Journal Entry 10

Today has been a day full of chores and a day trying to keep Kate out of trouble. It all started at breakfast this morning. Hemy and I were making pancakes when Kate comes in, drunker than a skunk, and starts calling us names. Kate was stumbling all over the kitchen, knocking things off the table and counters. Who knows when or why she started drinking. I honestly don’t think she needs a reason to drink. I think she drinks out of habit. Hemy and I took Kate to her bed. She passed out the moment her head plopped on the pillow.

I was hoping Kate would sleep the day away. I would let Joshua take care of her the moment he returned from town. It didn’t happen. Kate was up again in two hours causing trouble again. Only this time she was harassing some of the people trying to put up walls on one of the new bunkhouses. She was stumbling around tossing things here and there being vulgar and rude. The people were doing their best to keep her from hurting herself or anyone else. I grabbed Kate’s bottle of Gin out of her hands and smashed it on the ground. I grabbed Kate’s arm and drug her back to her bed. I yelled at her to stay put. I threatened her with bodily harm if she came out again. I also said a few other things that I won’t repeat but the girl ticked me off. Kate crashed on her bed. I took the opportunity to look everywhere for a hidden stash of Gin. I didn’t find any. I was certain she didn’t have anymore.

I went back to my chores. I occasionally went to Kate’s room and listened at the door to make sure she was behaving. I never heard anything. I assumed she had been sleeping. I was wrong. Unexpectedly, Cecelia came running up to the house saying Kate was causing trouble. I don’t know when Kate got out of her room but she managed to make it all the way to the cattle.

Journal Entry 9

It has been days and days but finally the downpour of rain has stopped. The sun is out in full force today. Things are a bit waterlogged and extremely muddy. The mud is ankle deep in some places. I walk around barefoot most of the time. I need to keep my shoes wearable. They are raggedy but they are the only pair I have and they fit comfortably. I have had to walk around in shoes that don’t fit in the past and I don’t want to have to do it again.

I spent my morning listening to Daedalus on the radio. He is the only source of reliable news and information in existence.  You can’t always believe what is on the billboards. Daedalus has reporters embedded in nearly every sector around town.

Tony and his men-at-arms swordsmen stopped by to speak to Joshua. I guess Tony’s new role in life is to patrol around town and keep the bad gangs under control. He’s a modern day hero wearing a Karate Gi and sword. He must be doing OK because Daedalus occasionally mentions the men-at-arms on the radio. 

The reason for Tony’s visit was to let Joshua know that the Hyenas are hanging around our side of town and causing lots of trouble. This isn’t new news. We were already being cautious and traveling in groups. I can’t help but think Tony stopped by for other reasons. Probably to spy on me and see what I was up to. The Hyenas and their vicious ways were just an excuse.

Journal Entry 8

It has been raining for days. I’m sick of the constant downpour. The front of the main house is looking more like a lake than a front yard. A couple of the bunkhouses already have water up to their entryways. Most of the fort is a mud trap. Walking from building to building is a challenge. I need a pair of boots.

Amazingly, my list of chores is empty. I’m not sure how that happened. Joshua usually has a list of items he wants and needs accomplished. Cage is still banishing me from his work teams. I can only apologize so many times for the plank hitting him in the head. I fed the chicks and climbed inside their chicken coup to make sure all 24 are still pecking around. I have a fear of them drowning or being stuck in the mud.

There is nothing to do but sit around and twiddle my thumbs. I want to do something fun. I cleaned up the main house. I washed dishes and I dusted. I mopped. Although, mopping was really a waste of time because every time I thought I had the floor clean someone would walk thru the front doors with muddy shoes on. I let Joshua have it after mopping the same area about 5 times. I yelled at him to take his boots off on the porch. He just smiled at me, kissed me on the cheek and sad “No”.

Joshua and Marty are trying to fix one of the fences, or something. I tried to get Joshua to put off the fence repair until the rain stopped.  He said it was bad management to put chores on hold just because of the weather. Maybe, but if he ends up with pneumonia, I’m not catering to him.

Journal Entry 7

I spend a great deal of time daydreaming these days. When I daydream, I tune out everything that is happening around me, this is not a good thing. Accidents happen when I am not paying attention.

My dreams are of a romantic nature and very distracting.  I feel silly and overwhelmed. I am unable to focus on the simplest assigned tasks.  My mind easily wanders to romantic interludes with Joshua. This makes it nearly impossible to complete tasks safely or in a timely manner. I often drift off and forget what I am supposed to be doing. My daydreaming has recently caused numerous mishaps that have resulted in injury. Luckily, none of the injuries have been life threatening or serious. I have become the butt of jokes and shunned from an assortment of work assignments.

 In my defense, Joshua is very handsome even when he is angry. Everything he does is distracting. I think about the way Joshua tips his hat when he is being polite. The way he puts his boots on in the morning, the way he buckles his belt when he is putting on his guns, the way he gives orders to the others and the way he grabs me to kiss me when he is having a good day.

Joshua has received numerous complaints from the others. Cage is Joshua’s best friend and confidant. The two are like brothers. Cage has banned me from all of his work teams. This has caused angry discourse between Joshua and Cage. They have been avoiding each other all day. Joshua admonished my lack of focus. I have attempted to apologize to Cage.  He is holding a grudge.

Journal Entry 6

The rain continues. I am feeling waterlogged. My hands and feet are wrinkled prunes.  I’m hoping that we receive a reprieve from the dampness today. We could use a day of sunshine. I could use a day of sunshine. I hate performing chores in the rain. The constant dampness makes me feel uncomfortable and cranky.  I want to lie down, sleep, and ignore the world until the rain passes.

I want to ignore my chores but I don’t want to disappoint Joshua, he has been working so incredibly hard to build the Spurs Fort into an acceptable place to live, work and play. Several local gangs have noticed the new construction. Even in the rain, we have several onlookers that drop by to see our progress. As I step back and look I am amazed at what we have created and proud of our efforts. Without Joshua’s leadership, I don’t think any of this would have occurred. He has a drive that is rare and mature beyond his years. I think he is a fluke of nature. Without men like Joshua, our world will never be able to rebuild. I was a leader once but I gladly step back and play follower.

I am going on an errand later today with Kate to retrieve a batch baby of chicks from one of the local farmers. The new chicken coup is built and ready for occupants. I spent most of yesterday standing in the rain preparing the space. The chicks had better appreciate the efforts I put into customizing this space. I expect plenty of eggs in the future. Those that don’t produce are going to end up on my dinner plate.

Journal Entry 5

The work around the Fort is never ending. The moment I mark an item off my list of chores Joshua adds a couple more. I long for the days at Bear Country when all you had to do was lie around and do nothing. Joshua is a loving taskmaster. He has a way of asking you to do something that makes it impossible for you to say “No”. I think he continuously makes list of chores in his head for other people to accomplish. The man is like the energizer bunny he never runs out of steam. I was so incredibly tired by the time Joshua and I went to bed last night. I slept liked a rock. Thankfully, sweet calm peaceful dreams filled my night.

As usual, Joshua was up early. He kindly let me sleep in, something he rarely does. If Joshua is awake then everyone needs to be awake. He has an annoying habit of starting his chores before the sun makes an appearance.  

The clap of thunder interrupted my sweet slumber. I nearly jumped out of my skin it was so loud. For a brief moment, I thought the roof was coming down on me. I hesitantly climbed out of the warmth of my bed and looked out the window. It was raining buckets. I grabbed one of Joshua’s jackets off the wall hooks and stepped out onto the porch. My timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Joshua and Cage were driving up with the wagons. I had forgotten we were going to the mill to get lumber.

Joshua jumped out of the driver’s seat of the wagon and stepped up on the porch. He gave me a big kiss and asked if I had slept ok. It was so very sweet, a little damped but very sweet. Then he asked me to whip up some breakfast. Why do kisses always come with a chore attached?

Journal Entry 4

I learned a great deal during my shooting lesson. It was a tremendous amount of fun and a remarkable experience. Target practice did not go well. Guns are heavy, much heavier than I imagined. I have no strength in my arms or my hands. I couldn’t hold the barrel of the gun straight ahead. The nose of the gun kept pointing toward the ground no matter how hard I tried to point it straight ahead. Please place all future targets or enemies directly in front of my feet. This is where the bullet is most likely to land.

Firing the gun without Joshua’s help was useless and a bit dangerous. Joshua has the patience of a saint. I now understand how people accidentally shoot themselves in the foot. I never came close to the target I was trying to hit unless Joshua was helping. The kick of the gun nearly knocked me over. The only thing that kept me from falling was Joshua standing directly behind me.

I’m thinking becoming a hired gun would be a waste of my time. Especially since, I am unable to hit the closest of targets.