They checked several of the nicer houses along the base of the mesa making mental notes of things that would be useful to their community until they came to Horse Mesa Ranch, a small ranch that had been popular for boarding horses for residents of the Village. They were not pleased by what they saw; the carcasses of several horses and a mule in the front-most corral. As they approached the next corral, one that had a hay barn attached, they found a donkey that immediately came toward them. And, trailing the donkey were three black and white puppies that Matt thought were Border Collies and estimated were not more than six months old. The men petted the donkey and the dogs, who seemed delighted to see them, and then checked the barn. Chickens flitted everywhere; in the rafters and on the hay bales. A large supply of horse feed in sacks sat on pallets. Some of the sacks had holes in them where rodents had most likely penetrated the sacks, but they knew now how the donkey and pups had survived. Water troughs in the corral were still full, probably from the rains, but leaking, and served the needs of the donkey and the dogs.
At the base of the hay stacks lay the desiccated remains of a cat. Tanner speculated that this might have been the source of the kittens Chloe had brought home to Duwa. And, in a small pile of hay, laid the body of a Border Collie, probably the mother of the pups, and two dead pups. There were a couple of tillers, an old tractor, a roto-tiller, and miscellaneous farm implements, and tack. As the men searched the barn the donkey and the pups followed close on their heels. Outside the barn stood a small four-wheeled wagon that Matt felt sure was designed to be pulled by the donkey or a Shetland pony, though no pony was in sight.
They left the corral and entered the old farmhouse, knocking first and calling out, but getting no reply. They searched the house. The pantry was empty and the refrigerator had nothing but spoiled food in it, though it had been hooked to a generator that no longer was operating. There was a hand-pump for water, which worked. When they checked the master bedroom they found two bodies, an old man and woman; both had been dead for some time. On the night stand was an empty sleeping pill bottle. Tanner surmised that the elderly couple had run out of food and hope and had committed suicide together—they were holding hands. Having been closed outside the house as the men entered, the pups were now barking and whining. The men went outside, making the pups happy, and discussed whether or not they should bury the bodies. Tanner suggested that they seemed fine where they were, together, and burying them would not improve the situation.
They then discussed what to do with the donkey and the pups. There was unanimous agreement that they should be taken back to Duwa. The pups would be a welcome part of the community, especially by the children, and might be beneficial in searching out the cattle in the flood plain and as watch dogs. The donkey, they decided, could be very helpful in moving things around the village and to and from the Ranger Station by hooking it to the little wagon they had found. Jason volunteered to take the donkey and pups back to Duwa, if they would help him hook up the wagon. He had no experience with tack. Matt did, and quickly hooked the donkey to the wagon. They decided that putting as much hay and horse feed in the wagon as they could would be beneficial, as well. When they had completed the task Jason led the donkey out of the corral and toward the trail back to Duwa, trailed by the pups, that he finally picked up and set in the wagon, their little legs not yet able to keep up with the wagon. Tanner radioed Bishop at Duwa, telling them what they had found at the horse ranch and that Jason was on his way back. They determined they would come back at a later date to get the rest of the hay and horse feed, as well as the farm implements that Matt felt would be helpful to them. Tanner also felt that the leather and buckles from the tack could come in handy in making leather goods.
They left the ranch and followed its gravel drive out to Jack’s Canyon Road. Across the street they saw a very large Moroccan-style house on the side of the hill, much out of place in the normal southwestern-style homes in the Village. They were surprised to find the lower level of the house was actually a series of garages housing collector’s automobiles. “They must have been worth a fortune,” Philip observed, “but worth nothing now,” he lamented. On top of the garages and built on the hillside around a large courtyard was at least a 6,000 square foot mansion. The floors were covered with expensive tile, plush carpeting, and valuable throw rugs. The furniture was of the highest quality as were the draperies, light fixtures, wall hangings, and art works. And, to their delight, the very large walk-in pantry was loaded with useable food and bottled water, juices, sodas, and beer. The liquor cabinets were well-stocked, as well. Tanner guessed that the house had gone untouched because it was well off the main road through the Village and the people in Pine Valley had not yet reached the point they needed to scavenge for food outside their own little community before they moved to Scorpion Meadows. “What a find,” Tanner said excitedly, stating the obvious. “We’ll need to bring the trucks and trailers back here and load up.” He radioed Bishop again and gave him the good news. Stating they would go to the Kachina Point next, before heading back. It was already afternoon, so they helped themselves to nutritional bars, crackers, cookies, and pop from the pantry and sat down to enjoy the palatial surroundings before leaving. As they were leaving the property, Philip noticed the house had solar panels and knew, therefore, there would also be another inverter/controller they could use in Duwa.
The Kachina Point Rehabilitation Hospital had been an important part of the Sedona-Village of Oak Creek community before the CME. When they entered the building they had expected to find many deceased patients but were surprised to find none. “They must have moved them when the first warning of the coming solar storm was issued, or had the means to move them somewhere else after the CME,” guessed Tanner. “Whatever they did it appears they did the best they could for the patients,” he added.
A quick tour of the facility showed that Mel and Jessie could gather some very useable medical equipment, not to mention a supply of mattresses, each encased in plastic, linens, pillows, and blankets. In the institutional kitchen they found a large walk-in pantry full of bulk foods, including powdered milk, in bags, boxes, cans, and canisters; all appearing to be in useable condition. The well-built pantry evidently sealed out bugs and varmints. Tanner was sure that Michael could find utensils, pots, pans, and prep tables that would enhance his kitchen at Duwa. It appeared they would have their work cut out for them for several days salvaging the goods from the mansion and the hospital that would make life even better in Duwa. Tanner again radioed Bishop and then they headed home.
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It was late afternoon when they returned to Duwa. They were met by an enthusiastic crowd of villagers, five dogs, and a donkey. Word of their finds had already spread throughout the community. Various children tried to lay claim to the three pups, but the donkey seemed to have adopted Jason. With his father’s help, they built a small lean-to and corral off one side of the chicken coop where he would be protected from the elements. The wash tub that had been used for bathing in the old bathhouse, was now converted to a water trough for the donkey. Tess told Jason that the donkey was called a burro in Spanish, so Jason named him “Burrito.”
Bishop picked up one of the pups, a female, and was immediately infatuated with her. She followed him everywhere he went the rest of the day and by bedtime that night he had decided he would adopt this one himself. In order not to have the children squabbling over the remaining dogs, Matt and Philip adopted the remaining two pups: Matt a male and Philip another female. Of course, they knew the dogs would roam freely in the village and, therefore, be available to the children. Bishop’s dog, that he named Dolly, chose not to leave his side. He knew she would be a perfect companion as his vision deteriorated further. It had now been a year since his eye drops ran out and already the glaucoma was restricting his peripheral vision and he knew it would be just a matter of another year or so and he would lose his sight completely. But, for now, he kept this concern to himself, and Carly,
of course.
Tanner told everyone about their adventure, highlighting the finds but also noting something they hadn’t contemplated before—the environment they had left behind was changing dramatically. Trees and shrubs were growing willy-nilly, the desert plants were coming back in spades, and the grasses were more like African savannas. Buildings were collapsing from snow, rain, and dereliction, concrete was cracking, and weeds and trees were growing up through the asphalt roadways, which were cracking and buckling. Nature was reclaiming what it had lost to civilization.
That night they made plans to take the Jeep and one truck with the utility trailers to Jack’s Canyon to “liberate” the food and other useable goods from the mansion. They would also take whatever clothing they could find, as it could be altered to fit or used to fabricate other pieces of clothing. Jason and Eduardo would take the other truck and the ATV trailer to the horse ranch to recover the farm implements and the remainder of the hay and horse feed. They also would take the chicken cages Matt had gotten from Henry, to collect the chickens. The following day all three trailers would be taken to Kachina Point. The dogs would all be left in the village with Bishop, who had decided someone should stay behind with the children, who would remain under Kathleen and Tina’s care. Bishop admonished them all before they retired for the evening: “Tomorrow take whatever you feel will improve your lives here in Duwa—but no alcoholic beverages.”
The next three days were busy and exhilarating as they explored the two facilities and “liberated” the food and other things they felt would be useful, and then stored them in the Meeting Hall and their units as the case may be. Some wall decorations and bronzes made their way into various units adding some extravagance to their otherwise austere surroundings. The funniest moments were recorded only by Jason and Eduardo as they pursued the chickens in the horse ranch barn. In the end they managed to get them all, including a very feisty rooster. They left the eggs because there was no way to tell whether or not they were fresh. They also found two 100# bags of Bermuda pasture seed. They weren’t sure if it could be used in Duwa, but they put it on the truck just in case.
On the return trip from the rehab hospital, Jessie suggested to Mel that a quick stop at her former dental office might be in order so she could collect implements and supplies that would help her to take care of their teeth, especially the children. Mel agreed, as did Colby, who was driving the truck pulling the ATV trailer. They now had a well-equipped medical center, with an adjustable bed, an examining table, a dental chair, and plenty of implements and supplies. Jack determined he and Philip would rewire the solar equipment in a way that would allow the medical center to have its own solar panels, inverter/controller, and more lighting than the other units. No one objected.
At dinner that night, Travis commended Jason and Eduardo for having the forethought to collect the bags of Bermuda seed. “We can seed the entire plaza area,” he said enthusiastically, “and that will help reduce the mud we’ve been tracking into the buildings until we can put in proper sidewalks. And, now that we have a living lawnmower,” he said, referring to Burrito, “I think he’ll keep it at just the right height—year-round. After everyone had finished their usual updates, Bishop informed them that all the dogs and cats had become very good friends—which drew light-hearted laughter from all—even Kiera, who was busily petting Chloe and the kittens.◘
Chapter 44
All Hands on Deck
The morning after their adventurous three days in Jack’s Canyon, they again awoke to the smell of coffee permeating their rooms. Because of their exertion the previous days, they had all slept like babies, but the coffee smell was so strong it spread throughout the pueblo and awakened them. The sun was already creeping over Squaw Mountain, because they had overslept. After quick morning ablutions, they gathered in the Meeting Hall and were greeted by another surprise—pancakes. Among the foodstuffs gathered at the mansion and rehab center, had been a good supply of coffee and pancake mix, and Michael and Maria couldn’t see any good reason not to immediately use some of it.
Michael was busy making a large batch of dollar-sized pancakes while Estella whipped up heaping servings of scrambled eggs, using fresh eggs from their own coop and mixing some powdered eggs with them to enlarge the portions. To top it off, large containers of maple syrup liberated from the rehab center, and bottles of blueberry syrup liberated from the mansion, were placed on the tables along with fruit juices.
No one left the table hungry that morning. In fact most left the table stuffed to the gills—and there were still leftovers for the dogs and cats. Jason even took a plate-load of pancakes up to Burrito. It was the first time that Michael and his crew had over-estimated the amount of food to prepare, determined to err on the side of too much rather than too little—and everyone, two-legged and four-legged appreciated it.
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It was now approaching early fall. The crops had been harvested and the cornfield and area where the tents used to be were tilled. Travis suggested that the entire valley be seeded with winter wheat to increase the potential harvest for their own use, as well as the chickens and Burrito. After a thorough tilling using the new till from the horse ranch, pulled behind an ATV, the valley was reseeded, the orchard was watered, again, and Colby, Bud, Matt, and Jorge began working on building a red rock enclosure around the water storage tank near the windmill. Jack indicated that building enclosures around all three tanks would help protect them against any hard freeze, though they hadn’t experienced it yet, and against the weakening effects of prolonged exposure to the elements. Since completing the pueblo units, this had been the next project on the list. Colby determined to use concrete for the mortar rather than clay, as it would last longer. They still had enough concrete to finish the three tanks, though that would pretty well wipe out their supply.
They built a circular wall around the tank, about one foot out from it. Jorge and Colby did the masonry as Bud and Matt scoured the mesa and surrounding creek embankments for the stones. On one trip they discovered a large cut in the opposite mesa, about one-hundred yards downstream from the dam, that would provide all the red rock they needed, using only a crowbar to break it loose. Once they had the pile of rock growing, the tank encasement grew, as well. Matt brought the backhoe over and used the bucket to scrape dirt and small rocks from the mesa’s surface and began backfilling the area between the wall and the tank as soon as the mortar had set up. In order not to put too much outward pressure on the new wall, they took several days to move up the side of the tank in two-foot segments. In the meantime, they began the same process on the two tanks in the village, but here they had to backfill the walls by hand because the backhoe couldn’t get close enough. They built square access ports in the walls surrounding the valves and would fit them with doors and additional insulation once the project was completed. Others from the village helped gather the red rocks, now that a ready source had been identified, looking like a line of ants going up and down the creek trail. It took all of three weeks to complete the work. Each tower was fitted with a roof that overhung the walls so the rains and snow would not saturate the dirt inside the towers and put too much outward pressure on the walls. The monsoon rains were late this year which was good and bad: they needed the rain to quench the otherwise parched earth but they needed dry conditions to finish the tank walls.
The only major construction projects now left to be done were to finish off the two towers at the front and back of the village, firming up the defensive wall, not that they thought they’d ever need it, and removal of the dirt stairway they had been using since moving to Duwa. Removal of the stairway would necessitate building an “elevator” to move equipment, goods and supplies from the valley up to the pueblo—Bud had that all worked out.
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Had they been paying attention to a calendar, they would have known that Halloween had passed without an observance and with only a modicum of monsoon rain.
A buil
d-up of towering cumulus clouds could be seen on the northern horizon and it was clear to everyone that a storm was brewing. They closed the shutters they had built to cover the windows in their units and made sure the chicken coop and Burrito’s shelter were as secure as they could get them. By dinner time that night they could already hear the distant roll of thunder. By bed time the north wind had picked up and spears of cloud-to-ground lightning could be seen in the north, followed by tremendous thunder claps that fairly shook the mesa. This was a major storm and Jack suggested everyone stay indoors throughout the storm, if possible. The severity of lighting and thunder grew and then one earsplitting bang echoed through the night—making the hair on the back of everyone’s neck stand up. Within just a few minutes an orange glow could be seen on the northern horizon and they knew a fire had been started.
By morning the thunderstorm had worn itself out but the sky was masked with a thick blanket of smoke carried on the northerly wind. By the line of billowing, black smoke that could be seen from Duwa everyone knew what that meant—a forest fire had begun. Bishop called a meeting of the villagers.
“I don’t like the looks of things to the north,” Bishop said in an understated voice. “I think we need to begin discussing how we’re going to deal with a forest fire if it comes to our doorstep.”
Sinagua Rising: A story of survival after a worldwide catastrophe Page 53