The Meadow (16 page)

He unsheathed his double-bitted axe, and within half an hour of regular chunking, he had the limbs off all the trees he'd cut. He put the axe away and bucked the tree trunks into sixteen-inch lengths, stopping to sharpen the chainsaw once with a round file, being careful to give each tooth the same number of strokes to keep the chain cutting straight. Then he threw the blocks into the truck bed. They made a level load, which Ray didn't like. He liked a full load, but the hell with it; it was ten-thirty and he was getting pretty thirsty.

He drove the load home and started splitting and stacking the pieces neatly. Every time he swung the axe up over his head, the dry wood fell obligingly in two. He was more than half done when he saw something shiny embedded in one of the split halves. He took out his pocket knife and dug an old bullet out of the wood. The bullet must have struck the tree when it was young since there was no scar in the bark. It had healed over like new. Ray studied the slug. It was an old .44-.40, most likely, no, certainly, from his father's Model '73 Winchester that was up in the bedroom closet. The rifle that jammed that time the bear came after him.

Then Ray thought it couldn't have been. App didn't go around shooting trees, and he would never have missed what he was shooting at. Then Ray figured it out.

The bullet had blown completely through the animal, probably a deer or elk, and had sunk into the tree, which must have been a sapling, since the bullet was near the tree's center. Ray counted rings. They added up. The chances of anyone else discharging a Model '73 Winchester that long ago and right there weren't worth considering.

So the bullet had blown through the body and lodged in the sapling; the sapling healed and grew into a tree and died. Ray felled it, limbed it, blocked it up, and split it, and he had found his father's bullet in the tree's heart. He slipped the mushroom-shaped chunk of lead into his shirt pocket and headed up to the house.

 

 

Once they put Hazel in the hospital because she couldn't catch her breath it was a matter of little time. Dad and I would drive Lyle down every day, and Lyle would sit beside her bed and comb her hair with a comb he'd brought. Dad cussed out the nurses for not opening the windows when Hazel asked for fresh air. Hazel mumbled half-coherent words about never giving up, about how love is everything. Lyle combed her hair every day. Death took her asleep.

 

 

Virga
is when rain falls and fails to reach the earth, beautiful and useless as the vista it elaborates. Most angels aren't allowed to touch the ground. We pray for real rain to save the pasture; when it doesn't come we pray for rain to keep the timber from burning. Dry lightning pokes at the timber's green dress. Almost every summer there's a major forest fire somewhere near. Every year we don't disappear in fire we pray our thanks. The summer Lyle died, fires in Yellowstone four hundred miles away smoked us in so we couldn't see the barn from the house. The sun was gone for weeks. It never did rain, though all summer long flotillas of sheepish clouds sailed in and tried to look like rain. They turned dark and sexual. They let down their hair, like brushstrokes on the air, like feathers of water, like the principle it was named for, sublime indifference its gesture, its lovely signature over us.

 

 

When I built my own log house in 1980, Lyle wouldn't help me, though he was still healthy then. He wasn't sure I had it in me, and he didn't want the responsibility. What he did was answer all my questions. He explained each step, how to do it and what to watch out for, as I went.

He said there were a couple of trees over on his place that would make good top logs, and I could have them if I wanted. It wasn't really an offer, it was an order. I said I already had logs cut for that. He shook his head and said, “Not big enough. You have to put the biggest log on top.”

“Why? Do you need that much more log to hew down flat and notch to take the rafters?”

“No, you have to do it that way because that's how the old-timers done it. The biggest log goes on last.”

Once I had the top logs on and had them hewed (trying to work the broadaxe from the elbow like the driveshaft on an old steam train, the way I'd seen Lyle do it), Lyle came over to help me figure the pattern for the rafters. I ripped them out with the handsaw.

It took the two of us, one on each side, to get the first two pairs of rafters nailed to the ridgepole. I was thinking about that. I said, “Lyle, all the buildings you've made by yourself, without any help from anyone, I mean … how did you get the first two pairs of rafters nailed without someone to hold them up for you?”

Lyle thought a moment and said, “You know, Jim, I've often wondered that myself.”

 

L
YLE
, 1974

1/1 Worked in shop—changed batteries in Dodge—fed horses. Several cars on road today. Nice day—18 am soon up to + 28.

1/2 Worked in shop—finished draw pull for Don Ruth. Started a pulley for grindstone. Light wind and snow all day—snowed 2 or 3 inches.

1/3 Cleaned chicken house am. Played with motor bike pm. Strong winds—sunny am, cloudy and snow flurries pm. 2 cars on road today.

1/4 Baked bread am—over to Galvin's for lunch—windy but warmer—several cars on road today—think some of them are poachers.

1/5 Went to reservoir am—started to go to Sand Creek but road blowed in. Water line froze up so Ray and I built a bonfire on it—no luck. Windy + 18 high.

1/6 Worked on grindstone. Windy day
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1/7
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1/8 Washed clothes am. Worked in shop pm. High wind am. Some snow pm.

1/9 Took pickup over the hill—changed the tank on the freezer—snowing and some wind—about 6" snow. Cold.

1/10 Worked in shop trueing up grindstone. Cold and windy.

1/11 Started working on Ben's desk. Cold today—up to 4 at noon, – 18 at 8 pm, light north wind all day.

1/12 Worked on desk—one car on road today— – 10 this am. Warmed up to + 20 this pm—fair wind.

1/13 Baked bread am—Frank Lilley visited pm. Windy but warm—up to + 30 pm.

1/14 Went to Laramie—Oscar gave me 2 pr. Elk hide gloves for Christmas—1 pr. lined—one unlined—sure nice. Windy but warm—above 30.

1/15 Worked on desk. A coon trying to get in chicken house. Set a trap for him. Nice day.

1/16 Worked on desk—coon hasn't been back—Ray came in afternoon. Windy.

1/17 Worked on desk all day. Windy.

1/18 Roy Brown came up and bought the last of the hay, $45.00 a ton. Several cars on road today—2" snow last night—windy but warm, + 28.

1/19 Worked on desk—saw a coyote chasing a rabbit across the hill—going for all he was worth. Windy all day but warm, + 30.

1/20 Snowed 6" last night. Worked on desk all day—no wind but getting cold tonight—down to – 22 at 9 o'clock.

1/21 Ray was here today—brought the mail and some milk—a real nice day, + 14 at six am, up to + 32 pm. Getting windy tonight. Worked on desk.

1/22 Same old thing—windy and warm.

1/23 Same old thing—windy as hell and snow flurries. + 28.

1/24 Same old thing—windy as hell— + 32—a pickup on road today.

1/25 Same old thing.

1/26 Lots of tourists running around today—Warm and windy + 38.

1/27 Worked on desk—snowed 4" last night—east wind and cold today, + 4 tonight.

1/28 Patched overalls and done some cooking—snow flurries and light wind, + 28—wind rising tonight.

1/29 Broke the shuttle carrier on the sewing machine—hope I can make another one—clear day up to + 28 some wind.

1/30 Went to town—Ray and Margie were here for supper—sure nice to have someone to eat with—East wind tonight and + 4, snowing some. Started repairs for sewing machine.

1/31 Went to reservoir for dinner—almost had to shovel to get back. Windy and snow moving—up to + 25—guess I'll have to start using the snowmobile.

2/1 Worked on desk—have it nearly cleaned off—a tourist on road today. Clear and windy, up to + 20.

2/2 Ray, Jack, and Ki were here pm. Baked bread and worked around house am—in shop pm making part for sewing machine— – 8 this morn, + 32 at noon.

2/3 Cleaned chicken house, Frank came and stayed all day—windy am, quiet pm.—warm.

2/4 Finished part for sewing machine and it works—pulled a guy out of the snow, he tried to give me $10.00—no wind but cloudy and cool, up to + 20.

2/5 Worked on desk—done some sewing and loafed—cold and windy—some snow flurries.

2/6 This day wasted. Windy and cold.

2/7 Worked on desk—the wind blew like hell all day—up to + 22. The white cactus in blossom tonight.

2/8 Worked on desk—windy and some snow flurries, + 30.

2/9 Sig Palms and three other game wardens visited today. Worked on desk putting it together. Windy and warm, + 37.

2/10 Baked bread and worked on desk—windy and snow flurries, 28.

2/11 Three cars on road today, damn tourists wasting gasoline, guess they think there's no end to it, damned fools. Windy and warm.

2/12 Worked on desk in am—walked over to pickup in pm—put on new license plates, warm and windy, up to 38—windy as hell tonight.

2/13 Worked on desk am—Ray and Ki were here pm—I sawed some wood. Warm nice day.

2/14 Worked on desk, windy—colder and snowing.

2/15 Worked on desk am—got out the Ski-doo and checked it over and went over the hill. Had about 4" snow.

2/16 Baked some pineapple kolacky am—worked on desk pm. Nice day and warmer + 22.

2/17 Worked on desk—2 cars on road today—they can only get this far. Cold, some wind.

2/18 Went to town, saw some elk over the hill. Ray and Jack were here for supper. Cold and windy, + 4 this morn.

2/19 Sanded the desk and put on another coat of varnish—Windy; not very warm.

2/20 Patched overalls.

2/21 Baked bread and washed some clothes am—remodelled a shirt pm. Cold day + 10

2/22 Just tinkered around—windy and cold. – 16 am, + 10 pm.

2/23 53 years today, patched underwear am, overalls pm—snowed some this morn and was cold, but cleared and warmed up to + 3 this pm.

2/24 Put the third coat of varnish on desk—windy but clear and warm + 38.

2/25 Don Ruth came today, Stayed all day, I didn't get a damned thing done. Warm and clear.

2/26 Didn't do anything today either, Jesus I feel tired and lonely. Warm day but windy, + 32.

2/27 Charged batteries in Dodge and fed the horses—put the last coat of varnish on desk, looks good. Windy and colder, snow flurries.

2/28 Damn tourist came up the creek and got stuck in the snow. Took him an hour of shoveling to get out. They don't have any sense at all. Warm and windy.

2/29 This day ain't on my calender.

3/1 Started sewing up a pair of P.J.'s am—sawed wood in pm. Two cars on road today—real warm, + 42, some wind.

3/2 Spent the whole day reading, sure lazy.

3/3 Ray, Jack, and Ki were here this morning, came back this evening, stayed till late. Nice day. Bluebirds arrived today.

3/4 Fixed horse trophy for Frank's mother am, looked for old pictures pm. Snow in am 1½'' —Clara's birthday.

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5/27 Went to the Johnson place to start building the scale house. Fairly nice day but cool.

5/28 Stormy—East wind and light snow. Stayed home and done some cooking.

5/29 Snowed last night. Have nearly 16" since yesterday am. Went up to check the ditch and over to see Galvins. Whiteout. Hard to see.

5/30 Stayed home and rested and filed a saw. Took the Ski-doo to check the fence, scared some elk out of the draw. Nice day and warm.

5/31 Worked in shop and spent some time with the water. Nice day, some fog early.

6/1 Irrigated all morning. Went to Frank's and mail box pm—nice day.

6/2 Went to town.

6/3 Worked at the Johnson on the scales.

6/4 Worked on scales

6/5 Worked on scales

6/6 Worked on scales

6/7 Worked on scales

6/8 The next 5 days I worked on the scales.

6/9
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6/10
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6/11
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6/12
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6/13
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6/14 Claude brought his cows up today.

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12/6 Snowing today—worked on grindstone shaft bearings.

12/7 Still snowing—have about 6". Jimmy Galvin and Julie came over in afternoon.

12/8 J. Galvin Sr. came today with his woman. Forgot her name.

12/9 Cleaned chicken house—shut off Marie's spring—put new wire glass on south bay window—washed outside windows—charged light batteries.