PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#715
They let the bull out in the pasture with two old scraggly cows that the Edwards had acquired from some where. Bob was next and he backed calmly out and stood looking around in all of his magnificence. The Edward's could have easily walked under Bob's chin with out disturbing his whiskers. The two brothers stood in awe of the huge horse that towered so far above them.
Mark spoke quietly to Bob and led him to the pasture with the cows and the mules that appeared from somewhere. The mules welcomed their former friend with a raucous hee-haw or two, and that only added to the barking dog's frenzy.
If Mark thought it was going to be peaceful, he was mistaken.
Finally it was Helga, who had a headache from the long drive and the close quarters, who shouted to the Edward's "Yous makes them stops, or yous can't control thems NO?"
Casting aspirations on their ability to control their dogs, was almost fightin' words to Elmer and Emory. Helga's scowl pointedly staring at them made little to no difference, their women were masters of the ability to bring strong men to their knees with a glance, and that furrin' woman sure didn't have what it took.
Karl was trying not to laugh, and if it seemed a snort or two might escape, he just pressed down on his injured foot to give himself control. Stephan was too busy looking around to be bothered by all the noise and commotion, he said to Karl in Kazakh, "this is like the mountains and valleys of the old country, it makes me feel good to be here."
"Ja, it hass a goods feel. Meester Marks, vhat you wants us to does?"
"Let's see," Mark started to speak, but the dogs continuous barking drowned out his words. "Elmer and Emory, would you quiet your dogs please?" he requested and got a blank look from them both. They acted like they hadn't even heard the animals baying and yodeling.
Tired and in no mood to be more than cursory polite, Mark raised his voice so the valley walls shook with his request. The brothers got their dogs quieted immediately.
"Thank you," he smiled in their direction. There was a blaring of horns at the gate, the first of the trailers had arrived. The placement and leveling of the units took priority over everything else. Mark wanted his instant home to be the furthest up the valley, even above where the remains of Gertie's house was located.
The next one in, was placed a short distance away for Helga and Karl. Stephan and Olga's unit was placed across the road from Karl's. It was full on dusk by the time the trailers were leveled enough to be used for the night, and in the center of the triangle of houses, Helga set up a cooking fire and started coffee. The moving company worked until they had to stop on account of darkness, so they unhitched the van from the power and bob tailed it back to town for the night.
Mark unhitched from the stock trailer and backed his pickup up to the front door of the trailers, to unload the boxes of clothes and canned food they would need for the night. In the darkness lit by the fire's dancing flames, they ate bowls of stew and the last of the bread Helga had brought with.
No one had the energy to put their bed frames together, so they used mattresses on the floor. Mark and Warren turned in as soon as they finished eating, and Mark went to sleep with a smile on his face.
It was cloudy and overcast the next morning, and the hint of camp fire smoke woke Mark from a good and restful night's sleep.
"I can't believe how hard I slept," Warren joined them at the fire, gratefully accepting coffee from Helga. "It's been a long time since I've been asleep the entire night. This place must agree with me."
All the things that Mark used as a personal totem, were happening as they stood in the dim dawn's light. Morning birds were coming awake and greeting each other, there was the drifting sound of a cow's moo, and the smell of the fire and the burning hotness of the coffee was a perfect beginning.
They had oatmeal with butter and brown sugar, and the food tasted better with the slight foggy mist that rolled down from the canyon walls.
Helga waited on her band of rag tag warriors, thinking they were a sorry looking bunch and hoping they could get settled without a lot of drama. It bothered her that Meester Marks had spent so much money moving them, when that was work she and Karl should have done. Suddenly, Helga was very conscious of her age and the slowing down she was forced to deal with. She looked up to smile at Karl, and he returned her satisfied gesture. As long as they were together, she decided, it would be OK.
The work to get the water and septic in, took three days on account of the rain.
The trailer company took their request for a propane delivery to town, and the truck showed up early in the afternoon. Helga had thawed a roast and she put it on to cook in her trailer, the meat and onion/garlic smell teasing hungry men.
Warren had taken a walk up to the head of the valley, following the stream to the waterfall. He noticed the fish, and went back to see if he could fashion some kind of fishing pole. He used a stick, a length of flat ribbon dental floss and a safety pin donated by Helga.
A couple of fat grasshoppers later, he was the proud owner of a couple of salmon. Warren fished until he had six, and walked back to camp with a lot of self satisfaction. Providing the clan with supper make him feel needed and useful, and it was a good feeling.
Warren had been so engrossed with fishing, he had forgotten to come in for lunch and Helga made him a tuna fish sandwich with a pancake as bread. The table which had seemed fine in the kitchen in Applewood, took up almost all of the kitchen and living room in Helga's trailer.
"Eh, something different needs to be done here," Mark reached for a cookie. "Maybe a cook shack trailer attached to this one, or something of the like."
"That's vould bees muches good," Helga agreed, "muches smalls in here."
"I'll look tomorrow when we go after the rest of the herd, and a few other miscellaneous things I need to get at the farm. Helga, do you feel comfortable being here alone?" Mark put the question to the cook.
"I vill stays vith hers," Karl added, "I noes can helps vith the driving or the gathering, soes it's best I stays here"
"Alright," Mark looked quickly at Stephen, "How about you Stephen, do you feel like you could help?"
Stephen nodded and so did Warren. "Well then, we'll have an early breakfast. Do you have a grocery list for me Helga?" Mark was sure she did, and he was right.
Mark was anxious to get out of the valley so he could call Clora and check on her and the family. They were so very important to him.
They let the bull out in the pasture with two old scraggly cows that the Edwards had acquired from some where. Bob was next and he backed calmly out and stood looking around in all of his magnificence. The Edward's could have easily walked under Bob's chin with out disturbing his whiskers. The two brothers stood in awe of the huge horse that towered so far above them.
Mark spoke quietly to Bob and led him to the pasture with the cows and the mules that appeared from somewhere. The mules welcomed their former friend with a raucous hee-haw or two, and that only added to the barking dog's frenzy.
If Mark thought it was going to be peaceful, he was mistaken.
Finally it was Helga, who had a headache from the long drive and the close quarters, who shouted to the Edward's "Yous makes them stops, or yous can't control thems NO?"
Casting aspirations on their ability to control their dogs, was almost fightin' words to Elmer and Emory. Helga's scowl pointedly staring at them made little to no difference, their women were masters of the ability to bring strong men to their knees with a glance, and that furrin' woman sure didn't have what it took.
Karl was trying not to laugh, and if it seemed a snort or two might escape, he just pressed down on his injured foot to give himself control. Stephan was too busy looking around to be bothered by all the noise and commotion, he said to Karl in Kazakh, "this is like the mountains and valleys of the old country, it makes me feel good to be here."
"Ja, it hass a goods feel. Meester Marks, vhat you wants us to does?"
"Let's see," Mark started to speak, but the dogs continuous barking drowned out his words. "Elmer and Emory, would you quiet your dogs please?" he requested and got a blank look from them both. They acted like they hadn't even heard the animals baying and yodeling.
Tired and in no mood to be more than cursory polite, Mark raised his voice so the valley walls shook with his request. The brothers got their dogs quieted immediately.
"Thank you," he smiled in their direction. There was a blaring of horns at the gate, the first of the trailers had arrived. The placement and leveling of the units took priority over everything else. Mark wanted his instant home to be the furthest up the valley, even above where the remains of Gertie's house was located.
The next one in, was placed a short distance away for Helga and Karl. Stephan and Olga's unit was placed across the road from Karl's. It was full on dusk by the time the trailers were leveled enough to be used for the night, and in the center of the triangle of houses, Helga set up a cooking fire and started coffee. The moving company worked until they had to stop on account of darkness, so they unhitched the van from the power and bob tailed it back to town for the night.
Mark unhitched from the stock trailer and backed his pickup up to the front door of the trailers, to unload the boxes of clothes and canned food they would need for the night. In the darkness lit by the fire's dancing flames, they ate bowls of stew and the last of the bread Helga had brought with.
No one had the energy to put their bed frames together, so they used mattresses on the floor. Mark and Warren turned in as soon as they finished eating, and Mark went to sleep with a smile on his face.
It was cloudy and overcast the next morning, and the hint of camp fire smoke woke Mark from a good and restful night's sleep.
"I can't believe how hard I slept," Warren joined them at the fire, gratefully accepting coffee from Helga. "It's been a long time since I've been asleep the entire night. This place must agree with me."
All the things that Mark used as a personal totem, were happening as they stood in the dim dawn's light. Morning birds were coming awake and greeting each other, there was the drifting sound of a cow's moo, and the smell of the fire and the burning hotness of the coffee was a perfect beginning.
They had oatmeal with butter and brown sugar, and the food tasted better with the slight foggy mist that rolled down from the canyon walls.
Helga waited on her band of rag tag warriors, thinking they were a sorry looking bunch and hoping they could get settled without a lot of drama. It bothered her that Meester Marks had spent so much money moving them, when that was work she and Karl should have done. Suddenly, Helga was very conscious of her age and the slowing down she was forced to deal with. She looked up to smile at Karl, and he returned her satisfied gesture. As long as they were together, she decided, it would be OK.
The work to get the water and septic in, took three days on account of the rain.
The trailer company took their request for a propane delivery to town, and the truck showed up early in the afternoon. Helga had thawed a roast and she put it on to cook in her trailer, the meat and onion/garlic smell teasing hungry men.
Warren had taken a walk up to the head of the valley, following the stream to the waterfall. He noticed the fish, and went back to see if he could fashion some kind of fishing pole. He used a stick, a length of flat ribbon dental floss and a safety pin donated by Helga.
A couple of fat grasshoppers later, he was the proud owner of a couple of salmon. Warren fished until he had six, and walked back to camp with a lot of self satisfaction. Providing the clan with supper make him feel needed and useful, and it was a good feeling.
Warren had been so engrossed with fishing, he had forgotten to come in for lunch and Helga made him a tuna fish sandwich with a pancake as bread. The table which had seemed fine in the kitchen in Applewood, took up almost all of the kitchen and living room in Helga's trailer.
"Eh, something different needs to be done here," Mark reached for a cookie. "Maybe a cook shack trailer attached to this one, or something of the like."
"That's vould bees muches good," Helga agreed, "muches smalls in here."
"I'll look tomorrow when we go after the rest of the herd, and a few other miscellaneous things I need to get at the farm. Helga, do you feel comfortable being here alone?" Mark put the question to the cook.
"I vill stays vith hers," Karl added, "I noes can helps vith the driving or the gathering, soes it's best I stays here"
"Alright," Mark looked quickly at Stephen, "How about you Stephen, do you feel like you could help?"
Stephen nodded and so did Warren. "Well then, we'll have an early breakfast. Do you have a grocery list for me Helga?" Mark was sure she did, and he was right.
Mark was anxious to get out of the valley so he could call Clora and check on her and the family. They were so very important to him.
