To Everything There Is A Season

July 15, Morning

It was harder to wake up this morning. Somehow knowing that my time with all nine men was drawing to a close seemed to be weighing me down. I'd had a nightmare last night. It was the first since they'd been here. Before I had them most nights, but after the first night the men had stayed with me the dreams had stopped. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if their leaders didn't let them come back to stay. I knew I could do what needed to be done on my own, but it was so much easier with more hands.

I dragged my tired body out of bed and got my day started. If part of the group was leaving in two days, then I would need to get their laundry done today so Mr. Gabriel can pack tomorrow. There was also the issue of packing enough trail food. I was sure they could and probably would hunt along the way, but they would also need basic provisions.

After getting ready for the day, I headed downstairs to the kitchen. The oil lamp was filling the kitchen with a soft glow, and the fire in the stove was already lit. One of the men must have gotten up before me this morning. That was probably a really good thing as there was so much that needed to be done before the five of them leave on Monday.

My mind was busy making lists of all the things that needed to be done in the next two days while my hands got busy starting the day's bread and feeding the starter. I also wanted to get the sourdough bread started so I could bake it in the morning. I loved making sourdough bread, but it took too long to make everyday for myself. When I first moved in here Jed had stocked the cellar with store bought yeast as he said he hated sourdough bread and wanted fresh bread every morning. It took a little while to figure out how to make bread using dried yeast but now, I was happy with the lighter loaves I could make with it.

After I set the dough aside to rise, I started planning out my day. I needed to write down the lists I'd made in my head so I could work through the next two days in an efficient manner and not miss anything that needed to be done. Before I could do that though I needed to check that the animals were being taken care of. I could see a soft glow from the open barn door signalling someone else was up and working at five thirty in the morning. I grabbed the egg basket and headed out to feed my birds and collect the eggs. I could help whoever was working.

I poked my head into the barn to greet the other early riser. It wasn't just one other early riser, it was three. Misters Kota, Nathan and Silas were all busy in the barn. Mr. Silas was cleaning the horses' stalls at the back; Mr. Kota was feeding the goats while Mr. Nathan was milking the cows. It wasn't until Mr. Silas stepped out of the stall he was working in, that I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. It wasn't the first time I'd seen a man without his shirt on, but it was the first time I'd had a reaction to seeing a man showing his torso. I could feel heat curling in my stomach. It made me feel weird.

"Morning miss Sang. Did you sleep well?" Mr. Kota asked before setting down the feed bucket.

It took a moment to find my voice. The feelings Mr. Silas' chest had stirred up were still fuzzing my mind. "Good morning Mr. Kota. I slept well. How about you?"

Mr. Kota smiled at me before answering, "I slept well. I think we're finally getting used to working all day. Though I miss lazy afternoons, there is something satisfying about working to support my family."

"Did you three need any help? I was planning to collect the eggs and feed the birds if that hasn't already been done. There are also somethings in here that ya'll will need to pack for your trip on Monday."

There were crates in the barn that Jed's family had used for generations to carry products to the annual market. If we filled them with straw the men could take a few days worth of fresh food back with them as well as good faith trade items.