Dinner that night was “Pasta Primavera” and, despite being made from pre-packaged, freeze-dried ingredients, there was not a negative word to be heard. Maria had baked buttermilk rolls to go with the Primavera and there were sliced peaches for dessert. Michael and Maria had already become quite adept at calculating the amount of MRE or freeze-dried foods to prepare so that nothing went to waste, while still assuaging the appetites of the biggest eaters. Feeding 31 people of varying likes, dislikes, and appetites was no easy task, but Michael and Maria had risen to the task. Fortunately, there did not appear to be anyone who had any food allergies that would complicate the selection of foods. Tonight’s Primavera would be the first true test because it contained several potential allergens.
As dinner concluded, Bishop got everyone’s attention and began the summary of the day’s activities: the water line was installed and would be ready for testing the next day. CHEERS! The women had made great progress on washing all the clothes and linens. CHEERS! Ellen had found a large cache of clay that would be important for cementing the pueblo walls, making clay bricks for ovens, and providing clay for ceramics. CHEERS! The women had made significant progress in establishing closets of clothes and shoes to be shared with those who needed them, being careful not to single out the Amado children. CHEERS! There would be a good supply of blankets and bed linens stored for future use as needed. CHEERS! Bud and Colby’s team had made significant progress in preparing the kiva for construction of the new greenhouse. CHEERS! And, Travis, with help from others, had successfully moved and replanted all the trees and plants in his nursery so that fresh produce would be available within a matter of weeks. CHEERS!
Then Bishop announced, “The ladies have put in considerable effort to clean up the floors in our living and eating accommodations,” deliberately being formal rather than just saying tents, “and want it to be known that from tonight on these areas will be ‘shoe-free zones.’” The ladies cheered, as did the small children who had no idea why they were cheering but had been caught up in the previous cheering and thought it was the thing to do. The men groaned and then realizing how important this was to the women, and to their own well-being, cheered, too. Colby suggested that there were enough pallets left to put one inside each doorway, with a plastic sheet under each, to allow people to take off their shoes before stepping onto the rugs that had been spread on the tent floors to help with warmth. He said he was sure they could wrangle shelf units to place to the side of the doorway on which to place their shoes and, if they couldn’t, he would put a plastic sheet there for the shoes. In this way the plastic sheets could be picked up and shaken outside, helping to keep the floors as clean as possible.
“If you have some slippers, you can leave them here in the Meeting Hall or in your residences, or both, and you won’t have to walk around in stocking feet,” offered Bishop. “If the Japanese can do it, so can we. It may take a while to make taking off your shoes before stepping onto the floor a habit, but I’m sure the ladies will make sure we develop this habit quickly.” He and everyone else chuckled and the children felt now was the time to laugh, which then caused everyone to laugh.
“If no one else has anything to add, that’s it for tonight. Y’all sleep well,” he said with a pronounced drawl.◘
Chapter 29
Monsoon
In the wee hours of the morning of July 18, just two weeks and a day after their adventure had begun, the first faraway rumbles of thunder could be heard, but it was heard only by Chloe, Jackson, and Belle, whose ears pricked up; everyone else was sound asleep.
One of the benefits of rising early, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise, and retiring early to conserve generator fuel and batteries, was that everyone slept soundly; even those like Carly who had suffered from insomnia for years. Their new lifestyle was, indeed, a healthier one.
It wasn’t long before flickers of lightning shown through the plastic windows of the tents and cast interesting patterns on the inside of the tents, again witnessed only by the animals.
However, just before dawn the winds picked up from the south and a thunder clap overhead brought the impending storm to everyone’s attention. Chloe sprang from the cot, where she had been curled between Carly’s legs, and hid among the personal goods collected beneath the cot. Jackson and Belle, who had been lying on the rug in the family area of the Thomas family’s tent made a mad dash down the center hallway into the second tent and under Colby’s cot.
And then the rain started, slowly at first, and then big drops driven by the wind that made audible splats on the roofs of the tents. The monsoon had begun.
Well, now we’ll get to experience firsthand how well we put the tents up, thought Tanner as he sat on the edge of his cot rubbing Kiera’s back as she cuddled up to him. From the back tent they could hear little Javi crying and Tess attempting to soothe him while assuring Manny that it was just a storm and everything would be okay.
In the Thomas tents Colby was trying to coax Jackson and Belle out from under his cot while Maria was soothing Todd, who was trying not to cry but had tears streaking his cheeks.
As they exited their tents and either headed for the restrooms or the Meeting Hall, Colby was glad that he and Jason had taken the time the night before to put down the plastic sheets and pallets he had suggested. He knew there would be lots of muddy shoes before this day was over.
Michael was already busy getting the kitchen ready for preparing breakfast. He, like the others, had been in a sound sleep when the thunder clap woke him, whereas normally he and Maria would be up at dawn and already preparing breakfast when the others awoke. Maybe, unconsciously, the cooler temperature and the sound of the rain lulled me into a deeper sleep, he thought, because it was certainly a rude awakening. This morning he was behind schedule and had to make the choice between preparing breakfast and getting hot water prepared and taken to the restroom trailer for the women. He chose breakfast and hoped the ladies would forgive him.
Maria quickly joined him and, as the others completed their morning ablutions and carried the smaller children to the Meeting Hall to keep their feet dry; four fewer pairs of shoes to clean, Carly thought as she carried Manny into the tent, Maria gathered the meal packets she and Michael had agreed to the night before. Everyone took off their shoes when entering the tent, without being told.
This morning they would have pancakes and scrambled eggs with bacon bits, all made from freeze-dried products. It wasn’t long before the bacon aroma began to spread. Maria tended the scrambled eggs and bacon while Michael made stacks of flapjacks. Tina Escalante, who seemed to have a real interest in the food preparation, delivered plates of food to the others, who were already sitting in the Meeting Hall sipping on Tang, just as fast as Michael and Maria could serve it up.
Before Tanner had gone to the Meeting Hall for breakfast, he took the time to check the stability of each tent and the effectiveness of the drainage trenches they had dug along each side of the tents. He was satisfied that the roping was doing its job but discerned that the trenches would need to be deeper if they were to drain off the high volume of water sheet flowing off the tents. He also noticed that the rain barrels they had placed around the restroom trailer were filling quickly and he could assume the same was true at the greenhouse and along the wall. From the walkway he could see portions of the valley the other side of the tents and saw that water was sheet flowing down the valley. The winter wheat Matt had planted a week earlier was most likely being carried down the valley and over the cliff to Woods Canyon, he thought. So maybe we’ll have to go down into the canyon to harvest it. At any rate there will be a lot of erosion to repair while we can still operate the backhoe. He couldn’t see the old cistern from there but was sure it too was filling up and probably overflowing down the valley. He made a mental note that they needed to improve the cistern into a major water retention area in order to make use of the rainfall. Matt is going to be a busy man, he thought.
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After breakfast Bishop addressed the subject that had already occupied their conversations in-between mouthfuls of pancakes smothered in maple syrup: the rain.
“I know you’re all wondering what effect the rain will have on our projects,” he said, “so I’ll have each of the project leaders fill us in. Let’s start with Jack, inasmuch as the completion of the water system is our major priority.”
“Well,” Jack began, “this first monsoon rain will slow us down a bit but, as we all know, monsoon rains come and go and seldom seem to last all day. However, right now the water line trench is full of water so it would be quite difficult, if not damned near impossible, to spot any leaks in the pipe.” Some laughter ensued. “Because of the very porous soil, I think the trench will drain rather quickly once the rain stops and then we can turn the system on, one section at a time, and check for leaks. Assuming our highly qualified professional installers have done their job properly,” more laughter erupted, “we’ll be ready to backfill the trench. While my able assistants are doing that I’ll begin running temporary waterlines to the greenhouse, toilet trailer, and water trailer. We can continue to use the water trailer to supply water to the kitchen. That gives us a 500-gallon back-up in the unlikely event something happens to the overall system. And, before I forget it,” he added, “Tanner told me that the rain barrels are filling pretty quickly, so I’ll run some PVC overflow lines from the barrels to take the water away from our facilities.” The rain barrels each had an input area built into the quick lock lids which could be opened to allow gutter downspouts to enter, a hose connecting spigot at the bottom, and an overflow plug a few inches from the top. “I hate to waste water but I’m afraid, at least for now, we just have to protect our facilities from the overflow. We’ll still have two-thirds of each barrel’s capacity available after the rain stops. At any rate, we should have our water system on-line the day after the rain stops.”
“That’s good news, Jack,” Bishop said. “I think now we’re getting a taste of what the Sinagua experienced going from periods of little or no water to an overabundance. At least we have a way of capturing some of heaven’s gift. Speaking of capturing water, Tanner, how’s the cistern doing?”
“Actually,” Tanner responded, “I haven’t seen the cistern, but Matt did. I can tell you that there’s lots of water running down the valley and I’m worried that we might lose all the winter wheat seeds we planted.”
“I don’t think it’s as bad as it might look,” Matt interjected. “The water running down the valley is just the rain falling directly on the field and doesn’t have the force that a flash flood or overflow water from the cistern might have so I don’t think we’ll lose that much topsoil. The cistern, on the other hand is full and overflowing but the berm I built on the downhill side of the cistern is channeling the water around the ends of the berm and into the deep channel Bud dug before we first moved here. I think we need to wait until the rain stops to see how well the cistern holds water and then consider building the more permanent retaining wall around it that Tanner suggested some time ago.”
“That’s good news, Matt,” Tanner responded. “We’ll see how well the clay walls and base of the cistern hold up and then decide what to do next. If we don’t get too much rain and manage to get some sunshine, the wheat should germinate in a couple of weeks and we’ll be able to see how much, if any we lost.
“On another subject,” he continued, “I wanted to congratulate Colby on the cover he built for the alleyway. Though there are some unavoidable gaps where the wind can blow the rain in onto the pallet walkway, by and large, the walkway and entrances to the tents are dry. I’m sure Michael and Maria appreciate the excellent cover over the kitchen,” to which Michael and Maria both clapped, quickly joined by the children. “I’ve noticed that the small trenches we dug around the tents need to be deeper, so I’ll take care of that.”
“Well, Colby, it sounds like you’re the man of the hour,” Bishop said, “and we all thank you for the cover. It’s not until we had to leave the tents this morning to move down here or go to the restroom that we truly appreciated your handiwork. So, thanks.
“And, how about your greenhouse project?” Bishop asked.
“Well,” said Colby, “not only are the support holes we’ve already dug filled with water, but the bottom of the kiva has the same clay flooring as the cistern and has quite a bit of water already turning it into a lake. Once the rain stops we should be able to continue digging the upper level support holes, but it may be a while until the water evaporates or is absorbed in the kiva before we can dig in it. However, until it dries out we can still set the supports on the upper level and, while it’s raining, we can fabricate the 2x6 glulams for the main beams. I have all the glue and equipment we’ll need, as well as the lumber, in the equipment tent. It will take Dad and me two days to fabricate the beams we’ll need.”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” interrupted Tanner. “I’m sure this rain will cause the creek to rise considerably and to begin running rather rapidly, so I’d suggest we stay clear of the creek for a while. I’m sorry, Ellen, but gathering clay will have to wait until the creek restabilizes. Once the rain stops I’ll check the trail down to the creek to make sure it hasn’t washed out or become unstable.”
“What say you, Travis?” Bishop asked. “How’s the greenhouse?”
“I haven’t been up there yet this morning,” Travis responded, “but I assume it’s alright, as long as the wind didn’t knock the tent down,” he chuckled. “Jason and Tate have expressed interest in learning about running the greenhouse, so the three of us will go up there after this meeting and make sure everything’s okay. We’ll use some of that nice fresh water from the rain collection barrels to water all the plants and they’ll help me with the seedling transplants I’ve been working on. That should keep us busy for a while.”
“Well, Carly, I guess that brings us to the ladies projects. What do you have in mind for today?”
“Maybe some rest and relaxation,” responded Carly, laughing. “That’s not all joke,” she continued, “although I’m sure we’ll keep busy finishing up the clothes closets, altering or repairing clothes, and keeping the children entertained, I think some relaxation time to read, nap, or just reflect would be appreciated by all, not just the women. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will Duwa.” To her, and Bishop’s, surprise there was near unanimous response of “hear, hear!” from the others.
“There’s not much ambient light today,” interjected Jack, “so, if you agree, we’ll keep the lights in here running on the generator. If you wish to read in your own tents then you’ll need to use your battery operated lanterns.”
As they prepared to leave the Meeting Hall, Carly pulled Colby aside with a request. Within minutes, Colby was at the Westin’s tent installing a screen door in the entrance way. Carly had explained that the coolness of the rain was a perfect opportunity for them to open the front doors and roll up the north side, away from the prevailing rain direction, of the tent a bit to allow the fresh air to circulate throughout the tents. Carly, however, was concerned that Chloe would get out through the open door. In fact, as Colby thought about it he did the same thing for his tent so they could keep Belle and Jackson inside. He knew they’d be out enjoying the mud and rain and tracking it through the tents and Meeting Hall.
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It rained on and off for the next 10 days, but not as hard as it had that first day. Each time it rained the Meeting Hall lived up to its intent: a place that the entire community could gather.
During the non-rain periods Jack and his crew were able to test and finish the water system. There were no leaks and there was a joyous celebration as the water began filling the first tank on the promontory. The sound of the water splashing to the bottom of the tank was, indeed, a welcome sound. The trench had been backfilled and the temporary supply lines run from the village tanks to the restroom trailer, the temporary greenhouse, and the field kitchen. It too
k three days for all three storage tanks to be full. The first thing Jack did then was to run water through the restroom septic line to help flush it, just in case. They began burying the supply lines against winter freezing and wrapped any exposed pipe and valves with insulation. Each line had a shut-off valve at each end.
Colby, Bud, and their crew made steady progress digging the upper level support holes but were still unable to dig in the kiva because of the wet and slippery floor. They finished all the glulams during the rainy periods, gluing them with Gorilla construction adhesive and then binding the two glued 2x6’s together with C-clamps. They had plenty of 2x6’s in eight, 10, and 12 foot lengths because that’s all he and his father used for framing the houses and commercial buildings they built. Once the two glued lengths were firmly in place, they put two four inch bolts through each beam. They only had enough C-clamps to do four beams at a time and each had to dry for four hours so, during the drying time, they sat down with Travis to finally sketch out the design for the greenhouse that, up until then, had only been in Colby’s head.
With the building oriented on a north-south line, Colby designed it with a long sloping roof facing south to catch the best light of the day, with the peak of the roof being near the back of the kiva. The slope on the north side would be shorter and, other than a few skylights, would be solid. This portion of the roof faced the fiercest of winter storms and its slope would shed most snowfalls. The skylights were primarily for ambient light as most of the sunlight for plant growing would come through the south-facing roof.
Along the upper portion of the south-facing roof Colby provided for the solar panels that Jack would use to provide electricity for the greenhouse. It was determined, with Jack’s input, that the future restroom and kitchen building would have its own solar panels, as would the living units. The panels on the greenhouse would run the lights, pumps, heaters, and fans in the greenhouse only. He also provided for an exhaust fan at the peak of the roof to vent the hot air during the summer.
Sinagua Rising Page 35
