spring for water with dogs. Dogs were still agitated from snake encounter. Lots of energy. Back, we

sat down to lunch of jerky and water. Didn’t take long to eat. Sharpened cutting tools, geared up, and back to the woods we went. Started working again about 1 PM. While I cut logs, wife finished stacking the third cord and started on a fourth. We were both bushed by 3:30 PM and decided to call it an afternoon. Dogs were off somewhere but eventually came back to cabin as well. They weren’t around when I carried snake body back. Obviously first thing I had to get done was field-dress and skin the snake, hang up skin on outside butchering pole, and then cut up meat. We ended up with close to a pound of snake meat. Cut off rattles and put them aside.

While I made a trip to spring with dogs, wife boiled well water for dishes. Then using boiled spring water, she cooked up some rice. Back at cabin I brazed snake meat in iron skillet. Interesting smell as it cooked. Would soon know if it tasted like chicken. We gave dogs rice with jerky for their dinner. Eating snake would involve picking out a lot of ribs and we didn’t want them to have to deal with that. After we had finished the meal we had to agree that the meat did taste a bit like chicken. Not a difficult cleanup. Together quickly finished that and headed to berry patch. No more wild strawberries to be found. Being so low to ground probably first thing critters got into. Found about a half quart of huckleberries, again low to ground, very sweet, and critters loved that. Blackberries were really abundant. We probably picked couple quarts of them. That was enough to dry and save for later. Back at cabin washed everything off. Added some powdered milk to blueberries and had them for sweet dessert. Will dry blackberries tomorrow, as it will rain the next day.

All of that done, sharpened all of our blades. Then a quick trip to check on trotline and fish trap. Came back with three small cleaned fish. Cooked up the fish before fire in hearth went out. Safer to have them sit overnight after being cooked than to let raw fish sit all night. Will have the fish for breakfast in morning. Dogs and I made another water run to spring. Used boiled well water to take care of our hygiene this evening. Boiled spring water for the morning. Dogs outside running, just being dogs.

We took stools outside and had final discussion about Bible study on the sixth. Finalized everything; we’re ready to do it. Heard the dogs barking up to the north toward our old lean-to site. No idea what they were getting into. They soon came tearing past us at the edge of the woods to our west heading south. Wonder what kind of scent they were on. They were screaming, so the beastie must not have been too far ahead of them. Imagine a rabbit as fast as they were all moving. It soon stopped in the old field to the south. Rabbit must have holed up in their home. Eventually dogs came back to cabin tongues dragging. They would fall asleep quickly tonight after that run.

There were things we could do but we decided to just rest. Hoped to get all of the felled trees cut up into logs tomorrow. Would be a couple days after tomorrow before we could get back into the woods. We did take a few minutes to look at cut areas from where we sat. We now had a much better line-of-sight cleared to the north and partway along the ridge to our west. Could see pretty clearly about fifty feet back into the woods where we had been working. More security moving forward.

Eventually got too dark to sit outside. Started to hear the creatures of the night and knew it was time to go into cabin, secure it, take care of last evening things, and hit the sack. Another hard day of woodcutting tomorrow. Dogs quickly onto the sleeping platforms gnawing on deer antlers. That didn’t last long. Soon were snoring. Wife and I read scripture, had prayer, hugs and we quickly followed the dogs to platforms. Another good day that flew by. Lord, give us your rest, prepare us for the busy day tomorrow. Good night!

By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

(Isaiah 53:8)

Building at New Life Diary: Entry #73

August 4

Dogs woke us up early this morning scratching at door to go outside. Out, they went and headed for old field to the south. Probably going to look for yesterday’s rabbit. Figured should head for spring while they were out. Maybe get them to follow me. Quick trip and dogs stayed in field. Wife had fire started and was fixing normal breakfast of rice and jerky mixed together. Hot coffee to drink. Noticed some clouds moving in from the south when outside. Rain likely tomorrow. Will make for a wet hike north. Will deal with that then. Boiled well water while eating. Wife would head to garden to cultivate, then me in the woods to work on firewood. We decided we will pack for our trip in the AM and try to leave by noon. If it will be wet, we’ll take some extra preparations and caution. Nothing to do about that right now; the woodpile was calling.

Geared up, we headed in our separate directions. Dogs followed wife until they realized she was only going to garden, then came looking for me. Got a good early start. Was already cutting logs from felled trees at 8:30 AM. Dogs nosing around entertaining themselves. Worked steadily until wife ed me. She started stacking wood as soon as she got there. Quick lunch break back at cabin by noon, cold lunch of jerky and water. Then back to wood cutting. We worked through the afternoon until I had everything cut into logs. When done cutting, I helped her stack wood in cords. By time done we had completed third cord and had three-fourths of fourth cord stacked.

When we get back on Sunday, will scope out where to cut next. On Monday, the seventh, will spend the day hauling the two new cords back to cabin after building simple drying racks to stack them on. By end of Monday should have four cords of wood by cabin. On Tuesday, we will spend the day hauling all the

piles of brush and cut limbs back to the cabin. By the end of the day Tuesday we should have quite a few good-sized piles of brush at the cabin that can be cut up into kindling. That will be a task to take on after we have enough cords of logs in place. Last log put onto stack and looked at watch. 5 PM and time to quit. Wife had headed back to cabin around 4 PM to work on supper.

Was a good week of woodcutting, we made a lot of progress. Will lose this weekend and the next to activities up north. Once finished with all of that, will have to hit firewood job hard again. Made quick trip to spring while wife boiled water for our hygiene wash. Spring water then into hearth to boil while we washed all four of us up. Quick tick check. Smaller dog had a couple, larger dog was tick free. Checked ourselves as well, nothing. Got about fixing supper. Cut up and fried a potato in some lard in iron skillet. Then made some cornmeal flatbread. Would have peanut butter on the bread. Few pieces of venison jerky thrown into potatoes for last few minutes of cooking. Used some of the boiled water to make two cups of tea. Tea is a great drink to help you relax. Everyone sat in their normal spots as we ate. Dogs finished, outside they went. Didn’t see them again for about an hour. Figured they were off to the south again. No barking, so we guessed they were OK. Dishes washed, I went on water run to spring. Boiled that as soon as I got back to cabin. We discussed what we would take as a gift to our hosts tomorrow. Decided on two of the new baskets wife had made. Likely no cattail materials close to them in their little valley at higher elevation. Was something wife had made and she wanted to give baskets to them. Did a bit of clothing, kit, and supply organization after we had secured cabin for the night.

Only an overnight stay, so clothing was pretty simple. Wife would carry .17 HMR, and I would have the .243. Carry our normal bags and kits, blades, and cutting tools. Would take some of the dogs’ dry food for them as well. Oiled up our boots since it will probably be raining. Ponchos out and ready. Made sure we had our Bibles and notes for the study. Last thing we did before prayers and scripture reading was to go over what we would each do during Bible study on Sunday morning. Prayers for traveling safety and that our work there would have a positive impact on the group. Dogs finally jumped onto platforms with us after lying on their rugs by the hearth. Lots of small talk for a while. Dogs content to

lay beside each of us chewing on their deer antlers until they fell asleep. We soon followed. Lord, prepare us to be used by You. Use us as your witnesses to your glory.

His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. (Isaiah 53:9)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #74

August 5

Dogs up early and outside. They ed me on a water trip to the spring. Wife fixed remaining flatbread with peanut butter for each of us. Dogs got a bit of jerky mixed in with some dry dog food. We ate jerky as well, so there were no real dishes to clean up other than our plates. Boiled spring water and filled up our canteens. I headed out to check on trotline and fish trap. Couple small trout which we would fix for a bit of lunch before heading out later. Would cook them on skewers outside with no need to start fire again inside cabin. Wanted fire inside to be totally out when we leave. I went down to berry patch quickly and picked half-quart of blackberries which we would take along as a snack during hike north. Back at cabin made sure blades were all sharp. While I was getting water, wife put earlier blackberries out to dry in what sun there was. Would let them continue to dry inside cabin while we were gone.

At 11:30 AM started fire in outside pit and quickly cooked fish. Dogs got a bit and we ate the rest along with water to drink. Drowned fire with water from well. Carried our kits outside and dogs started to get excited. Secured both doors again by nailing them shut. All of our outside structures up against side of cabin out of sight and hopefully sheltered from weather if it got bad. Everything on our shoulders and waists, with the dogs jumping around us in excitement, we headed north. Again, they were waiting for us when we got to the old lean-to site. As soon as they realized we were going on, they took off. That got old and they were soon back walking near us. Smelling everything as they went, they seemed pretty excited.

As soon as we turned north on old Forest Service road, it almost seemed like they knew where we were going. Uneventful walk. We were on the alert but saw

nothing other than some squirrels in trees, and birds flying around. Sky was gray, and shortly after we turned north on the old road, it started to drizzle. Looked like that would not stop soon.

As we moved further north, we started to see some pretty fresh bear tracks in mud on the road. There were two sets of what appeared to be large dog tracks mixed in with the bear prints. Those had us stumped. Bear prints ed the road probably a mile or so south of the turnoff to hosts’ cabin. When we got to the three crosses nailed to a tree, dogs took off down the path. It wasn’t long before four dogs came running toward us, our two and our hosts’ two bluetick hounds. Of course, lots of jumping around, petting, and attention paid to them all before we could head down the gentle slope to the cabin. Couple hundred yards from cabin, met friend and his wife who had come out to greet us. Hugs, handshakes and lots of chattering. Dogs were all beside themselves. Was 3:30 PM when we dropped our packs and kits inside their cabin. Dogs were over at their critter butchering site smelling the ground, running around in excited circles. Friend just laughed and said would tell us some news when we were settled. Back into the cabin, we set up where we would be sleeping. Could smell a venison roast cooking in their fireplace as well as some fresh bread baking in a Dutch-oven sitting beside the hot coals.

Outside on their porch even though drizzling. Had a nice roof and four homemade chairs for sitting. Wives disappeared inside for a minute and came out with lemonade made with powdered mix to drink. My wife appeared, carrying the two cattail baskets, and presented them to couple. They were very happy with them. Said they had hard time finding materials like that to make baskets. My wife was beaming.

As we sat there, friend told us about the excitement of the last few days in their neck of the woods. On July thirty-first, a black bear had tried to break into their cabin in the middle of the night. The hounds had eventually scared it off with their barking. The next morning friend followed tracks for a quarter-mile and figured general direction bear had taken off in. He made rounds to other cabins,

and all the men decided they were going to deal with the threat with some finality. After collecting their dogs—the two bluetick hounds and a couple mixed breeds—they set out on the bear’s trail shortly after lunch on the first. Tracked it south along ridge to west of Forest Service road. Dogs finally spooked it, and it took off down the road for a bit and then back into woods to the west. Now we had an answer to all the dog prints mixed in with bear prints that we had seen. Eventually the dogs cornered the bear in a small gully and waited for the men to arrive. Three of the five men put a couple shots into the bear. It dropped dead as a doornail. They had to figure out how to get it back the couple miles to the cabins.

Working in shifts, they dragged it slowly back up the slight grade and were back at friend’s cabin about 7 PM that evening. As my wife and I listened, we looked at each other. We told them we had heard some shots on the first to our west. We figured was hunters somewhere along the old road. It must have been them. They said the bear was likely trying to head further east and might have ended up at our cabin that day. Now we knew why the dogs were smelling the ground underneath their butchering pole. The bear had been butchered the next day. Each of the men involved walked away with forty to fifty pounds of fresh bear meat. Said one of the other men wanted the head to mount somehow. Not sure how he would do that, but didn’t ask.

At that point friend disappeared back into their cabin and came back out carrying a completely tanned bear hide. He then proceeded to put it in my wife’s lap saying that it would help us get through the coming cold winter. We looked at him with a puzzled look obviously. His wife said they were giving it to us as they had more than enough warm pelts and knew we could probably use it. We said we couldn’t accept it, but they insisted. We finally gave in. I picked it up, and the thing had to weigh at least fifteen pounds and was big enough for four people to crawl under it for warmth. Our dogs just smelled it over and over again. It was so soft. What a rug for the center of our cabin floor and for warmth during the night this winter. We just sat there dumbfounded. They remarked that a workman should not go unpaid. This was the group’s way of saying thank you for taking on the Bible study leadership role. With that, the argument ended. Last thing they said to us was that there would be one less bear threat to the area.

They also said it was likely not the only bear in the surrounding area.

During all this talk, the four of us were getting supper ready. Venison roast was ready, hot canned veggies were ready, four baked potatoes, and a big round loaf of Dutch oven bread was cut. We sat down to a wonderful meal. Our dogs got some of their dry food with chunks of venison mixed into it. We talked about content and plan for the Bible study in the morning, and they said it sounded just great. Said everyone else would be ing the study tomorrow morning. We would all sit down to breakfast together. The other couples were each bringing something for breakfast. Sounded wonderful to us. We all pitched in and cleaned up after supper. The four dogs were somewhere off in the woods. We could hear them all barking, the high-pitched beagle sound and the unique sound of the hounds. Imagined them treeing something and doing their best to get it. Eventually they all wandered back to cabin together. They had become best buds in spite of the glaring size difference among them. They were all hunters. That was what really counted.

9 PM arrived early, it seemed, and we all needed a good night’s rest. Shared prayers for tomorrow morning, read Isaiah 53 together, and all headed to the sack. Told us warm showers waited for us in the morning. God bless this house. Good night!

But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

(Isaiah 53:10)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #75

August 6

Everyone up early again. Just like last time we were here, four cold wet noses in the face make it hard to stay asleep. Dogs all went outside to do whatever they did. No sign of them again for about an hour. When they finally did show up, they were walking with some of the other folks who were arriving for group breakfast. Wife and I took a quick hot shower. It was wonderful. Put on our clean change of clothes and were ready to go. Had our own little private prayer time before we headed out to see everyone else, asking Lord to bless others through the Bible study we would lead.

Everyone arrived before 8 AM and it was not long after that that everyone sat down for a big breakfast. Quite a menu. Scrambled eggs, bacon, cornmeal muffins, fresh jam, butter, and as a kicker, roasted venison. Lots of fresh-made coffee and powdered orange drink as well. The conversation was wonderful. It got serious for a bit as we all talked about the news that everyone had been hearing about international and domestic situation. Group added things they had learned about Ridgway, Portland Mills, and other small communities in the area. Seems groups have banded together in each location to protect and provide for each other. There have been several incidents where strangers came into the towns, but they soon left when they discovered that residents were not going to take any guff or threats from them. Situation along the I-80 corridor to the south is worse. Word was that several families have been attacked in their homes and that one man died from gunshot wounds when he tried to fight off the attackers. Armed groups from the area made life miserable for the attackers, and they soon moved on but not before putting a great deal of fear and sorrow into a few lives.

Things like that will likely continue to happen. It became even more apparent

that our small groups were going to be important for our long-term safety and survival. We talked briefly as to how we could communicate with each other on a regular basis. Nothing final decided about that. Would be a big topic at the rendezvous in a week. Breakfast finished, everyone pitched in to help clean up. We had set 10 AM for the Bible study. One of the other men had a guitar with him, so it looked like we would have some singing, which was great.

Was still drizzling when we woke up but had stopped by the time we were setting up every chair and available stump up outside. 10 AM arrived and we started. We sang for at least twenty minutes. All the old gospel hymns and some new choruses. Was wonderful to sit outside and sing about the Lord that everyone was committed to. Had a short time of prayer next concerning safety, protection, families, our country, the world, and the service that we were all thinking about beginning. For the next thirty-minutes we read and discussed our Lord as the Suffering Servant. We talked about the implications of the message of Isaiah 53 for our lives. At the end of our discussion we bowed in prayer and went around the circle, each person praying individually for their own commitment to service and for the group as a whole. We closed the time by singing one more song, “Amazing Grace.” Hugs for everyone, some tears, and a feeling that we were indeed one body. With that our first Bible study was finished.

Before the group would let my wife and me walk away, they pointedly asked us to have a worship service during the rendezvous. They indicated that some would be attending who did not know the Lord and that friends wanted the weekend to have an evangelistic element. Our host asked us point-blank if we would preach the message of salvation to the group. We did not hesitate and agreed. One last prayer asking that the Lord would guide us as to what should be said.

With that the group milled around a bit. No one was hungry after the big breakfast. Everyone just shot the breeze. Some tall tales of course about killing the bear recently. As time drew closer to noon, wife and I said we needed to

prepare to head back south. Once we were repacked, with the new bear rug rolled up and attached to my pack, we said our good-byes. With everything on our shoulders and waists, the group prayed for us one more time. Everyone accompanied us up to the three-cross marker. We turned south and were quickly at the last point where we could see them. We looked back for one last wave and turned behind some trees. The two bluetick hounds stayed with us a bit longer; then we heard a shrill whistle, and they tore back toward home. Our dogs followed for a bit, then came running back to us.

A quiet walk back south, each of us lost in our own thoughts. As we drew closer to our turnoff to our cabin, we started to talk about what scripture to use for the message next weekend. Decided we would pray about that tonight, and the Lord would show us the right scripture. Once dogs realized we were headed downhill to home, they ran off and were waiting for us at old lean-to site. When we kept walking, they disappeared to the south. They were sitting at front door of cabin when it came into sight. Once I started to take nails out of door, they were off south to the old field. Heard some barking but they were soon back. Didn’t take us long to unpack. Unrolled the bearskin into the middle of the floor, and dogs immediately took it over as their own. We had a feeling we would have to fight them for it. Still not very hungry, so decided to have a simple supper of jerky and orange drink. Dogs got dry food with some jerky mixed in.

Built a small fire in the outside pit and just sat on our stools relaxing and planning out our week. In five days will be heading north for the rendezvous. Lots of things to work on, plus get ready for the planned worship service. Dogs ran around for a bit then lay down beside us. Lots of firewood work this week. Need to get at least one more full cord cut and stacked. Wife wanted to make four medium-sized baskets to take to the trading session also. First thing tomorrow morning, will head out to gather enough cattail leaves for her to make those. I will tend the garden while she is weaving, then go to the woods. Will add small jobs as time allows. Dark finally setting in, went inside cabin, secured it, and hit the sack. All four of us were tired. Prayers and scripture read, we soon were fast asleep. Lord, watch over us, and help us know what message You would have us deliver.

As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify many, as He will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #76

August 7

Woke up a little later than usual. Clearly we were more tired than we thought. Dogs slow getting around as well. Headed out the door with them to make a water run. Wife pumped well water and had it boiling by the time we got back. Good fire going in the hearth. Clouds and sun likely today. Temps into midseventies, we imagined. Cooked a potato cut into home fries with jerky mixed in. Dogs got their fill of it.

After cleaning up, we prepared to head down to marsh to get a big supply of cattail leaves for basket weaving. Got yoke and cordage ready. Plan was to gather two big bunches of leaves and haul them back in two bundles using the yoke. Geared up, we headed south. Dogs must have thought we were going to spring again when I picked up the yoke. That was where they headed when we got to the turnoff to the spring. Soon realized that we had continued south. Caught up to us at the beaver dam and stayed with us the rest of the way south. Boots on, I waded out into water and started cutting and carrying leaves to shoreline. Wife built them into two bundles. After an hour, figured we had what would be needed to make four medium-sized baskets. Tied bundles to yoke and onto my shoulders. Weighed more than I expected. Probably retaining some of water from marsh. Made it back to cabin by 10 AM. Laid the leaves out on the ground so they would dry a bit. Would take them inside tonight and back out tomorrow morning. Wife can spend Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday making baskets. Figured we would take one raccoon and two rabbit pelts with us for trading. That’s about all we have to take. Hopefully we can get something useful if we find anything we might need.

Took a short break, then I prepared to start hauling cut logs back to the cabin.

First task in the woods was to cut the materials necessary to build two drying racks for cords. Dogs went with me, wife stayed behind to clean up the cabin a bit using her new broom and dust brush. Took me about an hour and a half to cut needed logs to build racks. Brought them all back to cabin and assembled. Finished second one around noon and took short lunch break. Wife had made cornmeal flatbread, crushed what was left of berries we had taken north, and broke up some pieces of jerky. Ate slowly outside. Dogs got few pieces of jerky. Crushed berries hit the spot. She said to go back to woods and she would clean everything up. She would also check on fish trap, and if fish were there, would catch them and we could have them for supper. So I grabbed my gear and the wheelbarrow and started hauling logs. Worked until 5 PM and needed to stop. In just over four hours I was able to get one complete cord hauled and start on the next one. Will finish that one tomorrow and then start felling more trees to begin the process again.

Dogs spent part of the afternoon going back and forth with me between woods and cabin. They seemed to get bored and headed out to explore to the north. Heard them barking a couple times but nothing serious. Every now and then they would come back and check to see if I was still doing the same thing. They seem to be very attached to us, as if we weren’t attached to them. Made water run to spring when I got back, and smelled supper cooking in the hearth. Wife had caught three small fish in the trap and cleaned them, and they were now cooking on hearth spit. Rice on boiling as well. Back from water run, washed up using boiled well water.

We sat down to eat. Separated some fish from bones and mixed into dry dog food; dogs seemed to like that. I cleaned up all the dishes. Wife and I then hauled all of the cattail leaves in under the tarp roof over front entrance. Too much trouble to carry it all inside, and small creepies might go along for the ride. Wife didn’t want that. Dogs and I headed out on water run to spring. Back at cabin, sharpened all our blades and checked our weapons. Used mink oil on our boots again. Before heading inside, we did our hygiene check and wash outside. Dogs had been out in brush and tall weeds all day. They had a few ticks. Every time we grabbed tweezers which we used to remove ticks, they wanted to run away. A circus getting them to come back to us. Wife and I washed them a bit, then

washed ourselves as well. With warm weather, not nearly as much of an ordeal as it had been when we were on our survival walk in the middle of last winter.

Tomorrow’s tasks are set. Wife will spend the day weaving baskets. I will finish hauling cut logs, then start cutting down more trees. I will also check the trotline and garden. When we get back from north next Sunday, we should have more types of veggies ready to harvest. We sat for a bit and decided on what scripture to use for the service next weekend. It would be Peter’s sermon at the beginning of Acts. Probably the first evangelistic message ever given after our Lord’s resurrection.

Starting to get a bit darker earlier in the evenings. Partly due to sun moving further south and the fact that in the mountains everything happens earlier than down in the flatter lands. Inside cabin a little earlier. With tomorrow planned, sat in front of small fire in hearth, read scripture, and prayed for wisdom. Dogs on bear rug for a bit, then onto platforms. We followed soon afterwards, and all four of us were quickly to sleep. Protect us, Lord.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #77

August 8

Dogs rediscovered their rubber balls this morning. Out the front door they went with them. No telling whether they might lose them. Up early as we had a lot to get done today. Quick run to spring for water. Dogs, lying outside the door chewing on the rubber balls, dropped them and went with me. Back, we had a warm breakfast of rice, chopped up jerky mixed in, and coffee. Dogs got the same and then headed back outside. Cleanup went fast. Checked cattail leaves, and they were dry enough to start weaving baskets. Wife would work on them today.

My major task was to finish hauling cut logs to the cabin then back to the woods to fell another group of trees. I first went down to the garden and picked our first four small tomatoes. Just starting to ripen. We would put them on counter and let them finish turning red. Two quarts of picked berries from a few days ago, out in partial sunlight to finish drying. Laid them on a piece of old cloth, from a torn shirt, to keep them off the ground. Dogs smelled at them and then left them alone. Moved stool and table outside as workplace for wife. Another water run. She would boil spring and well water all morning to use during the rest of the day.

Geared up, I headed out with the wheelbarrow to finish hauling the cut wood. Finished that task around 11 AM. We now had three full cords and three-fourths of another sitting beside the cabin. Would fell new trees until around 3 PM, then try to get all of the brush piles hauled from the west to the cabin side as well. Putting off food gathering, trapping, and hunting until tomorrow. Last load of logs hauled, I grabbed a few pieces of jerky and drink of water, took cutting tools, and headed back to woods. Dogs kept going back and forth between us all

day. Wife made good progress on baskets by the end of the afternoon. Got one basket completely done and was three-fourths finished on a second one. If she is able to concentrate on them, will likely have four done by Thursday.

Had cut down, or knocked down, eight trees when I called it a day working in woods. Back to cabin for wheelbarrow and I hauled eight loads of brush back to cabin. Still had one big pile left to move from the west. When I headed out for last load, wife broke to fix supper. I went down to fish trap and pulled two medium-sized fish out of the water. Cleaned, took them inside, and put them on spit to cook for supper. Dogs and I made a run to spring for water. They spent most of their time under one tree barking at a squirrel that was tormenting them from on high. Supper was simple but good. Cooked fish, cornmeal flatbread, a few mashed berries spread on top of the bread, rice, and coffee. Dogs back outside running while we cleaned up dishes. Spent rest of evening sitting outside talking. I sharpened all cutting blades as we talked. Dogs off in the woods barking again, probably treed another squirrel. Discussed tomorrow’s work plan. Wife will continue to weave baskets. I will spend the AM felling more trees after hauling the remaining brush to cabin side. Will check trotline and get all our snare traps ready to go. Plan is to put the snares out while we are gone on trip to the north. Will also cultivate the garden once again.

Getting dark when we finally went inside. Dogs on the bear rug. Wife and I sat in front of hearth praying and reading scripture. Spent our time studying Peter’s first sermon in Acts 2. A busy and productive day. Onto sleeping platforms, some small talk, and soon all four of us were asleep. Thank You, Lord.

“And it shall be in the last days,” God says, “that I will pour forth of My spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”

(Acts 2:17, quoting Joel 2:28)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #78

August 9

Middle of the night the dogs woke us up when they went to the back door and started barking like crazy. None of us went out, and eventually they calmed down. Checked for tracks when we finally went outside later and appears to have been a raccoon heading down to the creek. Need to set the box trap out, baited with fish, tonight to see if we can catch it. Raccoon meat has some of the highest levels of nutrition available. Would be a good add to our diet. Dogs of course had to go out and smell the tracks and try to find it. Gave up when came to the creek.

Off to the spring we went. Back, I fixed breakfast while wife got all of her basket-weaving factory ready. Ate our normal stuff, rice and jerky. Added half of an apple for each of us for some fruit. When back from our trip, plan was to cut half of our apple supply into thin slices and dry them for storage for this winter. Berries we had been drying last couple days were done and hung in small basket from rack inside cabin. A start, but needed more dried stuff for the winter.

With everything cleaned up, dogs and I headed down to spring for water. By time we got back wife was already working on baskets. Of course, she had to stop for a minute to pay attention to the dogs. I grabbed the wheelbarrow and headed out to haul last pile of brush. Took me a couple hours to get that done. Stood back and looked at pile near cabin, and it was bigger than we thought it would be. Ten feet wide on four sides and six feet tall in the middle. Most was stuff one-half to one inch in diameter, perfect for kindling. There would be lots of pine needles as well to pick up. Have to be careful with the pile, as it will be a fire hazard. It also will likely be the new home of some forest critters. Because of all that, we built the pile around forty feet from the front door of the cabin.

That will be close enough to get kindling in the dead of winter.

Looking at the wood realized need a system to dry wood prior to burning when snow covers ground. Will build a simple indoor wood pile rack in a corner far from the hearth . Plan will be to have three or four days of wood in it at all times. The heat inside the cabin will dry it some before we burn it. The rotation system will be a daily chore once weather starts to get colder. That was our breakfast conversation as well as talking again about it over lunch. Finally finished hauling brush, I gathered up cutting blades and off to the woods I went. By noon I had cut down ten more trees. With what I had cut yesterday had more than enough to spend tomorrow removing limbs and cutting logs from downed trees. Wife had been working hard on baskets. Second one done and third one only required about another hour to be finished. She planned on finishing it after supper.

Dogs and I made another run to the spring. On the way-back, we checked trotline and had three lines with small fish on them. Some bait for our little raccoon friend tonight. Put cleaned fish on spit in hearth and boiled some rice. Ready quickly. Simple supper with water to drink. Not much cleanup involved. Wife got to finishing the third basket. Dogs and I headed out, geared up, with air rifle. We went back to where they had been tormented by the squirrel yesterday. Didn’t take long before they were barking at a squirrel in the same tree. They kept the squirrel occupied while I crept as close as possible. Still had a forty-foot shot, but air rifle came through. Dogs were on the downed squirrel in an instant barking at it and trying to drag it off. Was a fight to get it away from them and field-dress it.

We headed back to cabin with water and fresh meat. Wife almost finished with third basket when we got back. I put squirrel heart on green stick and cooked it over hot coals in the hearth, with an audience of two watching my every move. When cooked, cut it in half, and dogs took off with meat in their mouths to bear rug and ate it quickly. Wife and I just watched and grinned. Decided to skin the squirrel and cook it tonight. Let meat cook slowly over fire and fix it for a late-

night snack. Needed to eat it before it went bad. Cooked, we shared the meat with the dogs as well. We all ate way too much and would probably feel it during the night. Hard to sleep while heavy food is digesting. But we needed the protein.

Wife was done with third basket, and they looked wonderful. Big enough to store quite a bit of stuff hung from a cabin’s rafters. Told her they were wonderful. She said a fourth one will be done tomorrow morning and that she had enough cattail leaves to finish the job. Once we had our late second supper, I baited up box trap with some uncooked fish innards and put it down by the creek. Hopefully in the morning we will have another food source ready to prepare and cook. If so, we’ll have enough meat to last us until we leave on our trip north day after tomorrow. We looked back on the day, and it had been quite busy. Got a lot done. Identified some more simple projects to work on. Had fresh meat for meals. Dogs had their fill. They were happy campers.

As darkness fell we came into cabin, secured windows and doors, and settled in front of the hearth for our evening devotions. We read more scripture that we would use at the rendezvous. Continued to pray for insight and wisdom on what to say to everyone who’ll be there. Dogs content to lie on the bear rug. Done with devotions, we scratched their tummies and they jumped onto sleeping platforms and were soon snoring. Wife and I sat until fire completely out in hearth and then climbed onto platforms beside the dogs. Didn’t take long and we were soon snoring just like them. Thank You, Lord, for a good, productive, safe day.

And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21, quoting Joel 2:32)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #79

August 10

Dogs were quiet all night. But as soon as I was up, they were at the back door. Outside, they made a beeline for the box trap and were screaming at it. I grabbed my handgun and headed down that way. Guess what. We had our raccoon in the trap, and it was not happy, biting and scratching at the trap to try to get away. Struggle was soon over thanks to handgun. Dogs couldn’t understand why it stopped moving once they overcame the shock of the shot. Carried trap to our butchering spot, hung it from the overhead log, and slit raccoon’s throat so it would bleed out as much as possible. Was a chore trying to keep dogs away from the warm blood. I have not often mentioned in my diary entries that I always bleed out every animal that we kill immediately after it dies. That keeps the meat better and allows the carcass to cool down more quickly which extends the usefulness of the meat. Learned that trick from my dad many years ago.

Would skin and butcher the raccoon after breakfast. Would put hide on curing form, as well as rabbit skin on smaller form, and set both out in the sun today. Likely able to scrape both hides two or three times. Put them out tomorrow morning as well and then back into cabin right before we head north.

Meanwhile, wife had been starting on fourth basket. We weren’t going to eat breakfast until dogs and I made water run, which we quickly did. Breakfast was pretty simple, jerky, orange drink, and some boiled rice. Dogs finished quickly and were soon outside running around, mostly down by the creek and underneath the box trap. Few dishes cleaned up, I removed raccoon body from trap, which was always a pain. Hung body from pole and quickly skinned it. Wife took skin and put on curing rack and then out beside squirrel. She scraped both as well. Dogs could not stop smelling the hides on the racks. Took raccoon

meat inside and butchered it. Cut into four quarters and put into smoker. Fire built in firebox. We would smoke it all day, finish cooking what we would have for supper over hearth tonight, and let the rest keep smoking. Should have enough meat for breakfast and lunch tomorrow as well. Was 10 AM by the time we were done with all this. Would be getting a late start on taking limbs off downed trees and starting to cut logs. Wife would me in that work when fourth basket finished. Didn’t want her going to garden alone, which was close to all the berries. Even with one bear killed to the north, that did not mean that there might not be others who wanted the fresh berries. We would do that together later this afternoon.

Left her to finish last basket at cabin, I geared up, grabbed cutting tools, and headed out into the woods. Of course, carried .243 just in case. Started taking limbs off trees. Finished three about the time wife arrived. She had brought some water and jerky, so we took a short break to eat something. Said she had scraped both hides on forms before coming into the woods. Quickly got after wood once finished with snack lunch. She worked on limbs. I worked on cutting trees into right-sized logs. We decided to work until around 4 PM. Knowing that, I decided to spend the last hour preparing log materials to use in building two more drying racks for cords of wood back at the cabin. Lot of material around, so I was able to get that all done by our quitting time. Gathered our tools and headed back to cabin. I took the wheelbarrow back to woods, collected rack building materials, and hauled them all back.

Pulled two more quarters of smoked raccoon out of smoker and wrapped in foil. Wife built good bed of coals in hearth, and we put raccoon meat in to roast slowly. We could leave it there while we headed to garden to cultivate and to pick any wild berries we might find. Cultivating didn’t take long. Looked like we will have another small harvest from garden when we get back from our trip. Then picked blackberries and got another couple quarts. Would mash half of them and put on flatbread tonight and start drying the other quart. Worked together on supper. Small flour, and powdered milk flatbread made in iron skillet. Used some lard to grease the skillet. We need the fat in our diet. Supper would be meat and flatbread covered with berries. Sounded great.

While meat continued to roast, I sharpened all our blades and checked all our weapons, and we both started to get organized for trip north. Will be staying two nights, so need a bit more than other trips. Wife had baskets ready to go. We had decided to bring one raccoon pelt and two rabbit pelts for trading, so I took them down from rack and rolled them up together.

Finally, the smell of the roasting meat became too much for us. The flatbread was ready as well. Meat was done, so we sat down to eat. Dogs got as much meat as they wanted and some flatbread, a bit of powdered milk poured over it. We had water to drink. Noticed that our coffee supply was starting to look a little low, so want to ration it more carefully. Still had a few tea bags left, but not many. Dogs finished eating and sauntered outside. Not moving too fast with full tummies. After we cleaned up dishes, we went out and they were lying together in a heap almost asleep by the outside fire pit. What a life.

We ed them outside and planned more of the service in a couple days. Agreed on what each of us will do. Felt good about our plan. Dogs and I made last water run of the day. They finally had some energy, at least they could trot. Not interested in much. Seemed anxious to get back to cabin and lie down. We had our prayer time and scripture reading outside in the fading light of the day. When too dark to continue, we went inside and secured the cabin, and everyone climbed onto sleeping platforms. We talked a bit more about trip north and soon were asleep. Lord, give us traveling safety tomorrow; use us for your purpose.

This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified. (Acts 2:32–33, 36)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #80

August 11

Up bright and early this morning. Water run to spring and wife boiling water from well. Needed full canteens for our trip north today. Looked like weather would be OK, at least today. Hoping for sunshine tomorrow for the big rendezvous activity day. Last of raccoon pulled out of smoker and onto iron skillet to fry it up in some lard. Rice boiling. When all of that was ready, put water from spring on to boil as well. Dogs outside barking and running around but were soon at the door when they smelled breakfast cooking. Checked fish trap and only saw one small fish in it. Would leave it alone. Not enough to bother with. Dishes cleaned, washed ourselves, and did hygiene check on dogs. As always, a couple ticks to remove.

That done, we got serious about our packing. EDCs packed, med kits ready, we turned our attention to our main packs. Enough regular and emergency clothing ready. Cured hides rolled and ready to attach. Weapons, blades, utility belts, ammo belt, all ready as well. Dogs were getting excited as they watched us. They knew we were going somewhere. Everything ready, we flooded firebox in smoker and put out fire in hearth. Cold lunch of a few pieces of jerky for everyone, with water. Dogs were beside themselves. By 11:30 AM were ready to take everything outside and secure the cabin. Checked to make sure all our equipment was stored out of sight and possible weather. Dogs watching to see which direction we were going to go. Doors on cabin nailed shut, we picked up all our gear and looked at the dogs. They were sitting beside outside fire pit anticipating the trip, wherever it might take us.

A prayer for traveling safety and we were off. We each were carrying a couple of the baskets my wife had made. Once we started to the north, dogs were off. As

usual we caught up to them waiting for us at the old lean-to site. As we walked by, they were off again up the slope of the ridge. They stayed pretty much in sight to make sure we were still coming. Just short of an hour and a half after starting out we reached the Forest Service road. Turning to the north, the dogs were off again. We could hear them barking in the distance. Every once in a while, they would come trotting back to us, just checking. Nice sunshine coming through the trees. Slight breeze helped, but we still had to stop once in a while for water and short rest. Once we went around the last curve, where we had waved a parting good-bye last week, the dogs were off. We could see a couple other dogs running toward them, the bluetick hounds, their buddies. That was the last we saw of them until we came to the three crosses nailed to a tree. They were off again toward friend’s cabin, and we didn’t see them again until we arrived there.

Friends were busy working on what appeared to be a large spit over an open fire. When we were finally close enough, we could see a full deer being turned on the spit. Several tents and lean-tos were set up around the cabin as. A few men were sitting on the porch talking. Everyone greeted us, and we spent another fifteen minutes with introductions. Even as we were doing that, two more couples walked up to the cabin loaded down with packs and stuff. Our first count showed sixteen adults and a dozen dogs. Our dogs were the smallest. The rest were hounds, Labs, and German shepherd mixes. What a mess, they were all running around in circles trying to figure out who was in charge and what to do. They all seemed to hit it off, which was good. We didn’t need any conflict among the dogs.

Friend and his wife had told us last weekend that we would be staying in their cabin, so we didn’t bring any shelter building stuff. Wife was immediately into the middle of everything. Another thirty minutes and three more couples showed up. We were all within ten to fifteen years of each other in age. The youngest were probably in their late forties; we were probably the oldest. The deer had been cooking since late this morning and would be ready by around 7 this evening. Supper would probably be around then. There was enough meat to last the entire weekend. Forgot to mention that we had arrived at cabin around 4 PM. Looked like the last three couples would be the last ones to arrive today. Might

be more tomorrow morning. But for now, had around twenty adults.

All the ladies were inside talking and working on supper stuff. Smells coming out the open front door were wonderful. Men milled around the fire, cooking meat, talking about everything under the sun. I asked if anyone had more problems with coyotes in the area. There had been none. Told them had forgotten last week in all of the excitement of the bear killing to tell friends that I had killed three coyotes the week before. We had not had any sign since then that any more coyotes were in the vicinity. They were happy to hear about that. Everyone had been worried about a pack of coyotes being around. For the time being at least it appeared that that danger was not in play.

Around 7:25 PM wives said everything was ready. Supper would be a picnic outside, everyone cutting off as much meat as they wanted from the carcass cooking on the spit. Dogs were fed first; each got a big hunk of cooked meat after it had cooled a bit. Lots of chatter and noise as everyone ate. Menu included mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, fresh green salads, fresh baked bread and butter, and of course venison. A couple of the wives announced there would be dessert as well. Not sure had enough room left for dessert but took a small piece of fresh berry pie anyway.

Was getting pretty dark when everyone pitched in to clean dishes. Couple guys took the meat down from spit and carried it into cabin. Fire was built back up, and when all the work was done, everyone came out to sit by the fire. Couple guitars appeared and of course lots of songs sung. In between songs activity plan for tomorrow was shared. It was going to be a busy day. Last event of the day, again around the fire, will be the worship service.

Finally noticed lots of yawns appearing. Longest distance anyone had come was eight miles. There were some tired people. It was 10 PM when everyone decided to call it an evening. We closed the day with prayer, and everyone headed to bed. Wife and I, with our dogs, were given the same sleeping quarters as last week.

We were all tired, and it didn’t take us long to get to sleep. A busy day tomorrow. Prayers for our message, reread scripture, and we were soon asleep.

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #81

August 12

Dogs were the first ones up, as always. Wasn’t long before they were back to where we were sleeping with the two blueticks with them. They certainly were a sight—the two short beagles and the two long legged hounds. Once they had a bit of attention, off they went outside. Dressed quickly, we started to help with breakfast for the whole group. Everyone outside stirring. As if anyone could sleep with all the dogs running around. Friend and I pumped a lot of water. We started the outside fire going again, put deer back on spit, and mounted it over the low fire. Would let it cook all day. People could help themselves to meat any time they wanted some. Weather looked like it was going to cooperate. White fluffy clouds and a breeze blowing in from the south.

Wives kicked us out of the cabin. Said we would be in the way while they worked. They did ask us to bring several iron skillets out to the fire and cook up a few pounds of bacon, which we did. By 8 AM everyone up and breakfast was ready, or that was what wives said. Another meal outside after we got our plates fixed inside. Dogs got a good helping of rice and a couple pieces of bacon. They each went off to their own space to eat. Breakfast menu was simple but wonderful. Scrambled powdered eggs, bacon, orange drink, and more fresh bread with jam. While eating, the men told the wives that we would clean everything up so they could sit and relax. Got some funny looks, but they finally agreed. We set up an assembly line and did a great job of cleanup, at least we thought so. Every now and then one of the wives had to come in to make sure we were doing it right. But they were quickly told to disappear—we knew what we were doing.

Plan for the morning was to start some contests around 10 AM and break around

noon to prepare a simple lunch. Everyone figured if we got all the physical contests out of the way early, we would be able to do the calmer ones in the afternoon. So right off the bat, full stomachs and all, we set up a sack race. Each couple had a sack. Had to run two heats with the top three in each heat moving into the final. We all wished, after it was over, that we had a video camera to record the races. Quite a few spills and collisions. In the end, the youngest couple present ran, or should I say walked away with the win. Their prize, a lot of handshakes and good-natured ribbing.

Next contest was a walking relay race between the men and women. Each team had a plastic cup full of water. A simple obstacle course had to be negotiated, the cup handed off to the next person, and on down the line till each team was done. Scientific measurement was then used to determine which team had the most water left in their cup. Somehow the ladies did not drop any water. They were accused of hiding extra water somewhere and putting it into their cup. That idea went over really well. A lot of laughing and kidding, but everyone enjoyed it.

The third and final contest for the morning involved each couple trying to build a fire using only wood. This is a great survival skill that everyone there had likely used in the recent past. Only problem was with the wood. It was wet. It took twenty minutes before one couple, our friends, had a small flame built. They were declared the winner. Lots of sweating and drinking of water when it was over. Just a few complaints about the wood being wet, but those didn’t get much sympathy. The dogs had been going nuts throughout the contests. In fact, they had been the cause of some of the mayhem during the sack race, tripping several couples.

The three contests done, prayers of blessing were said, and fresh slices of bread appeared from inside the cabin. Everyone carved some thin slices off the deer carcass and sat around eating a simple sandwich. Every dog got a nice thin slice of the meat as well. Everyone relaxed, talked, and had a few more laughs as stories started to flow about the contests. The women were accused, in jest, of cheating in the water relay. Again, that didn’t last long. Each of the men got the

look from their wife. Afternoon contests were going to be skill related. Back in the day of the original rendezvous in the mountain west, shooting contests were a standard activity. But given our current situation, we had decided not to use any ammo from our supplies. Instead we agreed to knife throwing and ax throwing contests. The third and final contest would be sawing a half in the shortest time.

A small oval of cut wood was hung loosely from a tree limb as the knife throwing target. Out of the twelve to fourteen men, only three were able to hit the target and get their knife blades to stick. Another round and there were two men left. Took two more rounds of throws before only one was left standing. It was the youngest guy there again. Next a larger oval of wood had been nailed to a tree. Each man took a turn at throwing a hand ax at the target. Better results this time as five hit the target with blade and it stuck. Couple more rounds of throws and a winner was declared. The ladies took part in the throwing contests, but their hearts were not in it. Mostly they watched, clapped, and felt sorry for their strong woodsmen.

The last contest was sawing. Two separate contests. First, the ladies used a bow saw and a four-inch diameter log. Timed contest. Again, the youngest woman won. Next, the men sawed a six-inch diameter log. Results showed a really close contest. Winner determined by only a two second difference from runner-up. A lot more sweating obviously. Everyone gathered back at the fire for a drink of water and more stories and observations about the afternoon’s contests. Everyone said they had a great time.

At 3:30 PM everyone agreed time to get a bit of rest before supper and the evening service. Most went back to their lean-tos or tents. My wife and I, dogs with us, walked a bit up the small valley and sat on a downed tree. We spent some time in prayer and talking about the service tonight. The dogs were content just to do a bit of exploring. Back at the cabin, we did take a thirty-minute rest on our sleeping bags. But wife was up soon and out in kitchen helping ladies get supper prepared.

Everyone asked for a light supper, please. That didn’t go far. By 6 PM supper was ready. A full meal of pasta, fresh veggies, and more fresh bread and jam. Still lots of meat outside. Piled everything except meat on plate, went outside, and cut however much you wanted. Each dog got a plate of pasta and meat. Was interesting watching the dogs. Not one of them tried to take another dog’s food. What are the chances? Men volunteered, at least so we were told, to clean up after supper just like breakfast. Again, assembly line put in place, and it was done pretty quickly. Wives sat around fire outside talking about housekeeping, crafts, clothing, gardens, and preparing for winter. They seemed to enjoy the downtime.

Close to 8 PM and everyone sitting by the fire. Couple guitars appeared again and more singing. Friends introduced us, and we led the group through a ninetyminute discussion of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, the concept of servanthood, how Christ was the example of our servanthood calling, and a simple explanation of the plan of salvation. Every couple had their own Bibles with them, and they followed the scripture carefully. When we were done discussing the age, one of the couples asked if they could make a renewal of their commitment to be servants to the Lord. That started a cascade of each couple praying and making that same commitment. Some tears, some amens, lots of hugs, and when everyone was done a lot of handshakes.

We closed out the evening by everyone making a commitment to have another rendezvous in October before the worst of winter set it. It will be a celebration of sharing how everyone has been used over the next couple months to be in service to the Lord and to people around them. Was really a very solemn time. Our hosts invited everyone to come to the regular Bible studies that we will be leading. We agreed that the next one will be on Sunday morning, the 27th of August.

It was pushing 10:30 PM, and with everyone wanting to get an early start home in the morning, we broke up the service with a final prayer of thanks and for

traveling mercies tomorrow. It didn’t take long for everyone to shut down for the night. All of the dogs had ditched the day long before the humans did. Ours were really sawing logs when we ed them in our sleeping area. One final hug and we were quickly asleep.

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving And declare all Your wonders. (Psalm 26:7)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #82

August 13

Everyone up early. There was one more activity to complete before everyone headed home. Dogs were outside with their buddies running all over the place. Hot coffee was brewed, sliced bread and jam, and well-cooked venison for everyone for breakfast. Dogs got as much of the meat as they wanted, with a generous limit. Still had to walk home, and did not want to carry them if they were bloated full of meat. Great blessing given for the meal, a praise prayer for all the blessings we each had and for our group moving into the future together.

Last event of the weekend was the trading of items everyone had brought with them. Each couple laid their goods out for everyone to look at; then the dickering started. It was fun to take part and to listen to everyone’s pitch to trade their goods for something else. We had the least to trade, but we were the newest people in the neighborhood. When all of the trading was done, my wife and I felt very good about what we would be taking with us. She traded two of her baskets for a yard and a half of cotton cloth. Would make her a wonderful new shawl with it. The other two baskets were turned into two pounds of fresh coffee. Coffee was something we were starting to run out of.

I had the three skins to trade, which could be made into some house slippers or something warm for one’s hands. I had my eye on an eight-pound maul that the youngest couple was offering. It was used but in pretty good shape. Looked like the guy had put a new handle on it. It would be a great tool for splitting firewood come cold weather. He played it tough, though. Took his hat off, ran his fingers through his hair, scratched his chin, looked at his wife, who was trying to keep a straight face through the whole thing. He then said that he had a better maul back at their cabin, but trading this one would leave him without a backup. Just wasn’t

sure he wanted to let go of it. Told him I would throw in ten rounds of ammo for his handgun but that was as far as I would go. His wife finally jumped in and said enough was enough. They didn’t need the ammo. The skins were more than enough for the maul. She walked over to her husband and punched him in shoulder, grabbed the maul, and handed it to me. I looked back at him, and he was just grinning. I had been had. Walked over to him and shook his hand, and we slapped each other on the back, laughing.

By 10 AM all the trading was done. Everyone seemed to be pleased with the results. Before anyone took off, we had a final quick prayer as a group and asked the Lord to watch over everyone until we were together again in a few weeks. With that everyone packed up their new goods and headed out in small groups up to the three crosses marker. Hosts and their two hounds stopped there, and we all set off to the north and south along the Forest Service road. We were the only ones going south. Our dogs eventually caught up with us. We talked some but mostly stayed silent until we got to our turnoff down to our cabin. Our dogs didn’t wander off too far, partly because they were so full of food and partly because they knew we were on way home and just wanted to be with us.

By 2 PM we made the last little turn around the ridge and saw our home. It looked undisturbed. Took a bit to get it opened up. Both doors and the windows open to let it air out a bit. Dogs and I went to get water at the spring while wife built fire in hearth to boil it. Dogs inspected the garden and old field on the way. Took a quick glance at trotline, and couple lines were taut. Would come back later, maybe some fish for supper. We had had our fill of venison for a while. Dogs went inside cabin and curled up on bear rug and quickly fell asleep. Wife and I slowly unpacked our main packs. Put our new belongings where they needed to be, the cloth on a shelf, the maul next to the rest of our cutting tools in corner of cabin.

We decided we were just going to rest this evening. Reflected on the weekend and how the Lord had created a wonderful environment, had spoken through His word, and had built the beginnings of a strong bond between everyone who had

been together. We talked about what the next Bible study topic should be. Decided to pray about it for a few days and see what made sense. Our first thought was to start study of discipleship. Dogs were goners by 7:30 PM, sound asleep on the bear rug. Finally carried them to the two sleeping platforms, and they never let out a peep. Just grunted and stirred a bit and were soon snoring again. Wife and I sat by fire in hearth boiling water from well. Not much said, just deep in thought. We did open scripture and read the twenty-third Psalm and Philippians 4:6–7, our life verses. A simple prayer of thanksgiving and praise, a prayer for protection, and we climbed on sleeping platforms and were quickly asleep. To God be the glory, amen.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which sures all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #83

August 14

I woke up with a start sometime in the middle of the night. Couldn’t get to sleep, so lay there just thinking and listening. After a while a deep sense of foreboding came over me. I had no way to know why, but something in me said that some rough days were coming, and coming soon. Never did really get back to sleep the rest of the night. Told my wife about what I had sensed, and she put her arms around me and said everything would be OK, the Lord was watching over us. The dogs could sense that I was worried about something, and they stuck close to me.

The three of us headed out to the spring. Got back, and wife already had fire going in hearth, rice boiling, and some flatbread cooking in iron skillet. She had used flour and powdered milk to make it. I pumped some water from well and got all the water ready to boil. Quietly sat and ate our breakfast with the dogs lying on bear rug and watching us after they were done eating. They sensed something.

We talked about work for the day. We went to garden together to cultivate it, check out the berry patch, and make quick trip to trotline. Could tell that birds had been into the blackberries. There was still enough left for us to pick a quart or so. We would dry those and put in our stores. Trotline had three lines with small fish on them. Pulled lines in, cleaned fish, rebaited hooks, and back into the water they went. Fish would be for lunch.

Back at the cabin, dogs headed into woods to north out back. Put berries out to

start drying. Dark clouds building from the south; looked like it was going to start raining any minute. Around 10 AM it did just that. A gentle rain at first, then much harder. Quite a bit of wind but no thunder and lightning. We sat in the cabin or under the tarp roof over front door. Dogs didn’t venture out in it either. We pumped water from well and boiled it. Would make spring run later. Decided to eat some lunch, hoping the rain would let up or stop by the time we were finished. Fried fish in lard in small iron skillet. Boiled up some rice. Dogs seemed to still be hungry. We sat down to a cool damp lunch. Windows open as much as possible to continue to air out the cabin. Didn’t take long to clean dishes. Made some coffee and it hit the spot.

By 12:30 PM rain was down to a drizzle, and clouds were getting thinner above us. While waiting for it to stop, built two more drying racks for cords of wood by the cabin. Didn’t take too long and soon grabbed cutting tools and gear and headed into woods to the west to finish taking limbs off felled trees and cutting fire-sized logs. Wife, dogs, and I headed out. Worked until 5 PM in dangerous, wet conditions. Bow saw slipped out of cut once, and I fell headfirst over the downed tree. Lost my balance. No damage done to the saw or to me, except for a few scrapes. Just learned to be very careful. Would take care of scrapes once back at cabin.

Worked slowly and got five of the eighteen downed trees cut into logs. Wife had half of the trees clean of limbs and another brush pile built. Dogs kept busy running around. Think they were just glad to be back home. Everything gathered up, we headed back to cabin. Dogs and I went out to spring for water. When we were in the garden earlier today, decided to pick more produce while supper was cooking. While wife got fire going, rice and jerky boiling, and flatbread baking, I went to garden and came back with three small tomatoes. We would slice them up and have them for supper as well. Dogs, as usual, were lying on bear rug watching supper being fixed. Thought I saw them licking their lips in anticipation.

Sat down to eat and talked about Bible study on the twenty-seventh. I was still

bothered by the bad feeling I had last night. We talked about it and agreed that we will be even more careful when we are out and about. Dogs finished, they headed outside barking. I picked up yoke and headed to spring while wife cleaned up. Dogs with me, we were back pretty quickly. Sat in front of cabin and sharpened all our cutting tools. Wife brought hot water out, and I washed out all my scrapes from fall, applied antibiotic and Band-Aids. Could have been worse; I was lucky. Had noticed the past six months when I got overly tired I was a bit wobbly on my feet. Need to get more rest than recently. Won’t be easy, given all the winter preparations ahead of us.

While we worked on scrapes, wife said she wanted to make some more baskets, so we decided to head to marsh for cattail materials first thing in the morning. By the way, the tomatoes were really good for supper tonight. One thing my wife and I got all of. The dogs turned their noses up at them. Sky was clearing out slowly, so rain had ed by. We closed up and secured the cabin, boiled water, and sat by hearth for our devotions. Prayer and scripture. We were feeling more and more led to have discipleship as our subject for the next Bible study in a couple weeks. Dogs must have been tired because they were up on platforms early. Snoring to beat the band. We waited until water was boiled and fire was going out before following them. Lord, give us direction, strength, and common sense in the days ahead. Thank You!

Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. (Luke 10:1)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #84

August 15

A busy day ahead of us when we climbed down off sleeping platforms. Dogs outside waiting on me to go to the spring, which we did. Back, fire in hearth, wife cooking rice and flatbread for our meal. Took a few dry berries and mixed with milk to moisten them for the flatbread. Dogs enjoyed their breakfast and headed outside. Pretty foggy out this morning. Kind of pretty but also potentially dangerous. We would have to be on our toes. Cleaned up after breakfast together.

Geared up, cutting tools in hand, yoke and cordage on shoulders, we headed down to marsh to get more basket material. We worked for an hour or so and had two good bundles for my wife to work with. On way back to cabin, stopped at garden and decided to wait couple more days to let a few tomatoes ripen some more. Soil is really rich here in our small valley. Things seem to grow a bit quicker than on land below us, which has been tilled for a long time and lacks nutrients. Another blessing for us to have the rich soil.

We were back at the cabin by 9:30 AM. Wife was going to stay there and start to prepare cattail leaves for weaving. I exchanged tools for log cutting ones, grabbed rest of gear, and headed into the woods to the west. Dogs came with me and stayed until they got bored, then headed south along west side of the old field to explore. Had seven or eight trees to take the limbs off of. Then would start cutting logs from the twelve or so trunks lying on the ground. Hoped to make good progress during the day. At noon, after eating a quick cold lunch, headed to woods with gear and tools. When I left cabin, wife was spreading the new cattail leaves on ground to let them dry. She had enough for another three or four medium sized baskets. Dogs went with me at first. They then deserted me and took off back towards the cabin. Able to concentrate on my work.

Took a couple hours to take limbs off rest of trees and pile them up. Then started cutting logs. By 5 PM had seven more trees cut up, only five more on the ground to go. With the few logs that we had not hauled to this point, likely had another full cord to add to cabin supply. That will give us four. With remaining trees to cut up, will have close to five cord, if not a full five done. Halfway to our minimum target for the winter. Dogs had come to check on me a couple times. Wife came with them the last time about 4:30 PM. Said it was time to call it a day. I agreed. Loaded up gear and tools and was back to cabin by my 5 PM target. Put tools in cabin and grabbed water hauling yoke and dogs and I were off to the spring.

When we got back wife already had water from well boiling. Made a quick trip down to creek and had three nice-sized fish in trap. Caught, cleaned, and up to cabin. I started some lard heating in iron skillet and fried the three fish. Wife, meanwhile, had cut up a potato into home fries. Cooked those next. We sat down to a great supper of fried fish, home fries, and orange drink. I cleaned up dishes while wife told me about her basket weaving plans. After she laid leaves out to dry today, she gave the inside of the cabin a good cleaning. Hung the two dog rugs and bear rug outside to air out. She said she moved everything outside that was on the floor and scrubbed it with water mixed with a bit of concentrated dishwashing liquid soap. Hit me that was why the place smelled so good when I got back from wood working. She is something else. Even in these less than ideal conditions she can make the cabin shine.

Decided we would all go to the spring. Take a slow walk in the early evening just to relax a bit. Took quick glance at garden on way back, and it was fine. Lots of critter prints around it, but nothing has been able to get inside the protection fence so far. We have lost a couple tomatoes to birds, but that was to be expected. First thing tomorrow morning, will check trotline to see if any fish there for lunch or supper. We are going to experiment for breakfast tomorrow morning. Try to see how flour, powdered milk, a bit of salt, and a bit of butter will taste cooked like pancakes. We will use peanut butter for our syrup. Thinking of that reminded us that we need to be looking for a few maple trees to

take sap from so we can try to make maple syrup. Will be a whole lot better on future pancake experiments.

We gathered all of the cattail leaves that had been spread out and put them under a piece of our plastic next to piles of wood. Plastic would keep them from drawing damp tonight or early tomorrow morning. Wife wants to do some weaving tomorrow while I continue work on firewood.

Around 8 PM we called it a day and went inside the cabin. Made sure it was completely secure. Sat in front of hearth and talked some more about next Bible study. The more we talked, the clearer it was that servant discipleship would be the next study. Dogs lay on their rugs, getting attention, but eventually climbed onto platforms where they chewed on their deer antlers. Wasn’t long before we heard them snoring. We started to put some notes together and discussed which of us would do what at the next study. One thing we were thinking about was to use some form of simulation to teach certain concepts of discipleship. We will have to think more on that. Eventually we were getting groggy.

We took care of our hygiene, washing our bodies as best we could. All my scrapes from couple days ago were doing fine. New ointment and Band-Aids applied, and I was good to go. Once that was done, and the coals in the hearth banked, we hit our platforms. Had to move dogs a bit to find space to sleep. They have always lain across any bed they slept in with us rather than the normal way one should face. Anytime we get up in the middle of the night, we return to our bed or platform and find them right back in their original position. Makes for some interesting sleeping contortions. A bit of small talk after wrestling them into better position, and we were soon asleep. Thinking about work load tomorrow. Lord, give us rest and strength for our tasks.

And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord

of the harvest to send our laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #85

August 16

When we woke up this morning, my wife and I looked at each other and knew neither of us had slept well. Something had kept us both in turmoil during the night. Neither one of us could name it. Dogs outside, we got about getting breakfast ready. I headed out to spring with the dogs after starting fire in hearth. Got back and wife had mix of rice and dried beef ready for us to eat. Coffee she had made smelled wonderful. Looked like it was going to be a nice day, not many clouds. Done, I pumped water and we started it boiling. Would need a lot in canteens as we worked outside today.

Decided that today was going to be all about wood again. We would cultivate the garden, then head to the woods. Got our gear and tools together and headed out as early as we could. Wanted to get all the trees cut up and if possible get all the cut logs hauled from woods to cabin. We noticed a bit of difference in the air this morning. The humidity was way down, and the winds were coming slightly out of the northwest down our valley. Didn’t take long to get garden done and we were off to the woods. Having the wheelbarrow to haul everything was great. It squeaked a lot, no matter how much grease I put on the axle, but it certainly saved us a lot of effort. Will have to replace the handles soon as they are beginning to fall apart. Just hoped could get through today, and I would get that repair done.

We were in the woods by 9 AM. As I cut new logs, wife piled them in one location. First she stacked everything that I cut yesterday while I tried to get ahead of her a bit on the remaining trees. By noon only had three more trees to log. She went back to cabin a bit earlier and brought us some jerky for cold lunch and refiled our canteens. Took a fifteen-minute break to eat, then back at

it. By 1:30 PM had everything cut and ready to haul. Had two drying racks ready back at the cabin. With first load of logs in wheelbarrow, headed that way. Wife was going to stay at cabin and work on basket weaving. Dogs went back and forth with me for a while but soon got tired of that. Wife said they headed south to explore quite a bit as well. Told her I was going to haul logs until I had everything moved.

Had the last load stacked by the cabin just short of 6 PM. I was exhausted. The dogs were inside with her. She had worked on baskets, sorting material and putting together a little system to work on them. She had also fixed supper, which was waiting for me after I got back from making another water run to spring. We all washed up really well before eating. Checked dogs for ticks since they had likely been running around in the old field this afternoon. As usual, had to chase them around inside cabin as they knew what was going to happen. That all done, washed up again, and we sat down for supper.

Wife had fixed fried potatoes with tomatoes and dried beef mixed together. Dogs got some of their dry dog food with dried beef. Everyone ate slowly; we had had a busy, hard work day. Finished, we cleaned up. Dogs and I took off to spring again. Back, looked at cords of wood by cabin. We are just short of five cord stacked and ready for use. Quite a bit of progress the last couple weeks, but we have a long-way to go yet. Sat down outside and sharpened all our tools. Also oiled up boots and did weapons maintenance. All the recent moisture meant we had to make sure weapons were in top shape. Did talk a bit about discipleship. Spent most of our time trying to talk about the feelings we had both experienced during the night last night. Dogs sensed that we were being serious, so they just lay on the ground beside us. They had brought their rubber balls and deer antlers outside. Alternating between the two, they were content to just lie on ground and chew on them. We spent some time praying, asking the Lord to give us insight into why we had so much trouble sleeping last night. Will leave the answer to Him.

Getting dark a bit earlier every evening. By 7:30 PM time to close up for the day.

Pumped and boiled more water. Planned to take day off from firewood work tomorrow and spend the day working on natural food supplies, tending and repairing traps if they need to be repaired, and if time allows take a hike back to area where I killed coyotes. We have been talking about setting up an emergency bug-out location and need to scout possibilities for that.

Closed up the cabin, played with dogs a bit. Sat in front of hearth and read scripture and prayed. Dogs on platforms, we soon ed them after securing cabin doors. Tough getting to sleep tonight. Lord, give us insight, peace of mind, and stillness of heart. Something is not right, and we cannot get a sense of what it might be.

Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (Luke 10:3)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #86

August 17

Woke up early again. Neither of us slept well. Dogs were lazy and only went outside when I picked up yoke to go for water at the spring. Wife would start fire and boil water until we got back. Planned to check trotline to see if there were any fish for breakfast. Found a couple nice-sized ones, cleaned them, and dogs and I went back. Wife had a potato cooking on hearth mixed with a bit of dried beef. I put fish on green stick and cooked them quickly over the fire. Coffee on as well. Didn’t take long to get it all done. We ate, talking about several things. Needed to do some scouting for emergency bug-out location, do maintenance on several things, pick veggies in garden, search for natural edibles, check and repair any traps that needed it, work on baskets, cut grass around the area, and a few more smaller things. Made a list and would check them off as we completed them. Tomorrow will get back to cutting firewood in earnest.

Both worked on cleanup after eating. Dogs and I went for more water. Got back and helped wife fluff up beds, shake out the dog’s rugs and the bear pelt. Decided she would do a quick trip to garden while I worked in fish trap. Repair it if necessary. No new fish in it, but did fix part of the wall that had fallen down. Probably why there were no fish in the trap. Sharpened all our blades. Did a quick review of our weapons and ammo supply. Was getting close to 9:30 AM when our lives changed once again.

We heard the emergency whistle signal that the northern group had agreed to use this past weekend anytime any of us approached another’s cabin. It came from the north toward the old lean-to site. Answered back immediately after hearing the signal twice. Two of the guys from the north came hurrying toward the cabin. My wife got close to me and grabbed my arms. The dogs ran up to greet the

guys. They had obviously been traveling quickly, probably running, we guessed. They stopped in front of us, bent down and grabbed their knees, and gasped for breath. When they were finally breathing more normally, they started to tell us why they had come. My wife was breathing very quickly as she listened. She soon sank to the ground with tears in her eyes. I just stood there trying to take in all that they were telling us.

Yesterday, Wednesday, two of the northern group had gone to the cabin of the youngest couple that had been at the weekend events. They had gone there to help them with some repairs to their cabin. It was a six-mile hike to the north toward Sackett. They left early in the morning. At 4 PM they came walking back to our host friend’s cabin with a stretcher between them. They were carrying the husband of the couple. He had been beaten badly. He was not conscious and was not breathing well.

The two men were exhausted. It took them a minute to tell the story of what they had discovered. They reported that as they progressed north, they noticed a column of smoke in the direction of the cabin they were hiking to. Running, they came upon the cabin fully engulfed in flames and the man lying face down a few feet from the cabin’s front door. There was no sign of the wife. After making sure the man was alive, they did a quick search around the cabin and found no sign of the wife. Said they were hoping she was not inside the burning structure. Knowing they had to do something for the husband, they decided to put him on a stretcher, take him south, and get more people to go back north to search for the missing wife. When they finished telling this story to others of the group, it was quickly decided that they needed to tend to the man, make quick plans to head back to burning cabin, and continue search for wife. Several searched all night for her out to a mile or so in all directions from the burned-out cabin. The fire had gotten much smaller, and they could find no evidence of her in the structure.

They got back to their cabins to the south and made some more decisions. The man’s injuries required medical treatment that none there was qualified to undertake. They knew that our friend from seminary days was a medical doctor

and about a ten-mile hike from their location. The two men who stood in front of us now had decided to make as quick a trip as possible to get the doctor. The group also told them to stop at our place and send us north to be safer. The two men had made the six-mile trip to our place in just under two hours over some very rough terrain.

Some quick decisions were made. My wife and I packed our packs, kits, weapons, ammo, food, emergency clothing, and most importantly both of our med kits. I knew medical friend had an ATV and could make the ten-mile trip north quickly once he knew of the situation. One of the two guys standing in front of us was not doing well. He had been up all night, had made two trips to the burning cabin, and now was with us. There was no arguing to be done. The guy who was in better shape and I would head for doctor’s farm. The other guy would take my wife to our northern friend’s location. Dogs would be taken on leashes so they would not head south. Wife would carry her pack, a med kit, her utility belt with extra ammo, her EDC, the .17 HMR, and her handgun. The guy going with her would take my pack, the air rifle, and one canteen and leave ASAP.

I would head south to doctor’s farm carrying the .243, my EDC, utility belt, ammo belt, handgun, a canteen of water, and my emergency blades. Locked up the cabin, and we were gone. Everything else could wait for later. We all pulled out about noon. Reaching the top of the ridge, we prayed quickly for everyone and hugged, and wife and guy headed north on Forest Service road. The other guy and I set off at a fast walk to the south. Everyone was in the Lord’s hands at this point.

Two and a-half hours later, after crossing Clarion River, we arrived at doctor’s farm. Thank goodness, he was there. After a quick review of the situation, he decided to head back north using his ATV. Would pull the little trailer behind it for the two of us to ride in. He and his wife gathered up their emergency medical supplies, food, clothing, EDCs, sleeping gear, and weapons. We all piled onto the ATV and were on our way north. ing a neighbor’s place, the doctor told

the man to spread the word to everyone in their small group. Several would need to stay and protect those living in the area but asked that some of the men make the trip north to help in the search.

ATV was a miracle. Ten-mile ride north took less than two hours. We pulled into cabin site and were greeted quickly. Doctor was immediately at side of injured man. He and his wife started to work on him. He was not doing well. After an hour the doctor came to the rest of us and said the man had a severe head injury and probably a few broken ribs, and one leg was broken in two places. As far as they could tell there were no internal injuries, but tonight would be a tough one. He would need to be watched around the clock. If necessary, the doctor told us he might have to operate if any signs of internal bleeding appeared. All of us immediately went to prayer, asking for wisdom for the doctor and healing for the injured man.

All the men who were present quickly gathered to consider. No one had any idea what we might have to deal with. Everyone was exhausted from the day. It became clear that we all needed to rest before anyone went back north to the burned-out cabin. Host friend had been on his CB radio, powered by solar s on his cabin roof, with people he knew in Ridgway. They reported that there had been another similar attack along PA route 948 north of Ridgway. A group was tracking the people who had carried out that attack back to the north. Tracks headed north toward Kane PA and were being followed even as they spoke on the radio. With that, it was decided that several of the men from our group would head back to the burned-out cabin before dawn tomorrow to continue the search for the missing wife.

It was only then that we realized that none of us had eaten anything all day. The wives went inside friend’s cabin and soon had a quick hot meal for everyone. We ate in silence. The dogs all ate quietly, then headed off to run supper off. We sat outside and no one said much. Spontaneously we started to pray and prayed for a long time. Doctor said injured man was stable, but the night would be tough. We set up an all-night watch so that someone would be with him constantly. Knew

we were all going to be up very early. Decided who would go on search and who would stay put to protect everyone else. Two guys who had come down our way, the doctor and I would stay behind. That meant that four guys would do the search. Around 10 PM we heard the sound of ATVs coming from the south. Three machines pulled in with six more men from the south to us. Quickly decided they would tomorrow’s search. After a brief conversation with them to bring them up to speed everyone called it a day. Alarms set for 4 AM for the group going on the search. Prayers again. Lord, watch over us, protect everyone, and help us find our friend.

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. (2 Timothy 1:8)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #87

August 18

The search team was up at 4 AM and on their way north by 5. The group that stayed behind had a quiet breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and coffee. Dogs as a group headed out into the woods after eating to do their dog thing. Doctor reported that injured man was doing a bit better and that he could not detect any internal bleeding. We all prayed that situation would continue to get better a bit at a time. He faced a long recovery. There wasn’t much we could do the rest of the day other than to keep an eye out for any dangers. At least one person kept guard at the three crosses marker all day long. The wives sat and talked and tried to keep busy with little things around host’s cabin while the remaining men helped keep an eye on the injured man. We did some simple maintenance jobs around the cabin after we asked our friend’s wife what we could do. She had sympathy for us so she made up some small jobs. Lunch came and went. Periodically there were small sessions of prayer. Supper was simple; no one seemed to want to eat. We did start a fire in their outside fire pit. Eventually everyone sat around the fire as the evening closed in on us. There was no word from our search team that went north to look for the missing wife. It was very difficult not knowing what was happening with them.

At about 8 PM got a message over the CB. Group of about a dozen men from Ridgway had tracked down a group of four men traveling north in the forest toward Kane. As they approached them they came under fire. After a brief firefight, two of the men from Ridgway were wounded slightly. All four of the men that they had discovered died. When they and their packs were searched, items from the small farm that had been attacked north of Ridgway were discovered. Also found several personal items from our younger friends who had been attacked. One item in particular was a brooch that had a picture in it of the injured man who now lay fighting for his life so close to us. They also reported no sign of his wife. We sat in silence as we got the report. It appeared that the

immediate danger was gone. But we were all contemplating the unknown. Where was the wife? We all sat in silence for quite a while. Finally, someone said it was time to call it a day. We closed the day with prayer and all slowly went to our sleeping areas and fell asleep. Again, no one slept well. Too much sadness and too many unknowns to let our minds rest. Lord, give us peace and comfort.

As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you will be comforted in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 66:13)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #88

August 19

Everyone exhausted when we woke up. First thing everyone did was to check on the patient. Doctor said he had ed a better night and had been conscious for a few minutes. The first word out of his mouth was his wife’s name. Early CB message from Ridgway group. Their wounded were fine, nothing too serious. They were under a doctor’s care. They reported they had not seen our search group, which bothered us a bit. We of course also had no word from them.

Wives insisted that we eat a good breakfast to get energy for whatever lay ahead of us. Scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh bread, jam, coffee, and powdered orange drink. Once done eating, we set up our guard again at the three crosses. Looked like another day of waiting. That was so hard to do. Couple of us decided to take the dogs off into the woods on an adventure which they loved. Took our long guns with us in case of small game and also for protection. Doctor continued to care for patient. He was slowly coming out of his fog and able to ask more questions, for which none of us had any answers. No luck hunting, but dogs had a ball, and it was good for us to get away from just sitting around. Uneventful lunch as well. Cold venison sandwiches made with what homemade bread was left from breakfast. We started a fire outside as it started to drizzle early in the afternoon. Most of the time spent sitting out of the drizzle talking, and every now and then a few would bow their heads in prayer.

At 3 PM heard the emergency whistle signal from the three-crosses area. We men grabbed our weapons and hotfooted it up to the top of the path. What we saw there took our breath away. The men from the search team had surrounded the one guard we had set out, dropped to their knees, and were sobbing. As we approached them, we knew we did not want to hear what they had to report.

Before heading to the cabin, we asked them to fill us all in so we could be prepared for any reaction our wives might have. Slowly they shared with us what they had found and what they had done.

Initially they had searched in the cabin ruins and its vicinity and found nothing. They did find tracks heading north up the Forest Service road toward PA route 948. At the last abandoned building on the north of Sackett one of the men, out of the corner of his eye, saw wisps of smoke from a fire that had been built by the building. Said it seemed a small group had camped there and cooked a meal on the fire. One of the men decided to look inside the abandoned building. The others heard him cry out and come out and fall to his knees. His hands were over his face and his sobs were a clear message of what he had seen. While one of the group stayed with him the rest slowly entered the building and quickly came back outside, each in his own way dealing with a misery that they had hoped not to experience but now was very real.

They had a hard time telling us the next few points. Inside the abandoned building, they had discovered the lifeless body of the wife. It appeared as if she had been beaten, raped, and finally suffocated in her own clothing. A simple silver cross was found in her clenched fist. Covering her, the men went outside and cried and screamed. In time, they decided what to do. The body had been victimized by small scavengers. They had to get her body to a safer place. Fashioning a simple stretcher, they lifted her covered body onto it. With prayer, they started to carry her back to the burned-out cabin south of Sackett.

As they walked, it became clear what they had to do next. She belonged to the Lord now. Her faith had been a bright light to everyone she had met. They talked about how she and her husband had gulled my wife and me a few days ago while we traded with them. The more they talked, the more they cried. Reality hit them as they approached the cabin. They could not bring her body down to where we were. They decided to bury her on the little rise to the side of their cabin. They carefully did that, asking the Lord to guard her for eternity. After covering the grave with heavy rocks and placing a cross at its head, they had eventually

started on the terrible journey south. All of these guys were hurting big time. Before heading to the cabin, it was decided that we would call everyone together and that a couple of us would convey their news to the total group.

No one could keep his head up as we approached the cabin. Some of the wives saw us and immediately knew what was going on. The wife was not there. Even before anyone said a word, everyone was on their knees, crying quietly and holding hands. The searchers’ report was repeated and every husband and wife held each other. Once the report was given to the group, we asked our doctor friend if the injured man could handle being told. He told us it would be hard on him, but how could we not let him know? Our northern host and I said we would talk to him with the doctor at our side. As the injured man saw us enter the room where he was lying, he knew. Tears started to slowly fall down his cheeks. In a faint voice, he told us the news we could not deliver to him. A simple statement crossed his lips. He simply said she was at home with the Lord. All three of us fell on our knees beside his bed, and touching his arm, we prayed for him, for her, and for all of us. The injured man ministered to us rather than us to him.

When we stood up, tears were still coming from his eyes, but he had a peaceful look on his face. His wife, the one he loved more than anyone else on earth, was now truly at peace. While the doctor stayed with him, my friend and I walked out and told everyone else how the man had brought the true meaning of being a Christian to us even in his moment of grief. We fell into the arms of our wives, sobbing. God does move in mysterious ways. Not much was said for the next hour or so as each person dealt with the news in their own way. Eventually the wives fixed some jerky and coffee and we all nibbled on it. No one really wanted to eat.

As we sat outside we talked about what to do. It was decided that everyone, except the doctor, his wife, and one other person to stand guard over them, would head back to the burned-out cabin and have a memorial service at the graveside. We would have to wait until the injured man was able to travel to repeat the service with him present. Once that was decided, several of the men

constructed a simple cross out of two logs. On one side of the horizontal crosspiece they carved a simple inscription: “She now rests with her Lord.” Some tears when everyone saw it, but all felt it was appropriate.

Most weren’t thinking of eating, but some of the wives insisted that everyone eat to have strength for the day tomorrow. Rice, some veggies, and warm dried beef was quickly fixed. The dogs had a big meal as well. They had been good the entire day. We all ate slowly and talked softly about the great homecoming that we all hoped would come, knowing we would see our friend there again. We closed the day surrounding the injured man’s bed, holding hands, praying for the lost one, for the souls of those who had committed the crime, and for our own safety and protection. We closed by singing “Amazing Grace”; then each person or couple wandered off to their sleeping area or outside to sit under the stars. The dogs all sensed something and were very quiet all evening. Our final prayer asked the Lord’s blessing for our group, for our country, and for the world.

Eventually everyone was asleep. The reality of the desperate situation within our society had punched us in the solar plexus today. We knew that more of the same could potentially happen in the future. Come, Lord Jesus!

O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55, quoting Hosea 13:14)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #89

August 20

Most of us were up before dawn this morning and outside in our own thoughts. Several of the wives prepared a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and coffee. The men made sure all the dogs had a good breakfast as well. It had been decided that the doctor, his wife, and one other man would stay behind to keep things safe while the rest of the group make the six-mile one-way trip to have a graveside service. It would take all day to go there, have a brief service, see if anything could be salvaged from the burned-out cabin, and make the trip back south. The four women who were going to go got a quick lesson on driving the ATV. The men would walk. We decided to take the dogs with us as they had been restricted long enough. It would take a good two hours to make the trip one way. So we set out at 9 AM.

The weather was sunny and warm. Everyone carried their EDCs, we had several med kits, and all carried their handguns and one rifle per couple. We tried to stay upbeat as we all walked along. The ATVs drove slowly so we could all travel together. At times, there was only silence as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. But those usually were interrupted with the dogs running around, barking, and looking for attention. A couple rest breaks meant we didn’t get to the burned-out cabin until 11:30 AM. We spent an hour searching through the ruins for anything that could be salvaged. A few trinkets were all we found. But they were memories that the new widower will have forever.

At 12:30 PM we all gathered at the graveside. We sang some of the old hymns, “How Great Thou Art,” “To God Be the Glory,” and “Blessed Assurance.” The group had asked me to read scripture, and I chose Ephesians 2:4–5.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.

We each then walked around the area collecting rocks of all sizes and placed them on the grave until it was completely covered and safe from anything that might want to dig into it. Two of the men, using their hand axes, pounded the rough-hewn cross into the ground at the head of the grave. The small silver cross that had been found in her hand was then nailed onto the log cross. Her husband had asked us to do that. We closed our time there by singing “Amazing Grace” and praying for a time. As we walked away from the grave, everyone was crying. Looking at our watches, we realized it was already 2 PM. The ninety minutes at the grave had seemed like five minutes.

The four ladies, using the ATVs, made it back to the central camp to the south in a little more than an hour. We men arrived ninety minutes later. Everyone was back and settled by 6 PM. To our surprise the injured man was sitting up on a chair in front of the cabin. He had a look of peace on his face. He asked what we had done at his wife’s grave. Several people shared the service with him and gave him the few things we had found. He wrapped them in his hands and cried a few more tears. While all this was happening, the rest of the wives and several men started cooking a couple venison roasts in an outside fire. They were thin enough that they would be done in an hour.

We all sat and talked while waiting to eat. The doctor said he and his wife will stay a couple more days until he is sure the patient was OK. He had told him he faced at least four to six weeks of recovery. The others from the south said they will leave tomorrow morning to get back to their families. They offered us a ride

on one of their ATVs to our drop-off point, and we accepted. Supper was simple, rice and venison with water to drink.

The doctor and I talked about how things were going with us back at our cabin. Said fine. Our only worry right now is getting firewood cut. When he heard that, he called over the other guys from the south. After a few minutes’ discussion, they said they would come up in two days, on the twenty-second, bring their chain saws and a supply of hoarded fuel, and stay two or three days until our wood problem is in much better shape. Our doctor friend said he will come and help as well, either on his way north to see the injured man or on his way home when he can safely leave him in the care of the rest up north. We just looked at them. They would not hear us refuse them. Again, the Lord was watching over us even under these terrible circumstances.

Our northern friend’s CB chirped. He was involved for a few minutes in a conversation. The message was simple: The Ridgway group were certain they had taken care of the bad apples. They had looked for others but found no prints or evidence that anyone else was in the area. With that good news, the mood lightened a bit. With a fire going outside we all sat, talked, and eventually prayed. Everyone’s dogs just lay around watching. It didn’t take long for everyone to realize how tired we were. Again, individuals and couples left quietly to get some sleep. My wife and I had our own prayer time when we were alone. We paid attention to our two dogs and pulled them close as we fell asleep. Lord, we love You. How can we ever say how much thankfulness fills our hearts when we think about all that You have done for us since we left our home in Texas? Lord, we put our lives in your hands again. Continue to use us for your service and for the salvation of those that You have brought, or will bring, into our lives.

Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together, for I will turn their mourning into joy

and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow. (Jeremiah 31:13)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #90

August 21

Dogs woke everyone up this morning. They were let out, and away they went into the woods down path toward other cabins. By 7:30 AM everyone had gathered, and we had a breakfast of scrambled powdered eggs, bacon, and coffee. Along with the men from the south, we packed up fairly quickly afterwards. The injured man was sitting up outside again. We didn’t know what to say to him, so we left him to his thoughts quite a bit. He will be staying with our host friends for the time being. There is nothing left at his little piece of property for him to go back to. The doctor told us that the younger man would be laid up for another week before he could even consider trying to walk, let alone travel.

Our northern friend, the doctor, and I, along with our wives, discussed what should be done for the next couple weeks. We decided to put off the next Bible study until Labor Day weekend. The doctor invited the entire northern group to come south to their small farm and the group, which had planned on having their own rendezvous; we already planned to attend. He said the injured man could probably travel, and if necessary, someone from the south would drive north in their ATV and bring him to it. Our northern friends discussed all this and thought it was a good idea. So it was decided. They all asked my wife and me to prepare for the second session of the Bible study as well as a full worship service.

The dates were agreed to. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, September first through the fourth. Accommodations for all of the northern visitors will be planned. Some might have to set up in a barn, but that was OK with them. The whole group of searchers and northern folks were excited about building the

connection. We gathered as a group around the young man and had prayer for everyone’s safety, safe travel, healing, and courage to face the days that lie ahead. With that the southern folks, with my wife and I ing them, climbed onto the ATVs and headed south. A final wave as the cabin disappeared, and we were all back into the wild forest. Not much was said on the ride south. The noise of the ATVs made talking difficult. The dogs got to ride as well. A couple times they tried to jump out and run off into the woods, but that wasn’t allowed.

An hour and a-half later the vehicles stopped at the turnoff we take down to our cabin. We thanked them. They said they would see us in about twenty-four hours when they came back to help us with our wood situation. We promised to have our place ready to take care of them. We apologized that it would be pretty rustic, but they waved that off and were on their way. Our dogs chased them for a bit but soon came back to us and looked up as if to ask what adventure we were going on now.

They ran in circles with us as we started down what was becoming a small path toward the old lean-to site. As soon as the dogs realized the direction we were going they tore off and were waiting for us there. When we kept going, they were off again. They knew they were headed home. We could hear them barking before we could see our cabin. When the cabin finally came into view the dogs were running in circles in front of it barking up a storm. They were home and celebrating.

Nothing seemed out of place as we approached the building. Putting our packs down we had a small prayer of thanks for our safety, the safety of those who were traveling, and for the young man who faced some tough days ahead. With that I unfastened the front door, and we were truly home. The place smelled musty from being closed up. Quickly checked all the food and supplies, and nothing had been disturbed. Opened up the back door and got a breeze moving. The dogs went back and forth from their rugs to the platforms to the bear rug on the floor.

While wife unpacked her things and got rid of some cobwebs and dust, the dogs and I headed to the spring. Back into our routine. Checked garden, and we needed to pick some of its fruit today. Birds had gotten couple of the tomatoes while we were gone, and we wanted to get everything else for ourselves. Quick walk back to cabin, started fire in hearth so we could cook some lunch and boil water. Pumped couple pots from the well and threw them outside. A precaution for the water that had sat in the line for a few days. Didn’t take me long to unpack. Needed to do some maintenance and cleanup on tools and weapons, but beyond that, everything had traveled well. We cooked rice and had that with beef jerky for lunch. Orange drink for liquid. Didn’t take long to clean up. Dogs got quite a bit of rice mixed in with bit of dry dog food. They seemed to be really hungry, so we fed them even if it was only lunchtime.

We grabbed our garden tools and a basket, and headed down that way to pick veggies. We ended up with a dozen good-sized tomatoes, half a basket of leafy veggies, and our first peas. The pea pods were not fully grown yet, but they sure sounded good, so we picked a few for supper tonight. Back at the cabin washed all that stuff in recently boiled water and set it out to dry. Together, we then got after the inside of the cabin, scrubbing the floor, shaking everything outside, dusting shelves, getting rid of bugs, a general cleanup as we will have guests tomorrow.

Left my wife to finish up the last thirty minutes or so when dogs and I went down to check trotline. Had three fish, one the largest caught to date, about twelve inches long. Those cleaned, we went back to check on fish trap. Another four fish. Cleaned, took all seven back to the cabin. We would have the largest for supper tonight. Rest I put in smoker and got fire going in firebox. Those fish will be for supper tomorrow night with our guests. That done, grabbed yoke and headed to spring, dogs running with me. Wife boiled up couple pots of well water while we were gone. Checked blackberries on way back. There were still a few left, but season will soon end. Needed to get them before dark tonight.

Simple supper of couple cut-up tomatoes, rice, salad of greens and pepper, fish,

and coffee. We ate a lot, after not eating much last few days even with all that had been prepared. Cleaned up, took dogs for walk to get more water and checked fish in smoker; would be done around 8 PM this evening. We decided to rest until we pulled fish out of smoker, then head inside for devotions and bed. Was nice just to sit outside. Noticed it was cooling off more than the past few weeks. Fall and winter will hit us earlier than even those only fifty miles south of us. The mountains are like that. Figure we will see leaves start to turn color in a couple weeks. Feeling the cooler breeze coming down the valley made us aware that summer will not last much longer.

Finally took fish out of smoker and hung them inside, secured doors and windows. Dogs didn’t fight us when we called them inside. They went right to the bear rug and curled up together. Wife and I sat in front of small fire in hearth and had our devotions. A lot to pray over. Many things on our minds. A lot of thankfulness and sadness. Read scripture and we called it a night. Dogs saw us head for platforms and they beat us there. Wasn’t long before we were all sound asleep. A busy day ahead tomorrow before and after our visitors from the south us. Good night!

Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.” (Genesis 5:29)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #91

August 22

Woke up tired but excited about the new day. Prayer before anything else, asking for safe travels for guys coming up from south and for the young man recovering to our north. Dogs excited about being home and outside. Took off running when I grabbed my yoke and headed toward the spring. Our dogs give us a lot of grounding; we are so lucky to have them. Wife started fire in hearth while we were gone and boiled some well-water. Back, we worked on cooking breakfast together. Simple meal. Rice with beef jerky and hot coffee. Of course, dogs ate theirs in a flash and wanted more. We could not say no to them.

Decided to divide and conquer preparation for arrivals from south. Wife would work in cabin, getting stuff for couple days of meals ready. I would head to garden, cultivate it, and pick anything we had missed yesterday. Would make another water run, then head up to woods to haul some of the brush to cabin. Not sure when guys from south would arrive so we decided to work as if they were not coming. Back from garden, nothing new to add to our veggie supply. Wife was working like a whirling dervish in the cabin. It was going to be spotless if she had any say in the matter. I gathered up gear and wheelbarrow and headed to the woods. Made my first trip by 8:30 AM, a good start to the day. We just worked steadily on both tasks with a short break thrown in around 10 AM to catch our breath and check on progress. Back at it pretty quickly.

At 10:30 AM we heard the sound of ATVs coming toward the cabin from the north. Two appeared from the direction of the old lean-to site. Three guys, two ATVs, each vehicle pulling a small trailer. The ATVs were really ancient, probably some of the first ones ever made. But they were still functioning in spite of the EMP a few months ago. They pulled up to the front of the cabin, and

hugs and greetings took place.

First words out of their mouths were Where do we get started? and Let’s get after it. But we wanted a report from them on things to the south, their families, and whether they had gotten any word from the north. Families were fine. Everyone to the south was excited about the northern group ing the Labor Day activities. Nothing unusual had happened while they were with us the last few days. They’ve had no word from up north and figured that was good news.

First thing to do was unload their ATVs. Their packs and gear went into the cabin. They said it looked wonderful, just like a home away from home, even though they would have to sleep on the floor. Wife was beaming when she heard their comments. They unloaded a couple bags and emptied them on the counter near the water pump. The wives to the south had sent stuff for meals for all of us while their husbands worked with us. Two loaves of fresh-baked bread, jar of jam, a pound of dry pasta, a pound of pinto beans, and to top that all off, a freshbaked apple pie. As usual we were beyond being shocked. We just thanked them and asked that they would thank their wives when they got home. Parked ATVs beside cabin and covered them up with tarps. Took batteries into cabin and put them on shelf for protection. They had three gallons of fuel with them for chain saws. Would put the extra fuel in the old shed and lock it in there tonight.

Figured would eat a quick lunch then head into the woods. Sliced loaf of bread and made cold dried beef sandwiches. We were tempted to have piece of pie but got past the temptation. That was for tonight. Wife told us to head for the woods and she would us after she cleaned up our meal. I should mention that dogs went nuts when they saw the guys that had been up north with us. Seems they had some new friends. Was neat to watch.

Ready, gear, chain saws, fuel, chain oil, canteens, and weapons in hand, we four men headed to the woods. They commented on how much wood was already stacked. Said we had done a good job working at it, just the two of us. Explained

pattern we had been using and that a second goal, besides having firewood, was to clean out a line-of-sight from the cabin. They said that was a great idea. We set up a simple plan for the rest of the afternoon. Two of the guys would start cutting trees down. The other one and I would follow, taking limbs off felled trees. Objective today was to cut trees and limbs. Tomorrow half of us will cut felled trees into logs while other two continue to cut more trees down. Day after tomorrow we will all haul and stack logs either at cabin or in the woods where they were cut. They will work until mid-afternoon on second day and then head back south. Told them we are just grateful for the help and that any progress made will be greatly appreciated. With all of that said, we got after it.

We worked from noon until 6 PM and called it a day. As we walked to the cabin, we looked back at what had been done. Two dozen new trees were on the ground. Half of those had their limbs removed. We talked and agreed that we will try to get as many trees down tomorrow as were done today. Removing limbs from all of those. Getting them all cut up into fire logs will be a challenge. But we made a commitment to get it all done no matter how long it takes. We will not work after dark, but we wanted to spend day after tomorrow hauling and stacking cut logs until midafternoon.

Once back to cabin, dogs and I went for water. Guys went with us to look at garden and our spring setup. Also, looked at trotline and fish trap. They said we had a good operation set up. Really liked the small garden. Wife had boiled well water and had supper cooking when we got back. We sat down to a feast after cleaning up. Six smoked fish, rice, fresh bread, jam, cut-up and stewed veggies, and of course slice of apple pie for dessert. Dogs ate until they could hardly move. We did the same. Was almost dark by the time we got everything cleaned up.

Closed up cabin and we sat around where we could and talked. They ed us in our devotions, prayers, and scripture reading. They were grateful for a place to lie down and sleep. We could all hear the dogs snoring on platforms when we finally called it a day. Busy day ahead tomorrow but we were ready. Everyone

quickly to sleep. Thank You, Lord, for our friends.

Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. (Luke 10:4)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #92

August 23

We were all up early. A quick trip to the spring for water, which was boiled along with water from the well. We would need a lot of water in our canteens today. Dogs outside waiting for us to go back to woods. A quick comment about breakfast and lunch. Breakfast was simple and we headed to woods by 8:15 AM. In the middle of the day wife brought us all a dried beef sandwich. We took several breaks during the day, me getting water at the spring, wife boiling it, and the guys taking a much-deserved rest. We got back to work quickly and continued with the plan we had made at the end of the day yesterday. When we finally stopped for the day around 7 PM we had indeed cut a couple dozen more trees down and taken limbs off them all, and we had four cord of wood stacked and ready to be hauled back to the cabin side. My wife and I started to haul wood the last couple hours everyone worked. We got a sixth cord in place by the cabin before I went for more water at the spring. The whole time we worked, the dogs stayed pretty much out of the way. They did not like the sound of the chain saws.

At 7 PM, when I had last load of the day in the wheelbarrow, the guys from the south quit. With all of our tools and gear collected we all headed back to the cabin for a full meal and some rest for the night. Made another water run while supper was cooked, we sat down to a stew of pinto beans, which had been in water all day to prepare them for cooking, dried beef, fresh veggies and greens, the second loaf of fresh bread, and a slice of apple pie. Again, everyone ate until they were ready to burst, dogs included. We had enough water for cleaning up dishes and canteens for the morning. No more water runs tonight. While my wife and I did the cleaning, the guys were sharpening all of the cutting tools.

It was dark by the time everything was clean. Then we sat around again and just talked. That didn’t last long as we were all very tired. Cabin closed up, devotions completed, prayers and scripture, everyone lay down for what we hoped would be a good night’s sleep. Lord, You have given us the strength we asked for; thank You.

Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this house.” (Luke 10:5)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #93

August 24

Up early. Water run to spring, dogs went along. Only comments related to breakfast and lunch are that they were both simple, cooked and prepared quickly, to allow us to work until midafternoon when the guys planned on leaving. We did talk, telling them to let everyone to the south know that we will be arriving next Thursday, the thirty-first, to help them set up for the weekend. Figured we could offer to do anything needed, both for that, and regular chores at their place, to thank them for all the work they have done for us. Our offer was greatly appreciated.

After a second water run, all five of us, along with the dogs, headed to the woods and tree work. Once the chain saws started, the dogs left and went off to explore. Started working by 8:30 AM. Gray clouds moving in, so likely to rain in the next twenty-four hours. At 10 AM we heard another ATV coming toward the cabin. It was our doctor friend. He said he would stop and help if he could on his trip back north or on his way home. Stopped working for a brief update on the young man. He was progressing as well as expected. The northern group was doing all they could to help and comfort him. Doctor said the plan was for someone to pick him up next week and take him south for the weekend on an ATV. He would not be able to walk that far. Would take six to eight more weeks before his leg would allow him to walk much and then only with crutches for another couple months, most likely.

The doctor pitched in to help the rest of us. We used the ATVs and their small trailers to haul logs to the cabin, along with my trips using our old wheelbarrow. Three of the men worked on removing limbs from trees and cutting logs while the rest of us moved cut logs and built cords by the cabin. We took time to build

five more drying racks to stack the logs at the cabin. It was pretty humid so we took a lot of short breaks. I made a couple runs to the spring for water, and my wife boiled quite a bit of water from the well. We made sure the canteens were full. Dogs kept coming back to see what we were all up to, then they would take off again.

The last load was hauled to the cabin at 2 PM. We left all the brush and limb piles at the cutting site. Wife and I will work on those as needed. When the last ATV was turned off, we looked at the results of all the work. With the cords we had already cut and stacked, all the new work was beyond belief. We now had nine cords of wood stacked by the cabin. How could we thank them enough? If we had a mild winter, we were in good shape. If not mild, we could work gradually on replacing burned logs ourselves. Wife hugged all of the men.

Back at the cabin, they prepared for their journey back south. It was then that they surprised us once more. They believed that if they left one of the ATVs with us until next Thursday we could go north, pick up the young man, and bring him south with us. Would save one of them a long trip back and forth and conserve precious fuel. It seemed to make sense to us. With the doctor being there, all four of the men could ride south together. It was decided. Enough fuel was left to make sure we could make the trip north and then south in good shape. After a quick review of how to operate the ancient machine, we were set.

Hugs and handshakes, a prayer of thanks and for traveling safety, and they packed up their gear, loaded onto two of the ATVs, and headed north to the Forest Service road. Waving, we said good-bye to these wonderful men who now mean so much to us. Our community is growing, and we have been used to bring the two smaller groups together in some way. As we watched them drive off, we wondered what the future holds for everyone. That is in the Lord’s hands, and we are at peace with that. What better place could we possibly be?

Wife and I hugged and looked at each other as if to say, Let’s get after this. She

headed inside to clean up the cabin and get things organized again. She was also going to do a detailed inventory of our food stores. As the days , we are going to have to be even more careful with our supplies to give us the best chance of making it through the coming winter. There’s no doubt she will have it planned down to our last ounce of food. Before she went inside, we talked about what foodstuffs we will not touch until absolutely necessary. For the next couple months, we are going to work hard to truly live off the land and to store all the natural stuff we can secure for the winter. While we were standing there, the dogs came back from following the ATVs for a bit and were jumping around. Wish we had their energy. Wife headed inside, and dogs and I headed for the spring. Checked garden, planned going back later to pick veggies. Checked trotline, two fish for supper, rebaited hooks and back into water. Back, wife started cooking fish ahead of time, while dogs and I headed to woods to work on a project had been thinking about.

When heavy snows hit this winter, need to be able to clear the roof of snow and ice dams. Necessary to prevent developing leaks in the roof. Had the idea of making some type of snow rake that I can use to pull snow off roof. Would have to be long enough for me, standing on ladder, to reach crown of roof and clear the snow. Earlier, when cutting wood, I had prepared a stout pole about fifteen feet long. Had to be strong enough to stand up to the stress of pulling heavy, wet snow off the roof. Back to cabin with that pole, scrounged at old collapsed privy area for some boards to make the actual plow to attach to end of pole. Rigged blade up attached to end of pole using nails and wire. Hoped that it will work. As with everything, in theory, it should. Proof will be in the pudding when we have snow.

Next thing I did was pull down the tarp roof we had set up over front door of cabin. Pretty easy job. Replaced our main tarp used on that roof with our secondary tarp. Not as large but used the same method to build a cover that we would need. In stacking wood by the cabin, we have separated out dead wood logs from green logs. The green ones need to cure as much as possible before we can burn them easily. We had four cords of dead wood logs and five of green logs stacked. I put the larger main tarp over as much of the dead wood cords as I could. We hope that by the time snow starts, we will be able to cover the

remaining dead wood logs completely, at least on top of the stacks. The green logs will have to weather quite a bit, and cold wet weather may speed up that process. We will know sooner rather than later if that proves true.

Those jobs done, dogs and I headed to spring for water and to pick veggies in garden. Came back to the cabin with quite a bit of stuff that we could prepare, dry, and store for colder weather. Kept enough out for us for the next week. Need the vitamins for strength and health. Had taken large plastic bag with me when went to get water. Back at cabin, with water, emptied bag of veggies onto counter in cabin. It was quite a haul. Much more to come in the next two to three weeks.

We counted the bounty. Ten peppers, eight tomatoes, a dozen medium-sized cucumbers, enough leafy stuff for three or four meals, and finally a couple handfuls of peas we could cook tonight. Decided would use all of this over the next week. Pick fresh stuff all week and dry all of that produce before we left for trip south. All of the hard work of a couple months ago was paying off. Wife had finished inside of cabin. Dogs and I took off for more water and were back to smells of supper cooking in hearth. Going to be a healthy supper. We worked together on it. I cooked the fish from the trotline, we boiled rice, and wife cut up veggies. Dessert would be the last two pieces of apple pie the guys brought to us.

We sat down to a feast. Long prayer of thanks for the Lord’s care and provision. Dogs got rice and fish. They wouldn’t touch veggies; more for us. Cleaned up together as well. Stools outside, we sat down to rest and just enjoy our wonderful home. While sitting there, I sharpened all our blades and cleaned weapons. Dogs were running around. Every now and then they would come back to where we were sitting just to make sure we were there. They had to go check out where all the logging work had been done. Barked a couple times and figured they were chasing some small critter. Looked at thermometer just before we went in and it was already in the high forties. Cooler, means weather is already starting to change.

Finally able to get dogs into the cabin, we closed up for the night. A couple of long hard days of work. We were more than ready to hit the sack. Prayers and scripture reading in front of the hearth. Dogs already on platforms, chewing on their deer antlers. Not long before we ed them. A full day ahead tomorrow. Would plan it out over breakfast. Good night!

If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. (Luke 10:6)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #94

August 25

Slept in a bit this morning, at least as long as the dogs would leave us alone. They went out eventually when I headed to the spring for water. Simple breakfast of cornmeal flatbread and jerky. Made some coffee as well. Talked about next couple days and what we have to get done. Tomorrow morning, we will go out to scout out an emergency bug-out location and take radio along to see if we can get signal. Today we would work on chores around the cabin, start working on finding natural foods, check traps, cultivate garden, and do any necessary repairs. Cleaned up after breakfast while water from well was boiling. Temp when we got outside was in the mid-forties. Felt the chill definitely. Cool breeze blowing down valley from the north.

First thing checked trotline and fish trap while wife went to cultivate garden. When she got back, said she had seen another groundhog nosing around the garden fence. Good thing dogs were with me. Needed to take them down there later and see if they could kick out the groundhog. Might get a lucky shot and some fatty meat for couple meals. We checked outside of cabin and made mental notes of places needed to shore up chinking. No fish in trap or on trotline, so will check them again later today. Wife said we should pick stuff in garden maybe next Monday or Tuesday. She said she wanted to work on more baskets again to take south with us as gifts. Will go for materials down at marsh after we got back from scouting trip tomorrow.

Pulled out all of the strips of rubber we had left from the Trekker. Had about eight feet of rubber, each about an inch wide. Plan was to use those strips to winterize the cabin windows to cut down on heat loss when it gets cold. Checked meat hanging from inside rack. Cut off a few small pieces that obviously hadn’t

dried enough, not enough crust formed, and threw those into hole in ground and buried them over where we had cut logs. We were going to put our venison quarters out in the sun again to get more crust formed on them. I set up drying rack and put two quarters on it in what sun we had. Cool breeze would help the process as well.

Decided to have simple lunch of remaining cornmeal flatbread, some fried beef heated up, and some cut up veggies from yesterday. Sat outside in the sunshine while we ate, enjoying the wonderful weather. Hoping we can get a weather update tomorrow when out scouting. If not, will just watch the signs, which we do every day, to figure out what weather might be coming our way. Was really peaceful sitting outside. Dogs were content to stay pretty close. Had been a busy few days for them as well.

Lunch cleaned up, we decided to head for marsh and get basket materials this afternoon rather than wait until tomorrow. Figured we will be tired after planned scouting trip, so get it out of the way today. Boots on, geared up, weapons in hand, we headed south to marsh. Dogs were all over the place. Back a couple hours later with enough material to make four or five medium-sized baskets. Also were able to collect some of the cattail white stocks from just under water. Would boil them and add to our other veggies for supper tonight. Pulled out small natural food field guide, and dogs and I went for a walk along the banks of the creek to the north and south to see if we could find anything. Found a few good sources. Jerusalem artichoke, stinging nettle, and wild onions. Now that we knew where some were, will make sure in a few weeks to secure them. Had noticed a couple good things at beaver dam and marsh earlier. Saw small patches of wild rice in the water. On our way back, we saw what looked like wild oats and wheat in the old field. Could be stuff that was domestic, planted by former resident. We will have to check those out in couple weeks as well. We at least have some potential sources of stuff to extend our flour and add some potato-like roots to our diet. If secured, most of the stuff will be dried, milled, and put back for winter.

Time seemed to fly by in the afternoon. Made water trip to spring and checked trotline. One good-sized trout on one line. Something for supper. Cleaned and headed back to cabin. Once water boiling, checked fish trap and found two more small fish. Would have a good mess for supper, it looked like. Wife boiling water. I pulled two venison quarters off dryer and rehung them. Will put them out again tomorrow if not raining. While she fixed supper, dogs and I went for a quick trip to woods to west to see if could scare up something. No luck, but we did see some squirrels off in the distance. Dogs saw them and decided to try to climb tree after them. That didn’t go well.

Back, we all ate a good supper. Fish, lots of veggies, and orange drink. Dogs got fish mixed with some dry dog food. Diet change was good for them. One more water trip and we were done for the day. High temp today was in low sixties. Weather definitely changing. Closed up cabin at dusk. Sat talking about scouting trip in the morning. Plan to leave as early as possible and try to be back by noon. Dogs on bear rug just being dogs. Secured cabin, then did hygiene check and wash for all of us. We needed it. Scripture and prayer in front of hearth, and hit the sack a bit early. Early morning tomorrow. A good day today. Good night!

Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. (Luke 10:7)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #95

August 26

Still dark when we woke up. Quick breakfast of jerky and coffee. Dogs got dry food with a few hunks of jerky mixed in. They went outside just as first sunlight started to appear. While they were running around and barking, we packed up for our hike. Emergency packs, EDCs, med kits, emergency food, canteens, utility belts, blades including hand ax, ammo belt, and weapons were made ready. When dogs came back into cabin and saw all that stuff, they got excited. Seemed to know going on another adventure. Everything ready, we loaded up, headed outside, and secured cabin doors behind us. Dogs immediately took off to north toward old lean-to site. Guess they figured we were going north again. But when wife and I went around cabin toward creek, didn’t take them long to figure out headed in another direction. Weather cooperating so far. It was cloudy and would probably rain sometime today. We hoped we would be done with scouting trip to east before raindrops started to fall.

Not much trouble getting across creek. Dogs just hustled across on their own. Turned south past where had killed deer earlier, turned to east, and walked up gully toward where I had killed the three coyotes. Tried to keep dogs away from the grave when we got there, but they had to smell it. Tough getting them to move on, but they eventually did. We climbed out of gully and started to head upslope to cross ridge in front of us. Was hoping we could find a good emergency site on the other side. Wanted to stay partway down the ridge to the east to be out of weather if we had to head to site at some point. Crossed over ridge and started down the other side. Found another gully heading straight north and followed it. A small stream was there. We needed to find its source. After a quarter mile walk to north, found a small spring coming out of hill side. Small flow of water, but in pinch it would work. A nice pine grove just to the east on side of gully. Explored it and figured it would do for site. We could build a shelter under the trees and be virtually invisible there.

With that decided, would build a shelter there when we got back from our trip to the south. Backtracked a bit and headed up the ridge another four or five hundred feet until we came to grove of hardwoods. Hoping to get radio signal. Took a few minutes, but finally did. Volume turned up, listened carefully to NOAA. Glad it was still on the air. Weather will keep turning cooler in days ahead. Good chance of cold rain as well. Will last through Tuesday, then clear out. Next, we tried to find emergency signal. No luck with that. We are just too far out in the sticks. Hoped friends to the south can bring us up to speed when we are there next week. Whatever comes down, we know we can’t change anything that’s happening outside of our little world here in the national forest. We can live with that for the time being.

Finally turned off and stored radio. Headed back home. Dogs eventually caught up to us and with a few other interruptions stayed with us the whole way back. Was 12:30 PM when we crossed the creek and opened cabin door. We were tired but knew we had a place to go if things got bad at the cabin. Now only have to build-out some type of shelter and stock it with some emergency materials, just in case. Unpacked and re-stored everything. Made water run while wife fixed some flour and powdered milk flatbread. Water to drink. Jam on bread. Couple pieces of jerky for everyone. Dogs got a piece of flatbread for lunch. We were all tired from the hike so ate slowly, talking.

After lunch cleanup, dogs and I headed to old field with .17 HMR. Wife stayed at cabin to start preparing to weave baskets from cattail leaves. When dogs saw my rifle they got excited. Stayed out for about an hour. Walked a few critter runs through the old field, saw a couple possible groundhog holes, some squirrels off to my right in the trees, but nothing to shoot at. Dogs were on a rabbit for a bit, but that ended quickly. On way back to cabin checked trotline; it was empty. Checked fish trap at creek; also empty. No fresh fish for supper tonight. Once back at cabin, wife was resting finally. All the hard work had set her ts into action, some pain. Started water to boiling while wife rested. Geared up again, weapon on shoulder, dogs and I headed out to get some sassafras roots from trees that we had spotted when cutting wood last couple days. Took folding

shovel and dug up a good amount. Probably six to eight pounds of roots. Hung to dry on racks in cabin. They put a very pleasant smell into the cabin. Also, collected a basket full of the leaves of those small trees as well. Hung basket in rafters to let them dry. Last thing I did before working on supper was to go back into woods and collect a full basket of green pine needles. We were going to start drinking a cup of pine needle tea every other day to ward off anything they were good for once weather started to change. Pine needles have a high vitamin C content which fights off colds. Moving as much as we could to natural meds, given resources available to us in the woods. A lot more work to do on that in the days and weeks ahead.

Told wife to keep resting, and I would fix supper. Cut up veggies, rice, flour flatbread, jam, and coffee. Didn’t take too long and we were eating. Cook did a good job. Dogs got rice and flatbread. We were all full. Did dishes as well. Dogs and I then headed to spring for water. Checked trotline; empty again. Dogs spent time in old field looking for critters. Some barking but nothing else. Slowly back to cabin as they were messing around. Wife up and about cleaning a bit. Water boiling we went outside to relax. Cooling off again pretty early. By time we went inside for the night was in high forties. Sat by hearth and just talked. Dogs lying on bear rug. Tomorrow is Sunday. Some work to get done. Plan on having a little worship service tomorrow evening.

Dogs out one last time, then closed up cabin. Lots to get done tomorrow. Mainly plan work for week, take care of more winterizing of cabin, and work on discipleship Bible study and what will be our message during worship service next weekend. We have some ideas about that but will wait for guidance to finalize it. Sat in front of hearth for devotions, prayers and scripture reading. By 9 PM we were all in sleeping platforms sound asleep.

Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you. (Luke 10:8)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #96

August 27

A bit chilly when dogs went outside, 45 degrees. They loved it. Felt good to us as well. Only issue was breeze blowing down the valley. Gray clouds filled the sky. While dogs and I were getting water, started to drizzle. Dogs didn’t like that. Wife and I agreed was going to be a wet day. Good thing we had pulled all the cattail leaves inside the cabin last night. She would work on baskets inside, more than likely all day. Simple breakfast of flour and powdered milk flatbread with some heated-up dried beef. Hot cup of coffee tasted good. I cleaned up dishes, and she did more cleaning in cabin. Hauled enough of the dead firewood logs in from cord outside to fill up the rack we had built in the northwest corner of the cabin. Was able to move a fourth of a cord inside. While raining outside, would be better to have it inside. Broke off a couple small sticks from brush pile and gave them to the dogs. They sat on the bear rug chewing on them and making a big mess. But they were happy.

Rain started coming down a bit harder. Decided to winterize the two cabin windows while raining. Pulled out the rubber strips from the Trekker wheels. Cut the pieces and decided how to put them on windows so less cold air could get in and warm heat get out. Had just enough to do the two windows. Nailed them into place using log ends and window frame to anchor the rubber. Can still open the windows, but the fit is much tighter than before. That done, knew still have to figure out how to insulate cracks around both cabin doors. Will later collect enough pine pitch to seal all the small cracks still left around the windows and to secure the rubber even more. When it gets cold later, the rubber will start to get brittle, and the pine pitch will act like a glue to hold the rubber strips in place. While we were working, boiled up some water and then put pine needles in cups and let it steep for about thirty minutes. It tasted really good, a bit bitter, but small portion of sugar helped with that.

Next pulled out the old lanterns we had found when we first came to cabin. Glass was still in one piece. Getting them apart was tough. Screws holding metal together were pretty rusted. Sure glad we had the small tool kit, including pliers and screwdriver, in our packs. Worked on lamp for an hour, got it apart, and then used some of the steel wool from our fire-starting kits to clean as much rust off as I could. That done, put steel wool back in kit; can still be used to start a fire. Used a very small bit of soap on each screw, and they went back into holes much easier than getting them out. Once knew it would go back together, disassembled it again, cut three inches of wick, and threaded it into bottom of lamp. Went outside, carefully half-filled the fuel reservoir, and lit the wick. Wanted to do it outside in case of any problem. Took a bit for wick to pull fuel up, but eventually had a good light. Let it burn outside for a few minutes to make sure it was safe. We had decided that we would not use the lamp until weather really went south. Just wanted it to be ready for that time.

Time for a small lunch when done with this job. Wife had one basket finished already. Boiled up some rice mixed with beef jerky. Dogs excited at the smell. While that was cooking, went to get water at spring. Dogs stayed inside out of rain, eying lunch. Back, food ready, we sat down to eat. Long prayer as we thanked the Lord for all His blessings. Told wife to go back to what she was doing, and I would clean up, which I did.

Spent part of the afternoon working outside. No critters would be moving in the rain. Dogs came out once in a while to check things out but that didn’t last long. I had cut a two-inch diameter log three feet long, with what could be called one thicker end. Sat outside and cleaned it up a bit so I would have a new throwing stick for helping knock down small animals. When that was done, made a harpoon that could be used to spear fish or frogs for food. Would start to use it when I could. Used a six-foot-long pole and split the one end into four parts. Wrapped cord around the pole where splits ended so it would not split any more. Then took two small sticks and wedged them between the four spikes to keep them separated. Those were secured with cord as well. Looked pretty good when it was done. Will try it out when rain stops.

Raining harder, so moved inside to work. Wife making good progress on second basket. Decided I would cut up some of our fruit and veggies and start the drying process inside. First sliced up half of our apple supply, about twenty pounds, into thin slices. They would dry pretty quickly, probably enough to put in basket and hang from rafters tomorrow evening. Then did the same with all the green peppers we had picked. Laid them out on cabin counter to dry beside apples. Cut up eight peppers in total. At least those two things were a start. Needed more. Would check garden every day to get more peppers. Gave dogs a small piece of pepper. One loves them so ate hers. Other one just turned up her nose at it. Thought about doing same for cucumbers, but will wait until tomorrow to do that. Might soak them in a brine and then dry them. Probably will last longer, especially if I cut them up into hunks and then put them in the brine. Shucked the few peas we had. Would fix them with rice for supper tonight. In another week we will have a lot of peas to dry.

Decided to make a water run to spring. Dogs wanted no part of that, so off I went. Wife was deeply involved in her basket making. We hope rain will stop tomorrow so we can go out and pick our first natural veggies. Time will tell. Back from spring, went down to fish trap and had two small fish, probably enough for supper when cleaned. Last jobs before supper were to put mink oil on our boots, since tomorrow will be wet, oiled weapons, and sharpened blades. Last thing we wanted was for rust to start forming on them.

We both got after fixing supper. Small fish, rice, fresh veggies, leftover flatbread, jam, and coffee. Dogs appeared to be really hungry, and they were. We ate a quiet supper and cleaned up. Next, we did a very good hygiene wash for all four of us, checked for ticks, found a couple which were removed, and cleaned any cuts and scrapes we found. Wife and I both had some tender foot spots, so got the moleskin out and applied it. Around 7 PM we sat down for our Sunday worship. Funny how the dogs got quiet when we started. They were content to lie on bear rug and chew on sticks, antlers, and their rubber balls. We read and talked about the twenty-third psalm. Its meaning really lives for us now. Prayer for our friends, the young man, and our families followed.

We finished by singing our favorite song, “Amazing Grace.” We are living in that grace every day. After singing we pulled out Bible and started working on Bible study on discipleship for the weekend. Pretty much landed on what we will say. We will use Luke 10 for the study. We then started looking at the book of Revelation where it talks about the end times. That will be the subject of our talk during the worship service. Will keep working on that right up until the night before the service.

Had already closed up the cabin before we started all of this. Only had to secure the windows and doors and we would be ready to go to bed. Dogs saw me securing things and headed for the platforms. That way they would get the best spots, they thought. Wife soon asleep. I stayed up for a while thinking, praying, and just contemplating the unknown future. We are safe, we have the start of a good amount of supplies, and we know we are where we’re supposed to be. Fire in hearth completely out when I finally headed for my platform. Wrestled bigger dog to the side, and I was soon asleep. Lord, give us courage and discipline to face the new day.

Heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10:9)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #97

August 28

Rain stopped sometime during the night. Was cool this morning, low 40s. Dogs seemed to be full of energy in cooler weather when we headed out to spring for water. Walking back past old field, they took off. Soon saw what they were chasing. Groundhog had been up by garden and was trying to get to its hole. Didn’t make it; dogs cut it off, and it headed for a tree on edge of woods to make a stand. That was a big mistake for it. Had .17 HMR with me. Quickly got within thirty yards and prepared. Waited until critter was half-standing up to defend itself. One shot to the head and it dropped like a stone.

Dogs were on it immediately. Had to scramble to get to it before they decided they would tear it apart. Wife came out of cabin toward us to see why there had been a shot. Dogs were going nuts. Quickly hauled carcass back to cabin, fielddressed it, and hung up to finish bleeding out. Wife carried water back to cabin. Dogs would not leave my side. While she started working on breakfast, I skinned the groundhog. Skin on drying form after lunch. Meat into cabin and cut up in quarters. We would cook it all today and have meat for next two lunches and suppers. Dogs were licking their lips.

Using flour, powdered milk, and pinch of salt, we were going to have flatbread pancakes with jam for breakfast. Coffee again smelled great. Washed up really well before eating. No need to get sick after handling hide, blood, and meat from groundhog. While we ate, decided to roast all four quarters of the animal in a fire in outside pit. Also decided on couple jobs for morning. One obviously was the meat. Garden needed tended and veggies picked. Basket weaving would be a big priority. Wife wanted to take some of them south to give as gifts to people down there.

Outside, built fire with one-half dead wood, one-half green wood to build as long-lasting bed of coals as possible. Glad we had put wood inside cabin yesterday out of the rain. While wife cleaned up breakfast, got around to preparing roasted meat. Wrapped in foil, put each package on side of fire, and when coals were formed, covered packs with them. Kept building up fire in center to create more coals and for next couple hours rotated the meat so it cooked completely. Lots of good fat in the meat, which would be good for us. Energy plus good taste.

I headed to garden; she would tend fire and rotate meat while working on baskets until I got back. Took a basket with me. Easy job cultivating, then got to picking veggies. Ended up with quite a bit. A dozen tomatoes, half the basket full of leafy stuff, ten more cucumbers, and a mess of peas. Decided would put these cucumbers in brine with the rest when back at cabin. Hauled it all back and washed it in the cabin. Wife had big smile when she saw it. I took off to get more water at spring, dogs following me. Needed water to soak stuff. Back, boiled a full pot of water, added salt, cut up new cucumbers, and put them with the other day’s harvest in brine. Will let them soak until tomorrow evening, then dry them. We are going to have feasts next couple of days. Salt getting very low. We will see if we can trade baskets for some salt this weekend. Put groundhog pelt on form and put outside to start its drying process. Scraped it once on the form. Saved scrapings to melt down and make tallow. We needed to make some more fire tins. Asked wife if she would be OK alone if I went down to beaver dam and tried to get some more cattail leaves and maybe some other natural veggies. She said would be fine; if she needed me, would fire two shots into air.

Geared up, off I went with the dogs running ahead of me. Took plastic bag and yoke to haul anything I got. Short trip to the beaver dam and got busy. So glad we had been given the rubber boots. Cut two good bundles of leaves and tied to yoke. Then scrounged for wild veggies. When done, had quite a bit. Hard work digging up the Jerusalem artichoke roots. Glad had folding shovel. Took fortyfive minutes to get all I could find at north end of pond, but ended up with three or four pounds. Good to dry, grind up, and use as a flour extender. Added those

to cattail shoots had gathered. There were wild oats and rice in the pond, but knew would be a bigger harvest further south in the marsh area for those.

Done at pond, headed back to old field where we had seen a lot of stinging nettles. These plants are full of things to use. Dug up about five pounds of roots. We will bake those or boil, just like potatoes. Gathered as many leaves as I had space to carry; they make great tea. Plants were not easy to work with. Had to wear leather gloves to protect hands from the stickers. Itch from the leaves lasted long time and wanted no part of that. Must handle leaves with gloves even to boil them. A good first natural harvest. Wife just smiled when she saw it all. We could hang a lot of it from rafters and use gradually over weeks ahead. Goal was to get as much of these plants, and others, to build up our stores for fall and into winter.

Was 1 PM when I got back. Wife was ready for us to fix lunch. Pulled first packet of groundhog from outside fire and checked it. Cooked all the way through, so that would be main course for lunch. Cut up some tomatoes, boiled peas, cut up lettuce, spinach, and kale for a salad. With water to drink, we had a wonderful lunch. Dogs got quite a bit of meat; they hadn’t eaten much breakfast. Wolfed it down. Not much cleanup other than our plates, utensils, and a couple pots. We were stuffed. Would let lunch settle and eat late tonight. First task on the agenda was to get cucumbers in brine. We worked together washing and cutting them up. Water boiled and cooled. Into the pot they went. We had a bunch, with more to come in next week or so from garden. Tomorrow we will lay salted pieces out in sun to dry, then move onto hanging rack in cabin in a plastic bag in basket. Over the summer, we have also noticed a lot of sunflowers growing in the old field. In a couple more weeks, we will have to gather all of the seeds from those as well. Dried and salted, they are a wonderful source of vitamins and fat as a winter snack.

Wife continued to work on baskets. I geared up, got wheelbarrow, and hauled branches and limbs from woods back to piles near cabin. Will soon have to start cutting the larger ones into usable length and thickness, stuff for kindling in

hearth. That will be a job, but can work on it gradually over time. Worked until 6 PM on hauling stuff. That left another full afternoon of hauling to do. Piles near cabin getting quite big. Dogs and I made a water run; wife had pumped water from well and was boiling it. Back, we prepared to eat around 7 PM. Cut up tomatoes, leafy green salad, mess of peas boiled and thrown into salad, second groundhog roast, and coffee. Of course dogs didn’t like the veggies. So they got a bit of dry dog food and a lot of meat. We all ate slowly. Wife had pulled the other roasts out of the coals earlier, and they were in a basket hanging from rafters after they cooled. Eat like kings next couple days. Bigger cleanup tonight because of big meal. Getting dark earlier, so didn’t go outside other than to check temp. Only got up to 60 degrees today; headed for around forty tonight. Cooler temps hit earlier in the mountains. Won’t be surprised if we have a frost in the next couple weeks.

Everything done, we settled down in front of hearth to work on discipleship study and the message from Revelation we will use next weekend. It will be here soon. Dogs were stretched out on bear rug. Big supper did them in. We talked about the weekend and planned out how we will travel in the ATV with the young man with the broken leg. Will have to go slow, so as not to cause him any pain or discomfort. Dogs eventually were on platforms snoring as usual. We finished day with devotions. Prayer and scripture reading. It had been a very productive day. We can see being able to lay in quite a few dry veggies in preparation for the winter, both ones we had planted and those that grew naturally. Still a daily chore that will last the whole winter. Asleep finally, a quartet of snoring bodies, all in harmony.

But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this

that the kingdom of God has come near.” (Luke 10:10–11)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #98

August 29

Well rested when we woke up. Cold dog noses and tongues licking your face has a way of waking you up quickly. They bounced off platforms and were at door wanting to go outside, and away they went. Headed south, so figured going back to old field to examine scene of their latest hunting success. What a hoot. Got dressed and headed out to spring, the normal routine. Wife got fire going in hearth, boiling well water and figuring out what to have for breakfast. Ended up with rice, dried beef mixed in, coffee, and a bit of dry dog food for dogs with beef. By the time we got back from spring, it was ready to eat. Dogs were at their plates in a New York minute.

As we sat there planning day, told wife that it was only 40 degrees outside. Fall and winter coming way too early. Then we got realistic. Plan for day was pretty simple. AM she would work on baskets, I would try to finish hauling brush. Sounded good. Would figure out what to do in the PM over lunch. Dogs ready to head outside, so I had to get ready. They were running around off to the west when I finally got outside. Geared up, gloves, wheelbarrow ready, off I went. 8 AM when got started. Took me almost to noon to finish hauling brush. Dogs had been spending their time barking at squirrels in the trees. Squirrels were really busy gathering nuts. Was a good reminder that we need to be doing the same. Acorns, walnuts, and hickory nuts will be our targets. Great wintertime sources of energy, protein, and fat.

Not quite done with hauling when broke for lunch. Off to spring for water. Wife already had meat warmed up, rice boiled, veggies cut up, and coffee made. Cooler weather means we will be burning more calories working outside, so trying to eat energy-packed meals. Balanced meals, but as much protein and fat-

rich meat as possible. I cleaned up dishes and then went for more water. Wife got back to her basket weaving. She would have five new baskets finished by this evening. Plenty to use for trading in the south.

Finished hauling brush at 3 PM. Piles were unbelievable. Looked out to north, west, and southwest, and our line-of-sight is much better after cutting down all these trees. Decided to head back to old field and collect more stinging nettles. Worked for close to two hours, collecting probably eight pounds, giving us a total of around twelve pounds of roots that we can boil like potatoes. Had enough leaves as well, probably three pounds in total, to make plenty of tea. Back around 5 PM and off to spring. Wife had finished the fifth basket, so she is ready to trade. We pitched in and worked on supper together. Had to cut back on volume a bit because we had eaten so much in last couple days. Simple supper, one-quarter of groundhog reheated, rice, and cut-up veggies. Dogs got normal portion of rice and meat. We steeped cup of sassafras tea, and it really hit the spot. Will gather pine needles tomorrow for breakfast tea, our vitamin C fix. While eating, planned tomorrow, talked about discipleship study some more, and figured out what we will say about Revelation in more detail. A good day when done. Going to be cool again tonight; we could feel slight draft coming into cabin around the two doors. Need to winterize them sooner rather than later. Another water run and outside for a bit. Groundhog hide was cured, so pulled it off form and hung with other hides from racks in cabin. Need to check trotline and fish trap in the morning. Haven’t looked at them in a couple days.

Dogs content to sit on bear rug and chew on antlers and sticks after cabin closed up for the night. Cool again tonight, we would all sleep well. Needed to do some work on deer hide to make it into a blanket for one of us soon. Devotions as usual in front of the hearth. Prayer of thanks, scripture reading. Wife went to bed on her platform. I stayed up a while longer in thought about discipleship Bible study. Not sure what time hit the sack, but was asleep quickly. Too much snoring going on to stay awake. Good night, Lord, thank You.

The one who listens to you listens to Me,

and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me. (Luke 10:16)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #99

August 30

Another good night’s rest. A combination of good meals, hard work, and cooler temperatures made sleeping much easier. Dogs a bit lazy this morning. Needed to get them outside to run off some of the laziness. So first thing, headed to spring, as we do every morning. Started fire in hearth before I left. Got back, and wife and I fixed a good, simple breakfast. Flour and milk flatbread, jam, some rice, and a steeped cup of sassafras tea, and bit of dry food for the dogs. Planned out the day. Spend the AM gathering wild edibles from pond and marsh, cultivate and harvest garden produce. Afternoon would be spent winterizing cabin doors, starting to cut up kindling from brush piles, checking fish trap and trotline, and other small jobs as we could identify them. Would be a full day. We are definitely aware of and committed to a few priorities over the weeks and months ahead. Water, food, warmth, and safety will be the core of everything we do from now on.

We cleaned up after breakfast and got ready to head south. All gear together, canteens full of water, blades and weapons ready, we headed out after securing the cabin. Dogs were way ahead of us in no time once they figured out direction we were going. First stop was the pond; able to dig up and harvest more Jerusalem artichoke parts. Then on to marsh. Brown seed pods on cattails beginning to open, so collected as much fluffy white material from them as possible for fire starting. New shoots were starting to appear, just breaking water surface. Harvested four or five pounds of those as well. Noticed that bulrushes were probably ready to start harvesting as well. Will wait till back from south to start on those. Combine their harvest with starting to gather sunflower seeds. Had couple full baskets of everything when done. Tied to yoke, toted it all back to the cabin, arriving shortly before noon.

Quick cold lunch of jerky and a couple leftover flatbread pancakes with jam. Just enough and it tasted good. Dogs and I made quick run to spring. On way back checked trotlines; three medium fish, rebaited lines, and back in water. Fish for supper tonight. Everything deposited in cabin, down to check fish trap in creek. Two more fish, cleaned and ready to cook. We were going to have a big mess of fish tonight for supper. Lighter supper instead of heavy red meat. Will hold on to last quarter of groundhog until tomorrow. Wife cooked fish as soon as had them in cabin, to preserve them for supper.

Once all that was done we all headed outside to start cutting some of brush into kindling. Was cooler, maybe only in mid-fifties. Thermometer confirmed that. Was refreshing. I worked on kindling all afternoon. Wife stopped midafternoon because her fibromyalgia was kicking up in cooler weather. She opened both cabin doors and gave it a good sweep out. Dogs don’t like broom, so they stayed outside with me. She then organized cabin, preparing garden veggie menu for next couple days so nothing was left to rot while we were gone south. I marvel at her ability to organize things that has paid big dividends for us both in the short and long-term. She is a blessing to me. We are partners in this every minute of every day. Interesting how we know what the other is thinking even without asking or being told. That can be scary at times but is a strong bond between us. Dogs sense it also. They look at us and seem to know what we are doing. Their eyes communicate to us very clearly what they want as well.

Cut kindling for couple hours, then asked her if she wanted to go with me to gather acorns. Got an affirmative, so we headed west to ridge where there were a lot of oaks. Backbreaking work, but we stuck to it until around 5 PM. Aching backs tonight, but productive time. We had, at best guess, five pounds of nuts in basket. Would start tannin removal process tonight, continue that tomorrow, and then hang nuts from rafters in cabin. Sun had long set behind ridge to west when we sat down to supper of fish, rice, cut-up veggies, and pine needle tea. Dogs ate slowly but they ate every bit on their plates.

We talked about emergency bug-out location while eating. Decided we will have

a normal work day after returning from southern trip. Second day back will head to identified location and build out simple emergency site. Once that is done, can concentrate on cabin preparations and not worry so much about any emergency what-ifs. Sounded like a good plan. Got a third of the acorns done during evening. Will do rest tomorrow. Temp dropping quite a bit, might make it into high thirties tonight. Closed up cabin by 7:30 PM and sat around fire in hearth. Dogs, just being lazy, were already on platforms. Had a good session of prayer and scripture. Briefly discussed Bible study and worship service for southern trip. We are prepared but know we will do some last-minute prep when we get there. A good feeling, and confirmed a lot to us. Fire finally out in hearth, we headed to bed hoping for another good night’s rest. A lot of good stuff done today. Thank You, Lord, for strength and discipline.

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.” (Luke 10:21)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #100

August 31

Up before the sun this morning. Lot of packing to do. Doctor friend had told folks to our north that someone would be there around noon today to take injured young man south. So we had to get hopping. Made quick water run to spring with dogs while wife boiled water from well. Had to have full canteens when we left for the trip today. Simple cold breakfast of jerky and last of the recent garden harvest. Dogs got some dog food and jerky. Hot cup of pine needle tea.

Dogs started going nuts when they saw us get our packs out. Enough clothing for the weekend. Prepared EDCs, med kits, ammo belts, utility belts, blades, weapons and emergency food. Attached sleeping bags to packs, extra shoes, and emergency cooking stuff. Took couple hours to get it all ready. Fire put out in cabin. Put battery back in ATV and fired it up to make sure it was OK. We would put one of sleeping bags in trailer to add some padding for whoever rode back there on trip south. We had gotten used to preparing for trips so it didn’t take long. In fact, we kept EDCs, med kits, ammo, utility belts and some things in packs at all times, just in case we had to bug-out on a moment’s notice. Fired up ATV and parked in front of cabin for loading. Dogs going absolutely crazy. All loaded, cabin doors nailed shut, we were ready.

On our way by 9 AM. Took a bit of time to get up to Forest Service road. Ground a bit slippery, and had not driven ATV that much in past few years. But we made it safely and turned north. Dogs in trailer wanted to jump off every now and then, but we kept them in it. We arrived at three-crosses turnoff in two hours total from when we left cabin. Riding sure was a lot easier than walking. When we slowed to make turn to the left, the two bluetick hounds running in circles around us was the final motivator for our dogs to jump ship. Dogs jumped out of

trailer; they knew where they were. All we saw were four tails streaking toward friend’s cabin, and they were out of sight in ten seconds.

Everyone there had been expecting an ATV by noon but were shocked to see us driving it. Young man was standing on cabin porch using his crutches. He seemed very happy to see us. After being cooped up for a couple weeks, he seemed eager to make the trip. Hugs and handshakes, and insistence that we have lunch before we left. We were very happy to be there with them. Friend’s wife had a nice warm lunch fixed. Venison, fried potatoes, cornbread muffins, butter, and hot coffee. We sat and had a nice visit while eating. Young man said he was grateful for all the help that we had given him. He said he knew from the trading day joke that we would be friends the rest of our lives. Made us smile and thank the Lord for the young man’s life. He seemed to have gotten over some of his initial sadness and was joking with us quite a bit.

Lunch finished, friend’s wife would hear nothing of us helping clean up after lunch. They said we had a more important job, get south safely. Told us they would be leaving to go south early tomorrow morning. Loaded up young man’s stuff. Tied it to the roof over the main part of the ATV. Friend and I carried him to machine even though he insisted he could make it on his own. We would hear nothing of that. Situated him in front seat. Sat at an angle so his injured leg could stay straight. Doctor friend from south had fashioned a wonderful cast for the leg from natural materials. There was no way young man could bend it. Crutches tied to ATV, hugs and good-byes said, we started south. Blueticks stayed with us for a while after we headed south, then gave up the chase. Had a ten-mile ride and wanted to arrive before 5 PM. Went slowly to avoid bouncing the young man around. Wife and dogs in the trailer, so did not want to bounce them around either.

Max speed of three miles per hour, took us just over three hours to make the trip. Didn’t see a soul. Lots of birds and critters in the trees yakking at us. Of course, that drove dogs nuts. Saw a couple flocks of geese and ducks flying south. Another sign that winter was coming. Finally crossed the bridge over the Clarion

River and arrived at doctor friend’s farm thirty-minutes later. Got a wonderful greeting from them. We let young man walk into their cabin under his own power using crutches. Doctor immediately examined him and said he was progressing well. Made the young guy smile. He could not thank the doctor enough. Young guy would be sleeping in second bedroom in cabin, so wife and I drove ATV to his small barn to prepare our sleeping location. Doctor had spread straw over the entire floor. Would be sleeping quarters for quite a few people over the weekend. It looked great to us and smelled wonderful. We were the first small group to arrive for the weekend. Others will start arriving around noon tomorrow probably. Doctor’s wife said supper would be at 6 PM. Knowing that, we quickly got our stuff arranged and headed into cabin to clean up. Dogs were somewhere off in the fields with doctor’s Lab. Just as before, you would have thought they had been friends for years.

At 6:15 PM we sat down to a simple, wonderful supper. Mashed potatoes, hot veggies, fried chicken, and a simple apple pie for supper. Smells were wonderful. Dogs got some potatoes and chicken without the skin. Talked about everything under the sun while we ate. Had only been a few days since we had seen them but had a lot of catching up to do. Apple pie and fried chicken were the hits of supper. Wives kicked men out of cabin and onto front porch. Needed us to get out of the way. We surrendered with smiles on our faces. Sat down and had a serious discussion of everything that was going on locally, nationally, and internationally. Decided to wait until we got back to our cabin to record the discussion in our diary. It is enough to say that things continue to get steadily worse.

Sun had set to the west, cooling off quite a bit, when wives brought us a hot cup of cocoa to drink. We all sat on porch and had a great conversation about how the Lord was watching over everyone. Young man was obviously tired from trip, so he headed off to bed after hugs for everyone. The four of us, doctor, his wife, my wife, and I stayed on porch for a bit longer. Shared our thoughts for the weekend. Asked them how we could help with preparations tomorrow. They had a long list of things that needed to be done. Our response was we would be up before sunrise to get after the list. They just smiled. We closed the day with them with prayer and scripture reading. Told them our plans for Bible study and

worship topic, and they were excited about it. They anticipated as many as thirty other people from the area would show up this weekend. With the folks from the north we could possibly have forty people in total. Lots of work, lots of new friends to get to know, and a great opportunity to build a larger community.

A few yawns and we knew we all had better get to bed. Dogs lying at our feet had already told us that, but we ignored them for a while. They did not fight us when we headed to barn. They were asleep almost instantly after they climbed onto our sleeping bags. Would be chilly in barn tonight, but we were prepared for that. Wife and I had our own private time of prayer there in the barn. Asked the Lord to use us in any way He saw fit over the weekend and that He would give us the words to speak to everyone when we were leading the study and worship times. Both fell asleep quickly, knew the sun would be up soon. Rest will be at a over the weekend. Too much talking and too many activities. Good night, Lord.

All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. (Luke 10:22)

August Reflections

It is hard to put into words our reflections for the month of August. So many emotions were experienced during the month. From the happiness resulting from the connection with our neighbors to the north, to the depths of sadness with the death of the young woman and the suffering her husband experienced. The month saw the initial steps of building community, the first efforts at taking on a ministry to that community, to having to take part in the burial of a woman who loved the Lord and had everything in life to live for.

It was a month of continued building of the foundation of our new life. Our new home, providing for our safety and security, as well as being an anchor on which to build our new life. Learning and practicing new skills, using our common sense and adaptability to build the many tools and processes that would keep us going in the cold months that lie ahead, working hard to build up our food, fuel, and provision stores, maintaining all the skills we have learned, staying healthy, all this plus much more had taken place. We saw the Lord answer prayers. His word in the Bible has become even more powerful and dependable in our lives. Our relationship with the Lord has become so much deeper.

On the personal side, my wife and I are daily building our relationship. We became partners in ways that we had never experienced before. We shared both the good and the bad of the month. Patience, skill, and a bit of luck kept us safe from both human and animal dangers. Our two little dogs had adapted even more to their new life. Their love and companionship are cherished even more.

August was a month of concentrated preparation for the difficult days of winter that lie ahead. Much progress has been made. Much more needs to be done in September even as we are feeling the first impact of colder weather, snow, scarcity of food, and more unknowns. Much of the work of August will continue

in September. We are going to have to concentrate even more on a few critical things—food, warmth, water, safety and our budding community.

We will enter September with a realistic, optimistic, and hopeful view of our lives. We will trust the Lord to guide and direct us daily. We will adapt, adjust, and use our God-given common sense to persevere. That is our prayer. We are deeply grateful for the month of August.

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. (Colossians 2:6–7)

September Community Revisited, Preparation, Winter Arrives

the word which You commanded Your servant Moses saying, “If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; but if your return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.” They are your servants and Your people whom you redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. (Nehemiah 1:8–10)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #101

September 1

Rooster crowing got us all up at dawn. Dogs raring to go. Met friend’s Lab outside barn, and they took off into the fields. We hung sleeping bags and other things on a pole in the barn to air out. Combed straw out of our hair and headed for small house. Lights were on inside. Something else, how much light a couple lanterns can create. Young man was still asleep; yesterday was hard on him, but he would never tell us that. Wife pitched in with doctor’s wife and started on simple breakfast of powdered eggs, bacon, coffee, and fresh bread with jam. While they were doing that, friend and I went out and fed his two cows and all the chickens. Could hear the dogs barking off in the distance. They were on to something. When they gave up chase, they ed us and headed to the house to eat. Imagine they could smell the cooking even out in the field. Dogs got dry food with a bit of scrambled eggs mixed in. Sun finally coming up in the east. Was cool outside but not cold like it would get soon. We talked about the day and plans for the large group. Ladies from each southern couple would be bringing food each mealtime to feed the group. My wife and friend’s wife would organize all of that. We would eat outside if the weather cooperated.

First task friend and I had to get done this morning was to build a little meeting place using bales of hay for seats around a large fire pit which we would build. That would take several hours to get set up. Decided to put it near the barn so didn’t have to move bales very far. Once that was done, he wanted to start cutting the wheat in the small field next to the barn. Had a couple acres of wheat that was dried out and needed to be harvested. That would be tough work as well since it all had to be done by hand. His plan was to share the final grain harvest with each family that came over the weekend equally. Would mean it had to be winnowed after being cut. Rest of today, and all day tomorrow, all the men who came would work on that. Every wife would be bringing some of their homemade things to trade among themselves. They were going to do that

tomorrow night around the fire after everyone had arrived. My wife and friend’s wife would take care of the injured young man all day as well. They figured they might have to tie him down to keep him from doing too much.

Breakfast eaten, wives kicked us out of house again. Said to get busy, we were burning sunlight. Been years since I had heard anyone say that. So out we went to the wheat field. Going to be a nice day. Friend said weather forecast called for cool, sunny days and cooler nights the whole weekend. Another answer to prayer. He had prepared all his hand cutting tools, three scythes and two sickles. His neighbors would bring more, and in a pinch, machetes could be used. He and I got into the job. Two acres was a lot of cutting. We worked steadily. Two acres meant the field was two thousand feet by a thousand, since an acre is a square one thousand feet on each side. We would be lucky to get a half acre cut with just the two of us working. Talked a lot about our seminary days, good memories, and the ministries we both had been involved with over the years. Lots of laughing as well. We took periodic breaks all morning, drank a lot of water, and did a lot of complaining about old backs.

Heard the gong ring at the house which he said meant lunch was ready. Looked at watches and it was noon already. As we walked back to house looked back at field and we had cut a four-hundred-foot square section of the field. One-fifth done, which we thought was good. But we would not work as fast this afternoon. While we sat and ate, friend’s neighbors all started to arrive. All the ladies carrying their home goods. Guys were all carrying their hand cutting tools. They had all eaten before coming. Guess what, wives kicked us out of house again. Basically, said we lazy men should get busy because they had a lot of talking to do. We felt sorry for the poor young guy who had to stay at the house. We might take pity on him tomorrow and bring him out to the field on an ATV so he could sit and watch. By 1 PM we were back to cutting. We now had seven men working at it. Saw a lot of progress very shortly.

We were all concentrating on our work when we heard a shot ring out in the field. One of the guys had stumbled on a rattlesnake and had done it in quickly.

The dogs came running of course, but snake already on its way to the barn to be skinned. A bit of excitement but made us all a bit more careful. Took a break around 3 PM and stood around talking about recent events locally. The guys who had come up to help us cut firewood reported on the violent incident to the north. Every man said they needed to give the young man back at the house their regrets. All said they would be willing to do anything for him. After fifteen minutes of talking got back to cutting. At 5:30 PM the gong sounded again. We gathered tools, gear, and weapons and headed back to do a thorough washup. We were all sweaty. Wives would not come within twenty feet of any of us if we did not clean up really well. Dogs heard the gong. Lab knew what it meant and it took off running with our dogs trying to catch up. Men all went to outside well and pumped water until everyone had washed. We knew we would have to inspection, so did a good job. While washing up we looked back at field, and three-fourths of it was cut. A few of us would finish cutting first thing tomorrow while the rest started winnowing the grain. Ladies gave us the once-over before letting us into house to get our food. Felt like a little kid again going through inspection at my grandparents’ farm before grandmother would let us in the house. We all got a good laugh over it.

Supper was a feast. Mashed potatoes, noodles with chicken pieces mixed in, three different veggies, two blackberry pies, hot coffee, and powdered orange drink. Dogs got some noodles, chicken and mashed potatoes. Not dog food but made their day. They ate quickly and out they went again. Great time of prayer before eating. Several prayed and especially mentioned the young man. Prayers done we all looked at him, and tears were running down his face. Some tears in other eyes as well. Could hardly hear while eating because there was so much talking and laughing. Pushed back from the table and a lot of contented sighs. Ladies said they had decided to put trading off until tomorrow afternoon to allow anyone else who was coming to arrive. A good plan. Wanted everyone to feel part of the community. While ladies cleaned up, with some of the men helping, rest of the men went out and got a good fire going in fire pit. Yes, some of the men were allowed to help clean up supper. When that was all done came out to the fire starters at the fire. A couple of guitars showed up mysteriously. We spent the rest of the evening sitting around the fire singing old hymns and some recent songs. An informal time of praise and worship. Closed session fairly early so neighbors could get back to their places before it got too late. Another long day tomorrow. Was going to be a community work day on the wheat field.

Doctor, his wife, my wife, and I took young man back to the house and got him settled in his sleeping area.

The four of us then went out to sit on the porch for a bit, our dogs at our feet. The wives caught up a lot on the years since the old Asbury days. Talked about kids, grandkids, families, and how much we hoped all of them were OK. They had not heard from any of their family as well. At 9:30 PM wife and I headed for barn, dogs following us. Friend said rooster would wake us up early again tomorrow. Our dogs quickly onto sleeping bags and snoring before we could them. Shared hug, a short prayer of thanks for our friends, and we were asleep before our heads hit the bags. What a wonderful blessed day.

And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbors as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” (Luke 10:26–28)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #102

September 2

Friend was right, rooster had us up before dawn. A repeat of yesterday. Our dogs heard Lab scratching on barn door, and out they went. Didn’t see them again until breakfast gong was rung. Dressed quickly and over to the house from the barn. Friend and I fed the animals and were back soon for breakfast. Young man was up as well. Came out of his sleeping area on crutches. Doctor said he wanted to check him out after breakfast. Asked him if he wanted to sit in ATV while we worked in field to get him out of the house. Didn’t have to ask him twice. We just looked at our wives and grinned. They put on some sad faces, as if they had been rejected, but we knew they were just kidding.

Checkup on young man produced good results. He was making progress, no ill effects of the long ride in the ATV. Friend went and got machine while I helped fellow down steps. He got into the ATV without much help from us. Stopped by barn, sharpened all the cutting tools, and out into the field we went. Neighbors arrived midmorning and got after it with us. Wives came with baskets of food for lunch and supper. During the rest of the morning we saw others arriving. Friends from the north were a day late. Said they could not get away yesterday but were glad to finally be with us. Reason for being late was that they had killed another deer and wanted to bring it with them for the weekend. We would have to set up a spit over the big fire to roast it.

By 11 AM the field was completely cut. Next task would be the winnowing, which would start after lunch. Back by barn, we got after building a spit over the outdoor fire. Friend already had one made so all we had to do was assemble it. Northern friends had left hide on deer kill so it would hold up better. Deer skinned quickly, fire built in pit, and deer put on spit over fire. Cook it all day

slowly. Since deer don’t have much fat, would need to cook a long time to make sure it was done. Did a good washup again and were finished just as wives rang gong.

People had been arriving all morning. Had quite a crowd to feed. Wives had set up smorgasbord-style serving tables on house porch. Could not believe the amount of food. Tons of fresh salads, fresh-baked bread and jam, jerky, fresh fruit, pasta dishes, cut-up veggies, and several desserts. Just like an old family reunion meal. Everyone ate their fill. There would be leftovers to add to the venison. Doctor and his wife took care of all the introductions of folks from the area which we had not met yet. That took a bit. Friends from north could not get over how many people were obviously interested in building the community. Eventually the wives did their thing, kicked us off the porch, and said get busy. Told us to be cleaned up and ready for supper at 6 PM. Of course, our only response was yes dear, and away we went. Doctor and couple guys from south checked on venison. Said we would have to check it every forty-five minutes or so and then at 3 PM someone would have to stay with it and rotate and baste it constantly until supper. Couple guys volunteered to do that who had just arrived; they wanted to help as much as possible.

We set up the winnowing process. Had four large twelve-foot-square tarps laid out on the ground. Plan was to put cut wheat on half of each tarp, about six inches thick, then turn other half of tarp over on top of wheat. While some of us were doing that for first go-round several of the guys went down to edge of woods and cut a dozen or so saplings down. Trimmed limbs and brought back what would be our flails to beat the tarp and loosen the grain. Doctor and his neighbors had a dozen bushel baskets to be filled with heads of grain. All ready to go, we started to beat the tarps. Fifteen minutes on, then another shift would take over. System seemed to work well. When figured grain heads free of stalks, all the stalks removed from tarp and grain poured into baskets. Would start with dozen baskets and when they were full would do the rest for the doctor and his critters. Stalks bundled up and put in barn. Would be good feed for the cows. A few breaks every now and then and kept working until 5 PM. Gathered up tools and tarps and put them in barn. Good chance we will get all the winnowing done tomorrow. Took longer for all of us to get cleaned up.

During afternoon four more couples arrived from nearby, all carrying or hauling stuff. Gong rang at 6 PM just like we had been warned. We all stood at attention as the wives told us how supper would go. Don’t think they liked the attention thing, but they humored us. Everyone would fill plates and then head to spit for venison. A couple wives would be there to cut off as much meat as one wanted. To the leftovers from lunch, more of the same type of things were added. As we all sat around the fire starting to eat, several mentioned that the day felt like an old barn raising with lots of work and way too much food eaten in community style. Everyone thought that was a great insight and comparison. Lots of banter, introductions, laughter, kidding, and comments about how good the food was. Much thanks given to the ladies, and they all beamed.

Lots of dogs running around. They didn’t need their own food, all they had to do was beg a bit and they got more than they needed. Each one did get a piece of meat. There was no fighting among them, which was good. Meal done, meat was hauled into the barn and hung for the night. We would be smelling it all night long. Was sure dogs would go crazy with that. Everyone pitched in and cleaned up after supper. Ladies finally told men to get out. Men were slowing things down and getting in the way. Besides couldn’t talk to so many people at once. So men got about sharpening all their tools and blades, cleaning and comparing weapons, and messing with the dogs to keep them occupied.

Wives finally done, we all gathered around the fire. Shared story of recent violence up north, and young man shared his story with his wife. It was really interesting. Lots of tears. Someone said we should pray for him, for his physical healing, and for his emotions. That led to more tears.

Then we all got a wonderful shock. One of the latest arrivals stood up and made a suggestion. He proposed that later this month, or in early October, a work team of as many couples as possible head north to the site of the young man’s burnedout cabin. There, he went on, the work team would build him a new cabin, close to the grave of his wife. You could have cut the silence with a knife as he sat

back down. Everyone looked at the young man and his face was one of disbelief. It only took a few minutes for others to chime in that the idea was wonderful. Many of the group said that they wanted to be part of the team. Couples were hugging each other.

When everyone was quiet again our friend from the north offered to speak for the whole northern group. They would open their cabins, their food, and their equipment to anyone who would come. It would mean the team might camp out for many days at the site to build the cabin. The weather would likely not be good. Some urged care and caution, but the great majority were in favor of the idea if proper preparation and precautions were taken. It was decided. We agreed that before we closed down for the weekend dates would be set for the cabin rebuilding project. Someone led the group, asking the Lord to bless the idea and the resulting effort. As people got up to go to their sleeping areas, or homes, they each hugged the young man. He was a mess by the time that was all done. Several men assisted him into the farmhouse. Everyone else quietly left to get some rest and get into the new day tomorrow. We and our dogs were soon asleep waiting for the rooster to wake us up.

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #103

September 3

Right on cue the rooster crowed. Dogs ran to the door and then to the farmhouse. We had a lot of company in the barn overnight. Eight couples slept on the straw. It was like a retreat. Only issue was the symphony of snoring. But that was to be expected. Wives hurried to the house to help with breakfast. Shortly after it was light enough to travel, all the neighboring couples had arrived. Men got the winnowing process set up while wives fixed breakfast. Feeding eighteen couples, thirty-seven adults including the injured guy, was going to keep the cooks busy. Went in shifts, twelve at a time. When first group through, wives had had enough time to cook eggs for second group. Same process for the third group. Venison had been put back over fire before rooster crowed by someone. It was all warmed up. So, breakfast was venison, eggs and coffee. Lots of energy builders.

As usual, the ladies told the men to get to work. If yesterday was any indication of speed of work should have all of the wheat winnowed by noon, just before lunch. Ladies told us the plan for the day. Work in field for men. Ladies would clean up then get ready for the trading. Lunch around 12:30 PM, followed immediately by trading until 3 PM. At 3 PM would have the Bible study on discipleship. Then supper, then our evening worship service to start at 7 PM. Everything would be done by 9 PM. Many had asked to be finished with events tonight so they could get an early start home in the morning. We all agreed to the schedule and got busy.

By 8 AM men had begun winnowing wheat. System worked well. Could not believe it but we got done ahead of time, 11:30 AM. Carried all twelve of the full bushel baskets to farmhouse for everyone to see. Every couple would get a

bushel basket. We didn’t carry the other grain to the house. We had used baskets to transfer it to the grain bin in the barn. Doctor estimated that there was another thirty or forty bushels in the bin when we were done. Not nearly the output of a modern farm but what a bounty for everyone. Had time to clean up. That done, back to house. Light lunch; we needed a break from heavy food and venison. Salads, bread, and jam were enough for everyone.

Ladies seemed to want to get to their trading. They had carried everything out to the meeting place around the fire pit. Told us men to sit down and watch. The trading started. So many voices the men were soon lost in the process. In ninetyminutes it was done. Everyone seemed pleased. Every husband was then shown what his wife had secured. My wife took my hand and showed me two fivepound pokes—one of sugar, the other of salt. She also showed me three padlocks with keys that one of the wives said her husband contributed. The variety of things traded was unbelievable. The group was practicing in real life the idea of providing for each other. The very two areas where my wife and I were short, she had been able to secure through trading of her baskets. Just hugged her and said thank you. What else could I say?

We started the Bible study fifteen minutes early. Over the next hour my wife and I took the group through the fundamental life of a servant as shown by our Lord. It was not new to most people there, but to some it was. The meaning of servanthood had grown in each of our lives over the past months. We repeated that the plan to rebuild the young man’s cabin, and this three-day weekend, were good signs that the group was practicing being each other’s servant. We closed the time with the same request we had made of the group to the north last month. We asked them, if they were willing, to commit as individuals and couples to the servant life in our growing community. Took a few minutes to get started, but when it did commitments went around the circle. Northern folks told of the impact in their lives of making such a commitment. Folks from the south said they would do anything the Lord asked them to do. My wife and I committed to be their guides through the scripture as we learned more about the servant life together. We reaffirmed commitment to lead study for the northern group and offered to do the same for the southern group. The offer was accepted immediately. We committed to an overnight stay with study for each group, at

least once a month. Northern group was very understanding in this change in our original commitment to them from twice monthly to once monthly. They understood that we also had to work on our survival in our home as well. Told them we would have dates set for the next couple months before everyone left in the morning.

Everyone told the wives to take it easy on supper. Way too much food to this point. So they fixed one that was very simple. Salad, cut-up veggies, and slices of fresh bread if anyone wanted a venison sandwich. All the dogs got nice pieces of meat, and they were happy. While wives cleaned up supper, a few of the men carved up the remaining venison and said the doctor and his wife should have all that was left as payment for their hospitality. They objected but didn’t win. It was theirs.

By 6:50 PM everyone was gathered back at the fire ring for our evening service. Guitars showed up and we sang a lot of old songs. When my wife and I stood up we took them through the various characteristics of the end times that are contained in the book of Revelation. It moved us to see the others paying such close attention. When we were done, we asked if there was anyone who needed to make a recommitment or a first commitment of their life to Christ. Two of the late coming couples raised their hands. We asked them to come to the middle of the group, and we all stood around them. We led them in the simple sinner’s prayer, which they repeated. Then we all laid hands on them if we could reach them and prayed for them. Finished, even in the darkness, there were lots of tears around the group. Everyone hugged the four and then everyone else. We closed with our favorite hymn, “Amazing Grace.” It truly was amazing that God’s grace had given us such a wonderful gift, eternal life. And it was so simple to ask for. It was the simplest, freest gift any of us had received or ever would . But it was a gift that transformed each and every one of us.

Some couples wandered off to be alone. Others sat in small groups around the fire as it went out slowly. Some headed for their homes a short distance away. Eventually everyone who was sleeping in the barn made it back there. The

talking did not end with that. The four new Christians were in the barn group. Some of us stayed up with them answering their many questions. Some of the local group had already committed to follow up with them in the days and weeks ahead. They just didn’t want to go to sleep, but eventually the rest of us said we needed to sleep. Our dogs were long gone in their dreams when my wife and I finally lay down. Still not asleep quickly, too many thoughts running through our heads. We hugged each other, our dogs, and finally nodded off. Another wonderful day. Lord, we are all in your hands. Watch over us, protect us, use us in any way You see fit.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #104

September 4

Guess what, the rooster crowed again this morning. Everyone in the barn packed up. We had agreed to have the whole group meet at the farmhouse at 9 AM for a benediction for the weekend, a review of commitments made, and a short time of prayer before all headed home. Those traveling some distance, including us, had quick, simple breakfast of eggs and coffee. Locals ate in their homes before coming to central location. By 8:45 AM everyone was gathered. Announced that cabin building will start on October 2, with Bible study on the eighth. South Bible study will be on the fifteenth of October. Schedule for each month following would be first Sunday of month in north, second Sunday in the south. Everyone agreed.

With that, we led prayer for traveling safety, protection until we met again next month, strength for each day’s labors, and finally thankfulness for our community, which would now be a beacon set on the hills of western Pennsylvania to a lost and conflicted world. Hugs for everyone took a while. Finally, everyone was ready to leave. A few of us who were staying behind for a bit waved until everyone was out of sight. Doctor had asked my wife and me to hang back a bit because the entire group had a message for us, but they wanted it delivered after they were all gone. Looking around, we saw that two other couples, their ATVs, the young injured man also were still there. What was going on?

Doctor said one of the guys with his ATV would take the young man back north. The other ATV and its owner would shuttle us back to our cabin. Both ATVs had trailers, which puzzled us. At that point the guys went to the barn and came back carrying three burlap bags. Each seemed to be full of something. The doctor then

quoted scripture that said a laborer should earn the fruits of his labor. The three bags were those fruits for my wife and me for the work that lay ahead of us as the spiritual leaders of the new community. As usual, we were at a loss for words. All we could do was hug the others and say thank you. Everything was loaded into one of the ATV trailers. It would carry the young man back north in the front seat. Wife climbed into the front seat of the second ATV, the dogs and I in the back. We thanked them again and were off. The front trailer had our three burlap bags, our bushel of wheat, the two pokes of salt and sugar, and the locks. Our packs were tied on top of the ATVs.

With caution we crossed the bridge over the Clarion River. Even over the noise of the ATVs we sang and laughed as a group. The young man had a beautiful tenor voice and was singing at the top of his lungs. Because of his leg, took us couple hours to be delivered to our turnoff. But instead of stopping and unloading, the drivers took the ATVs all the way to our cabin. Our home looked wonderful. Unloaded trailers, unlocked cabin doors to get breeze blowing through, and offered our friends something to eat. They just looked at us like we were crazy—more food, are you kidding? Hugs and prayers and they were off north with our dogs following.

We stood and hugged each other until the dogs returned and then took the unknown gifts into the cabin. Much to do and lots of sunlight left today. The last thing we wanted to do was eat, so we got busy. First things first, obviously. We emptied the burlap bags out onto the sleeping platforms and just stood there. Added to what my wife had traded for, we couldn’t believe it. The Lord again had used our friends to bless us. The bags contained supplies that would fill in many of the holes in our gear and kit that would make life more secure for us through the winter. The bags contained so much.

Fifty feet of quarter-inch steel cable

Two 1,000 pound capacity come-alongs

Two gallons of lamp fuel

Six three-foot-square sheets of tin

Ten two foot sections of tin chimney pipe Ten door hinges Fifteen feet of lamp wick

A gross of alcohol wipes

Two tubes antibiotic cream

Assorted gram negative and positive antibiotic pill

Twelve ounce bottle rubbing alcohol

Four dozen plastic bags, assorted sizes

One twelve-foot-square basic tarp

One twenty-foot-square basic tarp

One five pound poke sugar (traded for)

One five pound poke iodized salt (traded for)

Three padlocks with keys (traded for)

Twelve cans assorted soups

Twelve cans assorted fruit

Twelve cans assorted veggies

Twenty pounds dry dog food

Twenty pounds cornmeal

Twenty pounds pinto beans

Twenty pounds white flour

Four pounds baking powder

Four pounds baking soda

Wife’s organizing skills stepped in immediately. She got after it. I just smiled. Dogs had to smell everything. Dry dog food got their tails wagging big-time. Told me to get busy with outside jobs until she got it all organized. Figured that would include sweeping out cabin, getting rid of cobwebs, and generally getting cabin back to snuff. I picked up yoke and an empty basket, and dogs and I headed out to spring. Dogs seemed happy to be back home, they were all over the place. Water collected, took it back to cabin to be boiled. Then back south to garden. Spent an hour cultivating it and picking stuff. When finished, had a full basket and could have picked more. Will have to pick more tomorrow. Carried basket with eighteen tomatoes, half basket of greens, dozen peppers, enough peas for three meals, and a dozen more cucumbers. Will have to dry a lot of them for later use. When wife saw it all she just shook her head. Told her we need to keep picking daily until first frost. That will be the end of above ground veggies except for kale. Wife asked me to organize it all. We would work on cutting it all up tonight and start drying it all tomorrow.

Figured dogs and I would stay outside. The fifty-foot length of steel cable looked like it would reach from just outside the cabin front door to within three feet of the privy to our west. Decided to string it up. In the middle of winter snow storm, or white out, it would be a lifesaver, helping us go back and forth without getting lost in blinding conditions. First, with dogs following, went to woods and cut down stout pine tree. Cut five four-foot poles from it after removing limbs. Back at cabin, used old rusty shovel to dig post hole a foot into the ground. Stood one of the pine poles up in it, repacked dirt around it, and then secured cable to it. Would add noggins to the pole in next day or so. Stretched cable from that pole to as close to privy as it would reach. Would add a small section of rope to fill in the five feet that the cable would not reach. Back toward cabin and dug three more postholes spaced in such a way that the cable would stay about three feet off the ground. Wound cable around notch cut in top of each pole and put them in ground as did the first one by the cabin. Last hole dug, pole put in hole, cable attached to pole, and hole filled back in. Later will collect rocks at creek to lay on top of dirt after noggins in place at each pole. Last job was to cut a sixfoot section of rope. Attached it to pole closest to privy, then attached to privy next to the door. Our safety net, so to speak, was done. For a beginning effort, it looked like it would be functional.

Went back to cabin, and wife had everything organized and cleaned. She asked me what was next on the job list. Said it made sense to use the twelve-footsquare tarp to cover up more of firewood. Outside we went, and it didn’t take long to get that job done. It covered up all but three of the cords stacked by the cabin. Anchored it as well as we could. That job will probably be repeated many times. Next, back into the cabin. Plan was to use the twenty-foot-square tarp to insulate the cabin a bit. Meant we had to pull all the stuff hanging from ceiling rafters down while we worked. With that stuff strewn all over the place, I brought the tallest ladder inside, and we got busy. Was funny wrestling the tarp into place. A two-foot gap will remain open on both east and west sides. Will figure out how to close those later. A four-foot wide section would be uncovered on the south side of cabin near hearth and chimney. Would leave that open for couple reasons. One was ventilation. Didn’t want to seal the cabin up so tight that any bad stuff would make us sick or potentially kill us from the fire. The second reason, the fire would keep the end of the cabin closest to it warmer. The tarp would keep cold air above it and warm air below it. Would reduce the amount of wood needed to keep cabin warm and hold heat in better overnight.

We grunted and sweated for about an hour to get the tarp in place and attach it with duct tape and screws to the cabin walls and horizontal rafters. A lot of moving of the ladder. But we got it done. It didn’t sag too much between the rafters. Next step in process was to drive nails in each rafter to hang all of our stuff on. A lot of pounding. Final step was to rehang all our stores, equipment, and such from the nails. When we got done, looked outside, and it was getting dark. Wow! Dogs and I made quick run to the spring for water while wife started fire in hearth and cooked up some rice and jerky. Back to our normal diet. Dogs were starved; good thing she cooked double portion. Was getting pretty chilly when dogs and I got back. A quick look at thermometer outside said it was 38 degrees. We might get close to freezing tonight. Would sleep well.

We sat, ate, and talked about next few day’s tasks. Our plan to head out to build basic bug-out shelter to the east is still on for day after tomorrow. Lots of chores and small tasks to get done in the next thirty-six hours. Didn’t take dogs long to

curl up on bear rug. Spread sleeping bags out on platforms and they still had sweet smell of straw on them. While boiling last water of the day, wife and I had our devotions by the hearth. Prayer and scripture reading. What a weekend. We quietly carried sleeping dogs from bear rug to platforms and were soon asleep ourselves. Thank You, Lord!

Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Joshua 22:5)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #105

September 5

Slept in a bit this morning; everyone was tired from the long busy weekend. Checked outside temp, and it was 33 degrees; brrrrrrrr! Dogs and I headed for a quick walk to spring while wife started fire, boiled well water, and then fixed some breakfast. Cornmeal muffins, butter, hot rice, dried beef mixture, and coffee. Sure tasted good.

We talked while we ate about the goals we had set when we first arrived at cabin. We knew we had to be as prepared as possible for winter by the end of September. Our future foundation had to be in place. Looking at all the things we have yet to get done, we agreed that it was going to be a very busy month. Shelter, food, water, warmth, and protection were going to be critical. We decided to make a list of the things that had to absolutely be done and a list of extra things that would make life easier for us, if done. The lists were pretty long. We believed we have all the materials we will need. We will just have to be disciplined in how we use our time and energy to get it done. Prayed that the Lord will give us strength and wisdom to be successful. While wife cleaned things up, dogs and I made another water run. The dogs were in their element now, and it was obvious they were glad to be home. Started boiling the water as soon as we got back to cabin.

Wife set up and started to slice up picked veggies for drying. Dogs and I headed down to trotline. Four lines had something on them. Pulled in and had a good mess of fish. Rebaited and back in water. Cleaned fish, then on to fish trap. Jackpot. Took me a while, had to call wife out to play catcher again. Ended up with six more fish. Ten from the two locations in all. Immediately got the smoker fire going, and all the fish went into it. Would use two for lunch and two

for supper today. Rest will go in our food stores when fully smoked. Wife back at slicing veggies. I fixed up drying station outside using clean piece of plastic, laid out on top of coverings on firewood, and anchored there with stones and logs to keep from blowing off. As wife sliced, I put stuff on drying plastic periodically. Took about an hour to get it all done. We checked on recently brined cucumbers, and they were OK, maybe bitter, but had dried well. Set up another brine, and the new cucumbers went into it to soak until tomorrow. Wife changed out all of the stuff already hanging from rafters into new plastic bags. No mold on any of the dried veggies, which was good.

My next job was to replace all old hinges on doors with new ones. That took a bit of time, since had to remove both doors. Eventually got it done and doors rehung. The doors are pretty heavy, given all the bear proofing we added to them earlier. Next, using wood from old privy, constructed locking system on each door that uses the new padlocks for additional security. That again took a bit of time to both figure out how to do it and then build the parts. But got it done. Dogs where off in the woods but could hear them barking. Likely after a squirrel or some other type of critter.

Was time to break for lunch. Pulled two fish out of smoker and finished cooking them on hearth. Cut up a potato and made home fries. Mixed some of the cut-up veggies in with the potatoes. Dogs would not like that but we did. Water to drink. Dogs got a couple pieces of venison jerky to give them a snack. Cleanup pretty easy. Headed to spring for water with a basket to carry more picked veggies. Not enough to bother with today, so came back empty-handed. Did check on berries near old field and got about a quart of blackberries. Probably the last ones we will get. Decided to have them for dessert with some milk and sugar tonight.

We geared up, couple baskets in hand, and headed to the woods to collect acorns. Needed to get as many as we could. Couple hours later we were back with ten more pounds. Don’t think the squirrels liked us. Started to heat and soak the first batch to remove tannins. Wife would keep after that rest of the day. Made

decision to attach three or four pieces of new tin to rafters in front of hearth. Would leave a foot-wide opening, give or take, but cover up rafters out from hearth and to right and left about two feet out from the chimney. Hopefully that would reflect more heat from front of hearth down into the living space. Took about an hour to finish that task. Screwed tin directly onto the ceiling rafters. Felt the difference immediately.

Wife busy with drying veggies, acorns, keeping smoker fire going, and resting a bit. Dogs and I went on another water run. Using lots of water in brine. When back, decided to start putting stuff together for tomorrow’s bug-out site build. Sharpened all blades and cutting tools. Weapons inspected, cleaned, and oiled. We planned on taking stuff with us if we have to spend the night there. Got our EDCs, med kits, utility belts, and ammo belts ready. Picked out warm overnight clothing and put in my pack. Will only be taking my pack with us. Only pulled out enough food to last us overnight. We will take emergency food there by end of the week. First have to build a mini-cold cellar to put stuff in at site. We are only going to build out shelter framework tomorrow. Will put insulation of pine branches on framework when and if we are actually going to be there. Basic fire pit will be put in place as well.

Had to be prepared to complete three things: the shelter frame, the fire-pit, and the mini-food storage location. With the hike up that way, we were doubtful we can get it all done in a day. High likelihood we will be there overnight. We were both satisfied with our plan and preparation. Checked smoker, built up fire, checked drying veggies, and the dogs and I were soon off on another water run. They took off into old field like a shot and I soon heard them barking. Chasing something, but I never saw their prey. Eventually they caught up to me and with water in hand went back to cabin. While walking back, decided on way to temporarily insulate cracks around two door frames. A project for after supper. Looked like a typical fall afternoon, low sun, some gray clouds, and a good breeze blowing from the north down our little valley. Colder weather definitely on the way.

Wife had gotten up from her rest. ts were hurting her some in the colder weather. Cucumber brining process still going strong. Decided to pull all drying veggies inside as the sun was no longer hitting them. Would let them dry in cabin while we were on building trip, and put them back outside after we returned. Dogs were looking at us as if it was time to eat. It was. Pulled two more fish out of smoker, and into skillet they went in a bit of lard. Rice boiled, cut-up veggies mixed in. Leafy salad with some uncooked veggies included. Dogs got fish mixed with rice. We sat and ate by light of hearth and the fuel lamp. Really lit things up well. Will repair second lamp when back in next day or so. Cleaned up dishes together, then dogs and I went on water trip. Lots of critter noises in the woods. Back, kept the acorn tannin removal process going.

Time for me to start insulating the two doors using just-devised plan. Had one more piece of plastic left. Cut it into three-inch strips, just enough for tops and sides of each door. Tacked the plastic to door frames with a few nails, then ducttaped it tight against the wood. Could not feel any draft from doors when done except at the door bottoms. Leaving those as is to help with some ventilation in and out of the cabin. With all the work done inside the cabin on insulation, we could definitely feel a big difference in warmth. Not enough light left to make another spring run so just pumped and boiled well water. We made sure all drying food inside and all equipment outside was OK, checked lifeline to privy again, and we secured cabin for the night. Lit lamp, and we were shocked again at how much light it gave out. What will it be like when I get the second one repaired? Finished acorns for the day. Half ready to set out and dry. Second half will be fixed when we get back from emergency site. All the veggies were dry enough to finish that process inside the cabin. We are packed and ready to go tomorrow. Dogs saw packs, and they know another trip coming up. Devotions in front of hearth as fire died out. Prayer and scripture. Turned off lamp and climbed onto platforms. Dogs right behind us. Knew it was going to be cold outside. Not long before we will be adding bear rug and deerskin to our coverings. Coming too soon. A good, productive day. Thank You, Lord. Protect us tomorrow, give us a successful safe day.

And He looked up and saw the rich putting

their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them.” (Luke 21:1–3)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #106

September 6

Up pretty early this morning. Wanted to get an early start to the east. Had filled canteens last night. Did not start a fire this morning. No coals to worry about while we were gone. Dogs came in from outside and ate some of their dry dog food. We had some jerky and fresh-cut veggies. Locked front door using new padlock from the outside. Carried all the gear, including a burlap bag, outside. We would pick up nuts on way back if we had time. Also, look for natural edibles.

Locked up back door, hid keys in place I would , picked up gear, and we were off. Across creek pretty easily. Glanced at fish trap, nothing there this morning. Headed south after the dogs, past where I had killed the deer. Soon turned to the east and in about thirty minutes found coyote gully. Followed it and then climbed ridge. Over the top, we were soon at the emergency site. Took us about an hour and a-half to get there with our load. When we dropped loads, dogs knew something was up. First thing, located four trees to be the main foundation for our shelter. They stood more or less in a square seven or eight feet from each other. This would be it.

Next started using hand ax and small folding saw to cut limbs off the trees up about six feet. Piled the limbs so we could use them for mattress and some windbreaks if stayed the night tonight. Wife then started to clean leaves, dead branches, and other junk out from the area we had just opened up. She expanded it to include a space about twelve feet square in the front where the fire pit would be located. Was a rock outcropping about fifty feet from site. I collected enough stones to make a decent keyhole fire ring. Boy, did that bring back memories. Went a bit to the west and cut down a few trees that I would cut to form the main

horizontal roof s for the shelter. Limbs taken off, carried to site, and lashed in place, the front beam six feet off the ground, the back beam five feet off the ground. That would give roof enough slant for rain to run off. Emergency plan is to bring a tarp if we have to bug out and use it for first rain runoff layer for roof. Next, lashed two remaining cut poles from front horizontal to back horizontal . That finished basic outline of structure.

Next, cut enough similar logs to lay in as side and back windbreaks. This took a while. Wife helped with limb removal. When had about enough, we took a quick lunch break of jerky, some cold veggies, and water. Dogs got some jerky as well. Thirty-minute break and back to work. Lashed poles to shelter on both sides and back. Stopped when they were all four feet high. Would fill in openings on sides with tarp overlay from roof. Next cut a dozen smaller diameter logs to lash to roof. Same process: I cut, wife took limbs off, and we worked together to get them attached in a square grid going in both directions on the roof. We then collected pine branches, dead sticks and limbs, and wove those all into the roof grid. Needles off the pine branches would die quickly and leave just the bare dead sticks in the weaving.

One more major process to complete with shelter form. Needed to build out a sleeping platform and noggins to reinforce every vertical the structure. Took forty-five minutes to cut the few small logs and posts to build platform. Sunk into ground, secured by noggins, would raise us off the ground about a foot for sleeping. Pounded couple noggins into ground beside each vertical log. Last step with larger logs was to cut and lash four of them to vertical platform s. We looked at our watches at this point. 3 PM and we had made good progress. Decided to spend the night, so platform needed to be finished. We repeated roof weaving process for it. Last thing we did was to cut more pine branches and built up a couple feet thick mattress for us to sleep on tonight. Starting to get chilly, and I needed to make sure we had enough wood for fire tonight. Together we scrounged for what we felt was enough wood to cook supper and to keep a fire going all night. Boy, the memories, I would be up several times during night to keep fire going. Do we ever appreciate our cabin and its comforts.

Got fire going pretty easily. Dogs, who had been off exploring, came running back when they saw the fire. Knew would soon mean supper. One pot brought along so we were going to have a kind of a stew of dried beef, rice, last of fresh veggies, and hot coffee to drink. Really got dark quickly. Not ready to eat until almost dark. We could hear all the nighttime critters start to come out. Weapons would be close at hand tonight and dogs would be on short leashes to keep them from running off. Supper hit the spot big-time.

While eating, decided we would do mini-food cellar in AM. Will worry about fire reflector setup if and when we have to move here from cabin for any reason. Don’t like that idea, but it could become our reality. Quite pleased with what the shelter looked like. A good piece of work. On the lee of the ridge protected from most winds. Front facing south so would get some warmth from sunlight during daytime. Surrounded by pine tree grove that kept us out of sight somewhat. Water close by. Good fire pit. Plenty of dead firewood around to burn. A reasonable location for mini-cellar found. All the lessons and skills we had learned during our survival journey months ago made the building out process go pretty smoothly. I guess practice does have some advantages.

Dogs were content to lay by the fire. Guess they were missing warm cabin as well. All of our gear and food hung from tree branch to keep critters out of it. Sleeping bags open and on platform. Not sure wanted memory of sleeping on pine branches again, but beats cold ground. Finally, put dogs on platform leashed to vertical s. They curled up and went to sleep. Wife and I had our devotions by firelight as it went out. Prayer for safety, thanks for guiding our work today, and for a good day tomorrow. We repeated the Lord’s Prayer as our scripture for the night and climbed into bed. Bundled up, we knew we were not going to get much sleep. Good night!

For they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty

put in all that she had to live on. (Luke 21:4)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #107

September 7

Not much sleep prediction was right. A combination of the cold, sleeping on pine branches again, and a brief interruption. At some point in the middle of the night dogs woke up and started barking. Grabbed the flashlight and pointed it in the direction they were barking. Two sets of bright eyes shone back at us. Handing the light to my wife, I grabbed the air rifle from behind us and aimed between the eyes of one set looking at us. A sharp yelp followed by a second shot at the other pair of eyes. Another yelp and the eyes disappeared into the darkness. The light was good enough that we could tell that two raccoons had been scoping out our little camp. Dogs kept up the barking for quite a while. I built up the fire and we tried to go back to sleep. Not much success at that, but dozed off and on.

Sunlight appeared over ridge to our east, and it was not worth trying to sleep anymore. Stoked up fire, poured water into pot, and boiled up some rice with jerky mixed in with it. That done, had more water boiling quickly for coffee. Dogs continued to watch in direction of critters, but they did eat and wanted more. Big surprise. Would clean dishes when back at cabin later. Pulled out folding shovel and headed for spot decided to dig mini-cold cellar. While I was doing that, wife broke down everything in our little camp.

Once hole dug, last step was to create a log cover for it. When food in place would cover with stones, then branches, leaves, and brush. A marker that only we would recognize would be put close by. Stepped off distance from where marker would be to root cellar. Got bearings for it on com as well. Stepped back when done covering it, and if you didn’t know it was there, you would not be able to find it. Finished packing our gear and loaded up with it, doused fire

for the last time, and started heading back to cabin. Was 10 AM, so we had done fine. Last look at the site from one hundred feet away, and it could not be seen. Only likely telltale when we were there might be smoke from a fire. If we did have to stay there for a while, in an emergency, we would only use hexamine stove for cooking. We would only chance open wood fire if it got too cold.

Fairly quick walk back to cabin, dogs having a ball running through the woods. Unlocked padlock on front door at 11:30 AM. Temp was only 43 degrees. Had to have been around freezing last night. Created sense of urgency that we needed to gather fragile veggies out of the garden before a hard freeze. Dropped pack in cabin. Wife pumped water from well, built fire to heat up cabin, boil water, and cook lunch. I headed to the garden with one of our larger baskets in hand. I was going to pick all the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers no matter what size or how ripe. Peas and beans could wait until tomorrow. Left basket by garden and headed to spring for water. Picked up basket on the way back to the cabin. Half of the tomatoes were still green. We would let them ripen in the warmth inside the cabin.

We needed a good, hot, nourishing lunch. I cut up potato and fried pieces in lard. Added slices of newest veggies wife had cut up as I worked on potato. Had brought quite a bit of kale, lettuce, and spinach back. When potatoes almost done, threw the leafy stuff in. No meat for lunch, would have some tonight. Dogs got a good helping of their dry dog food and a few slices of potatoes. They hadn’t eaten much this morning, and needed their bodies to kick into winter mode and warm them up. Took a bit to clean up when added dishes from this morning’s meal to those from lunch. As wife was finishing up, dogs and I headed to the spring for water. We were going to be boiling as much water as possible. Needed to make more containers for boiled water that we could keep in the cabin. A good project for next few days. Lots of birch trees down by beaver pond. As I ed that, I also thought about all the paintings I had seen of beavers chewing down birch trees. Must be a good reason for that.

While we were eating, we pulled out task lists had written down a couple days

ago. Identified a few that would fill up my afternoon. Wife helped me move drying veggies back out on top of corded wood. Told her to go back and work inside cabin. Her fibromyalgia was really kicking up after sleeping in the woods last night. She did not fight me on that suggestion. Steeped a hot cup of pine needle tea for both of us after she went inside. Needed the vitamin C. Dogs enjoying themselves outside roaming around. They were not underfoot, which gave us a break. This was their home, and they seemed happy to be here.

My first quick task was to go check trotline. Nothing on lines. Fish must have felt the shock of the cold weather and were not active. Didn’t check fish trap for that reason. Went to garden with basket and harvested all the aboveground stuff except for spinach, lettuce, and kale. They would be OK until weather really turned cold at night. Picked all peas, black beans, and pinto beans. Had quite of haul of those things combined. Will dry them all and put into storage for use later. Only a few small cucumbers left, so picked them. Would leave beets, radishes, onions, and carrots in the ground. They will be just fine in soil. Colder weather will in fact preserve them for later. Lugged basket back to cabin, unloaded it on counter, and wife organized. She stewed a few fully ripe tomatoes over fire in hearth. Would have them tonight for supper. Might even fry up a couple sliced green tomatoes and bread them with bit of cornmeal.

Decided then to move on to cutting kindling from the brush piles. Spent the rest of the afternoon doing that. At 5 PM stopped. Had a good-sized pile started. Enough for at least a week. Have to do some of this cutting every day to replace what we burn and increase supply gradually for bad weather. Dogs and I made a water run to spring and of course they headed into the old field. Listened to them barking and running for about ten minutes, were after something. Eventually we all made it back to cabin and helped wife with supper.

Had flour and powdered milk flat bread, jam, stewed tomatoes, and warm dried beef. Hot sassafras tea to drink. It all smelled so good. Dogs got dried beef and flatbread. Ate till they couldn’t move. Planned tomorrow. Weather looked like it would be sunny and cool. Great chance to cut two quarters of venison we had

hanging in cabin into one-pound strips, salt them, and then dry outside to further preserve them for long term. That would be the first project tomorrow. Wife would prepare all the veggies to be dried in sun as well. Again, use plastic on top of piled wood to do that. Probably take couple days to finish that process. Cutting kindling for part of the afternoon. Then out to collect nuts and maybe bag a squirrel or two. Needed a different type of meat to break monotony of venison and fish.

Dishes cleaned up, dogs and I made water run. They were full of energy but were glad to get back to cabin. Only got up to forty-eight degrees for the high today. Tonight, cold and tomorrow probably the same. Good fire going in hearth, lantern lit and providing good light, I got after repair of second lantern. Same process as used on first one. Forty-five minutes later had light from two lanterns. What a difference. Took time to sharpen blades, maintain weapons, and check wire snares. At first snow, will put the snares out. Day went very quickly. By eight we were sitting in front of fire resting. Dogs dozing on bear rug. Prayer and scripture devotions by hearth, then all four of us climbed onto platforms. Small talk for a bit. Not long before we were all sleeping.

As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down. (Luke 21:6)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #108

September 8

Could tell it was cold out when we woke up. Got fire started first thing while dogs were outside. Didn’t take long before they were at door to get back inside and onto bear rug. Checked outside temp when they came in: 30 degrees. Leaves on trees will start turning big-time now after first mild freeze. Cold wind blowing down valley from north. Pumped water and got it to boiling. Wait till sun fully up to make trip to the spring. Heated up last bit of stewed tomatoes, cornmeal flatbread, and some beef jerky. Coffee as well for breakfast. Dishes cleaned up quickly. Then started to get after plan for day that we had set up over supper last night.

Outside set up meat drying rack. Fire in outside pit to provide some drying warmer air. Then inside, took down first quarter of venison. Scraped off crust. Meat looked OK. Thankful that the meat had very little fat. None of it had gone rancid. Carefully cut slices from meat, each between one and two pounds. Took about forty-five minutes to get it all cut. When done took all the pieces of meat outside onto rack. Sprinkled salt on all sides of each cut. Salting the meat would help it cure more effectively. Last a lot longer. With temps going to be low for next five or six months, even in cabin with fire, not much chance the meat will go bad. Completed second quarter in about the same amount of time, salted, and out onto rack. Would have a good six hours to dry outside today. Probably another day tomorrow of drying. Had some big stewing bones left over. Each dog got one of the lower leg bones to gnaw on. They were in heaven. Scraped all the meat off the other bones and threw in pot of boiling water to stew for lunch and supper. When done with that process, would hang outside to dry. Preserve them for other uses in the future. Hung them up on pole at butchering site and would leave them there until needed. Best guess was that we had about forty pounds of venison meat when all cut off bones. Wife moved all the sliced veggies, beans, and peas outside for them to dry. Best guess is that we will have

around fifteen pounds of pinto and black beans, and five pounds of peas.

Midmorning started cutting more kindling. In a couple hours doubled our kindling pile. Wanted to get a couple months’ worth cut before slowing down cutting process. Right before lunch, made water run to spring. Trotline and fish trap empty again. Need Indian summer to get here so fish will get more active. Using biggest ladder, inspected both sides of the roof. Seemed to be OK, but we were constantly going to have to look for leaks on the inside of cabin. Time for lunch, and we settled down for venison stew, with some cut-up half-ripe tomatoes, peas, and one diced potato thrown into pot as well. Hot pine needle tea warmed us up even more. While wife cleaned everything up, dogs and I went outside and inspected chinking on outside walls. Found a couple spots that needed reinforcing. A simple fix in the next couple days. As we talked over lunch we set aside the afternoon to go hunting for nuts. Would take a couple baskets and yoke to carry whatever we found back to cabin. Wife would take air rifle, and I would take .17 HMR, and we would try to get some squirrels. When dogs saw us preparing all of that, they got excited, another adventure.

Geared up, fire out in hearth, cabin doors locked, we headed out. Started to the north and would work our way west and south just outside where we had cut all the firewood. Long story short, we were back to cabin at 3:30 PM with two baskets of mixed nuts. Acorns, hickory nuts, and a small quantity of walnuts. Lots of work to do with them in next few days. Good news also, we came back with three cleaned squirrels. Dogs distracted them as they chattered at us; wife knocked one down with air rifle, and I got the other two. Three hearts for the dogs after cooking the meat. You could see the anticipation in the dogs’ eyes.

Back at the cabin started up fire again and decided to cook all three squirrels. Half of the meat for supper and half for breakfast and lunch tomorrow. While wife cooking those, I scraped hides and put them on curing forms. Not enough light left today so will put them out tomorrow if weather holds. Dogs and I then made a water run. Sun already behind ridge to our west so wife pulled all drying veggies inside. Will put them back out tomorrow morning as soon as possible.

Helped her finish that job when back from getting water. Together we got after supper. Three squirrels were done cooking. I grabbed small branch from kindling pile outside and quickly cooked the three hearts. Each dog got one and a half. Yep, onto the bear skin and they ate them slowly for once. Cooked double portion of rice, fried some green tomatoes, and made coffee. The rabbit meat was great. A lot sweeter than the venison with just enough fat to give it a great flavor. Dogs had as much rice and meat as they wanted.

We all ate too much but it was so good. More cleanup to do tonight but it was worth it. Dogs finished, they went back to gnawing on their deer leg bones until I headed out to get water at spring. They stayed with me the whole way, every once in a while looking up at me to see if I had something for them. Wife already starting to work on organizing our nut harvest. Hopefully only the first of that kind of harvest in the next few weeks. Not sure what weight of unshelled nuts would be, but in shells, had probably thirty pounds of acorns, twenty of hickory nuts and fifteen of walnuts. Started walnut process even as she sorted. Walnuts all put in basket and hung from rafter in far northeast corner of cabin. Darkest and coolest place in the cabin. Will let the nuts sit until the outer coverings get black then start harvesting the nutmeats. Our top priority with nuts was acorns. Once shells off, dried and ground up, would add the meal to our flour supply. A great extender for flour. We will likely try to harvest nuts all winter.

Cabin had stuff lying all over the place, drying veggies, nuts, firewood along the wall in its rack, rugs on floor, unused baskets, and a lot more. Sure looked great to us. More wood on fire as we replenished our boiled water supply using well water. No more trips to spring this evening. When closed up cabin, secured windows and doors, checked outside temp. Already down to thirty-two. Would be interesting to see what it was in the AM.

Sat down in front of hearth and planned out tomorrow. Committed whole day to gathering natural edibles. The more food we collect, hunt, and preserve, the better our chances of having a good diet when animals and plants are scarce during the dead of winter. Just as, ever since long before we set out on our initial

survival journey, preparation, planning, and discipline would be keys to our having as comfortable a winter as possible. Too much was at risk not to do the hard work. Knew there will be days when we want to rest, and we will when we can. But top priority is survival and some type of normal life in our crazy world.

With that as our priority tomorrow, we collected all of the tools and gear we might need. Dogs saw that and stirred but then went back to gnawing on bones and dozing. At 9 PM we settled down in front of hearth and read scripture and prayed a lot of thankful prayers. Prayed for friends to north and south, especially the young man who had lost his wife. Didn’t say a lot after praying, just hugged each other and headed to our platforms. Dogs beat us there and wanted some attention, which they got. They started snoring, and we followed soon after. Good night!

They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” (Luke 21:7)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #109

September 9

Could feel the new chill during the night. Dogs outside first thing. Light frost on everything. Temp again at 30 degrees. Would be a while before sun could warm things up a bit. Cooked breakfast using well water. Took a bit longer to boil since was colder under cabin where well pipe located. Need to figure out some way to insulate pipe. All ready for breakfast, we sat down to meal of cornmeal flatbread, hot rice, and leftover venison meat broth, with a few chunks of meat still in it, hot cup of regular tea, and half an apple each. Lots of vitamins, carbs, and protein. Needed our metabolism up to help keep us warm. Cleaned up together. Dogs and I then headed to spring for water. When got back, wife already had sliced veggies drying on top of wood piles. I set up dryer and rehung all the salted venison. Wife put out the three curing forms containing squirrel hides. Scraped them and saved the scrapings. A few gray clouds rolling in from the north. We hoped sun would stay out as long as possible today. Cold breeze blowing down the valley from the north. Season has definitely changed.

While eating breakfast, we discussed potential greater danger in the woods for the next four to six weeks. Bears, if there are any around, will be gorging themselves on any kind of food they can find in final preparation for their hibernation. At the same time, snake dangers will lessen almost completely with the colder weather. Snakes, being cold-blooded, will be in their holes for the winter. Pluses and minuses all around us. Just have to be very careful.

After seeing gray clouds moving in from north we decided to take on a project that had not really been on our list. We built a platform inside the cabin hanging next to the north wall. I went outside and cut new green pine logs to build it. A simple design. Two eight-foot logs, three inches in diameter, with four-foot

smaller logs lashed perpendicularly to the larger logs. Spaced smaller logs six inches apart entire length of larger logs. Carried contraption into cabin. Nails pounded into two ceiling rafters eight feet apart on each rafter. Cut sections from our stacked supply to keep platform about three feet above the cabin floor. Tied off cord on ends of two large logs. Then wife and I attached other end of cord to nails in rafters. We struggled with this, due to the form’s weight, but got it up eventually. We can take plastic we were using outside to dry veggies and lay it on the cross to continue drying process inside cabin when weather is bad. In a pinch, we can dry meat the same way. Dogs will go nuts with that, but it can be done. Took us a couple hours to get this done. When finished, moved drying veggies inside because clouds were thicker and more abundant in sky.

Pulled in rabbit hides that were done curing outside, took them off forms, and hung them with other hides from rafters. Moved drying salted venison inside as well. Moved to counter first, then brought food curing rack inside and placed it in northwest corner of cabin next to dry wood stack. Then moved salted meat to it to keep drying. All of that drove dogs nuts. Last thing we did, based on weather by midmorning, was to restock inside wood rack with dry dead wood. All of that done, we decided to keep working on other small projects around cabin until we saw what the weather was going to do. With that, gathered bunch of dead grass from old field, piled under tarp at end of one of wood stacks. Cut up enough to mix with clay to repair the few spots I had found in cabin outside wall chinking. Simple process, probably spent an hour total and had all spots fixed for now.

Decided to work on cutting more kindling to fill time before lunch. Carried supply of already cut kindling into cabin and piled it next to log rack. Cut wood for an hour or so to replace what I had taken inside. Gray clouds continued to build from north. When done with kindling, went inside and wife had been busy sweeping and cleaning. She had a good fire going in hearth. Dogs and I headed out for water from spring while she cooked us some stewed tomatoes mixed with rice. Couple pieces of venison jerky for each of us. Dogs got some jerky. Sat by the fire and ate as a family. Had checked temp when came back into cabin, and it was 45 degrees. Doubted it would get any warmer today.

I cleaned up lunch dishes, made another water run to spring with dogs, and made us a cup of pine needle tea when I got back. Wife was working hard to clean. No sense in checking on fish, as cloudy weather meant low pressure system moving in, and fish would go inactive as long as the system was around. Decided dogs and I would go hunting before any rotten weather arrived and animals hunkered down. Took both air rifle and .17 HMR. Geared up, and off we went to woods to the southwest. Didn’t go out of sight of the cabin in case something happened and needed to get back in a hurry. Sat down on a stump and watched the trees and small ridges headed to the west. Dogs soon spotted some squirrels in trees about twenty yards from where I was sitting. They started their dance with the squirrels: the dogs barking and running around bottom of tree, the squirrels sitting on a limb chattering at dogs. Just had to sit there for a bit and take it all in, smiling.

Eventually brought down two squirrels with air rifle. Cleaned them and then sat down to see if more showed up. An hour ed with nothing. Did notice that squirrels just killed had been running between some oak trees loaded with acorns. Made mental note to come back to the location and collect nuts for our use. Around 3 PM was getting ready to head back to cabin. Dogs were already halfway back there because it was beginning to drizzle. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed some activity off to my left on the top of one of the small ridges. I glassed it with scope on .17 HMR and saw two good sized gobblers and five hens heading in the direction of the spring to my south. Too far off for any kind of a shot, but did let me know that turkeys were around and that our spring might be a good spot to set up to try to get one or two if they headed there in future. Turkeys in area was really good news. If could get one or more, would be a great lean change to our diet. After they were out of sight, headed back to cabin. Birds did not see me. I would have to figure out how to make myself as invisible as possible when hunting them. Would think about that tonight or tomorrow. Back at cabin told wife the good news, and we both smiled. What a nice change turkey would be. Drizzling harder, and temp had dropped to 40 degrees. Another six or eight degree drop, and we might have freezing rain or sleet tonight.

Wife had a good fire going, water from pump boiling, and had already planned our supper menu. I was pretty chilled from being out in wet stuff so sat in front of hearth for a while warming up. Dogs lay on bear rug doing same thing. Supper was simple, home fries made with one potato, fried tomatoes, cornmeal flatbread with jam, an apple, and hot sassafras tea. She would not let me help prepare it or help clean up. So I checked on drying veggies and salted venison. They were all dried enough. Put veggies and the meat in breathable burlap bags and hung them from rafters. Put two new squirrel skins on drying forms after scraping them. Saved fat and scrapings. As we both worked, wife and I considered ideas of how to hunt for turkeys. Landed on a good solution which we would manufacture. Would involve a blind and a homemade ghillie suit. More on that later.

Dogs out one last time but back inside quickly. Temp at thirty-four and cold wind blowing. Not going to be a nice night. Dogs headed for bear rug. Wife and I sat in front of hearth talking and then having devotions. Might get up in middle of night to stoke fire and keep it going. Into sleeping bags, dogs with us, we were all soon asleep, warm and toasty. Good night!

And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.” (Luke 21:8)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #110

September 10

Got up a couple times during night to put more wood on fire. Took chill out of air at least. Outside to check temp and found slight coating of sleet and ice on everything. Temp was 30 degrees. Hit me that spring and creek will start freezing over if these temps continue without a break. Dogs out and back inside in a flash. Got better fire going. Then outside to get one of the squirrels that I had hung up yesterday afternoon on the butchering pole to skin and cook for breakfast. Was frozen solid. Pain in neck getting hide off but got it eventually. Whole squirrel put on spit over fire in hearth. Filled up cabin with good smell of cooking meat.

Wife had pumped water from well and was boiling it to cook some rice. While she kept an eye on cooking, dogs and I went for water at spring. The edges around the small pool I had built there had a couple inch wide covering of thin ice. Also, noticed turkey prints next to the pool. Would change how we get water there from today on. No more dipping container into pool, would go back to slower method of letting water fill it from where it came out of the mountain. Could not chance drinking any water that might be contaminated by critters. Even more reason to figure out some way to insulate pipe under cabin.

Back to cabin, breakfast waiting for us. Had leftover flatbread, jam, one-quarter of squirrel each, and good bit of rice. Hot coffee to drink. Would have the second squirrel from yesterday for supper tonight. I cleaned up after breakfast. While eating planned the day. After lunch, if weather better, we would all go and collect nuts. Between now and lunch would work on small projects from our list. While getting water, it looked like clouds were thinner to the north, hopefully meaning end of drizzle and light rain. Also decided, since it was Sunday, we

would have our little worship service tonight over supper. Knew should be rest day, but knew it was OK to take care of our needs and safety even while honoring the day.

Wife got at turning veggies and meat on inside drying rack to make sure all sides were completely dried out. While she did that, I went back out to the old shed to scrounge for a couple things. One was something that I could cobble together to form a grill that we could put above the fire in the hearth. That could make cooking a bit easier, especially with skillet. Second was to see if there was anything in shed that I could use to insulate well pipe under cabin. Gave the shed a complete look and came up with possible option for one project. Found couple old oven shelves, simple grills really. That would work. Would build up stone s around fire location, and we could just lay it on top of stones. Pretty rusty metal but with two of them might make it through winter until need to find something more substantial.

Insulation for pipe was another matter. Nothing found that could be used. While looking, an idea hit me. What if wound rope tightly around the four feet of pipe? More or less coiled around it with each coil against the previous coil. One continuous coil from ground to cabin floor. Would then coil a couple thicknesses of duct tape around in the same way. Just might work. We had nothing else to use, so hopefully better than nothing. Would have to make hole in cabin foundation that I could crawl through to do the job. Wife could point flashlight in hole to give me light, and I could take one of the lanterns in with me as well. It would be nasty, dirty, and cramped work, but had to try. Biggest worry I might face was all the no-legged creatures that might be under the cabin because of the warmth. Made it back to cabin and had grill in place in hearth pretty quickly. Looked at my wife and said let’s get the messy job done now.

Outside I made hole in foundation big enough for me to crawl through. Would repair it when done with job. Looked under cabin and decided to do some cleaning before I crawled in there. Using one of our walking poles, got all the cobwebs I could reach out of the way. Then used roof snow removal rake to push

all the junk away from the area I would crawl through and work in. Using flashlight, did some looking to see if any critters, with legs or not, were there. Didn’t see any but that didn’t mean much. Wife had rope and tape ready in the cabin when I went back in. Covered myself up as best I could. Toboggan hat, long-sleeved shirt, heavy coat, and scarf tied around neck to keep anything from falling or crawling under my clothing there. Used duct tape wrapped around wrists for same reason. Used more duct tape to fasten tops of pants to boots. Didn’t want anything crawling under my clothing. Looked funny, at least my wife was laughing, but wasn’t going to take any chances.

Outside we went. Dogs wanted to crawl into hole in wall, but kept them away. Said quick prayer, and in I went. Once under floor wife handed me rope and duct tape. Didn’t take long to complete the job. In fact, took longer to get dressed than to insulate the pipe. Duct tape was stiff from cold and hard to work with. But after a lot of grunting it was done. Crawled back out to more laughter. Had dirt, dead leaves, cobwebs, and just general junk all over me. All gear out as well. Placed foundation stones back in place.

Wife would not let me go inside covered with all the dirt. So she, using her homemade brush, swept me off as much as possible. Then I did a dance. Took clothing off and stood in skivvies and shook everything as well to get rid of filth. Again I got laughed at. Dogs just stood, with their heads cocked to the side, trying to figure out what was going on. Kicker was when I tried to open cabin door and it wouldn’t open. Seems wife was security conscious and had put security bar across it on inside. That lasted about fifteen seconds, and she finally let me inside. Think I was turning blue. She just said I was a sight. In fresh clothing, sat down in front of hearth to warm up. Hands were really cold. As I have grown older, notice they don’t handle cold well. Something to do with circulation and my heart issues. Wife made me a hot cup of sassafras tea, and that helped a lot. Dogs just sat and watched me, still trying to figure out what was going on.

Wife opened two cans of vegetable soup and heated them up. Also, made us both

a cup of pine needle tea. Hot soup really hit the spot for lunch. Dogs each got a piece of jerky. While soup heated up, I took squirrel hides on forms outside to keep drying. Scraped them of course and saved scrapings. While eating, we decided to go back to woods where I got two squirrels yesterday and collect acorns. Weather was a bit better, just a thin layer of clouds and in low forties. Needed to get nuts before squirrels did. Dishes washed and cabin locked up, we headed out with all our gear. Took two of our baskets. I also grabbed original roof cleaning rake for knocking nuts out of trees. We worked for a couple hours and had two baskets of nuts when done. Took two trips to get both baskets back to cabin. A lot of work ahead to get acorns ready to turn into flour. Dogs and I then went to spring. Back, water boiling and first batch of acorns in place, decided to fix the cabin foundation where I had crawled under. Cold work, mixing clay from the stream and dried grass from beside wood pile. Got it done, but hands were freezing when finished. Sat in front of hearth while wife rubbed my hands to help with circulation. Dogs content to sit on bear rug chewing on their deer bones and antlers. Figured will always be a bit cold from now on. We both have to make sure we are dressed well for the cold weather.

Decided no more work outside today. Daylight getting much shorter each day. Weather had calmed down; might not be as cold tonight. Fixed an early supper of rice, second squirrel, and some stewed veggies from dried stuff. Veggies rehydrated very quickly and with a bit of salt tasted good. Dogs were hungry. Cold must be getting to them too. Ate slowly and had our Sunday worship time after eating. Sang some songs, read a lot of scripture, and prayed both in thanks and making specific requests. Boiling water constantly, changing out acorns, dumping tannin-filled water outside, and figuring out tomorrow’s work plan. If weather moderates some in next couple days, will take bug-out food to emergency site and bury it. All depends on the weather. Decided tomorrow will be a natural food gathering day. All day long if necessary.

Boiled water and acorns until 9 PM, then called it a day. Sat in front of hearth for a bit. New cooking grill seemed to work fine. Dogs already asleep on platforms. Done with acorns today, we hit the sack. Small talk about project list as we slowly went to sleep. A good day. Good night!

When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately. (Luke 21:9)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #111

September 11

No one wanted to crawl out of bed this morning. Didn’t feel as cool in the cabin as yesterday morning. Let dogs out and checked temp. Thirty-eight, sounded good to me. Sun was shining to the east. Only light fluffy clouds in sky. Looked like would be a good day to go natural food hunting and harvesting. Squirrel hides on forms out first thing. Dogs and I made run to spring. They headed into the woods and started barking underneath some trees.

Back to hot breakfast of flour and powdered milk flat bread, jam, and warmed up jerky. Hot cup of pine needle tea with a bit of sugar in it. Dogs full of energy. We cleaned up and got baskets, yoke, all our gear, and weapons and prepared to head south to beaver dam and to marsh if necessary. Primary target today was cattails. Wife wanted to get more leaves to make more baskets. With that all ready and in our hands, we locked up cabin and headed south. Rubber boots would help keep us dry, but hands would get cold working in water. Only good thing was that water temp was still pretty good, warmer than air temp. But it would still be cold.

At beaver dam targeted cattail clumps that were closest to shore. There was a lot. Into the water I went. First cut off leaves to make two largest bunches cut to date. Tied them together into two piles ready to put on yoke. Back into the water, started yanking plants out of the water, reaching down remaining stalks to mud surface. Hard, backbreaking work. Lots of slipping and almost fell over into water several times. Worked slowly. Threw roots onto bank, and wife washed them in water as best she could and put them in baskets. Couple hours of work and we had both baskets full of roots. Enough here at the dam. Baskets on yoke, we headed back to cabin. Would make trip down to marsh after lunch. Harvested

roots spread out on top of stacked wood to dry. While wife got good fire going and acorns boiling, I headed back to dam to get the bundles of leaves. Back with them, I spread the leaves out to dry in the sun. Wife working on acorn boiling process. After couple hours, we broke for a quick lunch before heading down to the marsh. Jerky, leftover flatbread, and cup of coffee went down easily. Dogs got couple pieces of jerky.

Cleaned up and headed down to the marsh. Would mean a couple trips down there today. Same process of harvesting. Cattail leaves cut off from plants in shallow part of marsh. Two large bundles tied up. Then into the water and muck to pull up roots. After another couple of hours had both baskets full. Wife had washed them in what water she could find. Baskets loaded onto yoke and back home we went. While I went back south to get bundles of leaves, she added this batch of roots to top of stacked wood to dry as much as possible. We will leave them drying all night long. Made it back with leaves in about forty-five minutes. Spread outside in what sunlight remained. When we looked at results of our work, pretty pleased. Probably had between forty and fifty pounds of cattail roots. Will make a good bit of extender for our starch supply.

Enough light for me to check trotline and fish trap. When done, had five cleaned medium-sized fish. Good fried whole for supper tonight and breakfast tomorrow. Hung on butchering pole to stay cold. Noticed sun going behind ridge to west between 3 and 4 PM now. Days going to get very short. During winter may only get six hours of direct sunlight on cabin on a sunny day. Spent rest of afternoon working on cutting kindling while wife continued to work on acorns. She was about halfway done boiling what we had gathered yesterday. A tedious task, boiling each batch at least three times to get rid of tannins. A lot of work left to turn it into flour. When each batch done boiling, she put nuts onto drying rack in cabin. She was working on second basket today. Progress. I cut kindling for couple hours, put fresh dry wood in cabin rack, piled kindling under space that was open under tarp where I had removed and taken dead wood into cabin. We had a system. It seemed to work OK.

We both cleaned up and started on supper. Three fish brought in from outside and put on spit over fire. Cut up one potato and cooked in small skillet. Added some dried veggies to potatoes to cook. Made some powdered orange drink. When all done, dogs shared one fish, with flesh picked off for them and mixed with potatoes and veggies. Surprisingly they ate it all. Wife and I each got a whole fish. Ate slowly as we talked. Cattail leaves and roots would be out all night. We needed to rest tonight so decided to do our daily hygiene check and call it a day. Just sit in front of hearth and relax. Dishes all cleaned up, we sat down and did the physical check, first on dogs, then on us. Sponge bath for all of us. Dogs’ paws and coats were in good shape. Each of them had a few ticks, so tackled that enjoyable task. Ticks will be less of a problem as it continues to get colder. Wife and I had a few scrapes and small cuts from working with cattails. Made sure to put antibiotic cream on them and a Band-Aid on a couple that were larger or deeper. Nothing serious at this point.

As we cleaned, we decided to take emergency food supply to our bug-out site tomorrow if the weather was decent. With that decision made, we culled out what we thought we should take from our food stores. Ended up with enough canned food and Mylar packs to last us a full week at the emergency site. Loaded it all into my pack. I will carry it up there tomorrow. Wife and dogs will go with me. Hoping to have that finished and back to cabin by late lunchtime. We made sure we had fire starters and emergency meds, Band-Aids and so on, packed as well. Everything was put in small plastic bags, then those bags put inside large garbage bag with canned goods. In a pinch, it will be enough to keep us fed for about a week if necessary. It was a given, unless absolutely impossible, that our EDCs, med kits, weapons, ammo, and utility belts would be with us as well. One final thing thrown in was five pounds of dry dog food. Our only worry was spoilage of supply. We hoped cans, Mylar bags, and doubled plastic bags will prevent that.

We had gotten a lot done today and our bodies told us that very clearly. Dogs were tired from all the running around. Last check of outside temp showed 40 degrees. Seems like a bit milder overall. Couple of big snow preparation projects to try to get done tomorrow after we get back from emergency site. Watched fire die in hearth as we prayed and read scripture. Another good day. In next couple

days, would make trip up to top of ridge to see if could get anything on radio. Just thinking about that reminded us that we had not recorded the news we had gotten when down south about local, national, and international situation. Need to do that tomorrow before forget it all.

Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” (Luke 21:10)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #112

September 12

Up with the sun this morning, wanted to be on our way to emergency site no later than 8 AM. Dogs out. Temp checked. It was still 40 degrees. Hardly any clouds in the sky. Would be a good day for our hike. Might make 50 degrees today. Is this the start of Indian summer in the woods? Quick breakfast of jerky and rice mixture. Canteens loaded with water. Simple dishes cleanup. Dogs knew we were going somewhere, so they were excited. Put out small fire in hearth, and picked up pack and gear. Out the door we went just a few minutes after 8 AM. Dogs watched us very closely to see which direction we were going to go. Everything locked up and secure, we went around cabin toward creek. Dogs hot on our heels, then crossed creek with a bit of splashing and headed south, looking back to see if we were following them. When saw we were, they took off again. We caught up with them waiting at the point where we needed to turn east. We commented that they seemed to know where we were going. Played more tag with them until we got to the emergency site.

Quickly found the underground mini-cellar. Uncovered it and unloaded stuff from pack into it. Had some air space around the big bag, which was OK. Put log cover I had made back over the top of the hole. We both then piled brush, leaves and other natural stuff on top of that so it would look like nothing was there. Stepped back to check, and it was the best we could do. Spent a few minutes inspecting the emergency shelter frame, and it looked fine. All the bindings seemed to have stayed tight. With that we picked up the empty pack, loaded our gear, and headed back to cabin. Dogs off to our north barking at something. As soon as we called them, they came tearing back to us. They stayed ahead of us the whole way back to the cabin. Seemed they knew where we were going. When ing where I had killed the deer, noticed fresh deer tracks and some scat. Our guess was that the deer had not abandoned their cover there. Might hold real possibilities for getting another deer in near future.

Looked at watch when walked into cabin and was 11:30 AM. We had done well. Temp outside was forty-eight and would probably climb a few more degrees in the nice sunshine. Dogs and I made water run to spring. Used old process to get water in container, so it took a while. Back to cabin. Wife boiling well water and working on acorns. Checked on cattail leaves and roots that were drying outside. Leaves were good to go. Roots would be pretty dry by end of today. Hang in baskets in cabin tonight. When acorn tannin rendering done would start the process of getting starch out of cattail roots. Some would be boiled like potatoes and eaten for meals. Probably use about half of them to expand flour and cooking stuff for diet.

A quick cold lunch of jerky and water. Wife going to work on acorns rest of day and then start cold-water processing of cattail roots. I had two big winter prep projects to try to make progress on today. First one was to make a pair of snowshoes for each of us. Process not difficult, just time-consuming. Second project was to begin building a small sledge so we can haul things through snow. Will be our new Trekker after a fashion. But it will look nothing like the original Trekker.

Off to the woods I went, along with dogs. All the materials for snowshoes were within sight of cabin. Knew exactly what I needed. All materials in hand headed back to cabin in about forty-five minutes. Set up workstation beside outdoor fire pit. Started fire and got after it. Wood materials were all green so they would bend and be easy to work with. Bottom frame of shoe was sapling about two inches in diameter. Had measured from wife’s shoulder to the ground. Did the same for me. Our shoes would have to be half that length to us in any kind of snow. One half of each individual shoe would extend from the back of our heel to the end of the shoe. Would be its widest at point where ball of our foot rested on the shoe. Created four teardrop-shaped shoes, two her size and two mine. Sapling was very flexible so easy to bend. Tied the two ends together with some heavy cord. Those would be the back of each shoe.

Had cut multiple pieces of one inch diameter sapling that I then attached using cord in a perpendicular fashion the length of each shoe across the width. Created a small grid for each shoe that would spread our weight across whatever snow we were walking on. Then set up s for our feet. Two slightly larger small pieces of sapling attached across the shoe from left to right. One-inch space between them where ball of foot and toes would rest. Easy to do mine since I was right there. Called wife out of cabin so I could measure her feet sitting on base of shoe to know where to put cross . That done, attached cross to hers. Final step was to put sections of cordage on all four shoes that we would tie across top of feet and around heels to secure shoes on feet. Knew for sure that would have to adjust what I made, but we would know how and how much once we started using them. Maybe if we were lucky this winter they would just hang on wall inside cabin and never get used. Not!

Checked on wife, and she had all the acorns boiled and on drying rack in cabin. I pumped water for her, and she started cold-water processing for half of cattail roots. Process involved putting roots in container of cold water, squeezing roots and mashing them together to force starch out of them, then letting starch settle to bottom of container. Next, remove fibers and pour off water, leaving starch. Damp substance then poured onto something to allow it to dry. A very tedious and cold process. Going to take several days to put half of roots through process. Starch will make a great flour extender. She seemed to have the process under control. Still had a couple hours of sunlight left, so on to my next project. This one was going to take some work and a few days to finish. The sledge would basically be a poor man’s sled which could be pulled from the front using a harness made of rope. Easy to say, hard to build. At best I would get all the needed raw log materials cut today. As others often said, was burning sunlight, so got cutting tools, gear, and weapons, and headed into the woods to the west. Had previously seen a couple small oak trees that would make perfect runners for the sledge. Took a while to cut them down and remove limbs from two sixfoot-long sections. Diameter would be larger in back of sledge so could angle the more pliable front ends upward a bit so runners would go through snow. Was tired when done cutting, so last thing I got done was to drag the two potential runners back to the cabin. Dogs were out and about the whole time so they didn’t get in the way. More work on sledge tomorrow.

Wife had two piles of wet starch spread out on inside drying rack when I went back into cabin and a third container ready to have water poured out. I did that, dumped stuff on rack, and headed to spring with dogs. Spring water for cooking tonight. While dogs and I were gone, wife had put a slab of salted venison on spit over fire, and it was cooking. After cleaning up, I mixed up batch of dry potato flakes and boiled some of the dried cucumber pieces. Last of the tomatoes had ripened so we cut them up in slices as well. Dogs stayed right by hearth. Cooking venison drove them bonkers as usual.

Washed up again and we had a hot, good-tasting supper. While eating we talked about a project for next spring. Agreed that we needed to build a small storage building next to cabin to use for hanging everything that now hung on rafters in cabin. Will also use it as a drying location shelter. We liked the idea, so put it on our long-term project list. Will free up a lot of space inside cabin so we can add a few more things and make it more of a home. Cleaned up after supper, and dogs and I made another trip to spring as sky was quickly dimming. Back, we did our daily hygiene check. No problems today. Looked at gauge outside, and it was back down to 40 degrees. Looked like tomorrow will be a carbon copy of today.

As soon as it was dark we secured cabin, sat down at table in lantern light, and recorded some brief notes about events we had learned about while down south. Locally no more incidents of violence. Ridgway folks have set up an emergency force, both armed and medical, to deal with any bad actors that might come into area. Everyone at recent event down south agreed to become part of that force. A CB communication network has been set up between all the small communities in the area to emergency actions. Domestically, US govt. is no longer viable entity. There is no control across the country except in the region around Washington DC. Each of the regions that have set up independent control are now running their region as if they were nations in their own right. The national infrastructure has completely broken. People, organized into self-protection groups or as individuals, are basically on their own for their survival.

Internationally, a lull in the expansion of the Chinese, Russian, and Middle

Eastern efforts has set in. The three major players continue to align themselves into their alliance. The few countries left alone like Japan, Australia, and the UK are hanging on, but just barely. Israel faces daily rocket and terrorist incursions. They are doing the best they can to beat off the attacks, which are growing in intensity.

Living here in the mountains of western PA, all those events seem like a million miles away. They might as well be. Looked at our watches, and it was 9:30 PM. Dogs asleep on bear rug. We closed our day with prayer for our safety and that of our friends. Read scripture, carried dogs to platforms, and ed them after checking cabin security again. A busy day. Night!

And there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:11)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #113

September 13

Seemed a bit warmer overnight. Dogs out first of course, and temp check showed it was 40 degrees. Would be lots of sunshine, which meant it might make 50 degrees again today. If so, would take advantage of that. Quick run to spring for water with dogs. Wife already had cornbread muffins baking in coals of fire in hearth. Man, can she cook with sparse supplies. Dry dog food mixed with rice for dogs. We had rice mixed with some dried beef. Hot coffee to drink. I cleaned up after breakfast, and she moved all the cattail starch to top of firewood stacked outside to continue drying. Back inside, I pumped more well water, and she started starch reduction process from cattail roots. Would take her all morning to get that done and set the results outside drying. We pulled all the roots from outside and put in a basket to continue drying inside the cabin. She wanted to get root job done so she could work on basket weaving this afternoon. We need many more storage containers.

I started a fire in outside pit that I would use to fire harden the runners for the sledge. Fire going well, dogs and I headed out into woods to get remaining materials needed to construct the sledge. Took about an hour and I carried everything back to my work location. Started to fire harden the runners while did fine cuts on rest of stuff so it would fit together. Had to keep a close eye on hardening of runners. Just wanted wood to turn a golden brown and dry as much water out of it as possible. Process will lessen chance that runners crack when wet from snow. Fired about two feet of each runner at a time. To complete both took twenty minutes per section. A total of around three to four hours. While watching process, I cut up more kindling from brush pile and stacked it by fire logs. Got quite a bit cut that way.

Around 11 AM done with fire hardening. Now the fun would begin, assembling the whole thing. Used sections of rope to bind the two runners together at the front. Ended up with a twenty-inch curve on each of the runner fronts. Next step was to put cross between the runners. Created a three-foot wide initial surface. Then added longer s horizontal to the runners created a grid surface for bottom of sledge. Then attached twenty-inch long vertical s to the back of each runner. Last step was to attach two simple rails from top of vertical s to front of sledge where two runners were tightly lashed together. Would temporarily attach one of tarps, now being used to cover firewood, to form a container inside the frame just completed when we used the sledge. Stood back and was proud of myself. Wife came out to take a look carrying last load of cattail starch to add to that drying outside. She said it looked great as I explained how we would use tarp as container.

Told her after leaning sledge up against cabin for storage I would come in and clean everything up from cattail process and fix us a quick bite to eat. She wanted to collect cattail leaves and get them organized to start making baskets. That agreed to, dogs and I headed to spring for water. Dogs had been all over the place this morning. Not sure what they were up to, but they kept themselves entertained. Quick lunch fixed of coffee, dried veggie stew with some jerky. Smelled great, tasted even better. We both wanted to get back to projects while weather was cooperating, so ate quickly. I cleaned up and wife got busy with cattail leaves.

Told her one of the jobs we need to do tomorrow is to clean out the chimney. Has been a few weeks since last done. We agreed that would be our first small chore to do in the morning. Talked a bit more and decided to head south again and harvest as much wild rice, wheat, and oats as we can after cleaning chimney, and work on that harvest for a few hours. She got back to her weaving, and I headed out to collect nuts. Targeting hickory nuts and walnuts. Geared up, walked the ridge to our west from north to far end of old field. Took yoke along to carry the two baskets I took with me. Dogs with me of course. Worked for three hours, filling one basket with walnuts, one basket with hickory nuts. Heavy load by time I got back to cabin. Probably twenty pounds of each kind in their own basket. Set baskets in back corner of cabin where their drying and curing

process could continue in as much darkness as possible.

Was shocked to see what wife had done with baskets. She had two medium-sized ones done and was working on a larger one. It was obvious that process was becoming very efficient. Dogs and I made another water run to spring. More bird tracks. Also, saw some deer tracks beside creek across from where I had killed deer previously. Obviously, a fording point there. Decided to cut more kindling to replace what we had burned, and build up stack outside. This will be a daily chore. Dogs and I headed across the creek to see if we could find any more deer sign. Quite a few tracks and scat further south along east bank of creek. Needed to set up a blind on ridge above deer cover. Add that to blind needed near spring water source when going out to hunt turkey. Dogs following scents all over the place. East side of creek seems to be a major critter highway headed north and south. Sat and watched cover for a bit, but nothing stirring. Dogs had already left me there when I headed back to cabin. Cooling off some compared to last couple days. Looked like going to be colder tonight. Not a cloud in the sky.

Once inside wife had another salted venison steak cooking. We mixed some rice and dried veggies together and fixed cup of hot pine needle tea to drink. Dogs were beside themselves and wolfed down food set before them. We ate more slowly, talking about a little bit of everything. Confirmed plan for tomorrow. First chore, clean the chimney. Second, head south on wild grain harvest trip. Third, when back at cabin, winnow any harvest collected. And lastly, start removal of husks from bushel of wheat we had brought back from southern trip. Next couple days, after wild harvest dries some, will winnow it also. That done, we will start grinding all the wheat, both wild and southern grown, into flour to add to our flour reserves. Should at least double what we had on hand right now.

Finished eating, we cleaned up together. Dogs and I made one last water run to spring. Back, I boiled water for our evening hygiene cleanup. Dogs entertaining themselves chewing on deer bone and antlers. I decided to steep us each a cup of stinging nettle tea. ed to put gloves on when working with the leaves. Wife worked for about an hour on basket stuff. I spent that time sharpening and

grea all our blades to keep them from rusting. Then cleaned all our weapons. Had worn a couple small holes in seams on my old leather gloves, so repaired them. Also checked all our clothing but found nothing that needed immediate repair.

Nettle tea all steeped, each took a sip and grabbed at poke of sugar. A halfteaspoon of sugar and it tasted great. We laughed when we both went for the sugar at the same time. Dogs started begging of course. They got an evening snack of a piece of jerky each. That made them happy. Sat in front of the hearth enjoying our tea, dogs lying on their small skin rugs between us dozing. Another good day. We read evening scripture and prayed. Prayers especially targeted to our families tonight. At least six months since we had talked to any of them. We could not worry about them. But that was impossible. We had put them in the Lord’s hands and we trusted Him to be watching over all of them. We got silent after those prayers, hugged each other, and with the dogs climbed onto our sleeping platforms. Lost in our own thoughts, we fell asleep quickly. Lord, watch over us and those we love!

But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. (Luke 21:12)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #114

September 14

Rested pretty well overnight. Dogs seemed to be happy when they went outside. Temp of thirty-six, a few more clouds than yesterday, but didn’t look like rain, at least for the time being. Dressed and geared up, headed out to spring for water. Dogs stayed in old field barking at something. Need to set out traps soon, but have to be careful dogs don’t get snared. Back at cabin, wife had fire going and was making pancakes for breakfast. Smelled great coming in the door. She had pulled out a couple handfuls of dried blackberries and had them sitting in powdered milk rehydrating. That would taste great on cakes. Dogs were in for a treat as well, but no berries for them. She used a bit of rendered fat to fry the cakes. Gave them a good meaty flavor, which would be a hit with our girls. Took about twenty minutes to make enough for all of us. Kept them warm in foil sitting beside fire so we could all eat together. I fixed a hot cup of sassafras tea for us. Smell of cakes filled the cabin. Sure tasted good, a great change in our diet this morning. Not too much mess either. Didn’t take long to clean up, which I did. We decided to put the fire out, let the hearth and chimney cool down until lunchtime, and clean it then. Didn’t want to be messing with anything hot in the flue. Meant we would first do our natural food harvest along west bank of creek, in old field, at beaver dam, and finally at northern edge of marsh. When we grabbed our gear, weapons, yoke, and some baskets, dogs were ready to go. Another adventure. They were certainly willing participants, though their help in the task was doubtful. Closed up the cabin and headed out around 9 AM. Needed as much light as possible so we would be able to identify the right plants. Dogs running in circles as we slowly progressed.

We got back to the cabin around noon completely loaded down. Four baskets were attached to the yoke. They contained Jerusalem artichoke tubers, probably ten pounds, a couple pounds of stinging nettle leaves for tea, ten to twelve pounds of bulrush roots, small quantities of wild leeks, garlic, wild carrots, and a

couple pounds of sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds were the last item picked in the old field. There were lots more of those seeds left. Will have to get them in next couple days before birds pick them clean. I was huffing and puffing quite a bit under the yoke by the time we got back to the cabin. Roots all put on drying rack in cabin. Wild leeks, garlic, and carrots hung from rafters. Sunflower seeds put outside to start to dry. Would roast them tonight. A good harvest by all s. But only the beginning of what we have to continue to collect. Quick, easy lunch of pine needle tea, warmed-up jerky, and an apple. Jerky and tea warmed up on small fire in outside pit. No fire on inside hearth. Ate quickly so could get at cleaning chimney.

Probably last time chimney sweeper would work OK. Have to make a new one soon. Covered up hearth opening with large plastic bag. Up the ladder I went outside and removed chimney covering. Would reattach using new wires when done with cleaning job. Taped bag to chimney walls at hearth to keep soot from going into cabin. Up the ladder again with sweeper and pushed it up and down in flue. Quite a bit of black soot came back up at me. Evidence that we had been using fire a lot. When no more soot, headed inside to reverse sweeping process. Quite of bit of black soot lying on hearth. Pulled plastic bag back and reversed direction of broom, this time going up the flue. Impossible to keep some of the mess from spreading into cabin. Wife frowned at that but knew necessary to do the chimney cleaning. Reattached plastic bag, up ladder outside, and pushing down into the chimney, completed the job. Wife tossed new wire up to me, and I reattached cover to anchors in top of chimney. That done, back to ground and put ladder in storage location. Took us ninety minutes to complete the job. Amount of soot tells us we will have to clean chimney every couple of weeks during winter. Will be using pine logs, and they create more soot because of pitch in the wood. Will deal with that when necessary. Safety first as always.

Wife cleaned up the mess around the hearth and in cabin. When she was done with that, she collected all the dried starch from outside, put it in plastic bag, and hung from rafters. She then returned to her weaving while cold rinsing more cattail roots. I headed back to the sunflowers and came back in a couple hours with about ten more pounds of seeds. Told her plants were picked pretty clean. But we had a pretty good supply. When roasted, the seeds will be a good fat-

loaded treat.

By the time we had all this done, we were pretty tired. The dogs had been off in the woods most of the day except when I was in old field picking seeds, when they were smelling around in the field trying to scare up something to chase. Didn’t find anything, so they finally gave up and went back to cabin. We decided that was enough chores for one day. Will wait a couple days to roast sunflower seeds. Need to let them dry as much as possible before doing that. We sat in front of the hearth talking. Wife worked on weaving and I sharpened blades and did maintenance on our weapons. We were settling into a routine with our new life. Lots of work, chores, projects, and tasks, but we also had time just to sit and talk, even if we were working. Dogs on their small rugs lying beside us on the floor.

Did final temp check; 38 degrees outside and looked like sky had clouded over. Locked up cabin wondering what we will wake up to in the morning. Dogs ready to hit the sack. We did a quick hygiene wash for all four of us. No real problems, which we were grateful for. Climbed onto platforms and talked in the darkness with a slight glow coming from hearth. Not long and we were sound asleep. Dogs were snoring in contentment. Good night, Lord!

It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. (Luke 21:13)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #115

September 15

Another good night’s rest. Dogs anxious to get outside. We got a shock on opening cabin door. The ground was covered with about one inch of snow. Temp gauge said it was 33 degrees. Dogs not too sure what to do. Tentatively walked out into it, and before long running around like they had lost their minds. We stood just outside the door and watched them with big grins on our faces. Back into cabin, I geared up and headed to spring. Wife would start hearth fire, breakfast, and preps for her day. Dogs continued to go crazy as they ran all over the place. Took a while to get water; had to break ice away from hillside spring opening. Saw more large bird tracks in the area, nothing else. Little pool I had built there was covered with thin film of ice. Water in hand, headed back.

Nice warm fire going in hearth and water from well boiling to fix us breakfast. Dogs were looking for food; not a big surprise. We decided to fix some cornmeal flatbread, finish berries we had last night, and warm up some pieces of dried beef. Hot cup of coffee to wash it all down. Relaxed a bit while we ate, then cleaned up. Did some planning for the day as well. Needed to rig up an area for the dogs outside back door where we could put them on long leashes to do their business and get outside a bit when there was too much snow for them to run around. Their short legs would be a problem in the deep snow we expected. That would be my major task for the morning. Wife was going to work on baskets and drying of veggies, seeds, and nuts. At lunch we would plan our afternoon.

We worked all morning on the chores we had identified. Wife completed two more baskets and had enough material for two or three more. I spent quite a bit of time in the woods nearby cutting and de-limbing small logs to build a place for dogs. We can keep the area shoveled out, no matter how much snow we get.

It was not going to be that large. Ground was still not frozen, so I was able to pound nine four-foot long poles a foot or so down into soil pretty easily. Pounded noggins beside each longer pole. Next step was to cut and lash four levels of horizontal logs between the vertical s around the entire enclosure. That took a couple more hours. Last step in process was to fix wooden hooks to side of cabin just outside back door where dogs’ long leashes could be attached and they would have the space to themselves. The whole purpose of the enclosure was to be able to let them go out, but more importantly not let any large critter get at them when they were outside. Small critters could get into it but at their own peril. Dogs would likely tear them to pieces if they ventured into the little stockade.

Finished around noon. Had been very careful not to sweat while working outside. Again, just as when we were on our initial journey, we were going to have to be very careful with hypothermia. Wife had two more baskets done. She had a small pot of rice, dried veggies, and dried beef boiling in hearth. We ate that, nice and hot, along with leftover cornmeal flatbread. Gave dogs some of all of it to keep them warm and full because they were outside so much. Hot cup of sassafras tea to finish meal. Talked about the afternoon. With the first small snowfall, knew needed to get down to marsh and harvest wild oats, rice and wheat if any to be found. Convinced wife to stay at the cabin and work inside. Told her to just make sure the doors were secure. Would put dogs on long leashes, and they could be outside in enclosure or inside with her. Didn’t want them to slow me down in my harvesting task to the south. She agreed, but only after I said I would be very careful and alert.

Put dogs on leashes in enclosure. They were not happy but soon settled down to explore it. I didn’t want them to see me gearing up and heading south. Might have torn leashes out of cabin wall to go with me. Could hear them barking as I headed south, but soon quieted down. Made my way quickly to marsh. Quite a bit of wild rice there, so tackled that first. Ended up with two large bundles tied to yoke. Not sure how much grain in them, but it would help. Then headed to vicinity of old field. Had seen wild oats there but no wild wheat. Able to harvest a couple decent-sized bundles of wild oats. Probably enough left standing to make one more harvest trip. Everything tied onto yoke, finally back at cabin.

Tied all the bundles to the butchering pole to let them all dry as much as possible for next few days in cold wind and any sun we have. Winnowing will happen in three to five days, more than likely. Dogs were inside cabin when I yelled out. Wife opened doors, and they tore out. Went nuts jumping on me and wanting to be petted. They took off into the woods to run off some energy.

Was around 4 PM when we were both inside cabin cleaning up from labors when we heard the community signal from a whistle to the north. Opened door and heard an ATV coming our direction. Soon saw our doctor friend and his wife from the south heading to cabin. What a surprise. When they stopped, hugs, back slaps, and smiles of course. They told us they had made a trip to north to check on condition of the young man who had been injured. Said he was doing really well, progressing very quickly. Friends to north were having a hard time keeping him down so he would heal better. That was great news. First thing out of our mouths was they had to share supper with us and stay the night. No need to be traveling in nasty weather and pushing darkness. After a bit of coaxing they agreed. Wife went into hyperdrive. We had guests for the night.

First, decisions were made about what to have for supper. I got the look and headed to the spring with friend and dogs in tow. Lots of small talk as we walked. Back to find the wives talking, of course. My wife had shown friend’s wife everything in the cabin. His wife looked at me and shook her head. She told us that we had done so much and that our home was truly a home now. My wife was beaming. The ladies had already decided on sleeping arrangements. Friend’s wife would get my sleeping platform, and my friend and I would spread our sleeping bags near the hearth and keep a small fire going all night. Full course meal for supper. Salted venison, two potatoes cut up and made into home fries, dried blackberries rehydrated in powdered milk, and four good-sized Jerusalem artichoke roots boiled for fresh veggie. Great smells filled cabin. While all that was cooking took doctor friend on tour outside and inside cabin. Showed him all the things we have built and are using. He just shook his head.

Ladies finally called us inside, and we all sat down around table, two seated on

platform, two on homemade stools around our little table. Great conversation while eating, catching up on everyone to north and south. Dogs were stuffed and lying on bear rug the whole time. We asked doctor if he would check out my wife and me physically before we went to bed. Had been late last year since we both had any kind of health checkup. He said of course. We all pitched in and cleaned up after supper. I took dogs outside while doctor and his wife gave my wife a good physical checkup. Dogs outside, I kept them entertained.

When done with wife’s physical, the ladies went outside in fading light to look around cabin. Friend gave me the once-over. Done, we called the ladies back inside and he gave us his report. Considering what we had been through the last nine months, and with our existing health issues, he said we were doing quite well. Said he was pleased to see that we had gained back some weight. Told us when we stopped at their place back in May, they were both worried because we were so thin. That was no longer a problem. Said our BP and heart strength were better than normal. Told us that, even with the existing conditions, we were each in the physical shape of someone twenty years younger. Told us that hard work, healthy diet, and less stress made it virtually unnecessary for us to take any of our old maintenance meds. Told him we had a few weeks’ emergency supply of all those but had stopped taking them a couple months ago. Big smiles from us. One other request made to him: Even though not a vet, could he look at the dogs? He agreed. With some squirming, of course, they let themselves be prodded and poked. He pronounced them fit as fiddles. A bit of wear and tear on their paw pads but that was to be expected. They got a treat and headed to bear rug to eat it.

Brewed up a batch of sassafras tea and we all enjoyed a hot cup. A lot more small-talk until around 8:30 PM, and we started to get cabin ready for the night. Dogs out one last time. Temp already at 34 degrees. Doctor brought battery in from ATV. Spread our sleeping bags on top of bear rug and dogs’ two small rugs in front of hearth. Dogs already on sleeping platforms. Asked doctor’s wife if she minded dog sleeping with her. Said she would love it, just like with their Lab at home. We then sat in light from lantern and had a time of prayer and scripture reading. Was good to have them with us. We sang a couple old hymns as best we could. Locked up cabin doors, one last peek outside at ATV, and we were down

for the night. Not long before we had a symphony of snoring going from everyone in the cabin. Thank You, Lord, for our friends. Keep them safe.

So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves. (Luke 21:14)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #116

September 16

Other than dogs waking everyone in the middle of the night, barking at something outside, we had a pretty good night. Let them out and they took off following scent of whatever had been outside when everyone was up. Checked temp and was around 30 degrees. Some gray clouds and breeze but nothing serious. Friends said they would wait until sun up fully before heading out. Water pumped from well, boiled, hot cup of coffee, they packed up while wife and I fixed quick breakfast. Rice, stewed tomatoes, venison jerky mixed together. A second cup of coffee while we ate. Told them we would clean up but they insisted on helping. Dogs watching everything that was going on. By 8:30 AM they had ATV loaded and were ready to go. ed hands and prayed for safe travel. Asked them to give our best to everyone to the south and that we would see them all in a few weeks. With that they were off. Stopped at last turn at ridge and then went out of sight. Dogs chased them but eventually trotted back home.

We talked about chores and tasks for the day. Needed to make water run to spring. Wife wanted to keep working on food supplies and clean up the cabin. So while she did that, dogs and I went to spring. Back, helped wife mix cattail starch into our flour supply. Then started to pump and boil water for ongoing acorn tannin removal. Would take us all day to get all of the nuts fixed. Next step would be to turn the nutmeat into ground meal and then add that to flour. We would keep out some nutmeats for snacks. Keep drying process going for sunflower seeds, pinto, and black beans from garden, peas from garden, wild leeks, garlic, and carrots, and roots from cattails and bulrushes. Our cabin was a food factory. Will be interesting to see how much we have when done. Know we’ll need to keep harvesting as much as we can for as long as we can. Felt like we were gaining a bit on everything.

I decided to take hike north on east side of creek and set out snare traps. As far as we could tell, dogs hardly ever went up that side of creek in that direction. Had to keep them safe. Geared up, with them at my heels, weapons in hand, snares in kit, headed out to do that. After crossing creek headed north about thirty minutes and put out five traps on what looked like three rabbit runs in the snow. Dogs too busy exploring to pay much attention to what I was doing. Saw quite a bit of deer sign and scat. Definitely a main deer travel path on that side of the creek. When close to the creek, saw a lot of small critter tracks, raccoon, possum, and probably skunk, but nothing larger than that. Decided to set box trap up over there after lunch. Last task was to check fish trap on way back to cabin. Had three fish cleaned and ready for cooking. Could be a good lunch.

Wife had cabin back to snuff when went inside. She was turning all the stuff drying every hour or so to make sure drying on all sides. Sunflower seeds will probably take another day. Other stuff likely done by end of day today. Good progress. Lunch was leftovers from last night’s big supper with a cup of pine needle tea to warm our innards up a bit. Wife told me to go set box trap while she cleaned up. I did as I was told. Baited the trap with some of the fish innards. Raccoons would especially like that. We decided to have the three fish for supper tonight. Had hung them on butchering pole where they froze within thirty minutes. Temp outside at noon was 37 degrees. That was probably our high for the day.

Wife continued working on baskets with remaining leaves, turned drying food, and worked on acorn process. I went down to garden and pulled up all of our onions. Will be good added to our meals for flavor. Had around twenty pounds in basket when done pulling them out of ground. Tied in bundles hung them from cabin rafters. Added a distinct smell to all the other smells in the small building. With the recent dusting of snow, we talked about my building the two hunting blinds we’d had in mind. One, the deer blind, on the east side of creek to the south. The other, the possible turkey blind, down by the spring. Thought those would be good projects to work on tomorrow, after we have our morning worship service. Try to get them both done tomorrow, at least the basic structure

for each. Wife insisted that we do them together. She didn’t like the idea of me being out alone. Told her I could handle it, but finally itted would be better if we both work on them. Dogs will have a ball being gone from cabin most of the day.

Because of plan for tomorrow, decided to just work on small projects and chores around the cabin the rest of today. Worked on cutting kindling for a couple hours together. Strange how much we can get done when both of us work on it. We quit when it looked like we had enough for the next two or three weeks on our reserve pile. Hauled wood into cabin and put it on our indoor log rack. Had three or four days’ supply inside. Tried to keep at least that much inside. We know we will have some times snowed in and wanting wood to burn.

Made a couple trips back and forth to spring for water in the late afternoon. Timed second trip to be back when supper ready that wife was fixing, while continually keeping acorn process going. Dogs loved being outside and running with me. Cleaned up, and mixed big helping of dry dog food with rice and couple pieces of jerky. Wife had fixed us rice and dried veggie mixture. Had diced up an onion and cooked that in stew as well. I cooked up the three fish on the hearth spit. Dogs got meat from one fish. Wife and I each got a whole fish. We were eating pretty well. All of us just sat back after eating and let our supper settle a bit before doing anything.

Dogs outside as darkness set in. Before long, barking at door to come inside. Checked temp; 35 degrees, maybe not too bad tonight. Locked up cabin and stopped acorn process. With nice fire in hearth, we settled down after supper cleanup. Was nice to just sit and talk. Recalled some of the things we had done together over the years. Talked about how much our relationship had changed since we first were married. We had truly become one in everything. Were grateful for our new little family, our two four-legged children, and our new friends and communities that we now felt very much a part of. But most grateful for the Lord and how He had brought us to this night through so much struggle. We were truly blessed. With those thoughts, we said a few prayers and read our

nightly scripture. Tomorrow was Sunday. Planned a little praise worship in the morning before we got busy. Dogs smiling at us. They got the attention they wanted and then jumped onto platforms. One final security check on doors and we ed them. We all went to sleep with full tummies and full hearts. Lord, give us a safe good day tomorrow. We love You!

For I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. (Luke 21:15)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #117

September 17

Dogs outside first thing. Temp was 33 degrees and dark clouds moving in from the northwest. Looked like we might get some snow. Cooked our breakfast of rice and jerky gruel outside. Didn’t want inside fire yet, since we were leaving to build blinds. Not much cleanup. Ate our fill, dogs got theirs and what was left from what we had cooked for us. Needed good meal before going outside. We sat and had our morning worship. Time of prayer and read twenty-third Psalm and First Corinthians 13. Finished, we got our gear together, kits, blades, weapons, and canteens full of water. Dogs saw that and stood at the front door. When we opened back door, they were out of it instantly. Locked up and secured cabin. Down to the creek and crossed it without much problem. Thin ice sheet spreading out from banks on both sides of the creek. Dogs didn’t know what to do with the ice so I carried them across. They are spoiled rotten. More dark clouds rolling in and wind blowing down the valley. Snow is definitely a possibility. Took us about twenty-five minutes to get south of the brush stand that the deer were likely using for cover. Lots of tracks and scat in the area. Tracks also continued to the south

Looked around that way, and east a bit, to see if there was a good spot for a blind. About a hundred feet to the southeast of cover was a stand of pine trees on ridge, probably forty yards from the deer cover. Looked like a possibility. We climbed to it, and decided this would be the spot. Would only require building one wall at the front of the pine trees which would give me good field of vision to north, south, and straight ahead to the deer cover area.

Cut couple young pines down at back of grove. We took limbs off them and cut them to size needed. Blind would be quite simple. A frame in the front to which

pine limbs could be attached. Two 45 degree angled braces ran from top of front vertical corners of frame back to the slope of the ridge. Got those main logs in place then attached a vertical and horizontal grid of thinner logs to the blind front facing target area. We used all the branches we had removed to weave into the front grid on the blind. Primary wind direction during winter will be from north or northwest. Front of the blind was pointing to the northwest. Most days, blind will be downwind from the primary deer cover and the paths they usually travel in the area.

Blind not as difficult to build as we thought it might be due to sitting under the stand of pine trees. Bound it all together with paracord which should hold up pretty well. Left a slit about four feet long in the front of the blind from which I could take any possible shots. Only thing I have to be very careful about is popping off a shot in the general direction of the cabin. Not much chance of it getting to cabin, but being extra cautious. Shots will take a slight downward angle. Finished, we stood back and looked at it and were satisfied. Wife’s help had been great. Just having the four of us together made the work seem easier. Headed back to cabin, dogs across the creek, back door unlocked, and we were in out of the wind.

Needed to warm up a bit, so built small fire in hearth to do that as well as cook a warm lunch. Insides needed some heat also. Pumped water, boiled it, and fixed rice and venison jerky mixture and hot cup of sassafras tea. Gave dogs some because they needed to warm up also. They were sitting in front of fire on their rugs. We put the fire out pretty quickly. Grabbed our gear and were standing at front door when they realized we were going out again. They quickly ed us. Checked one more time to make sure fire was out, locked the door, and we headed south. Took us about thirty minutes to get to the area of the spring. Started looking to west and south above spring for location for blind. Not as lucky as this morning. No grove of pine trees in the area. Blind would be a bit more complex this afternoon. Would use same design for structure but would have to build walls on sides. Would have to go about a hundred yards up the ridge to cut pine logs and branches to build it. Took close to two hours to cut logs and limbs and drag them to the site. Actual building of blind only took about half that time. Bindings of paracord. Same size for front walls. Difference

was drove vertical poles in back to attach horizontal s to from front vertical poles. poles in place, attached smaller diameter logs to front and sides in a grid pattern. Wove pine branches into the grid after we cut them and dragged them from up the side of the ridge. Several rest breaks; sweating and had to be careful. Another hour and a half and it was done for now. Will work, but likely will have to reweave branches into front and sides as pine needles die and fall off. Stood back and it looked OK. Had brought yoke and our two biggest pots to get water from spring. That done we headed back.

About halfway back to cabin, good-sized snowflakes started to fall. This was not just going to be a dusting. Opened up cabin, and everyone went inside. Started a good fire in hearth for warmth. Headed out, with dogs of course, to check the snare traps on other side of creek to the north. Lugged dogs across creek and away we went. Had some good luck. Two rabbits in first two snares. Fielddressed them, rebaited snares, and checked out other three snares to the north. Nothing there. Back to cabin, crossed creek, hung rabbits up on butchering pole and skinned them. One would be for supper. Would let the other hang outside where it would freeze solid very quickly. Wife inside boiling water and working on acorns. About ninety percent done with tannin removal. Would be done tonight. We will let them dry a couple days and then start grinding them into fine particles.

At 4:30 PM, brought one rabbit inside and cut it up to cook. Dredged in cornmeal, fried in skillet in lard. Smelled wonderful. While waiting, scraped two rabbit skins and put them on drying forms. Drying process likely inside until weather front moves us. Supper done, we sat down to warm meal of rabbit, boiled cattail roots mixed with dried veggies, and a cup of hot pine needle tea. Warm supper was best thing we could have done. Cleanup took a bit. Checked temp outside and it was thirty-two. Going to be a cold night. An inch of new snow on ground, and not looking like it would let up soon. Spent the evening working with drying food, scraping rabbit skin, sharpening blades, cleaning weapons, and a general hygiene check for all four of us. No real problems. Kept a good fire going. Would be up couple times tonight to keep it going, as it looked like it was going to be a cold one. Devotions in front of fire. Prayers and scripture reading finished. Covered dogs up on sleeping platforms with their

small rugs. All we could see sticking out from under rugs was their noses. Layered on the clothing and climbed into our sleeping bags. Would feel the cold all night. Lord, watch over us.

But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. (Luke 21:16–17)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #118

September 18

Woke up to three more inches of snow. Temp was 30 degrees when opened door to let dogs out. Snow had stopped, and clouds were beginning to break up above us. Looked like there would be some sunshine, so put rabbit skins on forms outside to dry as much as possible. Dogs weren’t quite as spooked by the snow this morning. They were soon running around in it playing tag. Would bury their noses into the snow to smell something and then look up with snow all over their faces. Was kind of funny but bet it was cold.

Built fire back up in hearth. I had gotten up twice during the night to add logs to it to keep it burning and smoldering so we could wake up to a bit of heat in the cabin. Pumped enough water to fill all of our pots and got to boiling it. Planned on having second rabbit for supper tonight. As we cooked rice, flour, and milk flatbread, we talked about two food gathering tasks for the day. One was to see if we could get more acorns. Second was to try and figure out way to get honey out of old log we had found and then get that done if possible. Would continue food drying processes. Last evening, we had been able to complete tannin removal of last bit of acorns we had on hand. If all else failed, we would begin to grind up acorn nutmeats into flour extender. Knew we had domestic wheat and wild rice and oats to winnow. Planned to do that tomorrow if weather held.

Jury-rigged a log pole not being used right now to collect acorns. Attached a small basket to one end of the pole. Using paracord bound a couple eight-penny nails to the top of the basket. Bent the nails into small hooks facing into the basket. Plan was to use hooks to snare nuts on limbs so that they would fall into the basket. Sounded good in theory, but would it work? Would be hard to find nuts lying on ground under the snow. Our best bet was to reach them on tree

limbs.

All of this planned, we geared up with blades, weapons, yoke, and a couple medium-size additional baskets to hold harvested nuts, locked up cabin, and headed west to the woods. Dogs were excited. They took off, kicking up a rooster tail of snow as they ran. The process worked. But it was slow and hard on our necks, shoulders, and arms. We had to rest quite often. Pole enabled us to reach nuts as high as fifteen feet above the ground. Slowly we worked tree by tree moving south along the woods. After an hour and a half we had one medium basket full and the other basket half full. Our bodies could not handle any more, so we quit. Will use the same process every few days to add to our acorn supply. We had enough for another full day of tannin removal. Probably close to another fifteen pounds of raw nuts. Dogs watched us for a few minutes then they took off to explore ridge above us. Heard them barking a couple times but likely nothing serious.

Back to cabin by 11 AM, everyone pretty cold. Looked at gauge and it was 40 degrees. In the sun felt a bit warmer than that. Snow cover made it feel colder. Fire started in hearth to warm us up. Wife going to stay in this afternoon with the dogs while I went after honey. Lunch first though. Rice, dried veggies, dried beef soup, and a hot cup of coffee. Warmed us up a lot. Dogs got some also, still lying by fire, where they’d gone as soon as we got it started. Pumped as much water as I could and started it to boil for acorns. Wife would work on them plus the drying process for other food and grains all afternoon.

Sat in front of fire and figured out a process to secure honey. Would need our biggest pot to put honeycombs into. I was going to go out wrapped like a mummy from head to toe in clothing with all openings closed with duct tape. Would cover face, head, and neck with the cotton cloth. Would put it on over my glasses to protect my eyes. Leather gloves on my hands would provide maximum protection for them. The log that contained the honey lay on a slope on ridge to west. It had died from the core outward, so there was a small opening at each end with an entrance hole on its side that the bees used. Plan was to build

a fire at lower end with green and dead wood combined, to generate smoke. Hoped that breeze would help blow the smoke into the hollow tree through the beehive and toward the other end. Also, hoped that cold temps would make the bees lethargic and less likely to fly very well. Would let the smoke filter through the tree for at least an hour and then cut a bigger hole where the bees entered tree using my large axe. With the bigger hole, should be able to reach the hive. If the plan worked, great. If not, would have to think of something else. Was prepared to get stung but hoped only as an accident. Too bad didn’t have big mirror to get a look at myself.

I slowly waddled off into the woods, wife laughing and telling me to be careful. Dogs wanted to go along, but she kept them in cabin. They were howling as I walked to the west. Took couple trips to haul equipment and enough wood for an hour-long fire to destination. No problem getting fire started, and at least half of the smoke was blown into the log. I backed off a bit and only approached log to feed the fire. Waited an extra half an hour before I started chopping bigger hole. A few bees buzzing around, but most just crawled around the log outside the hole. Once hole big enough to see honeycombs, started pulling them out and putting in pot. Filled it very quickly and still had a lot more to go. Waddled back to cabin for our folding bucket and filled it up also. No more containers, so I had to stop. Looked like at least two more buckets full of combs in the tree. Would leave them sit and get more when had some free time.

I made one mistake while doing all of this. Dumb enough to pull off one of my gloves to scratch my nose through cotton cloth, and one bee hit my hand. Man, did it hurt. Made me jump. A bee gave her all to protect the hive. Hand hurting, I carried containers back. Took them inside after making sure there were no unwanted engers along for the trip into the cabin. Set the containers near the hearth so the honey would start to soften and ooze out of the combs.

Two great resources, honey for sweetness and diet, combs to be melted down and made into candles. Took me quite a while to get all the gear off. Grabbed tube of toothpaste and rubbed some onto the sting. It calmed the pain down

almost immediately. A wonder drug. Pulled out the stinger so would not get infected. Dogs ran and jumped on platforms, barking at me, when I came into the cabin. They were going to protect the place from the monster. We put the honey and combs into plastic bags and hung from rafters. I took the two containers outside and over a small fire in the outside pit melted and cleaned off any honey still left in them. Wife needed them to help with acorn tannin process and to cook supper. She had made a lot of progress on acorns while I was out. All of the dried stuff, except for sunflowers and grains on stalks, was now hanging from our rafter racks. We both had productive days. We both washed up so we could make supper. Rabbit put into skillet to fry, breaded in cornmeal, with onions, dogs got meat before we added onions. Wife made some cornmeal flatbread and boiled some rice. Dogs acted as if they were starved. We all sat down to a big supper in front of fire in hearth. Enough hard work for the day; we shut down all the working processes. Cleaned dishes and did a good overall hygiene wash, including the dogs.

Sat by hearth, talked and took on some small projects. Took apart acorn picking tool. Cleaned and sharpened blades. Cleaned weapons. Wife mended a few tears in some of our clothing. We spent a lot of time petting and messing with dogs. They were in a mood. Way too much energy at the end of the day. Had a good time of prayer and scripture reading. Started to talk about discipleship Bible study that we will do early next month. Picked Luke 21 as the content area, based on scripture reading we had been doing. Checked thermometer outside one last time before locking up. It read 35 degrees. Hoped we were going to have a bit warmer weather. Took scraped and dried rabbit hides off forms and hung them from racks. We believe we have enough dried hides to make a blanket for one of the platforms. It, combined with one of us then using bear rug, will provide some extra warmth on cold nights ahead. Dogs jumped on platforms, and we covered them up with their small blankets just like last night. Again, only could see their noses sticking out. We sat another thirty minutes or so and then onto the platforms. Some small talk but quickly to sleep. Another busy day tomorrow. Sleep tight.

Yet not a hair of your head will perish.

By your endurance you will gain your lives. (Luke 21:18–19)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #119

September 19

Dogs woke us up pretty early. Out into the snow they went. Sky was pretty clear. Temp was thirty-eight degrees, a warming trend. Might be a nice day today. Dogs headed to the west and up ridge. Could see them looking up into a tree. Assumed a squirrel was giving them a hard time. Made a water run to spring, took a while to fill up container; a lot of ice. On way back took a quick look across creek to see if anything was in box trap. Bingo! Just glad dogs had not seen it yet. Got them back into cabin with piece of jerky, a bribe, while I went across creek with .17 HMR and quickly dispatched a big raccoon in the trap. Was a struggle getting it out after shot it. Field-dressed it and back across creek, hung it up on butchering pole. Would be fine there until after breakfast. Let it bleed out a bit more.

Back inside dogs smelled the blood and were on me in a second. Had to fight them off while I cleaned up. What they really smelled was the raccoon heart I had in a small bag in my pocket. Quickly put it on a stick I had carried in and cooked it in hearth fire wife had started. The dogs sat at attention beside me watching every move I made. Cut heart into two pieces when cooked and gave them each a half. Onto their rugs on platforms and ate the meat quickly. Been a while since they had had something like that. Wife had a pot full of pinto beans simmering on hearth, preparing them for supper tonight. Cook with chunks of raccoon and onions to make a pretty good stew. Breakfast was a lot less complicated. Boiled rice, dried beef fried in lard in skillet, a sliced-up apple, and hot sassafras tea. The tea really made the cabin smell good. Dogs got a lot of rice and dried beef.

While wife cleaned up, I went outside, skinned the raccoon and cut the carcass in

half lengthwise. Would cook one half on spit in hearth for supper tonight. Have the second half cooked the same way tomorrow for supper. Halves were in a good refrigerator outside, so they would be fine. Pulled out medium-sized hide curing form, put raccoon pelt on it, and then set it up in sun outside. We had decided yesterday that we would work all day on acorns, getting them ready to be ground and then grinding as much as we could. Had to sort through all the nuts to pull out any that had small wormholes in them. Those with wormholes would be thrown back under trees in the woods for the squirrels. Not going to eat worms, at least not yet. We took a break around noon to eat a cold lunch of venison jerky, a bit of leftover rice, and cup of coffee. Dogs got couple pieces of jerky.

Back to work pretty quickly. Boring work looking at each individual nut, but work that had to be done. With two of us doing it, we made realistic progress. By 2:30 PM had them all sorted. We were going to get rid of around one-third of all the acorns picked and processed. Don’t know if that was a good percentage or not. It was what it was. We ended up with about forty pounds of nutmeat to grind. That will be a good addition to our flour supply. Pulled mortar and grinding stone off storage shelf, and I started grinding. Was not easy, but the nuts were not hard after all of the boiling. By 5 PM had about half of nutmeats ground up and added to our flour supply. Would obviously add nutty flavor to the flour. Anxious to see what it tasted like after cooked.

Brought half of raccoon inside and put on spit to cook slowly. Planned on cooking it slowly for an hour and a half. Dogs sat on their rugs in front of hearth watching and smelling. Wife was busy working with sunflower seeds. Said they should be ready for roasting tomorrow evening. Once roasted, with a bit of salt they would be great protein and fat snack for long, cold winter days ahead. Raccoon cooked, rice boiled, onion diced, we cubed the raccoon meat and poured all three ingredients into the biggest pot we had. We held out enough meat and rice, without onions, for the dogs to have a good meal. Smell was really good. Steeped hot cup of pine needle tea with a bit of honey stirred into each cup. By 7 PM we were all ready to eat. Sat down in front of hearth and enjoyed quiet peaceful supper. Dogs looked like they had eaten a cow when done. They waddled over to their rugs, sighed, and collapsed. We just laughed at

them.

Good conversation as we ate. Mostly about our tasks for tomorrow. If weather holds, we will winnow wild grain at least. Once that done, will look at our list and decide what to do then. Spent quite a bit of time talking about discipleship Bible study for next month. Also, wondering what was going on in the world outside our little valley. Paying no attention to time, which we had previously done all the time, we finally noticed it was very dark outside. Checked watch and it was 9 PM. Talked a long time.

Checked outside temp, 38 degrees. It had gotten to forty today with lots of sunshine. Hoped tomorrow would be the same. Locked and secured the cabin. We had our prayer and scripture reading time and then were quickly onto sleeping platforms. Thank You, Lord, for our health and strength. Watch over us tonight.

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. (Luke 21:20)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #120

September 20

A good night’s rest. None of us wanted to climb out of the sack. Dogs eventually needed to go outside. Not a cloud in the sky, chilly to start the day, but potential to warm up quite a bit. Good day to work outside. Boiled as much water as we could. Simple breakfast of flour and acorn flour mixed flatbread, peanut butter on top of it. Rice with dried beef mixed into it as well. Everyone got a good portion. Dishes cleaned quickly. Checked temp and was thirty-nine. Looks like we will make it into the forties today. While eating, planned out the day. Finish grinding acorns, winnow the dried grains, separate wheat kernels from covering, and start grinding it if time available. I wanted to make the ghillie suit for hunting. Likely gather materials during the day and make it tonight in front of the fire.

Sun shining brightly, so dogs and I headed to the spring for water. Took a while as there was plenty of ice to chop through where water came out of the mountain. A few bird tracks around, likely turkeys. Another good sign that spring pool was one of their main watering holes as long as it didn’t completely freeze over. Back to the cabin, wife was already grinding acorns. Should mention that the mixture flatbread this morning did have a nutty flavor that was good. Dogs ate some and they seemed to like it.

First task was to go outside and set up for winnowing wild rice and oats while wife worked on acorns inside. Dogs off doing their thing in the woods. Pulled small tarp off of piled firewood and spread it on the snow-covered-ground. Planned on using same process had used down south couple weeks ago. Grain put on half of tarp, folded other-half of tarp over it. Used thin whiplike sapling to beat the top of the folded-over tarp. Once sure all grain off stalks, piled stalks to

side, poured grain into basket, and repeated the process until had worked through all the grain.

Didn’t mix the rice and oats together. A basket for each type. By noon had the process done. Wife had acorn grinding done also and had mixed acorn flour into the mixture we already had. She was cleaning up a bit in cabin when I carried two baskets inside. Cleaned up tarp, put back over wood, and sapling went onto kindling pile. Collected all of the grain stalks, bundled them, tied to yoke and carried across creek and down to deer cover area where I spread it all over the place. Would draw deer and provide them with some feed. On way back to cabin, checked snare traps and had one rabbit, which I quickly field-dressed and skinned. It was frozen pretty solid so was a chore. Would cook it immediately for lunch. Wife started on lunch while I put stiff frozen rabbit skin on curing form as best I could and put it outside beside raccoon skin to dry. Scraped them both, which was hard because they were so cold.

Rabbit on spit in hearth cooking when I came back inside alongside pot of rice. Dogs smelled it all when I opened door and they came running from somewhere to the north. Sat down quickly to watch the rabbit cooking. I grabbed a semigreen stick from kindling pile and quickly cooked up the rabbit heart. Cut it in half, and each dog went to the bear rug and ate her piece. Then back to hearth for more, or at least that was their plan. We sat down for lunch of rabbit, rice, and hot cup of coffee. Quick cleanup. Dogs got some rabbit to keep their energy up.

Lunch done, I got after cutting up more kindling. Worked on it for about three hours. Wanted to get as far ahead of it as I could while weather was good. Around 2 PM checked temp and it was 46 degrees; a heat wave. By time I was done and back inside, wife had separated winnowed rice and oats from their coverings. Simple process really. Put raw grain on table on a sheet of plastic, double it over, and roll a small two-foot log over the top of it. Dried junk came off grain pretty easily. She had all of the rice done and was working on the oats when I had finished bringing more kindling into the cabin. Ended up with eight or nine pounds of usable rice. Her plan was to finish the oats process by the end

of the day. Wouldn’t take too long because we had not found much.

Decided to take the dogs to ridge west of us into area where they had been barking last couple days. Might find some more fresh meat. I followed the dogs as they smelled the ground, looked up into the trees, and in general searched for a scent of something. We were probably a half mile from the cabin when they spotted a couple squirrels on some limbs near a squirrel nest. Had carried both air rifle and .17 HMR with me. Was able to get pretty close to animals while dogs kept them occupied. Knocked one down pretty quickly with air rifle. Grabbed it before dogs could get to it. Second squirrel went higher up in tree, a much longer shot. Took couple shots with air rifle before it came tumbling down as well. Another chase to get it before dogs did. Cleaned both animals before they could get too cold. Dogs could already taste the hearts. Back to cabin, hung both squirrels on butchering pole. A couple meals tomorrow. Did take hearts into cabin and quickly cooked them over fire, and each dog got one. A late afternoon snack. Wife had all the oats done. We planned on boiling the oats for meals, most likely breakfast, and making a porridge out of the grain.

Sun only up from behind ridges for about six hours today. Will get even shorter than that as we move into winter. By time I got back with squirrels, sun was already behind ridge to the west, and it was cooling off quickly. No clouds tonight would mean a much colder night. Dogs and I quickly went to spring. Slow process again. Glad we had the inside well, which had shown no signs of freezing up yet. Boiled water and we took a really good hygiene wash before starting supper. Dogs were tick free, as were we. Cleaned and medicated a few nicks we had gotten from working with grain today. All in all, in pretty good shape. Put second half of yesterday’s raccoon on fire to slowly cook. Wife made a gruel with rice, dried veggies, onions, and wild garlic. When raccoon cooked would carve out some good pieces for dogs and then cube rest of meat and put into the gruel. Cutting done and meal cooking, it made the cabin smell really good. Dogs got their meat earlier than us. They were content to lie on small rugs on floor and eat slowly. Could hear them smacking their lips. Lots of yawns. They were enjoying their supper. Wife and I finally sat down to a couple bowls of supper and a hot steeped cup of pine needle tea. Stuff really tasted good. Wife was an excellent cook to begin with. This meal was one of best we had had in

months. Finished eating and cleaning up around 6 PM. Dogs outside running around for a few minutes, then back inside by fire.

We worked on two tasks during the evening. Wife started to sew skins together to make as big a blanket as possible for one of us to use for extra warmth. Used inner strands of paracord to sew them together after she worked out how to fit them into one big piece. Glad we had long-ago packed large-eyed shoe repair needles in our emergency kits. They worked well for putting the skins together.

I transferred stuff out of one of our burlap bags hanging on rafter rack into large plastic bags and worked on cutting hole for my head and holes for my arms in sides of bag. Would wear it like a simple tunic. Reinforced all of the bag seams with paracord to make sure it didn’t come apart after cutting the holes. The evening before I would go hunting for deer or turkeys I would simply put fresh cut small twigs, grasses, and leaves into the small holes in the bag creating the camo suit. Thought about other concealment as I worked. Had a good camo hat to cover my head. Would cover face with mud. Only possible glare might come from my glasses. Boots were camo which made them work. Would rub streaks of mud and clay onto my jeans to break up the one color there as well. Not very professional but hopefully all of this would be functional. Wife had about half of the skins put together when she stopped. Wrists were hurting a lot from all the handwork of the day. Let the dogs out one more time. They didn’t like the fact that we woke them up from their snoozing in front of the hearth to go outside. Didn’t stay outside very long. Temp had already dropped to 33 degrees. Squirrel meat on pole was in the natural outdoor freezer which was great. Dogs made a beeline for platforms when they ran back into cabin. Covered them with their small rugs as they chewed on deer antlers. Wasn’t long before they were snoring.

We sat in front of the hearth talking about discipleship, continuing to plan next month’s Bible study. Eventually said our prayers and read small portion of scripture. Not a physically demanding day but we were both tired. Hugged and climbed onto our sleeping platforms. Dogs would not give up the room they had laid claim to. A bit of a wrestling match with them before everyone was settled.

To sleep quickly. Lord, be merciful to us.

Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city. (Luke 21:21)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #121

September 21

Really chilly when let the dogs out this morning, 32 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky so hoping for another warmer afternoon later. Dogs didn’t stay out long, but they also knew they would get their breakfast soon. Started fire in hearth, water from well boiling. Fixed simple breakfast of flatbread, rice, and heated venison jerky. Cup of hot sassafras tea as well. Not much work to clean up dishes. Dogs back outside and headed for the woods. Checked two squirrels on butchering pole, and they were frozen solid. Took time to put their hides on forms and out into the sun to dry. Scraped them and got quite a bit off because we had kept them inside overnight to keep them reasonably soft. Dogs sniffed at them when they came back from woods and then ignored them.

Wife said she would finish sewing the large skin blanket together this morning. Hides were a bit stiff but would add a layer of warmth to whichever of us used it for sleeping. I started grinding rest of acorns that she did not finish yesterday. Would hold these in a bag and use them alone in making flatbread. Didn’t want to overwhelm white flour with so much acorn flour. Would likely add flour from other natural sources to these nuts to give us a different blend. Took us both a couple hours to finish the sewing and grinding. When done, hide blanket went on her platform for the time being. Acorn flour went in bag and hung from rafters. Time to finish roasting the sunflower seeds. Just a few more to finish. When they were done, would add a bit of salt to them and then into bag and hung in rafters. Imagine we will have to sample some of them first.

Decided to work on security early warning system at primary approaches to cabin. When we have enough snow, will cover the trip line and provide unseen signals. We had six extra empty cans from veggies, fruit, and soup. Punched two

holes in each one directly across from each other at top of lid opening. Went down to creek and brought up a few dozen small pebbles. Half a dozen pebbles into each can. Green paracord threaded through the two holes in each can. Green paracord would be much harder to see by humans who might approach unannounced. Three sets of cans and cord prepared. Stretched one from lower corner of dog run to a tree about ten feet to the west. Cord ran four inches above the ground. Cans anchored about a foot from each tie-off just off the ground. Covered cans with a few twigs to help hide them. Imagined dogs would trip alarms until they figured out where they were. That was OK, would be easy to reset. Second alarm on main path headed to garden, spring, beaver dam, and marsh. Probably twenty feet south of cabin. Same design and process as the one on creek path. Third alarm set on path approaching from north toward old leanto site. Again, same design and process. The three alarms would give us a bit more sense of security and allow us to react a bit earlier to any walking threats. We laughed when we thought of a critter tripping one of the alarms in the middle of the night and us going into protection mode in the cabin. But that was a small price to pay for feelings of safety. Wife was busy all morning reorganizing all of our food into categories and new locations. Looked like a new place when I walked in.

Checked temp when went inside with one of the skinned squirrels to put on hearth spit for lunch. Was 45 degrees. I was actually sweating from working outside. Strange, but also could be dangerous. Boiled a lot of well water while waiting for meat to cook. Canteens always full. Decided to have simple lunch of squirrel, an apple, and a cup of orange drink. Simple to fix, simple to clean up after. Dogs got some hot meat for being so good this morning. Spoiling them. Wife finished large critter pelt blanket early in the afternoon. She used three raccoon, seven rabbit, and three groundhog cured hides to make it. Not large blanket but plenty big enough to add warmth in cold nights ahead.

Right after lunch I headed up to dead log to see if bees were still near honey. Didn’t see too many, so hustled back to cabin and got into beekeeping get-up again. No need to smoke them out again. An hour later came back to cabin with an equal amount of honey and combs as in first effort. Into plastic bag and hung from rafters. With other bags probably had a total of fifteen pounds of combined

honey and comb. Such a good thing for our diet and taste buds. The rest of my time this afternoon I worked on separating wheat kernels from their hulls. Worked slowly using same process wife had used for oats and rice. Did best not to lose any of the grain. By 5 PM, probably had half of the bushel of wheat separated. Kernels put into bag for grinding later. It would stay fine just hanging from rafters until needed to be ground. Would work on rest after supper and in the morning if I needed to. The whole time we were working inside the dogs were watching us. When new hide blanket done, they had to try it out for sleeping of course. Guess blanket ed, as they lay on it yawning and stretching.

Squirrel stew for supper tonight. A bit of preparation work. Put squirrel on spit in hearth about 4 PM. Needed to cook really well. At 5:30 PM boiled water, added rice, dry veggies, onions, and some kale. Wife mixed up some flatbread and had it cooking slowly in foil at side of hearth. All of the smells mixed together were nice. Made water run to spring while everything slow cooking. Checked outside temp when got back; 37 degrees. Some gray clouds moving in as our daylight faded. Might be a front moving in again from the northwest. Dogs went to spring with me and were quite glad to be back at cabin. We all washed up and sat down to a great meal. Dogs had a good hunk of squirrel with half a cup of rice each. Gave them a few pieces of dry dog food as well. While we ate, steeped two cups of pine needle tea. When it was done, added a half-teaspoon of fresh honey to each cup. Took us quite a bit of time to clean up after complicated cooking. But cleanup was well worth it. Dogs outside in dark barking at something but didn’t stray too far from cabin. Eventually stood outside and barked for us to let them in. They sure know how to communicate.

Did our nightly hygiene cleanup, fresh clothing, and sat in front of hearth relaxing. Dogs content to lie on new hide blanket on platform. Lots of small talk tonight, nothing serious. Was just nice to relax. Eventually had prayer and scripture reading. That done, wondered where the day had gone. With shorter daylight, days seemed to fly by. Dogs saw us headed for platforms and they raced to beat us there. They had to get prime spots. More small talk as we lay nice and warm in our sleeping bags and wife adding new hide blanket. Not too long and we were all asleep. Lord, watch over us tonight.

Because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. (Luke 21:22)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #122

September 22

Undisturbed night’s sleep. Temp outside pretty chilly, 30 degrees, when let dogs out. Boiling up a lot of water as soon as fire on hearth was hot enough. As we fixed breakfast, talked about several things needing to get done today. Wife would finish separating out wheat heads from the bushel we had brought up from south and put into storage. I would head out south with the dogs to get water from spring and check trotline. Once we were both done with all of that, we could head to the southwest into the woods to start up our firewood cutting. We both knew we could not rest on what we had. Needed a full twelve cords at a minimum for the winter. It would mean cutting firewood gradually for the next couple months to replace what we were burning and what we needed as backup. More hard work. I would go out and cut dead trees down to southwest and then tomorrow we would all head that way to take limbs off and cut into right-size logs. Breakfast was hot and good. Fried some boiled rice, then mixed dried beef to give us some variety. Wife also made a corn flatbread. Hot cup of coffee to drink. Simple, but messy cleanup.

I geared up, with dogs going with me, and headed south to spring and trotline. Wife started on wheat. Water took a bit as usual because of ice. Trotline had two fish on it. Not much open water left in stream so I pulled the line in and took it back to cabin. Cleaned fish, would eat for supper. Back at cabin, wife had made good progress on wheat but was slow going because her fibromyalgia was hitting her wrists in cold weather. I helped her finish it up, and all the grain heads were put into storage with what I had done yesterday.

As we were working, we heard the emergency whistle signal coming from the north. Opened door and saw a nice surprise. Was our friend and his wife from

the north. Dogs zoomed out to them. They had their hounds with them. That created a lot of excitement and running around. Hugs and thumps on the back welcoming them into the cabin. For a minute, they just stood there and looked at everything, shaking their heads. Asked us where we had found others to help us get all of what they saw done. We just laughed. Told us they were taking a stroll in the neighborhood and just decided to drop in and see how we were doing. A stroll? They had their hunting rifles with them, so the cat was out of the bag. They insisted they had come south to check on us. Said if they found the right kind of hospitality, they might consider spending the night. We didn’t hesitate. It would be great to have visitors. Made the offer, and they accepted instantly. We told them they should not travel later today because of the gray clouds that were moving in. They might get lost if were caught out in a snowstorm. They just laughed.

Wife had lots of reason to be running around inside cabin getting things ready for visitors. The two ladies were after it. Friend and I walked down to creek to check fish trap. Completely covered with ice, so nothing caught. He asked for a tour of the place, and I gave him the full treatment. He kept shaking his head at the amount of work we had gotten done since they first met us months ago. Said his father would be very pleased with what we had done. Dogs were off in the woods chasing either each other or some critter. Amount of barking probably meant they were on to something.

Tour finished, we went inside, and wives already were preparing lunch. My wife had pulled out some salted venison and had it cooking on hearth spit. Friend’s wife was making flatbread using a mixture of regular and acorn flour. Pot on fire boiling combination of rice, dried veggies, diced onions, leeks, and garlic. They looked at us and in so many words said stay out of their way. Showed friend all the stores we had in the cabin, our dry wood system, kindling system, plastic ceiling insulation, window and door insulation, explained how we had insulated well pipe under the cabin and a lot of other little things. He asked me if either my wife or I had ever been engineers. I just laughed. In time, we sat down to a good hot meal. Wife said she had a good menu planned for supper tonight as well. Seems like every time we were with these friends we ate too much. Told them about plan to cut more trees, by hand, this afternoon. Friend immediately

asked if he could help. First response from me was that visitors were not supposed to work. But he gave me a look and I said of course he could help me. We both laughed.

Lunch finished, wives said to get out of the cabin. They had work and visiting to do. We geared up, cutting tools and weapons in hand, and headed out, with dogs, to the southwest of the old field. Temp was 36 when we headed out. Of course, the dogs were off and left us behind very quickly, the blueticks following our dogs, who seemed to know where we were going. Was 1 PM when we left. We cut wood for four hours. Arrived back at cabin at 5 PM. We had not seen the dogs for quite some time. We now knew why, they were all lying on bear rug in front of hearth watching what was being prepared for supper. Great smells inside cabin when we went in door. Seems the ladies had made a trip to our garden. A big bundle of kale sat in pot boiling. Saw fresh-picked carrots in pot as well. Fresh radishes were cleaned and waiting to be eaten. Pot also had dried peppers, peas, and some chunked tomatoes and cucumbers cooking in water. Two foilwrapped bundles were resting in the coals of the fire on the hearth. To top that all off, two loaves of fresh bread had appeared out of nowhere. A feast in the making.

We were told to keep ourselves occupied for an hour or so. Took dogs, put on LED headlamps, and took a walk down to spring to show friend the turkey blind. We took weapons of course. Dogs stayed back at cabin. Sauntered down and back to spring to kill the hour. Did happen to take folding bucket along to haul back some water. Told friend I hoped to bring a turkey to the cabin build in ten days. He thought that would be great. Made it back to cabin and were told to wash up and sit down. A full feast was sitting on the table. Two pounds of roasted venison with onions and fresh carrots. The rice and veggie soup, bread, and crushed blackberries for jam. Hot sassafras tea for everyone. Dogs had their own rice, dry dog food, and venison mixture on their plates. Lots of laughing, small talk, and good-natured kidding while we ate. Took us a while to eat because we could not stop complimenting the cooks.

Eventually got done and friend and I did the dishes while wives sat in front of hearth talking. All the dogs lying on bear rug in front of hearth. They were buds. Dishes done, dogs out one last time, checked temp, and we started to arrange for sleeping. Wives got the platforms. Men in bags on the floor. Dogs jumped onto platforms and would not budge. Sat around the hearth and talked about life, our community, the future, and eternity. Had a good time of prayer for our friends and families. They told us young man who lost his wife was having a tough time emotionally. Hoped cabin build would help him. But it would also make things harder because he would be there alone. Read them the scriptures we planned on using at next Bible study and worship service, and they said would be great. Last hug for the evening and we all bedded down for the night. Dogs were snoring up a storm. Last to bed, I secured the cabin, put out the lantern, stumbled over one of the dogs on bear rug, and eventually climbed into my sleeping bag only to find one of our dogs in it with me. Was a great day. Lord, thank You for our friends.

Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people. (Luke 21:23)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #123

September 23

Alarm went off early. Four cold wet noses in our faces. Had to wrestle with them a bit and then they were ready to go outside. Temp was 34 degrees, with dark clouds rolling in from the northwest. Friend and I saw that, and he told his wife they should not dawdle too long. Snow might be coming, and they needed to get home before it hit. We agreed with them. We were all still full from two big meals yesterday. While friends packed up we made coffee and cut some of the fresh bread they had brought with them. Got partial jar of peanut butter out as well. Dogs all got some dry food with bit of jerky mixed in. Ate a quick breakfast and talked about plans for next month and beyond. Told them we would arrive, hopefully by noon, on October fourth to help with the cabin build, as we had some things had to get done before heading north. They said that was fine. We also talked about a possible deer drive sometime in November to get as much venison as possible for everyone to eat over the winter. That also sounded like a good idea. Would finalize dates of the drive when building the cabin.

With all of that agreed to, they headed out the door. One final hug, a prayer for safe travels, and they were off by 8 AM. We held on to our dogs so they would not run with their hounds. Lots of barking. But they eventually calmed down after friends disappeared around small ridge. All back inside, dogs looking for more food, we cleaned up after breakfast, and got all the sleeping gear put back in place. As we worked, we talked about tasks and the weather. Wife said she was feeling OK, so we decided to head to where friend and I had cut down dead trees to remove limbs. If she could help me get that done, I could tackle cutting them into logs by myself. We dressed warm, geared up, grabbed cutting tools and weapons, and headed to the southwest of the old field.

Dogs running ahead of us, stopping periodically, to make sure what direction we were going. Reached downed trees and got to work by 9:30 AM. Darker clouds moving in whole time we were there. Had carried canteens of water and some jerky and sunflower seeds for a cold lunch on site. Wife made it until 1 PM when the cold finally got to her ts. Walked her back to cabin, and got a good fire going. Told her to sit in front of it and warm up. I would go work for couple more hours until lack of good light made it too dangerous to keep cutting. She agreed, but would be worried I was out there alone. Told her dogs would be with me. They would be my alarm should anything or anyone pose any threat to me. Made sure had enough ammo for my handgun and the .243 with me. With warm clothing, kit, and gear, I headed back out with the dogs. Once at site, worked until around 4 PM and decided to head back. Dogs were more than ready to go back as well. Had been a cold day, but we had a good start on tenth cord of logs lying at the new cutting site. Would work on it gradually until we left for our next trip north.

Wife had hot coffee waiting for me when I walked in the cabin door. Dogs got some heated rice and jerky to warm them up. Looked at temp before going inside. Was still 34 degrees. Figured it would fall below freezing tonight. Clouds didn’t look like snow too soon, but it was a possibility in the next twenty-four hours. We sat in front of fire and drank our coffee and talked. Subject was how blessed we were to have friends to the north and south. As we were drawing to a close the four-month time frame we had set to build our foundation for our new life we knew the Lord had something special for us to do in the next four months. We were sure it had something to do with discipleship and servanthood, but nothing specific. Waiting on the Lord’s guidance was part of our commitment to Him. We knew He would show us directly, or through others, what the months ahead would ask of us.

Didn’t feel like eating much, so just sliced more bread and had it with peanut butter. Jar almost empty. Would miss it when it was gone. A special treat. Honey would have to be its replacement. Dogs snoring on the platforms, so we covered them up with their small rugs. Put bear rug on wife’s platform and new hide blanket on mine. If and when fire went out in hearth, was going to be cold tonight. I would do my best to get up during night and keep fire going. That will

be something I need to do every night all winter long. Prayers said for guidance and direction, we read scriptures on discipleship and servanthood. Climbed onto platforms with dogs, warmed up quickly, and soon were asleep. Lord, show us your direction for our lives.

And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #124

September 24

Sunday morning. Cold, frosty, dark clouds, but no snow yet; 28 degrees outside. Dogs did not linger when we let them outside and were soon back in cabin. As we made up platforms, talked about tasks for the day. Wife would spend the morning working in cabin on several small maintenance tasks. I would work on kindling and moving wood into the cabin from stacks outside. We would keep a good fire going all day to keep the chill away. Neither of us was hungry still, so we decided to have hot sassafras tea, heated up beef jerky, and an apple. Not much, but would be OK. If we stayed in or near cabin all day we could snack if got hungry. Dogs got dry dog food and jerky mixed together. That was fine with them. Used dried beef jerky. Supply was starting to get a little low. Have to ration it. Was something different than venison, and we needed a bit of variety. Would keep lots of water boiling all day. Some for coffee to keep warm, some for canteens, and some just to have it on hand. Well was still working fine. Water was really cold, but it had not frozen up.

Decided would have our Sunday worship over lunch, so got busy at tasks. Wife worked on little things inside the cabin that went a long way to make it comfortable and warm. Surprising how the little things she could find to do made it our home. I first hauled wood logs in and filled up the inside rack. Every time opened door it sent a chill into the cabin. Dogs went in and out with me but eventually decided to curl up on bear rug in front of hearth. Once rack full again, grabbed bow saw and hand ax and cut kindling to resupply pile next to stacked logs outside. Worked for an hour then inside to warm up. Did that three times during the morning and eventually had our kindling supply built back up, at least a week’s worth. Whole process of working in cold reminded us both of the days on our initial survival journey and how hard the cold made it to get a lot done. Coming of winter will mean careful planning, working slow, and pacing ourselves. It will take longer to get anything done. But we have to stay healthy

and dare not risk hypothermia or, even worse, frostbite. Wisdom and common sense before anything else.

We both needed a hot lunch so reheated some of the veggie soup left over from yesterday. We ate every bit that was left. Hot cups of coffee helped to warm us. Dogs got some hot rice gruel to warm up their innards. They did not seem to be interested in going outside. As we all sat in front of hearth and ate lunch we talked about our hope that the cabin building crew would have good weather in a couple weeks. Shortly after lunch went to look at temp outside, and flurries were falling. Nothing serious, and it didn’t look like it was going to be anything worse. Getting too cold to have heavy snow, at least we hoped for that to be true. Weather made work decision for afternoon simple. We would stay inside cabin. With that decision, we sat down in front of hearth and had our Sunday worship. Sang a few hymns. Was hard to stay on tune when dogs chimed in howling along with us. They had not done that for a long time. Spent the rest of our time praying for everything we could think of. Family, friends, country, church, persecuted Christians around the world, guidance for the future, for each other, and yes even for our two little dogs. They lay on bear rug between us in front of fire quietly after the singing stopped. Our sacred time as a little family. Hugs all around and we looked at our task list for the afternoon.

Two tasks surfaced. One was to render down all of the critter fat we had been saving and make more fire tins. Once that was done, we would make an effort to plan all the tasks we need to complete before heading to cabin build up north. Lastly, we would make a checklist of all the things we need to pack for the trip and what needs to be done to secure cabin and our food. We did not want to wait until the last day before leaving to try to think of all those things. Knew we would be busy with daily chores, warmth, food, water, and security right up until the minute we set out. Worked for couple hours on fire tin process. When done, had eight new fire tin candles ready to go. Sat outside and they hardened up very quickly in cold weather. Another hour to make lists related to packing and cabin security.

Spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening creating an updated long-term project, task, and chore list for when we return from northern trip. Knew we will only be home a few days and then have to head south for the southern group’s Bible study and worship service. Somewhere in the middle of all that thinking, writing, and planning, we took a bit of time to heat up some rice and two of our smoked fish and cut some bread. Pulled out a couple spoons of raw honey to put on the bread. Boy, was it sweet. Dogs got rice with jerky mixed together and a half slice of bread with a dab of honey on it. A dab wasn’t going to hurt them, we hoped. They went out to do their thing. I checked temp. Still 28 with just a few flurries falling.

Secured the cabin. Dogs on bear rug, we sat down on stools and had our devotions. Long time of prayer asking for guidance. Reread scriptures on discipleship and servanthood. Dogs did not fight us when we told them to go to bed. Only thing they did was look at us until we covered them up with their little rugs. They were asleep and snoring in a few minutes. We sat by fire for a bit just talking. I said I would get up as many times as needed during night to tend to fire in hearth. Hugs, we both dressed for sleep and climbed on platforms, hugging the dogs. More small talk until we both fell asleep. Lord, watch over us, keep us safe and warm tonight!

There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and waves. (Luke 21:25)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #125

September 25

Up a couple times during night to tend to fire. At least it took some of the chill out of the air. The insulation in ceiling, on windows, and doors seemed to be working. Dogs not anxious to get out of warm sleeping covers but eventually went outside. Back in quickly. Quick glance at temp and it was 33. Dark clouds but nothing threatening. No low clouds which would mean snow. Typical lake effect snow clouds. We were just on the southern edge of lake effect snow area, so we would likely be hit by big storms periodically this winter. Water boiling for coffee. Went outside and got two fish off butchering pole. Rice with fish mixed in for breakfast. Was nice and hot. Dogs got some along with some dry dog food.

While eating, looking at our revised project and short-term task lists. Weather outside was not going to be too bad. Decided to head south this morning to beaver dam and marsh and collect more wild rice. On way back to cabin would stop at old field and see if we could find some wild oats or wheat. Would be cold work but needed to stay after food supply needs. Given light and temps, would make that our one task for the morning. Decide what to do this afternoon from list while we ate lunch.

Didn’t take us too long to gear up, dress warmly, and shut down fire in hearth. Out the door, we secured and locked up the cabin, and were off. Thank goodness no real wind blowing. No wind-chill to deal with. Dogs off and running ahead of us once they knew direction we were heading. Went all the way to marsh first thing. Would stop at old field on way back. We worked for over two hours in both locations and came back with two decent bundles of wild rice from marsh on first load. Wife stayed in cabin while I went back to old field for two bundles

of wild oats. Only saw a bit of wild wheat, and decided not worth the effort to get it right now. All of the bundles hung up on butchering pole. As long as there was no snow, it would dry out some. If and when it snows again, will have to bring the bundles into the cabin. More winnowing work to get done.

Lunch was hot bowl of soup, some of the bread northern friends had brought, and hot cup of pine needle tea with bit of sugar thrown in. We decided to harvest all of the root veggies still in the ground in our little garden this afternoon. Ground was starting to freeze up pretty good, and we wanted to get them out of the soil. Later on, when ground really froze deeply, would be very difficult to get stuff picked without being damaged. Bundled up, geared up, yoke and several baskets in hand, weapons of course, and dogs on the run, we headed to garden after cleaning up lunch. Got to garden around 1 PM. Carried three full baskets into cabin around 3:30 PM. We were cold, especially our hands. Got good fire going, and we sat in front of it to warm up. Dogs must have been cold too because they lay on their small blankets in front of fire and didn’t move a bit. We worked on getting all of the garden root veggies into bundles and hung in rafters. Bundled twenty pounds of beets, eight pound of radishes, and twenty pounds of carrots. Had a medium-sized bag full of kale. Last two medium-sized baskets were full of twenty-five pounds of black beans, twenty-five pounds of pinto beans, and ten pounds of peas. A good harvest from such a small plot.

Didn’t realize how late it was when looked outside at temp and letting dogs out. Was 6 PM already. Temp had risen a bit to 36 degrees and clouds were clearing out a bit. Suppertime. Cut up a potato for home fries. Pot full of water boiling with fresh peas, carrots, and kale simmering. Potato into skillet and fried it up. Steeped hot cups of sassafras tea to drink. Dogs got some potato and dry dog food. Before we started, diced up a bit of onion and finished our potatoes with the onions. Fresh veggies took a bit so we waited till they were done before eating. Veggie soup, potatoes, and hot drink hit the spot. Dogs wanted more so they got a few pieces of venison jerky for dessert. Added some leftover bread, and we had a good meal.

Talked about tomorrow while we ate. Main task tomorrow will be to work on fire wood if weather was decent. Decided to stay inside this evening and do some maintenance and repair work. Sharpened all blades, cleaned weapons, and wife did some repairs on split seams and small holes in some of our clothing. Was nice to sit, work, and talk. Dogs content to lie in front of fire on bear rug. They went out for last time, and temp was holding, so not going to be as cold tonight. Our simple work done, we had our devotions, prayer, and scripture. Initial thoughts on what we would say during Bible study and worship service in week and a half. Dogs more than ready to hit the sack as were we. Cabin secure, didn’t take us long to go to sleep all bundled up. Last thoughts for the night were around several questions. We wondered how our families were doing. We had not had any word on domestic and international situations for a while. Needed to try to get radio reception to answer our curiosity about those things. Finally, a good-night across the room, and we were soon asleep. Good night!

Men fainting from fear and the expectation of things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Luke 21:26)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #126

September 26

Rested reasonably well overnight. Dogs outside, temp had not dropped during the night, clouds and sun in the sky. Clouds were much lighter and coming from the southwest. Wind blowing up the valley seemed a touch warmer as well. Maybe better weather today. Simple breakfast of rice and jerky gruel. Last of the bread from neighbors with jam on it was best part. Dogs seemed extra hungry this morning. Must be the cold weather. Talked, and decided I would head to the woodcutting area and spend as long as I needed to today getting logs cut. At least that was plan, if weather stayed reasonable. Wife would stay in cabin and work on food, drying processes, and getting wild rice and oats ready to winnow. Winnowing process tomorrow if weather continues to hold. We talked about making trip to top of ridge day after tomorrow to see if radio reception can get us any news.

First thing I did was to go across creek, dogs could walk across on ice the whole way, and checked snare traps. Was funny watching dogs try to make progress on ice without slipping. As soon as they tried to run they would end up flat on tummies. Was worth checking traps, actually had a raccoon in one. Was not a happy critter. The .17 HMR put it down. Fresh meat for supper for next couple days. Field-dressed, skinned it while still warm and not frozen. Back across creek, meat hung on butchering pole, then put skin on drying form. Wife was really busy with her indoor tasks. She was happy had gotten fresh meat. Took the time to cook up critter heart and cut it in half, and each dog got a half. They bounced around and jumped happily until they got it. Onto rugs and chewed contentedly.

While they were eating that, I dressed, geared up, collected blades and weapons,

filled canteen, and filled small plastic bag with my lunch. Lunch would be jerky and some sunflower seeds. That all prepared, dogs and I took off south. No danger to them there today. I would be working on trees on ground. Didn’t matter much as they took off into the woods. Heard them barking some, but left them to their own devices. Took a break around noon to have my snack lunch. Worked until had all the trees cut into logs, then stacked them up. Done with that, had another three-quarters of a cord cut. Would start hauling it all down to cabin side tomorrow after we made our radio hike to top of ridge.

Sun was already behind the ridge to my west when I gathered up gear and headed back to cabin. Called the dogs and they eventually caught up to me. It was 40 degrees when I opened cabin door. Wife had been busy. All of our food stores were really well organized. We will have to inventory it all on the first of the month so we can make our rationing plan for the bulk of the winter. Will include a hunting plan when game is available to add to it. Will be harder getting small game as winter progresses and animals are not as active. Fish will be very difficult to get once creek and ponds freeze over in thick ice. We will deal with all that. It might mean hunting every day of the week. Wife had worked through lunch with only a couple snacks, so we were both hungry by 5 PM. Skinned raccoon was almost frozen through when I went out to get meat. Split the carcass in half. Took one half in, put on spit over good fire, and cooked it slowly. Other half of carcass left on butchering pole for supper tomorrow night.

Dogs as usual sat in front of hearth licking lips, watching raccoon cook. We had some time before it was ready, so we started to work on our inventory of stores. Agreed that we will only use canned goods in an emergency. And if things get really bad, have emergency food at the bug-out site east of us that we can use but will do so only if we are in dire straits. While working, decided that as soon as there’s full sunlight in valley tomorrow, will head up the ridge to west to get radio info if possible. Once back will haul logs using wheelbarrow and build new cord by cabin. Brush could wait till later.

When raccoon was about twenty minutes from being done boiled up some rice.

Added a few dried veggies to it and let it simmer. Raccoon done, cubed it and added to simmering pot. Would have enough for supper tonight and hot breakfast in the morning before setting out to the west. A good plan. We ate slowly, just shooting the breeze about this and that. Dogs, when done eating, went to their normal spot on the bear rug in front of hearth. No serious conversation as we cleaned up supper dishes. Then we sat in front of fire on stools and talked more about Bible study and worship service up north. We are getting a pretty good feel for what we are being led to do. Let dogs out and checked temp; holding around 40 degrees, which was great. Dogs back inside, secured doors, and we had our prayers and scripture time. Dogs already on platforms under their small blankets. Funny just seeing their noses sticking out from under them. They are creatures of habit like the rest of us. Hugs and we climbed onto platforms with them. A bit more small-talk about plan for tomorrow and were soon asleep. Keep us safe, Lord!

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:27)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #127

September 27

Up early this morning, anticipating our hike up ridge and maybe some news. Dogs outside and back into cabin quickly. Temp had only fallen one degree during night to 39 degrees. Just a few light clouds in the sky. Clear sky might help radio reception. Quickly heated up some rice and jerky gruel for breakfast. While it was simmering, we got our gear, kit, canteens, weapons, and blades ready for hike. Packed some jerky, sunflower seeds, and dried veggies for snack lunch if we needed it. Dogs ate with their eyes on us because they knew something was up.

Quick cleanup of breakfast, we dressed warmly in layers and headed out the door. Knew it would take us an hour or so to get to the top of the ridge. Dogs stood and watched which direction we went, then took off that way up the ridge. Slowly climbed ridge with several breaks. Took off top layer of warm clothing as we heated up. Would put it back on at top because we could chill when not moving. Hypothermia again in back of our minds. Walking sticks helped a lot, as ground and leaves were wet and slippery. Dogs barking off in the distance, must have scared up a critter.

Finally at ridge top, warm coats back on, we sat down and turned on radio. Had cranked up battery last night while waiting for supper to cook so we would have max power to get signal. NOAA weather came in pretty well. Long-range forecast for us was slight warming trend over next ten days, high pressure next week after snow-bearing low system moved through this coming weekend. Searched for emergency signal. Radio volume as high as possible. After ten minutes got a faint signal and listened carefully. No real local news, which was disappointing. National news was much the same as last time. Things are pretty

quiet across the country. Each region seems to be trying to calm things down. National government trying to reassert influence over regions, but regions are having none of that. Washington DC and surrounds are the only place where national government seems to have any influence.

Internationally, things are heating up a bit. Middle Eastern countries have asked their alliance partners, Russia and China, to move troops, planes, and resources into the Middle East. Something is up, but US intel is nonexistent in the area. Minimal satellite tracking of the area shows ships heading to that region, large numbers of aircraft parked at military bases, and some buildup of land forces, but nothing that suggests the purpose of it all. In the back of our minds we already know what’s up.

We had heard enough. Packed up and headed back to cabin. Dogs eventually figured out we were gone, and they ran after us. Quicker trip back but were very careful of slipping hazards. We had not forgotten how wife had slipped on wet stuff and twisted her ankle many months ago. Dogs seemed glad to be back at cabin. Got good fire going again. Boiled water for coffee and we ate our prepared snacks for our lunch. Dogs got couple pieces of jerky. No cleanup.

Wife would spend afternoon doing her cabin thing and boiling up water supply. Since sun was shining, she would spread wild grain onto tops of stacked wood in sunshine to dry as much as possible. I pulled grain bundles out for her. My main task was to haul cut logs from southwest site up to cabin using wheelbarrow. Dogs would be left to their own devices outside or inside. Worked all afternoon on that and finally got last load hauled. Since it was almost all dead wood, built up the one cord of dead wood already in place. It was getting a bit low. Also, put some of the wood onto rack inside cabin. When done, had replaced wood burned so we were back to nine full cords by the cabin. Would count that as a tenth cord cut, but would show up only in our minds.

Pulled remaining half of raccoon off butchering pole and put on spit over a good

fire in hearth. Tonight, we would have meat, acorn flour flatbread, home fries, and coffee for supper. Timed and cooked everything slowly, so ready to eat around 6 PM. Worked OK. Only issue was dogs getting in way while they sat in front hearth eyeballing the cooking meat. They had run off a lot of energy today. Just before eating checked temp, was still 42 degrees. But did notice bank of low flying dark clouds starting to move in from the northwest. Meal finally ready, we sat down to eat and talk.

I had a brainstorm while hauling logs, so told wife about it. Asked her if I made couple more stools, a two-person couch, and a couple shelving pieces to put on each side of the hearth, would that help her organize? She smiled. We agreed we needed a few more places for people to sit when in our cabin. She brought up idea of a larger table, and I said I could work on that also. We weren’t watching time. When we finally did look, it was already 7:30 PM. Quick cleanup of dishes, dogs outside to run a bit, then more conversation about furniture project, Bible study, and worship service plan. Lots of clarity about what we would do. Dogs barking outside door to be let back in. Checked temp as they ran inside, and it had dropped some to 37 degrees. Dark clouds covered sky above us. We were headed for colder temps and some likely snow.

Another half-hour in front of hearth and dogs let us know it was time to go to bed. Before that, pulled all of the grain in from outside, bundled, and hung it from rafters again. Finally, everyone under skin blankets. Prayers said, we repeated the Lord’s Prayer as our scripture for the night. Lord, watch over and protect us; give us wisdom and common sense.

But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:28)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #128

September 28

Up early. Dogs stayed under their blankets. Checked outside and not snowing yet. Dogs outside and back quickly. Temp at freezing. Felt urgency to get materials for stools, couch, and shelving before weather really started to get bad. While wife boiled water, and fixed us a quick breakfast of rice and jerky gruel, flatbread, and coffee, I did some planning on what resources I needed to secure to complete furniture build. We ate quickly, and I geared up. Dogs and I were soon outside and gone to the woods to the north. Some good stands of mediumsized pines up that way that I would cut and use. Dogs headed up toward old lean-to site; then I heard them on ridge to the west. Lots of exploring and following scents. Wife was clearing out work area inside cabin where I could build furniture and pushing everything to one side of cabin. Plan was to try to get everything built when I got back, and she was excited about helping do that. Was back by 11 AM with all the logs cut to length. Took two trips using wheelbarrow to haul it back.

While making last trip, small flurries started to fall. Temp was still at freezing and would likely drop this afternoon. Dark clouds were running fast from the northwest. Strong wind blowing from that direction as well. We had a feeling we will wake up in the AM to quite a bit of snow and low temps. All the materials inside the cabin, we sat down to a simple lunch of boiled dry veggies, flatbread, and an apple. Hot cup of pine needle tea from trees I cut this morning. Dogs got some flatbread, and they were satisfied. All that cleaned up, we started the buildout.

Worked all afternoon. Stools were built in the same way as the original two. They were the easy builds. Couch was a lot more complicated. Took a good two

hours to get the couch done. Started on the shelving. Pretty simple design. Four vertical posts, horizontal logs spaced to create three shelves plus the top shelf. Wife was a great help to me in the entire process. She had more patience than I did when things did not fit together right. Used steel wire to bind everything together. Got everything done except one set of shelves. Would complete that set after supper. Dogs went outside a couple times during the afternoon, but snow was coming down in larger flakes, so they spent most of the time watching us and getting in the way. They finally lay down on bear rug and just watched.

We put one of the pound-sized pieces of salted venison on spit in hearth. Needed the protein. Rice, mixed with dry veggies, boiled for carbs and vitamins. Smell drove dogs crazy as usual. Tried to get a start on second set of shelves, but dogs wanted attention so wrestled with them on platform for a while. They craved attention. Everything ready, we sat down to eat. Looked out once and snow was coming down. An inch on ground and it didn’t look like it would let up soon.

Wife cleaned up after supper and I worked on shelves. By 7:30 PM had them done. We then moved everything into place in the cabin. Shelves were great for storing all our pots, utensils, and cooking stuff next to the fire. Stools and couch were not the most comfortable, but with blankets spread on them they were fine. As soon as put bear rug on couch, dogs were laying their claim to it. While they relaxed, wife and I did a full hygiene check, and we were both OK. Usual nicks, which we washed and medicated. That done, we pulled couple stools around table in front of fire and worked on our inventory. Finally, could not keep our eyes open. Inventory was only a third done when we called it a day. Looked out again and still snowing. Building up on the ground pretty fast.

Secured and locked up the doors, and we sat down for our devotions. Prayer and scripture. We then talked some more about Bible study and worship service plan for next week. It was rounding our pretty well. Would be up a few times during the night to tend to fire. We hadn’t realized it, but dogs were already snoring on platforms. Put bear rug on wife’s and critter hide rug on mine. Climbed in with dogs and covered up. Some small talk as we got groggy. Not sure what we talked

about or if it made any sense. Soon asleep, everyone snoring. Thank You, Lord.

Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. (Luke 21:29–30)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #129

September 29

Up three times during the night to keep the fire going. Seemed to work. Dogs bundled up and did not want to budge. Slowly headed for door to go outside. When opened, we were greeted by four inches of new snow. They sniffed it before gingerly walking out into it. Didn’t stay out too long other than to follow some tracks around the side of the cabin. Looked like a rabbit, which they would have liked to get. Temp was 28 degrees. Snow was just a few flurries when I closed the door. Might be a good day to go out and see if I could track anything down for fresh meat. Maybe give the dogs a chance to run a bit. Other than that, not going to get much done outside.

Stoked fire up a bit and put some well-water on boiling. Hot cups of coffee first on the agenda. Cabin had stayed reasonably warm all night. Bigger fire took last of chill out of the air. We made some flatbread pancakes for breakfast. Rehydrated some blackberries for topping. Dogs got their pancakes with peanut butter on them. Ate quite a bit, and had some of it left over for lunch. Another cup of coffee as we talked about what we needed to do today. Wife said she would work inside cabin if I took dogs out for a walk. Agreed, and started to get gear together. Took air rifle and .17 HMR with me, handgun, EDC, and full canteen.

Dogs not too sure about going out but eventually did. Headed south toward old field. As we got closer, could see a brown form wandering across the opening between the garden and the field. Dogs preoccupied over by the ridge to the west. Used garden fence as a sighting rest. Dogs barked off to the west, and the brown critter stood up to see what was going on. A big mistake. Looked straight at me. Slug hit it right below chin where head connected to shoulders. Force of

slug knocked it backward. Dogs heard the shot and came tearing toward me. Got to the groundhog just as they arrived. They were beside themselves. Hurried back to butchering pole, hung the carcass, field-dressed it, bled it out, and let it hang. Yep, took heart inside and cooked it up for dogs immediately. As I did that, thanked the Lord for once again providing a good source of protein, fat, and nourishment. While dogs ate the heart inside, I went out and skinned the animal. Skin hanging on pole, cut body in half from neck to tail. So much fat on it. Would roast half for supper tonight, the other half tomorrow evening.

Dogs back outside checking what hung from butchering pole. Since they were outside, decided to go to other side of creek and check out snare traps. Dogs went along. Snares were all empty. The dogs and I got some good exercise walking up creekside. Back to cabin and inside, sat down in front of fire to warm up. Wife had been working on our stores inventory and made good progress. Said we could get it done completely tomorrow if we both worked on it.

We heated up the leftover pancake batter into a flatbread. Simmered a bunch of dried veggies into a simple veggie soup. Dogs had had their treat with heart of whistle-pig or groundhog. Simple, warm lunch for us. Hot cup of sassafras tea as well. As we ate, decided to work on stores inventory this afternoon since could not do much outside even if wanted to. No great urgency in outside work, at least for today. We worked on the inventory until midafternoon. Only thing we wished was that we had was some kind of scale to determine how much of each food item we had by weight. But we were learning how to guesstimate pretty well. Around 3PM, we decided to do something we had not done in several months. We lay down on platforms and took a nap. With trip north coming up next week, we needed to store as much energy as possible. Cold would sap our energy pretty quickly.

Up around 4 PM, quick look outside, and some sun showing through thin dark clouds. Sun seemed to get dogs energized. Snow had stopped. So out they ran toward old field barking. Went out and brought half of the groundhog inside, wrapped in foil, and put in fire coals to slow roast. When the dogs got back, they

went to front of hearth because they could smell meat cooking. Planned to roast meat in its own melting fat for couple hours. We were going to have enough for supper and breakfast tomorrow.

Neither of us wanted to do much after eating other than cleanup. Guess we both needed a few hours break. Dogs very happy just lying on bear rug in front of hearth. Heated up bit of leftover veggie soup from lunch. When meat cooked, we sat down and ate a hot meal. Was good. Dogs had all the meat they wanted. For dessert, we steeped a cup of pine needle tea. Cleanup was pretty simple. Decided to spend rest of evening finalizing Bible study and worship stuff for next weekend. By 8 PM, checked temp, holding steady, and locked up the cabin. Dogs were really good this evening. They had no desire to go out into snow. Prayers and scripture read, we sat in front of fire and just talked. Dogs eventually looked at us and headed to bed. We were right behind them. Tomorrow is the last day of the month. Time is flying by.

So you also when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not away until all things take place. Heaven and earth will away, but my words will not away. (Luke 21:31–33)

Building a New Life Diary: Entry #130

September 30

We woke up rested to fewer clouds and to sunshine behind the ridge to our east. Temp was above freezing, and wind was blowing gently up the valley from the south. It was Saturday, the end of the workweek in our former lives. It was 130 days since we had arrived at our final destination four months ago. An eventful four months, some wonderful events, some very sad things as well. Tonight, will capture all that in our reflections for the month. Dogs outside while we fixed breakfast of leftover groundhog. Fixed another flatbread for carbs. Hot cups of coffee brewed. Dogs back inside when they could smell food under the front door. They seemed to have more energy. At breakfast talked about next week. Decided to finish our stores inventory today, no matter how long it took. Wanted to start next phase of our new lives with a complete idea of what we had on hand. Dogs got a bit of dry dog food with their meat.

Once everything with breakfast done we sat down and worked on our inventory. Each took turns writing while the other counted, guessed at weights, and speculated what we might get from some of the stuff still to be processed. Part science, part guesstimates. We wanted to have it done by October first, tomorrow, so we can start the next phase of our new life knowing as much as possible. Took a break around 11:30 AM for a cold jerky and sunflower seed lunch. Cup of sassafras tea helped keep us warm. Dogs content with one piece of jerky and being allowed outside, where they took off into the woods.

Back at the inventory and finished it by 4 PM. When we looked at the total, feeling we had was comforting. Knew we will never be able to stop gathering and scrounging for food, but we are in so much better shape than when we first arrived at the cabin. Temp had warmed up into high thirties, so we decided to go

outside with the dogs and take a walk around our little world. Needed to do that. Didn’t want to stay cooped up in the cabin all day long. Enough days like that will be with us soon enough. Dogs thought walk was great. They ran around, barking, and smelling everything they could. Finally done, we grabbed the second half of the groundhog meat, went inside, prepared it for roasting, and put it into hearth coals. Dogs again content to watch it cook. They probably were looking for another heart, but that wasn’t going to happen. They dozed and snored a bit, lying on bear rug in front of hearth. While we watched meat cook, turning it periodically to cook it evenly, we started to put our reflection thoughts together for the month of September. When done with that, we just looked at each other, marveling at how much had happened during the month. Most of all, we were grateful for the strength to get through it all and to accomplish so much.

About thirty minutes before meat would be done we boiled up some rice, added dried veggies, onion, and garlic, turning it into a rice veggie soup. Smell filled the cabin, especially the onions. By 6 PM we sat down to eat. Dogs wolfed down the meat. Gave them each half of the last flatbread pancake. Soup warmed us all the way down. Just a few things to clean up, which we did quickly. Took dogs outside in the dark for the last time today. They explored a bit but not for long. Temp was 39 degrees and with south wind would not likely go much lower tonight. As weather report had said, will be a warming trend this coming week.

Spent the evening finalizing and fine-tuning the reflections for the month, going over Bible study stuff one more time, and planning our trip preparations the next two days. Will still have daily chores over next two days, our Sunday worship time, and others, but we will make sure we are totally prepared for the trip north and the security of our home. Dogs seemed to sense we were getting ready for something. We had a long session of prayer, of thanks, and of requests for strength, wisdom, and common sense. Much of what we prayed concerned how God has been watching over us the last four months. We asked that, as we looked forward to the next part of our lives, He would watch over us and guide us.

Dogs more than ready to hit the sack. Got them on platforms and covered them up. Would be up a couple times during night to tend the fire. Hugged each other and followed dogs to bed. A sense of peace covered us and kept us warm as if we had another blanket to add to our beds. Lord, we are grateful, all praise to your name. Good night, and thank You.

Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34–36)

September Reflections

A month that started with a lingering sense of heaviness from the death of the young woman, to the joy of community at the Labor Day rendezvous in the south. The expansion of the community to include folks from north of us to south of us. Small beginnings of a ministry, through Bible studies in both locations as well as informal worship services. A visit from the north and one from the south, checking to make sure we were fine. The guys who came up from the south to help us with the cutting of our needed firewood. Building an emergency bug-out location and having enough food stores to put some there in case we do have to leave our cabin in an emergency. Daily strength to complete all the projects and tasks possible to prepare us for the winter ahead. Our garden which provided us with some basic foodstuffs. Scrounging for natural foods, for knowledge and skill that enable us to identify and secure things that will sustain us. For a realistic perspective that our work on our key priorities: shelter, water, food, warmth, security, communication, to both our physical and emotional health. For protection from injury other than normal nicks and bruises. For the Lord’s creatures, which will provide us with meat to sustain us. We are grateful for our own discipline and common sense, also gifts from the Lord, which have enabled us to accomplish so much. For the simple comforts of our cabin, the homemade furniture, for the insight on how to insulate the cabin and well pipe using only what we had on hand. Using our creativity and common sense to put in place things that make our home truly a home. There are so many more blessings from the month. Daily, hourly, and sometimes every minute, we thank the Lord for providing for us and for protecting us.

We have grown as a couple so much during the month. We have more growing to do, but we are a different couple than when we left Houston. And of course, we are thankful for our two little four-legged girls. Frustrating as they are at times, they unconditional love and loyalty are a bond that will never be broken. Even when we laugh at some of their behavior, we can feel them loving us back. How could we ever say no to those brown-eyes? More than all of this, we are grateful for the love of the Lord, Jesus Christ. He is indeed the Lord of our lives and the creator of our future. Our lives are His to do with as He sees fit. We will

follow any path that He puts before us, trusting Him to guide us and provide for us. Amen!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1–5)

Building a New Life: Reflections!

Reflections

On the twenty-third of May, we took a right turn off of the Forest Service road about four miles north of our old seminary friend’s farm. After walking through two miles of old growth hardwoods and pines, we stood partway down the side of a small mountain ridge looking into a valley bottom through which Bear Creek flowed. Five days later we would move into what would become our home for the rest of our lives on the western side of that creek. The second part of our survival journey started that day: four months that would define to a great degree if we would be able to build a stable foundation for the future.

Now, at the end of September, we have a sense of whether or not we have succeeded in building that foundation. Back at the end of May, when we arrived in the mountains that now surround us, we renewed our commitment to the priorities that had kept us alive during our initial survival journey from Texas. Shelter, protection and safety, water, fire and warmth, food, communication, our physical health, and our spiritual well-being drove every effort of every day. To those critical basic priorities, we added community and service to other survivors that we might come in with who posed no threat to our survival. Even those who might in some way harm us, we were committed to deal with them in ways that might meet their needs.

Our relationship to our world, in the part that we might exert some control over, or influence positively, has changed. My wife and I have changed. Our relationship has changed. The message of our lives grows clearer with each ing day. And what is that message? It’s a message of hope—a message that has given us courage, discipline, strength, and good old survival common sense. It requires unconditional faith, trust, and surrender on our part. From the largest issues we face to even the most minor needs, we turn over our future to our Lord, Jesus Christ, who brought us safely to the mountains of western Pennsylvania. We know if we remain faithful and committed to the path for our lives that He reveals to us, He will show us the future He would have us build.

We’ve experienced joys in building the foundation for the future. We’ve tasted the depths of sorrow and sadness. We’ve watched as even our dogs grew to love their new life. Our faith community has developed. Opportunity to minister and to deliver the message of salvation has appeared and expanded. Life, its purpose, and its meaning have taken on a whole new definition as we strive to be ready for the next phase of our lives. Are we ready? To all appearances, as people have defined success, probably not. In the Lord’s eyes, and in our eyes, we have progressed on the path that was prepared for us. Is our journey complete? No! There are many more projects, tasks, chores, and aspects of personal growth to complete. But we are committed to the future that the Lord will define and show us. Every ounce of strength, courage, faith, common sense, and love are His to use as He sees fit. Amen!

He said to them, “But who do your say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15–16)

Preparation and Planning (P&P)

From the moment we stopped at the pine grove partway down a ridge looking over Bear Creek below us on May twenty-third, we started planning our every effort to achieve the building of our life foundation. Each survival priority, how we would address it, how we would daily work on it, and how over the long term we would maintain it was woven into every minute of every day. Awareness of our surroundings, our resources, our capabilities, our weaknesses, and our need to constantly adapt and adjust to things we cannot control, provided the context for our planning. We did not undertake any project, task, chore or challenge without fully preparing for every possible contingency we could think of. Even

with all that preparation and planning, we knew that we had to be able to deal with the unexpected, the unknown, and the unplanned. When we were tired, we trusted that we had the discipline to push through our exhaustion and to keep on task. We also knew that we needed to back off at times and allow ourselves the recovery time to enable us to push on.

We allotted four months to complete a massive amount of work, work that was critical to our survival through the winter that we knew would be harsh and unforgiving. We moved forward with each nail we drove, each log we cut, each meal cooked, each natural plant harvested, each animal and fish harvested, each supply inventory completed and followed, each tool sharpened and maintained, each journey into our surroundings, and each relationship built with other survivors. Step by step, each effort progressively moved us toward the level of preparedness we knew had to be achieved. Each effort we carefully thought through and acted upon to provide us with the greatest potential to actually build the new future we desired. Of course, there were missteps, things we did not prepare and plan for well. Extra work, rework, and the slowing of our process resulted from those shortcomings.

Looking back now, at the end of the four months, we can honestly say we have done well through our planning and preparing for what was to come. Are we done? No! We will continue to prepare and plan as we did when we started months before we drove out of our driveway in Texas on January twenty-first. The lessons we have learned over the past four months, in our new world, will be used each day as we move into the next phase of our journey. Even now, as we start to implement our plans for the next four months, we are beginning to prepare and plan for the second year we will spend in our new home. We trust that the Lord will give us the courage and strength to tackle whatever is needed and whatever unknowns we confront.

Shelter

The knowledge that we would face a cold and snowy winter was constantly on our minds. After over five months of living in temporary shelters we knew that we would need a roof over our heads, solid walls, a consistent source of heat, a dependable water source, and mechanisms in place to provide for our security.

Finding the abandoned cabin was an answer to many prayers. By our best measurement, we would have 575 square feet of living space. A far cry from our home in Texas, but a mansion compared to the small shelters we had been living in. Finding abandoned materials to repair the most glaring needs of the cabin, we were able to meet our core priority needs. Using raw materials from the surrounding land, we built secure doors, windows, and a dependable fireplace and chimney. We used materials we had packed from Texas, as well as gifts from our friends to the south and north, to build systems that would make the cabin as comfortable as possible against the cold and for sleeping. In time, with repairs, we were able to secure a water source within the cabin. The cabin became both our living quarters and our storage area for all the resources, food for example, that we would need to survive the coming winter. Furnishing the cabin, building chairs and a table, along with the existing sleeping platforms, allowed us to have some semblance of comfort.

We knew that maintaining every part of the cabin would require constant effort. As squatters, we initially knew that we had no real right to take up residence in the cabin. But with the approval of the original owner’s son, in writing, we knew that we had secured the right to call our new digs our home. It was rustic, of course. But we expected nothing else. It was a specific answer to our prayers.

The cabin and its surroundings provide us with a physical foundation on which we can build some type of normalcy for the future. My wife has made the cabin our home. I marvel at how she can take so little and make so much out of it. Going to sleep at night with a solid roof over our heads, walls surrounding us, food hanging from the rafters, easily accessed water, and warmth surrounding us, gives us the strength and courage to face whatever challenges might present themselves outside the walls of the cabin. It is home, our foundation. It is our

little piece of God’s creation that became ours.

Water

After the constant search for water during our survival journey, having redundant sources of water was very important for our future. A spring, Bear Creek, and eventually a well source inside the cabin, brought us a great deal of peace of mind. Granted, during the bitterest days that lie ahead, each of those sources will become more difficult to access. But access can be gained with effort. Physical effort is and will always be necessary to have water. Purification, boiling all of our water, drains other resources such as firewood. We possess alternate purification resources that can be used if boiling becomes impossible. We might build other processes and systems to make our water sources even more dependable; alternatives will be a project for us to work on every day.

Will our requirements for water grow or lessen? They will likely grow. Even in the coldest days winter brings our way, our water requirements will still be significant. Hydration must remain one of our key priorities as we work diligently on maintaining and building more of our future. Bear Creek, our discovered spring, and the old well inside the cabin all have the potential to meet our ongoing water needs. We will not lessen our effort related to water every day, regardless of what other challenges we might face.

Safety

As our country and world disintegrate, our mountain isolation offers us the potential to be safe. Even with that reality, we know that our safety could be compromised in an instant. While on our survival journey from Texas we diligently attempted to use evasion and escape from any dangers. Avoiding confrontation while on the move was difficult, but we were able to do that except

for incidents with dangers offered by four-legged critters. Negative human required specific actions on our part to avoid people, and we did a good job of that.

But now that we are in one location, we know that uncontrollable events could compromise our safety. We are now living in the territory of four-legged dangers from bears, coyotes, snakes, and other potentially lethal critters. This is their home. We are the visitors. It is also territory that other humans may try to use, control, and even take over from us, should they believe that we have something they need or could use. The cabin becomes our first line of defense. An emergency bug-out shelter, a short distance away, will be our last resort for safety, should we have to abandon our cabin home. Our weapons, our alarm systems, the clearing of the land around the cabin, and even our dogs provide some sense of security.

The violent death of the young woman to our north brought the reality of safety to us in a stark way. Knowing that our friends to the south, and our friends to the north, are ed with us in providing safety and security for our new community has added to our sense of well-being also. All are committed to avoiding any and all dangers. At the same time, all are committed to coming to one another’s aid if and when any kind of danger presents itself. Our ultimate source of safety will always be the Lord. We know that absolute safety is never just that, absolute. But we also know that we have done and will do everything that is humanly possible to avoid any dangers that might present themselves. And if necessary, we will take the required actions to deal with dangers that are unavoidable. We will be constantly diligent, always on the alert, closely observing our environment and surroundings. We have built and will maintain systems to tell us when dangers are present, and we will trust each other with our future. Finally, we will turn our safety and our future over to the One whose hands are over us. In faith and trust, we will live each and every day believing that whatever happens, we will never stray from the path that we have been given to travel.

Food

When we arrived at our doctor friend’s farm to the south, our food, prepared and packed from Texas, was gone. We had only a few days’ supply left, nowhere near what would be needed to sustain us for the months that lay ahead. Through the love of our friends and their gifts, when we arrived on the banks above Bear Creek, we knew we would be able to survive for the initial weeks in our new home. Having the ability to add to those supplies by securing fresh meat gave us time to build up our initial stores. Additional gifts from our new friends to the north gave us an even greater edge in having what we would need to sustain us through days of significant physical effort. But even with all that, we were aware that we needed to build sustainable capabilities to feed ourselves for the long haul.

With the planting and harvesting of our first small garden, foraging for natural plant foods, fishing in Bear Creek, hunting and trapping small critters who populated the valley in which the cabin was located, and killing and preserving the meat from a deer, our first large kill, we were not only able to provide food for daily needs but also to begin to build up reserves for the future. Using skills that we had first practiced during our survival journey, we have constantly looked for additional ways to secure food. Our tastes changed quickly. We soon came to appreciate the natural foods that we had very seldom experienced before.

We were realistic enough to know that at the end of these four months in our new home, we did not have enough food backup to weather the coming winter. We knew that securing an ongoing food supply from what surrounded us would be a daily chore. We knew that in the depths of winter, securing food would become increasingly difficult. That knowledge drove us to put back as much food as was humanly possible over the past four months. As the months progressed, securing food became an all-consuming task. Even as we worked on building up our food stores, we planned for the efforts that would be required of us once winter was over. Spring would mean a new and larger garden.

Reducing the numbers of critters in our immediate vicinity would mean venturing out further and further to find meat. Proteins, carbs, veggies, and wild fruit would be the core of our diet. We were learning new things to provide for ourselves. New lessons would come in the days ahead. Most of all we knew that the Lord would provide what we needed when we needed it. We also knew that belief did not reduce our responsibility to do everything humanly possible to ensure we had food. And we would never know when we might be called on to help our new community or any strangers who happened into our valley. We had received help from others during our survival journey. We have been gifted with abundance by our new friends in the past four months. Opportunities will constantly appear when the same is asked of us. Our resources are really not ours but the Lord’s. If and when He asks, we will freely give the resources to others who have even greater needs.

Communication

Our inability to communicate with family has continued. This is a great heartache for us. With the national communication-infrastructure down, cell phones are useless. Even if their use was possible, our location in the mountains, in our small valley, would have made gaining a signal very difficult at best. Radio signal reception is possible only when we climb to one of the high points that surround us. Even then, it is weak and sporadic. Those radio signals will last only as long as some type of government effort, from what remains of central control, is possible. There is no guarantee how long that will last given events and circumstances within the country. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that communication with family is not going to happen. We only hope that we will continue to be able to have some kind of periodic update on events happening around us.

In contrast to what we lack electronically, our communication with our neighbors to the south and north is growing. From our long-term communication with our doctor friend to the south, to the communication with our new friends to the north, s are expanding. We are isolated from both groups in our

small valley. But agreements have been reached on how we will stay in touch. From the visits of the doctor and his wife to the initial three man from the north, human has been possible. It has expanded to a schedule of regular visits and gatherings of the groups. Periodic checkups on our status have meant a great deal to us. These s have opened up significant opportunities for ministry and service for us.

The communication between my wife and me is now very different than it was in the past. Nothing is taken for granted. We are of one mind in what we have to do. We talk to a depth that we have not done before. Our struggles, our challenges, our successes, and our failures, have driven us to a level of openness, trust, and honesty that we had not experienced. Even with our dogs, our communication is different. They always communicate their needs to us in their own ways, and we try to hear them. They are more aware of us as well. It is as if they know why we are doing certain things and what we need from them. A foundation has been laid, and we trust that we will keep on growing in our ability to communicate and understand each other. We believe that the future will be even more open, both between us and with our friends.

Equipment

All the equipment with which we left Texas shows a good bit of wear and tear. Maintenance and repair of those items has become and will remain an evergreater use of our time. Our housekeeping resources, such as cooking utensils, are still viable, but in another six to nine months they will need to be replaced. Our packs, EDCs, med kit bags, belts, sleeping bags, and other often used pieces of hardware continue to service us well.

As the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. We have manufactured equipment from the natural resources that surround us. Each piece, though rough in appearance, does what it’s supposed to do. The fact that most are made of wood means they will have to be replaced periodically. We planned

for that. The shelter materials used on our survival journey, such as tarps, have been repurposed at our new home site. We continue to repair them as needed.

Our equipment stores have expanded significantly through the gifts provided by our friends. The gifts have enabled us to undertake projects and tasks in a far better way than if we had not been given the items. At the same time, we know that this gifting cannot be expected to continue. Even these resources will fail at some point in time and need to repaired if possible or replaced. Some will require steady efforts to replace them with natural resource implements. But as we completed our last inventory, we saw that we will be able to deal with most, if not all, of our needs over the next year or so. It is comforting to know that with proper maintenance and repairs, our equipment will remain in good working order.

Weapons, Knives, Tools

Each of our weapons, knives and tools, with which we set out months ago, continues to serve us well. Repairs were necessary to some of the tools, which was to be expected. Our knives are still some of the most valuable pieces of equipment we possess. Constant maintenance and sharpening mean that they have enabled us to complete multiple tasks. The weapons we set out with, both handguns and long guns, again with constant maintenance, provide us with the intended capabilities. Protection has not been a serious issue for the past four months using the handguns. The two long guns, the air rifle and .17 HMR, have proved invaluable for securing necessary meat.

Once we were in our new home, it became clear to us that each of the long guns lacked the punch required to potentially deal with dangerous animals and knock down larger food sources. As we ed our initial days in the small valley and became aware of those larger threats, we regretted not bringing a large caliber long gun with us. The gift of the .243 rifle from our friends did much to fix that shortcoming. It proved adequate in securing larger animals for food and

dispatching some of the animals that were a threat to us, such as the coyotes. One question continued to bother us. Would the .243 be powerful enough to deal with the most severe threats of the area, specifically bears? Constant awareness and diligence will have to overcome the reality that we may, at some point, face an animal danger that tests our weapons greatly. Knowing that our friends, though miles from us, have the required capabilities has given us some assurance. But in an emergency, we will have to trust that the weapons we possess will be sufficient. We pray constantly that we may avoid such situations.

Human , Threats, Dangers, Confrontation

Most of our human during the last four months has been with folks who either were already our friends or were quickly becoming our friends. The few instances that were different involved individuals in the same situation in which we found ourselves. Hunters, moving through our area, proved to be little or no threat to us. As time ed, we’ve found that most of those s are a blessing in disguise, as the people became part of the larger security and protection network that developed in the area. Of course, there was the sad event that happened to our north. It showed us that other humans could pose a serious threat to our lives. Being somewhat isolated from the groups to our north and south, we might someday face a human threat alone. The emergency signal system that my wife and I adopted will hopefully allow us to be with each other whenever such a threat might surface. Agreeing to a signal system with our groups of friends may also prevent a mistake when any of us is approaching another’s home.

Personally, I believe it is my responsibility to protect my family in any dangerous situation. We put our trust in the Lord’s protection, of course. But in a human sense, there is virtually nothing that I would not do to protect my wife and our little four-legged girls from another human who might be threatening them. We’ve prayed long and hard about that. The consequences of some actions that might be required are serious and might be life-changing. But we have freely accepted and committed ourselves to those actions and their

consequences. Events in the larger world may as well be a million miles from us. But potential occurrences within our little world here in the mountains would be close to home. We are committed to not letting another human being destroy what we have worked so hard to achieve, our survival.

Health, Physical Strength, Medications

Given the physical constraints that my wife and I have, we are able to accomplish much more than should have been humanly possible. Pacing ourselves, having a step-by-step plan for every effort, adjusting to our physical weaknesses, and being willing to accept what we can accomplish in any given day, have allowed us to systematically begin to build our life’s foundation. Of course, at times our underlying health issues, my wife’s fibromyalgia and my heart issues, have affected us negatively. But we maintain a daily and sometimes hourly discipline, to accept what we are able to do. Realistic expectations have become our daily motivator.

Our overall health has improved dramatically over the past four months. We regained some of the weight that we had lost during our survival journey from Texas. Over time as our strength improved, and as we ate a much healthier diet, our need for maintenance drugs has diminished and eventually disappeared completely. We long ago lost count of how many nicks, small cuts, bruises, sore muscles, sinus problems, and stretched or pulled muscles we experienced. Those things were just minor inconveniences as we worked on our many tasks. Once we had set up a more comfortable sleeping situation in the cabin, the amount of rest and sleep we were able to get increased. We’ve long had strong evidence— documentary, testimonial, and experiential—that sleep and rest are critical to our being able to function well in the stress of surviving. That has proved to be abundantly true.

At the end of September, after working many long and hard days, we know that we are in much better health than when we started. We also know that the

stresses of the winter will demand that we maintain our health. Grateful, we ask the Lord to give us wisdom, discipline, and strength to continue our tasks and to have the health that we need. We will do what we can humanly to keep our health. We will listen to our bodies to know what we could do and when we should rest. We have each committed to be constantly watching the other to make sure that we stay true to our commitment not to compromise our health.

External Events

Having been watchers of world events our entire lives, we’ve found it very painful to periodically hear about the disintegration of the world and our country. When those updates grew few and far between, we learned to pay attention to the very small world of the environment around us. When we began the buildout of our new home and our new life, we became totally centered on the small tract of woodland that is now our world. Events beyond the few acres of woods that surround us have lost meaning for us. Our world now revolves around our little cabin, our garden, the forest, Bear Creek, and the pathways that lead us to the small communities to our north and south. External events do impact us periodically, but those events are limited to what affects those who live close to us in our new world. Dangers present themselves, sorrows enter our experience, and the simplest joys are now the only external events that we know. We pray for the larger context but know that events and situations there are out of our control.

In our isolation, there will still be opportunity for external events to impact us. We are prepared for the unknown. We’re prepared to act when events from outside make it necessary for us to adapt and adjust. But for all intents and purposes, things beyond the twenty square miles around us have ceased to exist for us. And that is OK. Our new life is simpler and at the same time more complex than before we left Houston. Living in a survival mode has a way of doing that to a person. What is important to us has changed. What we worry about has changed. Whom we trust for our future is increasingly clear. Life has

become simple again. And we are glad for it.

Our Girls

As we’ve watched our two dogs, Sadie and Sophie, grow in their love for their new lives, our appreciation for them has grown. When we rescued them from two different shelters, little did we know what we would experience with them. Their unconditional love for us, given so freely, has taught us many lessons. When two pairs of brown eyes look up at us asking only for a bit of attention, for a quick rub of their ears or tummies, for leave to snuggle up against us when we sleep, for food, and for the freedom to run alongside us as we venture out, we know what a blessing they are for us. We cannot or hug our children or grandchildren. That will probably never happen again. But we may sit in front of a fire in the hearth, look down at the girls lying on the bear rug, and feel like a family. They are a blessing to us each day, and we can’t imagine a day without them. Lord, we thank You for these two small gifts that You have given us. They bring us joy.

Our Emotions

When we arrived on the slope of the mountain overlooking Bear Creek, a few hundred feet below us, we experienced every intense human emotion possible. Relief, gratitude, joy, and absolute exhaustion were ours. Moving into the rundown cabin for our first night brought the same feelings but added others like apprehension, uncertainty, being overwhelmed with the tasks that lay before us, and thankfulness that we would have a home. Over the four months, from June until the end of September, we’ve continued to experience every emotion possible: loneliness, fear, sorrow, isolation, happiness, joy, contentment, uncertainty, and more. We’ve often talked about what it might have been like to experience all those emotions alone, trying to survive. At those times, we hug each other and tell each other how important it is to be together. We know that together we can lean on each other when our emotions get the best of us.

As the days and weeks ed, our hope in and love for each other solidified as our bedrock. But even more than that, our emotional health is tied directly to our relationship with the Lord. New friends brought human comfort and companionship. But our relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ, brought an emotional health to us that is impossible for humans to create for each other. That eternal relationship gives us the courage, discipline, wisdom, common sense, peace, and love that no human relationship can give. Sharing that has enabled us to overcome even the lowest of emotional times and move on into the future.

Spiritual Journey

Our faith remains the great sustainer of our lives as the days , just as it was during our initial survival journey. It is the same, yet it is so very different. It has grown much deeper. Our dependence on the Lord is evident in everything that we do.

As we have said before, our faith was always important to us. But now, at the end of September, we realize how much deeper that faith has grown. We do nothing, make no decision or plan, and attempt nothing without first praying about it and seeking God’s guidance in His word, the Bible. That faith sustains us through every emotion and every ache that we experience. We turn to our faith when our human wisdom and knowledge seem to lack certainty. As the weeks have ed and we’ve started to think about and plan for the winter months that lie ahead, we turn to our faith to sustain us. When we are tired, we draw strength, discipline, and courage from our faith. We know that we will face many more difficult days ahead, but we also have faith in our faith. We know that no matter what comes our way, we can always endure if we remain true to our Lord. We’ve given everything to Him, even the most insignificant parts of our lives. Our future is His to determine. Each path that we walk is clear only when we know that the path was created and planned by Him. We have a certainty in our lives that wasn’t there before. We know that no matter what

happens, He will sustain us, protect us, watch over us, and lead us into the future that He has planned for us. Nothing has shaken or will shake our certainty that we are in the center of His will for our lives.

Ministry

We knew when we first arrived at our new home that we would have some kind of ministry in the days ahead. Little did we know how that ministry would grow. As September ends, two groups have asked us to lead, guide, and minister to them in coming to know the Lord in more depth. Servanthood and discipleship have become the content of that ministry in a spiritual sense. Friendship and service are the visible outworkings of that content. We know that monthly, and more often if necessary, we will have an outreach within our new world.

It is an outreach that my wife and I work on and deliver together. We are partners. We share equally in praying for the ministry, studying God’s word, preparing the messages to bring, and physically being there as required. Where will this new ministry go? Will it grow? Will it have the impact that we hope it will have? From a human perspective, we are doing and will continue to do all we can to bring growth into being. But even more importantly, we put the results in the Lord’s hands. We know it is He that brought the ministry into being. We know that He will determine the impact as well. With that assurance, we know that the future will be exciting. As with everything else about our new life and our new world, even our new ministry has been turned over to His guidance, strength, wisdom, and courage. We know that we are only called to be the messengers. Nothing humanly will keep us from fulfilling the call He has on our lives.

Community

Little did we know when we pulled out of our driveway months ago that we would end up with a new system. We honestly assumed that for the rest of our lives we would be living in virtual isolation from other people. To be sure, we knew that our friends from the Asbury days would be there for us. But to see that network expand the way it has over the last four months never entered our thoughts. As we sit here and talk about and write these notes about our community, we marvel at how the Lord has opened doors for friendship, , and yes, even for ministry.

We now sit virtually halfway between two important groups of people, one to the south and one to the north. These are communities that exist to each other, committed to provide any and all things necessary to ensure that both survive. These groups have turned their future over to the same Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the foundation for our lives.

What will the future hold for these communities? We have already seen how they had rallied together during the terrible time of the loss of the young wife. We know that each is committed to helping the grieving husband rebuild his life as best they can. These people are willing to provide protection, sustenance, friendship, and care for each member of each group.

This is our new world, and we are grateful for it. Our connections to our neighbors will no doubt be tested during the depths of the coming winter when travel and communication are much more difficult. But we know that everyone will find ways to keep the connections, the , and the communication functioning. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will make all of that happen.

Author’s Note

Final Thoughts

Arriving on the banks of Bear Creek in the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania was the beginning of a new life for us. To say that our new life bears absolutely no resemblance to our previous life would be an understatement. Everything that we knew on the geopolitical stage, within the boundaries of our country, and even on a local level is now radically different. We have changed. Four months of hardscrabble life has had its impact on us. Having no modern technology and only the tools we could carry required us to change everything about our lives. From the basic motivation for the actions we took, to our relationship with our surroundings, to our interactions with other human beings, all had a different look, a different purpose. Both our short- and long-term survival hinged on whether we could effectively build a foundation for life that offered us a reasonable chance to actually survive. Have we succeeded over the past four months in building the initial foundation for our new life? We believe we have. We are also realistic enough to know that our work has only begun.

Our continued survival will require every ounce of strength, wisdom, and common sense that we possess. It means we will need to continue to learn new lessons, new skills, and ultimately a clarified purpose to our every action and thought. No longer able to depend on the things that were once normal in our lives, we have to create a new normal. Survival is the new normal. Our motivation will stay the same, building a new life. But some things will not change. Our basic values have become, and will continue to become, even clearer. We are learning, and will continue to learn, how to be self-sufficient as well as the value of other humans who are trying to do the same thing. Community has taken on a new meaning for us. Service—our understanding of it and commitment to it, no matter the cost—has become just as important to us as our own personal survival. Our dependence has shifted from what we, as human beings, can accomplish, to what we can accomplish through absolute faith and trust in and dependence on our Creator. Life has become very precious to us. We understand more clearly the meaning of suffering and struggle. Our sweat and blood now symbolize the sweat and blood shed for our future through

the life and death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Our decision processes, even the simplest ones, now through the screen of the Bible’s teachings. The word of God, the Bible, more than ever is our guide for learning how to live. Prayer is now the dependable communication lifeline that can never be destroyed.

We have changed. Our world has changed. We can only continue to build what will become our human future to the best of our abilities. We have turned over our eternal future to the only one who can make eternity possible for us. As we look to the future, we know that we cannot turn back to our old lives. The script for the next part of our lives has yet to be written. But we walk into it with faith that if we continue to be true to the source of our lives, our lives will become what they were meant to be. So what will that future be? It will become what we, following the Lord’s leading, will do our best to build. The final result we leave to Him.

So What Would the Future Be?

At the end of September the last entry of this four-month diary was entered. The next four months will be full of daily mundane chores. It will mean completing many longer-term projects. There will be many days of complete exhaustion, along with days of joy, loneliness, sorrow, success, failure, service, isolation, companionship, laughter, and tears. But all of that is OK. That’s what life is all about. There will be a growing sense that our new life is much more fulfilling than our old life. At the same time, we will miss parts of our old life that we will never experience again. But that is what life is really about. We will experience it, we will lay hold of it, and we will do all we can do in our human strength to make that life as good as we can make it.

That means we will have to plan that life and then do the hard work of making that life happen. Today, at the end of September, we have been preparing for the next part of our lives for over a year. We look forward to the planned cabin build for the young man who lost his wife. The coming community get-togethers, with

both our southern and northern friends, will build relationships even more. The clarity of God’s call on us to serve through leading of Bible studies and worship will give us an outlet for our faith. Even our daily chores, already known and planned, give purpose to our every breath. Our little world will grow. Our home will become more of a home.

We will face challenges of physically surviving. Unknown hurdles will test our physical, emotional and spiritual strength. We will plan and work with discipline and effort. We will cherish every moment together. We will love as our fourlegged girls love us, unconditionally.

We don’t know what the future will be. We have planned the days ahead. We are committed to that plan. We will do everything we can to make that plan become our reality. And we will accept the changes that may come, adjust and adapt, and continually move forward. We can hardly wait to see what happens and what we record in our next diary, the diary of finishing our journey.

“There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord, and your children will return to their own territory.” (Jeremiah 31:17)

What about Your Future?

Have you ever asked yourself, What will my future be? We have all asked ourselves that question, probably more than once in our lives. Throughout our days on this earth we work and strive to ensure we will have the best life possible while we are living and breathing. But how many of us ask that same question when we think about how we will spend eternity after we have died? Often, when we are so wrapped up in securing a good life on earth, we don’t take the time to ask the eternal question.

Can we afford not to ask ourselves the eternal question? You may be one who believes that the only existence you will ever have is the life you live on earth. Or you may believe that no matter what you do the decision of how you will spend eternity is totally out of your control. You may believe that your fate was determined long before you were born. You may believe that you are already part of a greater spiritual being, so you need not worry about your eternal future. And yes, some of you believe you can earn you way to a better future life that will just be a better version of what you already experience. No one can escape having to deal with this eternal question. Your eternity does not end with the last breath you take. You will face a moment in time when your eternal life will be determined.

There are only two answers to the eternal question. A person will spend eternity separated from God or else will spend it with God. Yes, the answer is that black and white. There is, and will be, no middle ground. We should be grateful that our God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, loves us so much that He gave you and me the ability to make a personal decision as to where we will spend eternity. Just as the characters in this survival diary choose to live and not succumb to the crumbling of their world, you can choose where you will spend your forever time.

It boils down to a choice. And it is a choice that Jesus Christ has made possible. No one can make your choice for you. You can choose to ignore Jesus Christ. You can choose to ask Him to take over your life, to live within you, and to guide you into the future that lies before you. So what choice have you made? What choice will you make? We simply pray that you will choose eternal life through your salvation, made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your Lord. Choose today, for you may be taking your very last breath as you make that choice. The decision is yours and yours alone.

Larry and Jude Horton February 2017

Suggested Reading

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The Final Journey Trilogy

To fully understand the magnitude of the journey that our two characters, along with their two dogs, undertake and complete, three diaries trace their every step from the moment they bug-out to the day when their year long journey ends.

Book #1:

The Final Journey: A Diary of Survival. The first book of the trilogy follows the four-month long survival journey of our couple and their two dogs. Published by WestBow Press, April, 2017.

Book #2:

The Final Journey, Part Two: A Diary of Building a New Life. The second book captures the efforts of our couple in the first four months after they arrive at their new home in the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania. (Target publication by WestBow Press, late August, early September, 2017)

Book #3:

The Final Journey, Part Three: A Diary of a Journey Finished. The last book of the trilogy closes the story of the couple we have come to know so well. This final four-month diary of their struggle to survive, a journey

which has led them to live simply and independently, closes with their sharing with us the story of their ultimate hope and faith, the hope and faith that have guided and protected them and provided the underlying reason they believe they were successful in surviving a world of chaos and uncertainty. Answering a call on their lives, they discover their new role in that world. Constantly vigilant to continue to survive, they now understand why they did in fact survive. They survived to serve others, to become a beacon set on a hill to shine the light of God’s truth to a world wandering in darkness. A new day with a new purpose has dawned in their lives. us as we look at the final chapter of the story of a couple who choose to survive and move on to their life’s final purpose. (Target Publication by WestBow Press, November/December, 2017)

The Final Journey: A Diary of Survival

Sample Reviews of Part One of the Survival Trilogy

Mykel Hawke’s review of Dr. Larry D. Horton’s The Final Journey: A Diary of Survival

I was pleased when Larry (www.larrydhorton.com) reached out to me about his project and I was compelled to offer when I saw his dedication to the subject of survival, a life-long ion of mine.

However, when I read his book, the first part of the trilogy, I was not only inspired by the story itself, and the eminently readable style with which Horton tells the tale, but I was also very motivated to be able to give a great review as the book itself touches on 2 very important and often overlooked aspects of real survival- those critical elements of medicinal and spiritual considerations when faced with extreme and dire circumstances.

The importance of both of these cannot be emphasized enough. I have taught survival for two decades, and as a medical specialist, this single factor more than any other becomes the true determining factor on survival. I was well pleased to see Larry’s book take their own medical factors into consideration both in real life and in the story. The honest and humble self- assessment is the kind of thing we all need to do in survival and in life, but it takes a great character to be brutally honest with a self-evaluation. No amount of modern day over hyping

your skills and under estimating nature will the harsh test of reality.

Making realistic assessments, factoring in limitations and logistics such as medications, fitness levels, health conditions are a core fundamental for everyone all the time and this is especially significant when in a survival situation, and is paramount when in a long term, large scale or mass casualty scenario. Dr. Horton’s book treats this crucial component of survival thoroughly and comprehensively on a level I have never seen any other book do to date. On that factor alone, this book merits a worthy place in any survivalists and prepper’s library.

Then, a most politically incorrect and often chided, but always relevant and never out of date factor of survival is faith, belief, ideology and/or spirituality. I have lived this and as a result, I have taught it in my classes and books, as a constant part of any survival situation- death is a reality and a real possibility. If you are not ready to face it, you will be afraid and if you are in fear, you will freeze at a critical moment and that freezing will likely get you right where you don’t want to be- DEAD. So, deciding what you believe, and hanging on to that belief, whatever it may be, is a vitally important aspect of survival and again, a subject that Horton weaves throughout his book and as such, again, his book does what most fail to do, incorporate Faith as a survival tenet.

I have always taught my Students and my Soldiers, if you are not ready to meet your maker when you leave Fort Living Room or Base Camp, you’re not ready to walk out the front door.

In this way, Larry’s book is entertaining, educational and edifying in ways no other book on survival is, and for this reason, it is a book everyone would do well to read.

Mykel Hawke is a Father, Grand Father, Husband, Retired Special Forces Officer, Combat Veteran and Survival Teacher. He is perhaps better known for his TV shows, Books & Products in the survival space, but Myke considers his primary ion to be teaching (When he’s not fishing!) www.mykelhawke.com

Wendy – A Goodreads reader review of The Final Journey: A Diary of Survival

Written as a diary as the couple face the challenges of trekking across a landscape dealing with changing conditions that include weather conditions, attacking dogs, limited communications and a wide range of emotions as society unwinds, the story blends sound survival advice with their gripping ordeal in a realistic environment that’s easy to imagine. Yet the strength of the story lies not only in the couple’s thorough preparations that fuel their survival, their fundamental principles of “evaluate, escape, evade and endure” but in their faith that Christ will lead, protect and sustain them. Faith is at the heart of this story with strong scriptural ages at the end of the daily records of their journey.

“The Final Journey: A Diary of Survival” is an honest portrayal of compelling events that we can see happening even today as the world moves towards a dark and dangerous period.

Author s: Larry D. Horton, PhD

Website, Christian Survival Blog:

www.larrydhorton.com

Facebook page:

Larry D. Horton, PhD

Facebook group:

Christian Survivalists

Christian Broadcasting Network Interview:

http://bit.ly/2u8exye

The following are the key resources used as background for this book. There are unnumbered other resources available to the reader in hard copy print and online. Use the few resources listed below as your core resource base then build upon it. Good luck!

Angier, Bradford. How to Stay Alive In The Woods. New York NY: Black Dog & Leventhal, 1956, 2001.

Canterbury, Dave. Advanced Bush Craft. Avon MA: Adams Media, 2015.

Dvorchak, George E. Jr., MD. The Pocket First-Aid Field Guide. New York NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 2010.

Grylls, Bear. A Survival Guide for Life: How to Achieve Your Goals, Thrive in Adversity, and Grow in Character. New York NY: Harper Collins, 2012.

Hawke, Mykel. Hawke’s Green Beret Survival Manual. Philadelphia PA: Running Press, 2009.

Hawke, Mykel. Hawke’s Special Forces Survival Handbook. Philadelphia PA: Running Press, 2011.

Kruger, Anna. The Pocket Guide to Herbs. London: Parkgate Books Ltd., 1998.

MacWelch, Tim. How to Survive Off the Grid. San Francisco CA: Weldon Owen, Bonnier Publishing, 2016.

MacWelch, Tim. Hunting and Gathering Survival Manual. San Francisco CA: Weldon Owen, Bonnier Publishing, 2014.

MacWelch, Tim. Prepare For Anything Survival Manual. San Francisco CA: Weldon Owen, Bonnier Publishing, 2014.

MacWelch, Tim. The Ultimate Winter Survival Handbook. San Francisco CA: Weldon Owen, Bonnier Publishing, 2015.

Peterson, Lee Allen. Edible Wild Plants: Eastern/Central North America. New York NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977.

Pewtherer, Michael. Wilderness Survival Handbook. New York NY: McGraw Hill, 2010.

Stilwell, Alexander. Special Forces Survival Techniques. London: Apple Press, 2014.

Stroud, Les. Survival: Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive. New York NY: Harper Collins, 2008.

Towell, Colin. The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure. New York NY: DK Publishing, 2012

Online resources, web-based resources, and articles exist far beyond number. You need only enter simple search such as “survival,” “wilderness survival,” “surviving in the wilderness,” “camping skills,” or anything similar, and you will have years of reading ahead of you—more than you have time to complete. Good luck!