The Journal: Ash Fall (10 page)

He managed to repair ten of the plants.
Whether or not they survived was the question we wouldn’t have an
answer to for at least a week.

JOURNAL ENTRY: May 24

With the temperature back into the low eighties, the
hail from yesterday has completely melted and now I need to fix the
damage done and replant what I can.

My back is sore and bruised from the hail stones. My
arms are worse. I never thought hail could be sharp, but it is and
I have small cuts and large black and blue bruises everywhere there
was exposed flesh.

I hurt, but the work still needs to be done.

* * *

I planted two more rows of beans in and
around the sprouts that were broken and still alive. Beans are very
hardy, even so I lost a lot. The tomato and pepper plants took the
biggest hit. Of the three dozen I grew indoors, I had already
planted twenty of them, only the six I managed to protect are left,
plus what was in the tray. Fourteen irreplaceable food sources are
gone unless Eric’s quick thinking works.

Had this been another time, I would have just
gone to the nursery and bought more. There is no nursery now; it’s
one of those businesses that have remained closed. These twenty-two
plants will have to be tended carefully and guarded. Hopefully they
will produce well.

The only fortunate part was many of the seeds
had not come up yet, so they were saved from the brutality that
befell the rest of the garden. The sprouted seeds that were
destroyed are fast growers so a replanting will still give us a
crop. Using extra seed could hurt us in the long run though. I’ll
have to designate a few extra plants for saving seed to replace the
additional used.

I suppose I should go into town and see how
Bradley’s Backyard fared, however I need to tend my own first.

May 25

“What hail storm?” Anna asked, looking
bewildered.

“Two days ago, Anna! Quarter sized hail! Are
you saying you didn’t get that here? You’re only five miles from
me.” I sat down abruptly. “That’s amazing. My garden was severely
damaged and you’re telling me that Bradley’s Backyard just got a
light watering?”

“That’s all, Allexa. I guess we should
consider ourselves lucky that it hasn’t been planted yet. The town
is going to depend on the food that the community garden produces.”
She looked away, embarrassed by what she just said. I depend on
what I grow too.

“Don’t worry about it, Anna. I did get to
replant some of it. We’ll be fine.” I hope.

Maybe it wasn’t so strange after all that
Moose Creek didn’t get any hail. The wind currents from Lake
Superior shifted directions and changed all the time. During the
winter there might be a heavy squall of snow just down the road and
I would only be getting flurries. The Big Lake was something we
just couldn’t second guess.

We needed to plant more and there was only so
much room in my garden space. Maybe Eric could clear away some of
Nancy’s flowers and plant something over there.

JOURNAL ENTRY: May 28

This week has really passed quickly. I’ve finished
getting the remaining plants in the garden, and have delighted in
seeing more new green sprouts everywhere. The green beans I covered
and saved from the hail damage are now 4” high, while the special
red foot long beans I bought last fall have barely broken ground.
The heirloom honey and cream corn was well soaked before going in
the ground, so it only took a week for it to come up and the rows
are so obvious now, I can take down the yellow marker tape. The
last minute decision to put in potatoes has paid off with new
leaves pushing up. Each day there’s something new to see, and it
always makes me smile in spite of how much was lost.

I picked John up at 9:00 A.M. so we could spend some
time together before he reported back for his change to night
shift. It’s only for a few hours, but it’s better than nothing and
I’m anxious for him to see the progress Jason has made.

* * *

John wanted to see the garden first and it
gave me a good way to break the news to him about how much we
lost.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner about this,
Allex?”

“It happened right after the last time I was
over to Eagle Beach. There wasn’t any reason to call and burden you
with the news,” I said. “Besides, there wasn’t anything you could
do and I’ve managed to get everything replanted.” He looked really
concerned.

“Don’t worry, we will have enough.”

* * *

John was impressed with Jason’s progress.
“This is incredible, Jason, you work really fast.” The footings
cured quickly in the dry heat, allowing Jason to start on the walls
as soon as the lumber arrived. Most construction yards in the area
had been very slow, so they filled the order within a few days. The
outside walls were only four feet high to allow the steep pitch of
the glass roof.

“Once the walls were up and insulated I
installed the plumbing,” Jason said. “The floor is in removable
segments in case we have to get to the pipes for some reason. And
everything is raised on triple joists to hold the weight of soil
and the fish tank. You can see the markings on the floor of where
things are going to go, John. What do you think?”

“It’s really amazing, Jason,” John repeated.
“I’m impressed.”

“It won’t take long to finish once I can get
the glass. I’m having trouble finding a local glass company that’s
still in business. What I would like are long, triple paned sheets
of glass. Each one to be two feet wide by four feet long and there
needs to be a lot of them. I think it’s safer to have lots of
smaller sections in case something breaks. Like I said, I’m not
having much luck, so I might have to rethink this.”

Jason had already explained this to me,
nevertheless, he delighted in rehashing it with John. It’s a guy
thing, I think.

“I’ll build the growing boxes in place next,
while I’m thinking out the glass thing. Each box will be high
enough for working in while standing up, almost level to the
exterior walls, with lots of storage underneath.” He pulled out the
rumpled blueprints to show John. “All the solar equipment has
arrived, including the batteries, however, I won’t put it in until
after the place is weather tight. Since wiring is next on the
agenda, I might ask Eric to build the boxes. The fish tank should
be here tomorrow.” He made it sound like a big aquarium when it was
actually a five hundred gallon pond.

I was really proud of what Jason had
accomplished, and in such a short time. John was astounded.

“Oh, and the deck is done,” he announced
proudly as he led us around the back of the house to show John the
new roof. “Eric and I worked at the supports and trusses. That took
two days, and then I left Eric to do all the panels on his own
while I kept on the greenhouse.” The roof made me smile. Following
the lines of the house pitch, the new roof sloped over the deck,
hot tub and generator, and extended two feet over the edge. The
opaque white panels allowed the sun to shine through and seemed to
enhance the light.

I nudged John and said, “No more shoveling
the generator out from under a foot of snow.” He grinned.

“What about the exhaust from the gennie?”
John asked.

“It’s vented over here,” Jason said. “I
attached a dryer hose to the muffler, reduced it to a PVC pipe, and
it goes up here and out the roof.” He tapped the white plastic pipe
in the corner. John nodded in appreciation. We talked more about
the project, and then Jason said he had some things to do at home
and left. This was prearranged. John would be here today for only a
few hours and I wanted some private time with him, so I had asked
Jason to take the afternoon off.

3:00 P.M. came way too quickly, and I took
John back to Eagle Beach so he could change and catch a ride with
the guys back to the mine for their late shift. I would see him in
another week for his regular massage.

It surprised me that he didn’t notice the
pile of firewood was almost gone.

CHAPTER 9

May 29

I had managed to do that last load of wood
with very little help from either Eric or Jason, and without so
much as a splinter, until today. I had nosed the wheelbarrow into
the woodshed to unload, and stepped around it to start stacking,
when my shoe caught on some bark debris. I tripped, bouncing off
the stacked wood and falling against the sharp metal rails that
hold the wheel on the cart.

The gash on my left shin was pretty bad and I
couldn’t ignore the severity of it when I saw blood welling from
the new wound. It wasn’t long, moments really, and the blood
started to run down my leg, soaking my foot and the bark chips. I
limped into the house, leaving a trail of large red drops across
the kitchen floor as I headed to the bathroom. I grabbed a couple
of clean rags from under the sink, and then set my leg on the edge
of the marble basin where I could wash it with the cool running
water. It was really bad and wouldn’t stop bleeding. I sighed with
impatience at the thought of having to seek medical help. I wrapped
the rag towels around my shin, securing them with an elastic
bandage, and grabbed my wallet and keys. As I headed to the door, I
stopped long enough to get one of the few plastic garbage bags I
had left. I wasn’t about to get my shiny new car all bloody. I
hoped the new doctor was in his office. Sitting sideways in the
driver’s seat, I pulled the plastic bag over my foot and up to my
knee before getting fully in, thinking that should contain any
wayward droplets.

* * *

I pulled into Mark Robbins’ office parking
lot just as he was coming out, and locking up.

He leaned on the driver’s door. “What a
pleasant surprise, Allexa. “What brings you into town?”

“Well, I kind of cut myself, and thought you
better take a look at it,” I tried hard to be nonchalant about a
gash I knew was going to need stitches.

His expression changed to concern as he
opened the car door for me. I swung my injured leg out first, and
he went pale when the plastic bag slid off, revealing towels
completely soaked with blood.

“What happened? Never mind, let’s get you
inside first.” Mark hurried to unlock the door as I limped behind
him. He ushered me into an exam room, turning on lights as he went.
When he helped me up onto the table, I noticed how warm his hands
were. The other thing I noticed was that I was actually feeling
lightheaded. I could not have lost that much blood so it must be
shock.

He slipped on a pair of surgical gloves,
which for some strange reason made me feel better. As he started to
cut away the towels and bandage, he started to talk.

“So, what happened, Allex? Sorry, Allexa.” He
was completely professional as he irrigated the wound after
dropping the blood soaked towels into a small metal trash can.
Inwardly I was pleased he remembered my preference on my name.

“I tripped, that’s all. It was just in the
wrong direction. I feel foolish,” I confessed. “I fell against a
wheelbarrow and the metal rails are calf high. It was full of wood,
and didn’t give –however … I did.”

“When was your last tetanus shot?” he asked,
not even looking up.

“Five, maybe six years ago. I try to get them
regularly, considering where and how I live. Ouch!” He didn’t warn
me before poking me with a needle. “What was that?”

“Just something to numb the skin. You will
need stitches. Are you allergic to anything?” He finally looked up
at me. It might have been my imagination, but he seemed angry.

“Yes, I’m allergic to penicillin and codeine.
They make me sick to my stomach. Are you mad at me for some
reason?” His hands stilled and he looked at me again, and then
turned to retrieve two sterile packs of sutures, that looked just
like what I had in my med-kit.

“In the few weeks I’ve been here, I’ve gotten
to know the people in the town. Interesting folks and they love to
talk.” He paused. “Do you know how much they think of you? How much
they depend on you?” His back stiffened. “This is a serious injury,
Allexa. What would have happened if I weren’t here to stitch you
up? You shouldn’t be so careless!” He ripped one of the packages
open with unnecessary force.

“Well, doctor, I guess I would have
butterflied it closed, or stitched it up myself, or called one of
our capable paramedics!” I knew I was getting defensive, who did he
think he was? And now that I think about it, I didn’t understand
why I was so hostile toward him, except maybe because I did find
him attractive, and I felt somehow disloyal to John because of it.
Anyway, we glared at each other for a moment, and then he started
to laugh.

“You’re a tough one. I bet you would try to
do your own stitches! I apologize for my gruffness, it was uncalled
for. It’s just that most accidents can be avoided.” His voice
softened. “You might not want to watch this. On the other hand,
maybe you do.” He grinned at me and I smiled back, the tense moment
gone. I leaned back on the table and let him work. The cut was
deeper than I thought. It took six internal stitches and ten
external to close up the gash.

“I’m normally quite cautious when it comes to
my physical safety,” I sighed. “It was the very last of the wood to
stack, and then I was going to clean up all the bark that had come
loose. Maybe next time I’ll clean up as I go.”

“What do you use the wood for?” Mark asked
casually. Finished with the last of the stitches, he started to
bandage my leg.

“Heat and cooking in the winter,” I replied
with a smile, thinking of all the wonderful meals I’d fixed on that
stove over the years. I then explained to him about the stove and
gave a brief history of it in my life.