ncsfsgm
Senior Member
Chapter 100
Mark stayed in his Amyot cabin until A couple of days after they celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Although there was no turkey served, there was fire-roasted grouse, elk, baked fish, wild rice, split pea pudding, wild mustard and they made butter tarts instead of pies like they do in the States. Mark let Ann and a couple of other women use his kitchen and stove to make the tarts. When he showed her how he made pastry for the tarts, the women went crazy over his manual food processor. Mark would cube the lard and butter up, and put them in the freezer for thirty minutes, then add about a quarter of a pound of the cubes to the processor and start with a quarter cup of all-purpose flour and start cranking. Once things were busted up and combined with two cups of flour, you began adding tablespoons of cold water to the mix until you could pinch the mixture, and it would stick together. This would make one pie shell or about eight tart shells. They used his cast iron muffin pans to bake the tarts in. The tart shells were filled with blueberry and strawberry jam and sprinkled chopped hazelnuts over them. The women baked the tarts the day before Thanksgiving but stored them at Mark’s in flat reed tray-like baskets because the kids would have sneaked around and sampled them before the other food was done the next day.
The men were up early Thanksgiving Day starting fires and preparing the Elk haunches, fish, grouse, and a couple of geese for roasting. Spits made out of rebar had been cleaned and smeared with pork fat. The children played games while the food was being prepared and them men took turns turning the spits. They young women gathered in small groups and talked about the young men of the village. Mark sat and listened to the men and spoke when spoken too. The meal went well, and everyone praised the good fortune the village had that year.
Two days later, Mark packed what he was going to take and loaded his truck and connected the trailer. He had called the Canadian Pacific Dispatch office and arranged for the flat car to be picked up and they gave him the date, but not a time. He couldn’t ever remember a training coming through before 09:00 AM so he wanted the truck and trailer chained down before then. Chick followed in the Argo and helped Mark chain everything down. When they were finished, Mark pulled a camping hammock out of his pack and strung it up. Chick sat leaning against a tree while they waited for the train.
“The Ministry of Health is sending up someone to find out why the village isn’t using the system very much.” Chick commented.
“Maybe it’s because they don’t eat the junk other people do and don’t have to put up with bureaucrats and stinking cities.” Mark replied.
“Says the man who spoils the children with candy.” Chick said.
“Moderation is the key.” Mark replied. “Happiness is healthful also.”
“You need to find yourself a woman.” Chick said.
“Who has Ann picked out for me?” Mark asked.
Chick remained silent.
“So, she HAS started a list.” Mark said.
Chick grinned. “She cares a lot for you and doesn’t want you to be lonely.”
“Hell, I’m not lonely! I work and I relax. There’s no time to be lonely. I’ve got friends up here all around every day. I can cook for myself, and I can clean the cabin and wash my own clothes. I give Ann and Eyah jobs, so they have some pocket money.
The train finally arrived, and Mark went through his usual routine. He lay down on the bench, using his pack for a pillow and napped all the way back to the switch yard except for once he got up and peed off the back of the caboose.
As he crossed the Mackinac Bridge it was still daylight, so he stopped at the Harbor Lights Grille and had a dinner of Parmesan Encrusted Great Lakes Whitefish before heading to his cabin. He hoped he had time to order twenty-five manual food processors before he headed back up on December the 17th.
Cary and Mitch loaded the deer onto the back of the Gator and headed back to the house.
“That buck has a nice rack.” Cary said.
“It’s the mineral blocks we put out. The deer love them.” Mitch replied.
They hung the deer, dressed it and Bailey came up to get the hide to tan. Bridget brought out pans to put the meat in. They would wash and pack the meat in the kitchen. Mitch got a bone saw and cut the antlers off and set them aside. When they were done, Mitch took the gut tub and scraps down to a clearing to the east of the greenhouse and dumped them for the crows and scavengers.
When Mitch got back, Cary was cleaning the rifle on the deck. Mitch checked the cleaning kit then went down to the Armory and got another hundred-pack of patches, took them back and put them in the kit.
“That was a good shot you made.” Mitch said.
“This is a good shooting rifle.” Cary replied.
“Then take it home with you” Mitch said. “We’ll put you together a kit and you can keep it at your house if you want.”
“Thanks.”
Mitch took Cary down into the armory and gave him a plate carrier and 500 rounds of 5.56 and 200 rounds of .270 Winchester for the Bagara Ridge. Mitch laid a NODs case on the table with spare batteries.
“Do you have enough mags for your AR?” Mitch asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got plenty.” Cary said.
They gathered up everything and went back upstairs.
Daniela unloaded her Henry Big Boy and leaned it against the blind.
“Nice shot for a .45 Long Colt at that range.” Andy said.
“75 yards, easy enough.” Daniela answered.
They drove the Gator down to where the deer lay. Daniela prodded the deer with her rifle barrel but had her pistol out. The deer was dead. They picked the deer up and laid it in the back of the Gator with its head hanging over the back. Andy slit the buck’s throat to let it bleed out on the way back. Blood washed off easily with a hose sprayer. They got back to Daniela’s and butchered the deer and split the meat between them. Daniela may have shot the deer, but Andy knew where the deer would come out and about the time it would. He had been watching the buck for a good while.
Andy couldn’t pack all of his share of the meat in his saddlebags so Daniela said she would bring it down in a few minutes. Andy washed and dried his hands and left to go back home. Daniela gave him fifteen minutes then took his share of venison down to his house with the Gator.
Mark ordered a half-beef bundle and a chicken bundle from the Agridimestore to be picked up on December 15th. They froze and vacuum packed their meat then packed it in wax-coated heavy cardboard boxes with dry ice layers. It would last fine until he got back to Amyot on the 17th. He would have ordered a pork bundle but would have run out of freezer space.
He had received the manual food processors and had each wrapped in Christmas paper at Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church who were wrapping presents for charity. Most of the presents were for the kids. He had soccer balls, baseballs, gloves, jump ropes, Tether balls, and things that could be used for group play activities. The greatest treasure was two dozen Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker Knives. He kept them around to pay off the kids for chores. Several boys in the village were proud owners, some would have had two but if they received a second one, their oldest one was passed down to a brother or a friend. Even some of the women had possessed and cherished them. This time, Mark also added a small Arkansas soft pocketknife sharpening stone.
Mark looked around the cabin and packed a few more things he’d like to have in the Amyot cabin. He was heavily leaning toward moving permanently to Amyot, But the cabin on Carp Lake had been in his family for generations and held a lot of memories. He’d probably move to Amyot but not sell the cabin at carp lake. It would give him a base when he came back down. He started to think “When I come back to civilization.” But Amyot was more civilized than any place he had been down in Michigan.
Mark made a trip to Sault Ste. Marie and bought some Canadian dollars then went by the phone store and had them replace the battery in his satellite phone and bought a spare one for Chick’s phone. He bought two .50 caliber ammo cans from a military surplus store to put cash in. Canadian dollars went in one and U.S. dollars, gold and silver went in the other. Eventually, he would take all his cash up to Amyot.
Mark went to a local store and bought two more cast iron pie pans and a case of canned apples. Another case of butter came in, plus he had a case of stick butter getting packed with dry ice to take back also with the meat. He was going to bust the case pf stick butter down and fill in empty spaces in the freezer with it. Mark planned to make a lot of apple and berry pies and turnovers during the winter.
On Thursday the 15 of December, Mark picked up the boxes of meat and butter and finished loading the trailer. The next morning, he headed to the switchyards in Sault Ste. Marie and stayed overnight at the nearest hotel and did some minor shopping.
After getting the truck and trailer chained down, Mark waited on a bench out of the misting rain and waited for the train to build. It didn’t take long. There were a couple of boxcars behind two engines, a string of log cars, Mark’s flatcar, and the caboose. They left the switchyards before 11:00 AM and would be in Amyot before 4:00 PM.
An hour out from Amyot, Mark called Chick and told him when the train would be there. When the flatcar was detached, Chick and three other men were ready and had the chains off in no time. Mark drove to his cottage and parked the trailer where it could be unloaded easily. Chick asked if he needed help unloading stuff and Mark shook his head no.
Mark saw parked next to the Community Center and Tribal Office what he was sure was a Western Star LSVW (Light Military Truck) painted white. He had seen Canadian field ambulances at Pettawawa that looked similar but were painted olive drab.
“What’s that?” Mark asked.
“Canadian Health Services traveling team.” Chick answered.
“They took this long getting here?” Mark said.
“Oh no, they had a team here not long after you left and stayed four days asking about our food, its sources, history of illnesses, all kinds of questions. They think our diet has something to do about why we don’t get sick, and the men are so handsome versus other tribal areas.
“Did they figure out you gnaw on lead fishing weights?” Mark grinned.
“What do you need to unload? Ann wants you to come to eat tonight. She has someone she wants you to meet.” Chick said.
Mark rolled his eyes then went to the freezer and began arranging things. They got all the meat and butter packed away and the boxes broken down and folded.
”You go on ahead. I want to take a shower and change clothes. I’ll be over in a bit.” Mark told Chick.
“Okay, we will see you in a while.” Chick said, leaving.
When Mark was cleaned up, he peeked outside and saw it was still misting. He put on his Tilley rainhat and his Gortex parka, went out the door and was at Chick’s in a couple of minutes. He knocked on the doorjamb and Chick opened the door.
Dinner must have been ready because Ann was sitting in what would pass as a den with a black-headed woman she introduced as Charlotte Gauthier, one of the healthcare nurses with the traveling team. Everyone moved to the dining table and Ann had prepared roasted grouse, Mustard greens, and boiled and roasted Camas bulbs. For dessert they had dried Saskatoon Berry tarts.
Mark offered to help with the dishes and Ann ran him out of the kitchen. Mark and Chick retired to the den. Soon, the women joined them.
“So, Mr. Haywood, what brings you to this area of the province?” Charlotte asked.
“Please, call me Mark. I met Chick several years ago and he invited me up. I liked the area and the people, leased some land for a cabin and stay a good part of the year here.” Mark replied.
“You are American, Yes?”
“Yes, that is correct.” Mark replied.
“Well, from the reports I’ve read and after talking to some of the villagers, some of the reasons the villagers are so healthy can be attributed to some of the ideas you brought to the people here.”
Mark shrugged. “I do what I can.”
“Many emulated what Mark does day to day and taught the people how to do many things. He also explained simply why he did things the way he did. The kids especially, look up to Mark and mimic him.” Ann said.
“Well, this village is in better shape than many we have been to.” Charlotte said.
“Mark became a conduit to get some things we can’t get any help with from the Provincial government.” Chick said.
“Yes, we have problems at times with them too.” Charlotte replied.
“Do you sleep in that old ambulance?” Mark asked.
“No, we have a tent set up behind the Community Center.” Charlotte said.
“And there’s no hot water in the building either.” Ann said.
“Which will soon be rectified. The council has decided to build a clinic.” Chick said.
“Well, let’ get to planning. If the weather stays decent, I can make a run to Sault Ate. Marie for things.” Mark said.
“Mark, Charlotte needs a place to take a bath.” Ann said.
“Well, you can take her down now to my cabin and let her bathe then come back in the morning and I’ll make blueberry pancakes and fry bacon. And Charlotte, I cook REAL bacon, not that pansy Canadian bacon.” Mark said.
“Mark! Be nice.” Ann said.
Charlotte grinned. “I would appreciate taking a bath in something other than a pot with hot water.”
“There’s a hair dryer in the vanity if you want to wash your hair.” Mark said, “The outlet is on the left of the mirror frame.
“Go get your things Charlotte, and the men can sit here and growl at each other.” Ann said.
Charlotte left and Ann turned to Mark. “What do you think?”
“She’s who you’re trying to set me up with? Come on Ann, she lives back east. Long distance relationships don’t turn out well.” Mark said.
“It’s something to think about.” Ann replied.
“Not for long.” Mark replied.
Charlotte did intrigue Mark. She had curly black hair like he had seen on many French-Canadian women; eyes Mark could only describe as cobalt-blue that flashed when he called Canadian bacon “pansy”.
“Okay, I don’t know what her schedule is, but I’ll be up at six in the morning and she and you all can come down any time after that. Let her use my en suite bath and I’ll stay in the kitchen cooking breakfast.
Stone completed the drying in of the kitchen addition to the “bug out” house just before the rains came. Aine complained about the setup of the kitchen with both a wood stove and the Propane stove. In the summer it got hot as hell using a wood stove, so Stone fell back to the antebellum idea of a summer kitchen, except he didn’t separate the kitchen from the house. He built a deep side addition with large windows on the three sides in case the wood stove had to be used in the summer. Normally, the propane stove would be used in the summer and the wood stove was used in the winter. He also put solid wood folding doors on the kitchen entrance also. The last thing they did was unload the 100 -pound propane tank and hooked it up. Aine and Kim checked everything out and made sure there was food stocks for a few weeks in the pantry built onto the “summer kitchen.” They had become accustomed to varmint-proofing to keep the mice and bugs out.
Stone went into building mode again when Ash found bear scat near the house. They cut some thick boards and made shutters for the windows and doors then mounted them with bolts and thumb screws he got from Mitch. Bears could tear things up quicker than a Hollywood marriage. They key was keeping the trash policed and making sure the bears couldn’t smell any food. Everything was stored in sealed containers in the pantry so that shouldn’t be a problem. Ash and Stone took an old water heater tank and made an incinerator to burn trash. They weren’t going to compost anything there and never put food scraps, except peelings and greens in the compost bin back home.
Stone found a spotted skunk had made a home under the back porch, so he sprayed ammonia under the porch and screened around the bottom to keep the varmints out. Either Stone or Ash checked the house out every few days to make sure everything was good.
Mark was jarred awake when the train stopped and went backwards to drop the caboose off before Putting his car on the siding and backed up to the unloading ramp. When the caboose stopped and the brake set, Mark shouldered his pack and got off, walking to the unloading ramp. He heard the sound of ATVs and saw Chick and a couple of young men riding toward the ramp on their 4-wheelers.
“You’re back a little early.” Chick commented.
“Didn’t see any reason to hang around down there,” Mark replied. “I picked up Ann a treat at the Amish Market.”
“You’ll have made her day if it’s those strawberry-chocolate things she likes.” Chick said, grinning.
Mark grinned. “I picked her up two boxes and packed them in a box with dry ice. I was afraid they would melt if I didn’t. Maybe she’ll let you taste one this time.”
The candies were a hollow chocolate shell filled with a strawberry cream and garnished with candy leaves and a strawberry looking top, making the candy look like a chocolate dipped strawberry. There was a dozen to a box, nested in formed plastic trays to keep them from breaking. Ann threatened to cut Chick if he ate one the last time Mark brought some up.
Once they got everything unchained Mark followed the 4-wheelers to the village storehouse where they had plenty of help unloading the trailer and truck. Mark handed over the money left over to the woman who functioned as the village treasurer. Some of the younger men went back with Mark to his cabin and helped him unload his truck and trailer of the things he’d brought back for himself. For a bag of skittles each, Mark had several kids raking and picking up sticks and duff from around the cabin.
Mark stayed in his Amyot cabin until A couple of days after they celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Although there was no turkey served, there was fire-roasted grouse, elk, baked fish, wild rice, split pea pudding, wild mustard and they made butter tarts instead of pies like they do in the States. Mark let Ann and a couple of other women use his kitchen and stove to make the tarts. When he showed her how he made pastry for the tarts, the women went crazy over his manual food processor. Mark would cube the lard and butter up, and put them in the freezer for thirty minutes, then add about a quarter of a pound of the cubes to the processor and start with a quarter cup of all-purpose flour and start cranking. Once things were busted up and combined with two cups of flour, you began adding tablespoons of cold water to the mix until you could pinch the mixture, and it would stick together. This would make one pie shell or about eight tart shells. They used his cast iron muffin pans to bake the tarts in. The tart shells were filled with blueberry and strawberry jam and sprinkled chopped hazelnuts over them. The women baked the tarts the day before Thanksgiving but stored them at Mark’s in flat reed tray-like baskets because the kids would have sneaked around and sampled them before the other food was done the next day.
The men were up early Thanksgiving Day starting fires and preparing the Elk haunches, fish, grouse, and a couple of geese for roasting. Spits made out of rebar had been cleaned and smeared with pork fat. The children played games while the food was being prepared and them men took turns turning the spits. They young women gathered in small groups and talked about the young men of the village. Mark sat and listened to the men and spoke when spoken too. The meal went well, and everyone praised the good fortune the village had that year.
Two days later, Mark packed what he was going to take and loaded his truck and connected the trailer. He had called the Canadian Pacific Dispatch office and arranged for the flat car to be picked up and they gave him the date, but not a time. He couldn’t ever remember a training coming through before 09:00 AM so he wanted the truck and trailer chained down before then. Chick followed in the Argo and helped Mark chain everything down. When they were finished, Mark pulled a camping hammock out of his pack and strung it up. Chick sat leaning against a tree while they waited for the train.
“The Ministry of Health is sending up someone to find out why the village isn’t using the system very much.” Chick commented.
“Maybe it’s because they don’t eat the junk other people do and don’t have to put up with bureaucrats and stinking cities.” Mark replied.
“Says the man who spoils the children with candy.” Chick said.
“Moderation is the key.” Mark replied. “Happiness is healthful also.”
“You need to find yourself a woman.” Chick said.
“Who has Ann picked out for me?” Mark asked.
Chick remained silent.
“So, she HAS started a list.” Mark said.
Chick grinned. “She cares a lot for you and doesn’t want you to be lonely.”
“Hell, I’m not lonely! I work and I relax. There’s no time to be lonely. I’ve got friends up here all around every day. I can cook for myself, and I can clean the cabin and wash my own clothes. I give Ann and Eyah jobs, so they have some pocket money.
The train finally arrived, and Mark went through his usual routine. He lay down on the bench, using his pack for a pillow and napped all the way back to the switch yard except for once he got up and peed off the back of the caboose.
As he crossed the Mackinac Bridge it was still daylight, so he stopped at the Harbor Lights Grille and had a dinner of Parmesan Encrusted Great Lakes Whitefish before heading to his cabin. He hoped he had time to order twenty-five manual food processors before he headed back up on December the 17th.
Cary and Mitch loaded the deer onto the back of the Gator and headed back to the house.
“That buck has a nice rack.” Cary said.
“It’s the mineral blocks we put out. The deer love them.” Mitch replied.
They hung the deer, dressed it and Bailey came up to get the hide to tan. Bridget brought out pans to put the meat in. They would wash and pack the meat in the kitchen. Mitch got a bone saw and cut the antlers off and set them aside. When they were done, Mitch took the gut tub and scraps down to a clearing to the east of the greenhouse and dumped them for the crows and scavengers.
When Mitch got back, Cary was cleaning the rifle on the deck. Mitch checked the cleaning kit then went down to the Armory and got another hundred-pack of patches, took them back and put them in the kit.
“That was a good shot you made.” Mitch said.
“This is a good shooting rifle.” Cary replied.
“Then take it home with you” Mitch said. “We’ll put you together a kit and you can keep it at your house if you want.”
“Thanks.”
Mitch took Cary down into the armory and gave him a plate carrier and 500 rounds of 5.56 and 200 rounds of .270 Winchester for the Bagara Ridge. Mitch laid a NODs case on the table with spare batteries.
“Do you have enough mags for your AR?” Mitch asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got plenty.” Cary said.
They gathered up everything and went back upstairs.
Daniela unloaded her Henry Big Boy and leaned it against the blind.
“Nice shot for a .45 Long Colt at that range.” Andy said.
“75 yards, easy enough.” Daniela answered.
They drove the Gator down to where the deer lay. Daniela prodded the deer with her rifle barrel but had her pistol out. The deer was dead. They picked the deer up and laid it in the back of the Gator with its head hanging over the back. Andy slit the buck’s throat to let it bleed out on the way back. Blood washed off easily with a hose sprayer. They got back to Daniela’s and butchered the deer and split the meat between them. Daniela may have shot the deer, but Andy knew where the deer would come out and about the time it would. He had been watching the buck for a good while.
Andy couldn’t pack all of his share of the meat in his saddlebags so Daniela said she would bring it down in a few minutes. Andy washed and dried his hands and left to go back home. Daniela gave him fifteen minutes then took his share of venison down to his house with the Gator.
Mark ordered a half-beef bundle and a chicken bundle from the Agridimestore to be picked up on December 15th. They froze and vacuum packed their meat then packed it in wax-coated heavy cardboard boxes with dry ice layers. It would last fine until he got back to Amyot on the 17th. He would have ordered a pork bundle but would have run out of freezer space.
He had received the manual food processors and had each wrapped in Christmas paper at Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church who were wrapping presents for charity. Most of the presents were for the kids. He had soccer balls, baseballs, gloves, jump ropes, Tether balls, and things that could be used for group play activities. The greatest treasure was two dozen Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker Knives. He kept them around to pay off the kids for chores. Several boys in the village were proud owners, some would have had two but if they received a second one, their oldest one was passed down to a brother or a friend. Even some of the women had possessed and cherished them. This time, Mark also added a small Arkansas soft pocketknife sharpening stone.
Mark looked around the cabin and packed a few more things he’d like to have in the Amyot cabin. He was heavily leaning toward moving permanently to Amyot, But the cabin on Carp Lake had been in his family for generations and held a lot of memories. He’d probably move to Amyot but not sell the cabin at carp lake. It would give him a base when he came back down. He started to think “When I come back to civilization.” But Amyot was more civilized than any place he had been down in Michigan.
Mark made a trip to Sault Ste. Marie and bought some Canadian dollars then went by the phone store and had them replace the battery in his satellite phone and bought a spare one for Chick’s phone. He bought two .50 caliber ammo cans from a military surplus store to put cash in. Canadian dollars went in one and U.S. dollars, gold and silver went in the other. Eventually, he would take all his cash up to Amyot.
Mark went to a local store and bought two more cast iron pie pans and a case of canned apples. Another case of butter came in, plus he had a case of stick butter getting packed with dry ice to take back also with the meat. He was going to bust the case pf stick butter down and fill in empty spaces in the freezer with it. Mark planned to make a lot of apple and berry pies and turnovers during the winter.
On Thursday the 15 of December, Mark picked up the boxes of meat and butter and finished loading the trailer. The next morning, he headed to the switchyards in Sault Ste. Marie and stayed overnight at the nearest hotel and did some minor shopping.
After getting the truck and trailer chained down, Mark waited on a bench out of the misting rain and waited for the train to build. It didn’t take long. There were a couple of boxcars behind two engines, a string of log cars, Mark’s flatcar, and the caboose. They left the switchyards before 11:00 AM and would be in Amyot before 4:00 PM.
An hour out from Amyot, Mark called Chick and told him when the train would be there. When the flatcar was detached, Chick and three other men were ready and had the chains off in no time. Mark drove to his cottage and parked the trailer where it could be unloaded easily. Chick asked if he needed help unloading stuff and Mark shook his head no.
Mark saw parked next to the Community Center and Tribal Office what he was sure was a Western Star LSVW (Light Military Truck) painted white. He had seen Canadian field ambulances at Pettawawa that looked similar but were painted olive drab.
“What’s that?” Mark asked.
“Canadian Health Services traveling team.” Chick answered.
“They took this long getting here?” Mark said.
“Oh no, they had a team here not long after you left and stayed four days asking about our food, its sources, history of illnesses, all kinds of questions. They think our diet has something to do about why we don’t get sick, and the men are so handsome versus other tribal areas.
“Did they figure out you gnaw on lead fishing weights?” Mark grinned.
“What do you need to unload? Ann wants you to come to eat tonight. She has someone she wants you to meet.” Chick said.
Mark rolled his eyes then went to the freezer and began arranging things. They got all the meat and butter packed away and the boxes broken down and folded.
”You go on ahead. I want to take a shower and change clothes. I’ll be over in a bit.” Mark told Chick.
“Okay, we will see you in a while.” Chick said, leaving.
When Mark was cleaned up, he peeked outside and saw it was still misting. He put on his Tilley rainhat and his Gortex parka, went out the door and was at Chick’s in a couple of minutes. He knocked on the doorjamb and Chick opened the door.
Dinner must have been ready because Ann was sitting in what would pass as a den with a black-headed woman she introduced as Charlotte Gauthier, one of the healthcare nurses with the traveling team. Everyone moved to the dining table and Ann had prepared roasted grouse, Mustard greens, and boiled and roasted Camas bulbs. For dessert they had dried Saskatoon Berry tarts.
Mark offered to help with the dishes and Ann ran him out of the kitchen. Mark and Chick retired to the den. Soon, the women joined them.
“So, Mr. Haywood, what brings you to this area of the province?” Charlotte asked.
“Please, call me Mark. I met Chick several years ago and he invited me up. I liked the area and the people, leased some land for a cabin and stay a good part of the year here.” Mark replied.
“You are American, Yes?”
“Yes, that is correct.” Mark replied.
“Well, from the reports I’ve read and after talking to some of the villagers, some of the reasons the villagers are so healthy can be attributed to some of the ideas you brought to the people here.”
Mark shrugged. “I do what I can.”
“Many emulated what Mark does day to day and taught the people how to do many things. He also explained simply why he did things the way he did. The kids especially, look up to Mark and mimic him.” Ann said.
“Well, this village is in better shape than many we have been to.” Charlotte said.
“Mark became a conduit to get some things we can’t get any help with from the Provincial government.” Chick said.
“Yes, we have problems at times with them too.” Charlotte replied.
“Do you sleep in that old ambulance?” Mark asked.
“No, we have a tent set up behind the Community Center.” Charlotte said.
“And there’s no hot water in the building either.” Ann said.
“Which will soon be rectified. The council has decided to build a clinic.” Chick said.
“Well, let’ get to planning. If the weather stays decent, I can make a run to Sault Ate. Marie for things.” Mark said.
“Mark, Charlotte needs a place to take a bath.” Ann said.
“Well, you can take her down now to my cabin and let her bathe then come back in the morning and I’ll make blueberry pancakes and fry bacon. And Charlotte, I cook REAL bacon, not that pansy Canadian bacon.” Mark said.
“Mark! Be nice.” Ann said.
Charlotte grinned. “I would appreciate taking a bath in something other than a pot with hot water.”
“There’s a hair dryer in the vanity if you want to wash your hair.” Mark said, “The outlet is on the left of the mirror frame.
“Go get your things Charlotte, and the men can sit here and growl at each other.” Ann said.
Charlotte left and Ann turned to Mark. “What do you think?”
“She’s who you’re trying to set me up with? Come on Ann, she lives back east. Long distance relationships don’t turn out well.” Mark said.
“It’s something to think about.” Ann replied.
“Not for long.” Mark replied.
Charlotte did intrigue Mark. She had curly black hair like he had seen on many French-Canadian women; eyes Mark could only describe as cobalt-blue that flashed when he called Canadian bacon “pansy”.
“Okay, I don’t know what her schedule is, but I’ll be up at six in the morning and she and you all can come down any time after that. Let her use my en suite bath and I’ll stay in the kitchen cooking breakfast.
Stone completed the drying in of the kitchen addition to the “bug out” house just before the rains came. Aine complained about the setup of the kitchen with both a wood stove and the Propane stove. In the summer it got hot as hell using a wood stove, so Stone fell back to the antebellum idea of a summer kitchen, except he didn’t separate the kitchen from the house. He built a deep side addition with large windows on the three sides in case the wood stove had to be used in the summer. Normally, the propane stove would be used in the summer and the wood stove was used in the winter. He also put solid wood folding doors on the kitchen entrance also. The last thing they did was unload the 100 -pound propane tank and hooked it up. Aine and Kim checked everything out and made sure there was food stocks for a few weeks in the pantry built onto the “summer kitchen.” They had become accustomed to varmint-proofing to keep the mice and bugs out.
Stone went into building mode again when Ash found bear scat near the house. They cut some thick boards and made shutters for the windows and doors then mounted them with bolts and thumb screws he got from Mitch. Bears could tear things up quicker than a Hollywood marriage. They key was keeping the trash policed and making sure the bears couldn’t smell any food. Everything was stored in sealed containers in the pantry so that shouldn’t be a problem. Ash and Stone took an old water heater tank and made an incinerator to burn trash. They weren’t going to compost anything there and never put food scraps, except peelings and greens in the compost bin back home.
Stone found a spotted skunk had made a home under the back porch, so he sprayed ammonia under the porch and screened around the bottom to keep the varmints out. Either Stone or Ash checked the house out every few days to make sure everything was good.
Mark was jarred awake when the train stopped and went backwards to drop the caboose off before Putting his car on the siding and backed up to the unloading ramp. When the caboose stopped and the brake set, Mark shouldered his pack and got off, walking to the unloading ramp. He heard the sound of ATVs and saw Chick and a couple of young men riding toward the ramp on their 4-wheelers.
“You’re back a little early.” Chick commented.
“Didn’t see any reason to hang around down there,” Mark replied. “I picked up Ann a treat at the Amish Market.”
“You’ll have made her day if it’s those strawberry-chocolate things she likes.” Chick said, grinning.
Mark grinned. “I picked her up two boxes and packed them in a box with dry ice. I was afraid they would melt if I didn’t. Maybe she’ll let you taste one this time.”
The candies were a hollow chocolate shell filled with a strawberry cream and garnished with candy leaves and a strawberry looking top, making the candy look like a chocolate dipped strawberry. There was a dozen to a box, nested in formed plastic trays to keep them from breaking. Ann threatened to cut Chick if he ate one the last time Mark brought some up.
Once they got everything unchained Mark followed the 4-wheelers to the village storehouse where they had plenty of help unloading the trailer and truck. Mark handed over the money left over to the woman who functioned as the village treasurer. Some of the younger men went back with Mark to his cabin and helped him unload his truck and trailer of the things he’d brought back for himself. For a bag of skittles each, Mark had several kids raking and picking up sticks and duff from around the cabin.
