a little to ensure the water came out in a steady stream and got a greater concentration of grains. The coffee was actually pretty good made this way. I could make it as strong or as weak as I wanted to. Clouds moved by slowly as I sat in my chair staring out across the southern expanse. Somewhere out there over the horizon there was a message being relayed. My only hope was to get the hardware needed to be able to receive it. It was so late in the day that I knew I had to make a decision about how I was going to go about this. I could make it to the camper, but I wouldn’t be able to make it back to the cabin before dark. I don’t even think I’d be able to get to the small pool which was about half way back before sunset. The wiring would have to wait until tomorrow morning. I would have to get an early start. It was worth bivouacking tonight as the air was beginning to chill at night. Inside the cabin was still warm, but I knew outside would be an entirely different story. Fall was coming now, and with it the need to hustle before winter. Today would be spent gathering for firewood and finding something to eat in order to spare my rations from vanishing any further.
When the coffee was done I ate a few berries then started working on the wood situation. I had been gathering much of the branches that had been on the forest floor, and had found a maple a ways downhill from the cabin that had fell over years before. It would serve as a great supply of needed wood. I worked at chopping the branches away, but would need to get that bow saw in order before tackling the main section. I did what I could then spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening carrying it up to the camp. After finishing for the day my stomach was growling horribly. It was time to hunt down something I could fill my belly with. Taking the gun in hand I walked off down the mountain a ways until I came across a few squirrels. I was getting a little tired of this entrée, but unless I took time to hunt below the mountain this would have to suffice. As I approached the little rodents running from branch to branch, a sudden drumming noise caught my attention. I instinctively turned to my right raising the .410 and shot at the grouse that was making a quick get away. A smile ran across my face knowing that I was eating chicken tonight. I picked up the bird and held it proudly in my hand. The squirrels silently stared on hiding in the trees, and I wondered if they were aware that this grouse had saved their hides for another day.
Returning to the cabin, I put away the gun and cleaned and plucked the bird. I normally cut the meat down and cook it in the coffee pot as I didn’t have a cooking pot. This time however, I made a spit and roasted my bird right over the fire. Berries and a can of green beans would accompany this meal tonight. While preparing the green beans I thought it might be smart to check on the garden at the camp tomorrow. Some of it had been trampled down, but I was betting on there being some food there. Not to mention I would be able to harvest some seeds for next year. Drool watered up in my mouth continuously as the grouse cooked over the fire. I was looking forward to a change in menu tonight, and a large meal that I have been in dire need of.
* * * * *
The forest was quiet this morning as I worked my way amongst the trees in the dawning light. I had left the camp the second I could begin to make out the shapes of the trees. Probably an earlier start than I had originally planned, but I now knew I had plenty of time to accomplish my mission and return to the cabin. I carried my rifle, the large pack, and twenty rounds of just in case ammunition. My stomach was still on tilt from last night’s gourmet meal. The grouse had given me the energy uplift that my body had truly needed. It probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea to have
When the coffee was done I ate a few berries then started working on the wood situation. I had been gathering much of the branches that had been on the forest floor, and had found a maple a ways downhill from the cabin that had fell over years before. It would serve as a great supply of needed wood. I worked at chopping the branches away, but would need to get that bow saw in order before tackling the main section. I did what I could then spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening carrying it up to the camp. After finishing for the day my stomach was growling horribly. It was time to hunt down something I could fill my belly with. Taking the gun in hand I walked off down the mountain a ways until I came across a few squirrels. I was getting a little tired of this entrée, but unless I took time to hunt below the mountain this would have to suffice. As I approached the little rodents running from branch to branch, a sudden drumming noise caught my attention. I instinctively turned to my right raising the .410 and shot at the grouse that was making a quick get away. A smile ran across my face knowing that I was eating chicken tonight. I picked up the bird and held it proudly in my hand. The squirrels silently stared on hiding in the trees, and I wondered if they were aware that this grouse had saved their hides for another day.
Returning to the cabin, I put away the gun and cleaned and plucked the bird. I normally cut the meat down and cook it in the coffee pot as I didn’t have a cooking pot. This time however, I made a spit and roasted my bird right over the fire. Berries and a can of green beans would accompany this meal tonight. While preparing the green beans I thought it might be smart to check on the garden at the camp tomorrow. Some of it had been trampled down, but I was betting on there being some food there. Not to mention I would be able to harvest some seeds for next year. Drool watered up in my mouth continuously as the grouse cooked over the fire. I was looking forward to a change in menu tonight, and a large meal that I have been in dire need of.
* * * * *
The forest was quiet this morning as I worked my way amongst the trees in the dawning light. I had left the camp the second I could begin to make out the shapes of the trees. Probably an earlier start than I had originally planned, but I now knew I had plenty of time to accomplish my mission and return to the cabin. I carried my rifle, the large pack, and twenty rounds of just in case ammunition. My stomach was still on tilt from last night’s gourmet meal. The grouse had given me the energy uplift that my body had truly needed. It probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea to have
Similar Books
