Riding back to JR and Smokey, he made a mental list and rough schedule of things to do before they could settle into their new home. He grinned at the thought of his and JR’s home. He, JR, and home had a good ring to it. And Smokey.
At the truck Sam described the condition of the cabin to JR. He was more excited and animated than she’d seen him. “It’s bigger than I thought it might be, so I stepped it off. It’s approximately twenty-four by twenty-four feet square inside; about the size of a standard two-car garage. There’s a stone fireplace in the east wall for cooking and heat. But there’s something weird too; a small, thick insulated door about three feet high and two feet wide is cut into a north wall that opens to a log enclosure about three foot square with three thick wood shelves in it. Inside there are nine opening in the logs about one inch wide by three inches high, three in the back and three on each side. Outside, screen wire is nailed over the openings.”
JR looked at him quizzically. “What do you think that’s for?”
“I thought about it as I rode back. It could be to store meat in the winter. If it didn’t freeze it would still be as cold or colder than a refrigerator. I saw thermometers at Charlies; the next time we’re there I’ll grab three, one for the cold box, one for inside the cabin, and one for outdoors.”
“Okay, great Apache hunter, you’ll have to kill a deer, an elk, or maybe a moose to fill that.”
“You might get to shoot one, too, smartassed Comanche squaw. While there and traveling back and forth, I saw all kinds of game: white-tailed and mule deer, moose, several kinds of squirrels, and rabbits, and a small herd of buffaloes was down in the valley at a distance to the north.”
JR beamed. “Good, then we shouldn’t go hungry.”
He stopped as if in deep thought. ”Windows! There are two small windows, one each in the west and east walls.
“You’ll like where the cabin sets too. It faces south, and it’s on a knoll overlooking a shallow valley with a good sized stream running through it. I hiked down for a look and saw trout in it, so we’ll have fish to eat. Near the cabin there’s a cold freshwater stream within twenty feet that comes out of a mountain bluff rising at least a hundred feet behind it. It meanders down the knoll to join the larger stream.”
Sam quieted, turned toward the truck, then stopped and turned back. “Another thing, there’s an elevated platform about, maybe ten foot by twelve foot with a bar-b-que grill and lawn chairs setting on it. The grill is rusted out and the plastic straps on the chairs have rotted. I’m thinking of building a shed on it for general storage above the ground. The cabin isn’t about to hold everything from the camper and the trailer and leave room to move around. But first we’ll need to put plywood on the floor to cover the gaps in the rough sawn boards.
“Oh! And there’s a lot of work to be done. The cabin is dirty inside; it looks like the old man was a heavy smoker and not too clean, so it needs a heavy-duty scrubbing. Plus, the roof leaked and the flooring in one corner is buckled and twisted and needs replaced.”
At eleven, he and JR unloaded the Kubota and its small trailer. The trailer's bed was still loaded with cases of ammunition he’d bought initially from Mabry. After a cold lunch, he took the smaller, new chainsaw, a small can of gas, and a quart of bar oil and walked the trail to the cabin to widen it so the four-wheeler could get through.
J.R. and Smokey stayed with the truck to protect their gear. She and Sam had discussed training Smokey for his own good, so he didn’t attack zombies or thieving people and get injured or murdered. For two hours, she followed the regimen Sam laid out but saw little progress in his behavior. She started the Kubota and drove it to get used to the way it handled. Smokey sat regally on the seat next to her and occasionally barked and growled at wildlife only he perceived to be at the edge of the woods.
Nightfall was less than an hour off when Sam returned. Instead of coming back the way he left, he approached the clearing from the west on a game trail.
JR was expecting him; nightfall was approaching as Smokey stood attentively facing the edge of the turnaround softly barking several times. Sam slowly stepped out from the woods; he looked tired after cutting and dragging felled trees and saplings for over six hours. “You look beat,” she said as they met.
“I am—hot, dirty, and hungry too; but I feel good. Got the whole trail opened up. I’m sure the Kubota can make it to the cabin now. We’ll take that load of ammo there tomorrow and store it in a dry corner of the cabin.”
“What gives with coming out here instead of the way you left?”
“That game trail crosses the cabin trail and cuts off a bunch of walking. I’m guessing maybe a half mile or a little more.”
“I’m sure you’re hungry. The fire is ready to cook the pork steaks Charlie gave us, and I’ll put potatoes in the hot coals to bake. I figured you would be starved, so you get two steaks. While the food cooks, lets wash before we eat.”
They stripped
