Genesis Replanting
The next morning, we lingered in bed too long, unwilling to give up our new comfort even with the heat. Until I realized that I needed a shower and that we would have to get to work on the garden if we wanted to make any progress that day.
"Lisa, do you have a shower?"
"We've got two tubs with legs and both cold spring water and hot spring water piped in. It was a luxury when this place was built, and kind of, still is. But I always wondered about all those spas down the street. Can we try one this morning? I want to get out of here!"
"I think I know a place real close. Do you want to try?"
With that, we both jumped out of bed and raced downstairs to the front door. We were both naked. Lisa stopped at the door and looked up and down the street as though there would be someone there. Except for the usual animals and birds, nothing was stirring on the street.
She opened the door and the cool air of morning flowed in on us. We were no longer overheated in that stuffy room. She ran out into the street and jumped up and down yelling, "Whoopee, I'm free! I'm free!"
I followed and pointed to the National Park grotto where I'd seen the capuchin monkeys. I then raced her to where I pointed. Startled, five monkeys left the water and climbed the rocks and cliffs behind the grotto. I arrived at the spot first and tested the water. In the cool morning air it felt ideal. Perhaps about 100° or so. The best hot tub ever. Not unlike what I experienced at Palm Springs. I eased in and felt the warmth penetrate my whole body.
Lisa, not far behind, seemed not to hesitate and jumped in next to me splashing me with hot mineral water. It tasted bitter in my mouth. She then started wading around the pool and checking it out coming back to me and settling in alongside me, immersed to her neck. "Wow! This is wonderful. All I ever swam in was the city pool and often wondered what these hot springs were like. Dad always told me they were just for, 'Tourists and those bilked by fast talkers for the cure.' Closest I ever got was our bathtub hot water."
"There is something to be said about outdoor warm water pools like this, though. Very relaxing. That's why so many bought hot tubs for their houses. But you can't heat your house with those hot tubs." I giggled at my lame joke. It made no difference now, but I tried not to show it to her.
"That's right. And that's why you found me? Looking for a warm place for winter?" Lisa held me close and looked up at me with searching eyes.
"And, unbelievably, I found both a warm place and you. What are the odds of that?"
"I don't care what the odds were. You're here. You saved me. I'm not afraid to go outside anymore with you around." She snuggled even closer.
Curious, as we grew silent and just luxuriated in the water, the capuchins peeked their heads out from behind rocks, chattering softly, and began to come back down to the water. They seemed to have been more than curious, but familiar with humans. They may have been escaped pets, belonged to a circus, or even a zoo. Wherever they came from, the capuchins were back at the grotto again and joining us in the warm water going about their ways in the morning like they always did. We were just newcomers joining them.
One female was carrying a very small infant on her back, clinging tightly. When they got to the grotto she sat by the edge of the pool with her legs in the water and the little one began to nurse. Lisa was quite taken with the sight and nudged me to look with her while she watched. "I can't wait to do that." She whispered, grinning.
After about 20 minutes, I had enough hot soaking and was ready to have some breakfast and then go about our planned work. We returned to the upstairs kitchen where Lisa brewed coffee, made me a three pigeon egg omelet with mutton jerky, some homemade bread with strawberry jam and generally made me very happy.
Breakfast over, we headed upstairs and Lisa tended to her pigeons and rooftop garden. We had heavier things to do.
I put on my boots, and working together, we found a pair of men's shorts in the pile of unclaimed laundry. Lisa was more concerned with her skin, but not her bare feet, and found a man's long sleeve shirt that worked very well as a shift. She found some panties that were brightly colored and tried them on, asking me my opinion. But in the end, she decided not to wear someone else's undies. We were ready to go.
Our first stop was the truck where I added some seeds I had to the seeds that Lisa found in the utility shed on the third floor where her father kept all his garden supplies and tools. I wanted to make sure that we planted enough so there would be a surplus for at least two winters and we wouldn't have to worry about running out of vegetables and staples like corn.
It was hard work spading a large plot with weeds already putting down deep roots in the early spring on that first plot. While I was digging, Lisa was busy shaking off all of the dirt from those weeds. There were lots of earthworms, indicating that the soil was quite fertile. It had been fallow for many years, being unused for anything in the city--just a wild vacant lot. Ideal for a garden.
Nearby, I found barrels used for trash collection behind a business building. Ripping off a downspout coming off a roof near to the plot that I dug, I placed the barrel under the downspout to catch any rain that came off the roof. In a downpour, the barrel would overflow and thereby wash out any algae or mosquito larvae that had settled there. All we needed was a pail and some rain and we could water the garden for days after each rain with water collected.
By noon, the first plot was ready for planting and we retired to the truck. I started the diesel so we could be cool while we ate a dried food lunch. As we were eating, I noticed that her neck was getting quite red, as well as her legs that had been exposed while she was working. Even the shirt provided little protection against the blazing sun.
"Lisa, you're getting sunburned. I don't want you to be in pain tonight. So, let's go try a little driving this afternoon. Maybe a little scavenging so that we can set ourselves up for winters ahead."
"That would be nice. I can't wait to try this truck! But I'm scared, too. Are you sure I can drive it?"
"Of course. Easy as pie."
Lisa smiled wryly. Assured that I knew what I was talking about.
We left the cab and I showed Lisa how to release the lock on the fifth wheel with a hammer. I also showed her how to use the hammer to determine if there was enough air in the tires. Thankfully, there was, even after all the sharp metal I had been driving over. Finding an air supply with pressure still in the tank was getting to be a problem. As was the idea of changing a tire--daunting.
With the lock released and the trailer stands cranked down in place, we got back in the cab and I drove away leaving the trailer parked where it was. We drove on through town on 7 until we were out in the business strip and came to a large parking lot for what had been a Walmart by the tattered sign on the side of the tattered building.
The parking lot was relatively free of derelict vehicles, so I pulled in and put the truck in park. We switched seats, and I had her put her feet on the brake and gas pedals to test them out as she adjusted the power seat for comfort, and then, the mirrors, for visibility. I pointed out the rearview camera screen to her, and she exclaimed, "Wow!" I could see her excitement grow.
After having her put her foot on the brake, I had Lisa pressing the gas pedal to listen to the engine rev up and turning the wheel to see how easily those big front wheels turned under power, I asked her to push the drive button down until it reached second gear and then let up on the brake slowly. The tractor responded, and she let out a giggle as we started to move slowly while the engine idled.
We tooled around the parking lot for a while until the engine revving got to me, and I asked her to gently ease the drive up a couple of gears. The truck speeded up to her delight and the revs dropped off to mine. Soon, we were going a bit too fast, so I asked her to ease off the gas and try the brakes. She tried them, and I was glad that we both had our safety belts on, because it was quite a jerk! I told her that the power brakes were very good, and she only needed to touch them gently for us to stop in most cases.
After about 10 minutes of driving around the lot. we both got tired of that, so we got out on 7 and she drove for about three or four miles, dodging vehicles in the road and generally doing a good job until we came to a left turn at a light that wasn't working, and she didn't slow down making the turn, scaring me a bit at 30 miles an hour squealing the tires.
At that point I, took the wheel and told her to watch carefully how I drove so that she could drive like me when she got back in the driver's seat again. I asked her if there was anywhere she would like to go.
Lisa thought a minute and then said, "There is a park we used to go to about 10 miles out of town to the north on 7 for school picnics?"
"Your wish is my command." I made a U-turn, directing her how to do it correctly, and then headed back the way we came. Along the way, she recognized that we were passing the city swimming pool, so we drove in there only to find that it was filled with junk and had become overrun with algae… Very scummy looking and totally unsuitable for swimming. But very good for mosquito breeding. Made me wish for more bats, nighthawks, swallows and purple martins.
Lisa pointed out various places from her memory of walking to school and how little she had been out in the community. We drove back past her home and up into the National Park where she found it to be quite different without all the trees. Still the landscape was quite impressive and showed signs of regrowth of the trees very soon. Some saplings were already four feet tall.
When we got to the park, it wasn't anything like she remembered with all the trees gone and the park equipment destroyed or rusting, neglected. She didn't want to stop so I didn't. But I was interested in a stand of trees that we had passed on the way that had not burned. I drove to that spot and pulled over.
We got out and walked up through the rocks that had protected that bit of old forest and soon were in welcoming shade on a hot afternoon. Soon after, under the trees, we came up upon what I was after--mushrooms. We found several puff balls, oysters, and morels that were edible according to what I had gathered on my smart pad. Sure glad I had that information stored. We also came across some ginseng and I dug that up. It smelled good under those trees.
Soon, we could hear and see a front coming through as it got very dark in the west and we could hear thunder rumbling. We just got back to the truck when strong winds hit, followed by heavy rain and hail again. It was a gully washer and water ran across the highway several times on our drive back.
I parked the truck ahead of the trailer but didn't hook it up. The hard rain had let up and it was sprinkling lightly. It was still cloudy and much cooler. We walked over to our plot and began planting in the muddy soil. A good start for our seeds. The barrels I had put out to collect water were half full.
Returning home all muddy from planting, we washed off in the grotto for a few minutes and then returned to have fresh mushrooms with our meal that evening. The capuchins were not there, but the storm had probably forced them to stay in their rocky hiding places.
