by Pete Thorsen
The storage tank was slightly higher than the house so the water flowed everywhere inside but they had very low pressure. It was unanimous that low water pressure was way better than no water at all. With the loss of power and communications Del started carrying a pistol at all times. He also strongly suggested that the ladies also carry at all times. He loaded two rifles and a shotgun and placed them inside the house near the main door. The two ladies were not afraid of guns and both owned their own which they did start to carry.
It only made sense even though they were likely quite safe way out here, they knew there was no longer any laws accept what they could enforce on their own. None of them expected a shoot out at the OK corral but it would not be prudent to take no precautions. All were thankful for Del’s insight on buying the oil lamps which they used every night. There was no comparison between an oil lamp and a couple candles (which was all Deb had kept on hand for occasional power outages). Del had a couple of suitcase sized foldout solar chargers that they used to charge their laptops and Kindles.
At the end of Deb’s driveway where it met the road was a gate which they closed. They did not bother to lock it but Del rigged up a trip wire on the gate that ran to a hidden reconstructed mouse trap. Instead of the light duty and easily tripped trigger it came with Del hooked up a simple pin mechanism to hold back the striker. He also changed the striker some and adapted it to hit a 12 gauge shell. It was not designed to hurt anyone but only be a noise maker. He made a few of these as usually they were a one time use thing. With the ladies in the house he tripped one to try it and they heard it easily. He rigged up another on the gate and they all felt safer.
As days went by and it got warmer they all worked up the garden (which they expanded) and planted it. Deb had plenty of garden hose so the garden could be watered from a house spigot or from a spigot at the big storage tank. They lost the use of the refrigerator and Deb’s small freezer. Del had figured the power would fail and from the first day he had urged Deb to use everything up in the freezer and frig. The loss of the refrigerator was really felt.
Using a few old feed sacks Del rigged up a cooler that used a five gallon bucket that slowly dripped onto the feed sacks that covered a couple plastic crates. This cooled the interior some but it was not as good as a refrigerator. One day Deb said she was going over to her neighbors place to bring them some fresh milk and eggs.
They had been dumping some of the milk anyway because they had too much. Del suggested they take his truck this time because he had over ninety gallons of diesel in his two tanks. That would make it easier to carry the milk and eggs so they loaded up and drove out.
After going through the gate Del re-hooked up their alarm system. They would not be able to hear it but it still might scare away anyone who came in their absence. Being an out-of-state pickup Del had Deb get out in her neighbors driveway and walk ahead of them as they slowly drove up the lane. This turned out to be a good idea because the neighbor came out with a shotgun and only put it down when he recognized Deb.
They all had a nice visit and the neighbor (Bill) was happy to get the milk and eggs. Del told him how he had rigged up a cooler and Bill said he would do the same that afternoon. He told Deb if she cut back on how much milk she took from her cow it would adjust itself down to meet the lower requirement. Same as when you weaned off a calf.
Bill admitted that he and his wife Sally did not have a whole lot of food. They were still eating fine and had enough for awhile but it would not last more than a couple months at most even with harsh rationing. He said he would shoot a deer but did not want to waste all the meat because there was no way for him to keep it without a freezer.
Del said he had some ideas on that and to hold out a little until he had things set up and they would go hunting together and cure the meat together. That sounded fine to Bill so Del told him he would have something set up in a couple days or so. Sally thought fresh meat would be a wonderful thing to have and would really stretch their food out. They had put in a garden but it would be some time before it was producing. After a nice long visit the three climbed back into Del’s truck and went back home. Del made sure both Eve and Deb saw how to hook and unhook the simple gate alarm.
The next day after breakfast and morning chores Del told the girls his plan for curing the meat. They actually had three options that would be viable. They could jerk the meat, they could salt cure the meat, or they could dry the meat. The ladies wanted to jerk the meat as they were familiar with eating jerky from the store but Del said to start with he thought it would be easier to just dry the meat.
This time of year the air here was quite low humidity which would help and it required the least set up and resources. He drew out on a piece of paper what he wanted to build and how the meat would be handled to permit its drying as fast a possible. So for the next few hours they worked together getting things setup as best they could using whatever they could find around the old farm. There was junk everywhere it seemed and all of it was now a valuable asset.
Del pounded in some tall steel fence posts in a square pattern and then put small stakes out from them for guy wires to help hold the posts straight. Then they ran barb wire back and forth from the tops of the fence posts. This wire they pulled as tight as they could so it would not sag. This put considerable strain on the posts but with the guy wires on them they stayed straight up and down (plumb).
Del then explained that they would just cut the deer meat up into strips, soak it in very salty brine, and hang it up on the barb wire. That was it. He said they would make a couple smudge fires to keep any flies off the meat and let it dry for maybe about four days. The girls were aghast at the four day figure but Del was adamant that it would take that long and should work just fine because people had been doing it this way for centuries.
He then walked over to Bill and Sally’s place to set up a time to go hunting. Bill said we might as well do it first thing in the morning and they could meet on the road about half way between the places as deer were everywhere around here.
Del warned him that he knew nothing about hunting so it would be up to Bill to provide the expertise. Bill told him when they met in the morning to do no talking and be as quiet as possible then just follow him and they would shoot one without any problem. They decided to meet about an hour before dawn so it would be quite an early start.
The hunt the next day was very anticlimactic. They met and walked a very short distance into the field by the road, Bill waited for a little more light, then pointing at a few deer to make sure Del saw them he upped his rifle and shot one of the deer which all ran off. Del said darn too bad you missed but Bill stopped him and said watch the deer.
The deer were running across the field and shortly one of them seemed not to be able to keep up. Then it stopped and lay down. Del started to step forward but Bill stopped him again and said “We wait”. So they stood and waited for about a half hour before Bill said OK let’s go get our deer. As they walked to the deer Bill told Del that animals seldom fell over dead when hit even with a good shot. Sometimes they did fall on the spot and sometimes they acted like they were never even hit.
First they walked over to where the deer had been when Bill shot. He soon located some hair lying on the ground and then showed Del the blood. To Del it looked like the blood had sprayed out and Bill said that was exactly correct and that was what you wanted to happen. Del then asked why they had waited when they clearly saw when and where the deer had stopped to lie down. Bill explained the deer was hurt bad and knew it. It had run away but when it thought it was not being chased it lay down to rest and heal as the deer did not know the wound was fatal. If they had walked up to the deer right away it would have likely jumped back up and ran until it fell over dead which might have resulted in them losing the trail and the deer.
This way the deer stayed in that one place and just laid there and likely died by now from blood loss and trauma. They followed the trail of blood so Del could see how the blood
would sometimes spray out and sometimes rub off on the weeds as the deer brushed them as it ran by. Bill showed him the tracks the deer made and how the points on the tracks pointed the way the deer was traveling. He showed Del the big deep marks the deer made when it was running and said the tracks would be smaller and closer together if the deer was just walking.
They got up to the deer and Del saw how first Bill just watched it to see if it was still breathing. Then with his rifle ready he walked up slowly and kicked the deer in the back to make sure it was dead. It was. Bill showed Del where he had aimed and hit the deer low just behind the front leg. Bill said that is where the heart is on a deer. Then he drew a circle with his finger over an area of the deer’s chest to show that you could shoot anywhere in that area and it would kill the deer quickly and humanely. Bill then handed his rifle to Del and took out his knife and showed Del how to field dress the deer to remove the entrails (guts).
Together they dragged the deer to Deb’s place and hung it up in the spot that Del had prepared. Del told Bill what the plan was for cutting the meat into strips, soaking in brine, and drying on the rack they had made. He explained that he had never done it but had read extensively about how it had been done that way for centuries and was still done that way in Africa.
Bill said he had heard of it but knew nothing about it. Bill offered to skin the deer which Del thanked him for as this was all new to him. Bill had the deer skun out in just a few minutes while Del watched closely how he did it. By the time he was done the girls appeared with butcher knives and three buckets of salt brine for soaking the meat. Bill quartered the deer and hung the quarters on the ropes that Del had hung for just that purpose yesterday.
All four people took a quarter and started to cut the meat off into strips. Deb had brought out a large platter on which her and Bill both put a large roast for fresh meat to eat that night. All the rest of the meat was cut up to be dried after the brine soak. When all the meat had been cut into strips and was in the buckets soaking Bill took the roast he had cut (after Deb wrapped it up) and headed home.
During the next hour they moved the meat around a little in the buckets so it all had full contact with the brine then started hanging it on the cross wires. It did not take too long and that job was done. They saw they had enough room for another deer on the wires but one was enough for now.
Del started the smudge fires and they left the meat hanging while they all did the regular farm chores. Throughout the day someone would toss a little more green wood on the small fires to make more smoke but none of them really thought it was necessary. After three days the meat looked dark and was very hard but Del said it was best to leave it for another whole day which they did.
When they took it off the wires on the forth day the girls said it was no good as it was hard as a rock just about and not flexible like the jerky they had all eaten before. Del told them that this was not jerky and was not to be eaten without cooking it first. It was dried meat not jerky. He suggested they put it in a plastic bin and wait a few days then check it to see if it was getting rancid but he thought they had done a good job as it turned out just like it was supposed to.
Three days later they opened the tote and the meat looked and smelled the same as when they put it in. They called it a success and Deb took some out to cook for supper because that would be the real test. She put some in water on the stove and let it simmer for an hour or so then added several vegetables and some spices and let it simmer another hour or so then called the other two for supper. It had turned into a nice stew that tasted very good; they all ate until they finished all that Deb made.
All meals now had to be carefully made so there was not too much cooked at one time. The object was to cook the correct amount so everyone had enough to eat but there were no leftovers afterward. Things were different now with no having electricity and therefore no refrigerator. No leftovers could be stored and no one wanted to waste any of the now very valuable food.
Chapter Eight
The next morning after chores they all walked to Bill and Sally’s house and brought over half of the dried meat. Sally’s face kinda fell when she looked at and touched the dried meat but after Deb assured her that it cooked up fine and told her exactly how she cooked it the previous night she brightened. She promised to try it for supper that night. When Sally left the room for a minute to put the meat in the kitchen Bill quietly asked if they had really eaten any of ‘that stuff’. All three told him not only had they all eaten it but it was quite tasty.
When Sally came back in Deb mentioned that the meat should work well for soups and stew but they might have to experiment with other recipes. They had a nice visit and all three went back home again. None of them had seen anyone drive by on their road since a couple days after Eve and Del had arrived. At this point that was a blessing they all thought. Every evening they tried the radio to see if they could get any news but they only found static. Del had a radio that had a crank on the back so you could crank it for a minute to charge it up. It also had a light on it and a small solar panel so you could charge it that way also. They always tried all the radio bands but it made no difference, nothing was heard.
Three days later they got company as Bill and Sally had walked over (Del had showed Bill how to unhook the alarm). Sally said she had to apologize for doubting them about the meat. It was very good and she had made some everyday since they brought it over. Bill asked them how long they dried it and looked over the drying rack they had made. He thought the meat situation was solved as far as he and Sally were concerned.
They both liked the dried venison and there were plenty of deer around to eat. Their garden was doing well and they thought they could make it through for a long time though they hoped things would get better soon.
Everyone looked at Del like he would have all the answers but he said he had no idea how long this would last, it could even be permanent. That shocked everyone and Bill asked if he was joking. Del said he thought things would get rolling again but did not think it would get back to ‘normal’ for a long time or ever. The longer it took, the more people would die and the more infrastructure would be damaged.
He told them even though the five of them were living fat and sassy that was not the case for most people in the United States right now. He said they could not even imagine how bad things were everywhere else. The cities and a large area around the cities would have huge numbers of refugees trying to stay alive. With no clean water and no food and dead bodies stacked here and there it must be awful.
And even though he thought many people would have eaten their dogs, he thought many more just would have turned them loose. And a feral dog pack would wreak havoc with all the refugees. They would start out by eating the dead bodies, of which there would likely be many then move on to killing and eating live people. That is one of the reasons everyone should be armed all the time. Also many people would be very desperate and be traveling by foot or bike or other vehicle and would kill or steal or anything just to stay alive.
Del also said that he hoped the military was still down on the border because if the military left the border open you can bet many would come across just to rape and pillage now that there was no law. There was also some already living here that would try to take advantage of the fact that they had free reign with no worries about being caught by the law.
So between the desperate people who would do anything to live and those who had always wanted to rape, kill, and steal but the laws had held them in check, the US is now a very dangerous place. Everyone sat in stunned silence while they digested all this information. Most of them had basically just been thinking in terms of their own situation and not thinking about how terrible it likely was everywhere else in the country.
Bill said “I never thought about everyone else. I was too busy thinking on how Sally and I would stay alive.”
“Do you really think it is that bad everywhere else?”
“We are blessed with the windmill.
Think how everyone is trying to scramble to find drinking water. With no power every single city and even small towns will have no water. Almost every home out in the country will have no water. With no power no city or town will have a sewer that works. Many regular homeowners use sewage pumps on their own septic systems.
Also no freezers, no refrigerators, no furnaces, no air conditioning, no lights, no microwaves, no electric stoves, and for many no hope. Almost no one would have much fuel so if they left their homes it would be with only what they could carry while walking. Luckily this happened in the early spring when temperatures were tolerable. If it would have happened in the middle or beginning of winter many more would have died from the cold. Though that could still happen this winter.”
“Can’t you tell us any good news?”
“Yes. We are all five together and we are all healthy. Between us we have a lot of very valuable knowledge that will likely keep all of us alive. We are living in the back side of nowhere so we will hopefully be safe here.”
“After listening to you I am going to borrow some of your knowledge and make a few of the shotgun popper alarms to put at our place. It would sure help to have a warning if someone is trying to sneak up on you. Right now I wish we lived even farther out in the boonies.”
“Before you go I’ll show you a couple of those alarms I have made that will do more than just make noise.”
“I should have known that you would have more tricks up your sleeve.”
“Sally do you know how to shoot also?”
“Bill has shown me a few times and I have shot a couple of his guns but I never had any interest in shooting. I guess I should start being interested now.”
“I would strongly urge you to pick one gun and learn to shoot it well. It could very well save your life or Bill’s. Learn to shoot it and keep it handy at all times.”
“As you can see besides Del, Eve and I also carry a gun all the time and have one close at night.”