Shadows Of Sanity And Survival (Old Preppers Die Hard Book 3) Read online

  “I don’t think Fong would be overly jealous if you gave Jeremy those, he knows how much he admires yours. Now me on the other hand is different, those are gorgeous!!” Becky said with a smile before continuing.

  “Do you have anything in particular for Fong or are you still looking?” Becky questioned.

  “Yea I got real lucky I guess on that one. I got him what in my opinion is the best hand axe ever made and a book to insure that he loves it. My favorite book for prepper kids or for that matter adults if I ever gift them a good hand axe is a classic about a boy who receives an axe from his mother and ends up using it to survive all by himself in the wilderness. The Ax is an Estwing sportsman’s axe and the book is Hatchet by Gary Paulson. That’s an Estwing on the cover by the way.

  “I would say that I managed to come about as close as I possibly could in finding something that could be appreciated as much those Silver Stag knives Jeremy is getting. Those two boys are a good team and having to depend on each other’s capabilities daily could mean the two different tools (Gut Hook and Axe) might be a good thing for them to have to ask the other to share.” Farley declared.

  “Oh I read that book when I was growing up! It’s a classic and on most schools reading lists. It’s a wonderful story and one of my very all-time favorites! Very appropriate to these days and times, I think you did real good choosing gifts for them!” Becky said giving Farley a pat and an unexpected hug that made him beam a smile and get tongue tied for a moment.

  “Now then, ah hem.” Farley spluttered before regaining his composure. “I see them boys heading this way. Time for this stuff to go back in my Santa sack, also known as an old government duffel bag that has a hole needing mending! We will talk more about my paperwork and this bag and a box or two back at my cabin later.” Farley declared and buckled the bag shut.

  “The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.”

  Aristotle

  4

  SAWING AWAY AT SURVIVAL

  “Come along boys, I reckon it’s time I go ahead and let you borrow a couple of my prize possessions. You all got some work to be getting done while I go out by myself on a little foraging and politicking trip for a few days. Now is the time that we all need to getting very serious about getting ready for a long hard winter and that means firewood first and foremost as the main attraction for this week. But that is not only thing I need you all to do. I need your help gathering and cutting firewood albeit doing with a twist. I need for you all to try and do most all of your gathering and cutting wood down along and around my old trap line around the perimeter of this place. The reason that we are going to have to do it this way is that I want you to utilize some of that wood that you will be cutting for constructing deadfalls. Now listen up, I don’t want you to set them deadfall traps up just yet, just see that you have everything you need there in position with your triggers all cut and smoothed made up for later on in the season on site and ready. The extra branches and debris from our clearing out some dead trees along the trail will create some good habitat for the wild game to hide in that I am hoping to draw back over here and with a little thoughtfulness on your parts you can channel the game trails by those readymade sets you will be building that will also be seasoning the firewood. The animals will get used to the smells and those sets position as part of the scenery so they might do better and catch more game if the forest and field critters are comfortable with the new available cover.” Farley declared.

  “You going to try to stay closer to home this winter, Farley?” Jeremy asked hoping that this was going to be so.

  “Hopefully so, that’s the pan but who knows? Either way the job needs to be done and you bright lads got tasked to do it until I get back to help you. I haven’t put too much pressure on the game close to home and it will take a spring birthing season to start replenishing the deer herd in these parts. You can’t believe how over hunted the woods everywhere are now, thankfully most folks don’t know how to hunt or trap the other critters living in the woods, so we will still be eating ok I hope.” Farley said somberly.

  “How many deadfalls you got planned for us to get ready for setting Farley?” Fong said anxiously just itching to going back to more trapping and snaring and doing less Farm chores as he called them. Farley had advised them both previously to let the game go back to feeling safe around the confines of the resort in hopes more animals would seek refuge there. The less they had to go far from camp to hunt or trap the better this winter.

  “Well that kind of is confidential right at the moment if you know what I mean. I don’t want you all talking much about that and getting all the folks around here overly worried on a number. We got ourselves a real hard winter coming; the signs are all around indicating that is so in my opinion. . Trees have been dropping more acorns than normal; ducks were hatching earlier and in bigger numbers etc.” Farley declared looking at the falling leaves and then went on to tell them a few more reading the signs tricks.

  Cleveland weather guru, Dick Goddard put together a laundry list of “signs” of nature in 1978 and it is still relevant today.

  Here are the 20 Signs of A Hard Winter.

  • Thicker than normal corn husks

  • Woodpeckers sharing a tree

  • Early arrival of the Snowy owl

  • Early departure of geese and ducks

  • Early migration of the Monarch butterfly

  • Thick hair on the nape (back) of the cow’s neck

  • Heavy and numerous fogs during August

  • Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands

  • Mice eating ravenously into the home

  • Early arrival of crickets on the hearth

  • Spiders spinning larger than usual webs and entering the house in great numbers

  • Pigs gathering sticks

  • Insects marching a bee line rather than meandering

  • Early seclusion of bees within the hive

  • Unusual abundance of acorns

  • Muskrats burrowing holes high on the river bank

  • “See how high the hornet’s nest, ‘twill tell how high the snow will rest”

  • Narrow orange band in the middle of the Woollybear caterpillar warns of heavy snow; fat and fuzzy caterpillars presage bitter cold

  • The squirrel gathers nuts early to fortify against a hard winter

  • Frequent halos or rings around sun or moon forecast numerous snow falls.

  “I have been thinking on the situation that we are in boys and we might need to be considering taking in boarders of a sort. Actually it’s more akin to garrisoning the fort or staffing the guard shack if you want to look at it that way. Whoever comes to stay with us will of course need food and we don’t have the extra stores to support them. It would be a last ditch effort thing mind you if we have to hole up with basically strangers and gather in the country side you might say to make a stand. It’s doubtful it will get down to all of that but I am not so sure I can dismiss the notion so easily or entirely. Either way, we need us some help around here and bringing in a few folks or families to help get us a better agricultural existence and defense going makes sense to me. Also being able to quickly set up a trap line close to home is becoming a necessity. See young bucks, normally you would set a trap line in hope of getting furs etc. in winter for trade or sale in spring in normal times, well that market is pretty much dead and unnecessary anymore. We eat what we catch so we need less worry about money or clothing and besides there is no market. I have been able to provide with your help pretty much what we need so far around here but we got to look at a bigger picture. In Africa, you have professional hunters people depend on that bring in “Bush meat” for trade to villages and such, here we have been lucky enough to trade for foraged canned goods occasionally and to get other things we need or want but this will be the first hard winter and folks will be dying like flies that made it so far. The need for community hunters a
nd trappers will be at a all time high if we are going to try to help reconstruct this little bit of civilization we got around us.” Farley said not much liking the idea of trying to interact with folks who by now had pretty much become reclusive and didn’t take kindly to any strangers but like the song Bob Dylan wrote “ The Times They Are A-Changin” once again. He had that old song on the Mp player he traded Dump for the Aero rifle and reminisced moment thinking on the words.

  Nowadays outlying cabins and houses of survivors needed to band together to fight a common threat just like when we had our Indian wars settling this country and Farley figured that their little military vacation resort was the closest thing to something that could be turned into a fort he could think of. His self reliant and hermit-ish ways railed against the notion but he didn’t see very many alternatives. He couldn’t help but think about though, that the refuge they had all been enjoying to themselves for these many months would end up being its own kind of hell with sick, cold and likely diseased people milling around and arguing over the few scraps of food available while waiting on some unknown terror to possibly attack them for whatever possible reasons. “Got to be something better to do than that, but what?” he considered.

  “We already got a dozen or so of those portable snare triggers you taught us how to build we can add to your trap line.” Jeremy stated.

  “That’s good, lots of uses for those and good to have in reserve. Make some more for me if you would when you get time and I will trade you some of your favors back. I am thinking maybe we will take a bunch along with us to set up if we go to rendezvous or if Dump Truck and I can set up some outlying scout camps. He and I have been talking about maybe forming us a minute man force or some kind of quick response teams sort of like mini militias. I will explain more about that to you men later, meantime think deadfalls, figure 4, Paiute, split stick whatever because you will have the heavy logs around to create those things from our timber cutting.” Farley declared and then went to his gear and pulled out his two amazing saws to do the task with.

  Silky Saws Big Boy

  TOTALLY AWESOME! Silky Saws Katana Boy

  “Now then, just because that big saw says Katana boy on it, I don’t want you playing around trying to play Kung Fu or samurai about with it. These are finely crafted precision tools made by masters in Japan, but not weapons, get that straight. However, you would appreciate knowing, that just like a samurai sword they are razor sharp and finely tempered. They are also indispensable to our way of survival so be extremely careful you don’t abuse them in anyway. Are you both reading me loud and clear?” Farley said sternly before giving them a grin and handing them the famous woodsmen tools..

  “I have seen you using them before and what all you can do with them, but you been kind of possessive about them, Farley.” Jeremy said anxious to try them out finally but still worried about how Farley had told him and Fong they were not to touch his beloved saws no way no how previously.

  “I am still very possessive of them and don’t you ever forget that, but I think that now you boys are mature enough now to appreciate a finely crafted tool and appreciate it. I seen you all trying to figure out and work yourself to death with them old bow saws and if I remember right Jeremy you busted the blade in that midsize one, you’re lucky we had a replacement for it. I doubt I could find one but I did myself a long time ago trying to learn the art of sawing with them things. Those things work well but require a learning curve as well as finesse and strength to be effective on a big woodpile. These saws here are made by a company named Silky which pretty much says everything about their operation in the field and cutting capabilities. They cut amazingly smooth and easy.” Farley said watching the bows admire the finely made Japanese saws.

  “What’s very unique about them besides the design is the way they function. SILKY saws cut as you pull the blade towards you. They do not cut on the forward or push stroke. Cutting on the pull stroke requires less energy and gives you more control over the action of the saw.” Farley advised

  Farley showed them how to safely open and close the saws and then sat back as they made short work on just about everything in sight that needed cutting.

  “Farley I can’t believe how easy these things cut. Why they go through wood just like butter!” Jeremy exclaimed to which Fong agreed whole heartedly that they were the best thing since sliced bread in his opinion.

  “I will show you all how to make a simple useful tool. A good wooden mallet is a very handy thing to have around. You can drive stakes with it, unstuck a wedge or ax head in a log, anything that needs a good thump or a bonk its good for.

  They are indispensable if you need to drive a tool called a Froe to split shingles. I will teach you how to make a froe someday also, teach you some very basic blacksmithing.

  Now you can make a mallet out of any kind of wood but choosing a hardwood is best if you want it to last.

  First thing you do is find a likely sized log for the task. You got to decide length and weight wise based on the final or general purpose you plan on using them the most for.

  Next you decide how big a head you want on it and take you a saw and cut all the way around in a circle to about where you think you want the thickness of your handle to be. Any kind of saw can be used, bow saw, handsaw, pruning saw whatever. This will be your “cut to line”. You can get all crazy and remove stock from the sides with the saw but this is difficult and dangerous for some. I prefer to just take my axe and chop around that first cut towards the bottom of where the mallet head will be. This takes out chunks and your cut is somewhat stopped by the saw kerf but you don’t want to over cut into the head that much.

  Score the sides with your axe and remove material naturally to get the “feel “of the handle. Chop downwards towards its base and then smooth the handle with your sheath knife if desired.

  Farley left them alone to go saw up a tree or two and create one each and then began heading back towards camp.

  Farley wasn’t necessarily on everybody’s shit list at the moment except Becky’s which he seemed to stay on anyway lately for any number of reasons. Often the trivial arguments would start because of their differences in current world views. For instance she was the type of person that would still share bits of bread and morsels of this and that with the squirrel that hung around outside her cabin which was ok in a way. However it seemed that she was out doing it one day at the same time Farley was teaching Miss Feng how to make fried squirrel brains from his day’s catch far distant from their living quarters when it would have been much easier some days to just hunt local meaning Becky was in fear of him accidentally catching “her” squirrel that he refused to get friendly with. That they would be reduced to eating such delicacies as squirrel brains was no problem for Miss Feng because she enjoyed or remembered her own sometimes odd Asian dietary upbringing from her homeland and did not have the Western aversions to making use of entire carcasses in whatever way you could.

  For others, the concept of waste no meat or parts still carried the distaste of Western diets of anything not considered ‘normal.'” Farley would occasionally come home with what the boys jokingly referred to as ‘mystery meat’ that appeared to their now educated woodland butcher skills as he had run up on somebody’s cat or dog most likely in one of his traps. Not one to waste any kind of food he told Becky that it was from such mysterious and mythical creatures as jackalopes and snipes so that she would not be put off from eating what she would forever consider as somebody’s pets whether they were now wild or not.

  The gardens had not produced for them very well no matter how hard they tried. Their would be no bounty this year. It didn’t matter how much the plants were talked to, prayed over (Becky) and attempted to be nurtured by all. Seed was still saved however and plans for more fruitful harvests next year were anticipated and worked on daily. Their efforts for the next planting season included attempts at amending the soil but there was no harvest store to go to for fertilizers. Hopefully next year
a surplus could be counted on for the winter even if they had yet to find the means of canning or other food preservation methods to make it last. Twenty two caliber ammunition was in short supply and dispatching game in traps was usually accomplished by whopping it with a stick versus a more humane method. Farley didn’t tell the assembled crew that the man he had found dying from starvation on the side of the road had asked for the mercy of being dispatched by Farley’s pistol, but he just could not in any way bring himself to do it and argued with himself later if he had by denying him that release left him to a worse fate with the coyotes wild dogs and other predators of this world he knew lurked awaiting the passing of another soul.

  The buzzards which he saw on a daily basis circling near or far, ever circling somewhere always got his attention. He used to go and see just what they had their interest in. He did not want to see anymore, didn’t want know. He did not want to know a lot of things anymore and he worried not too humorously that when he was resting quietly somewhere occasionally a buzzard might come to see if he was likely to be on the menu today.