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Abandoned - North Pole Fishing Hole - Story 5

Started by Abandoned, December 09, 2016, 02:50:55 PM

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kid1293

May I join the fan-club?  :)

These stories are top priority when I come to read messages!

Abandoned

Thank you all for kind words, great mods, and good advice.  I am so happy you like my stories.

Abandoned

#32
Chapter 7

  By spring of year 23 we had several more educated workers. The outdoor classroom was closed and the new school was completed and ready for its first students. We built several storage sheds hoping to shorten travel distances.  We had no markets yet. Without enough markets and merchants we feared some areas would be left with shortages.

  In August the first apple harvest began in the new orchard.  We were eager to see the harvest total, and it was a good one, far more apples than we got from the small orchard.  We were dismayed to find the farmer, Harvid, one of our original educated settlers was in such poor health.  When questioned he said there was plenty of food at home in his pantry, a good variety but no grain or herbs.  We built a bakery over by the mill, but were waiting for our order of salt to come in.  Going into winter our food supply was the best it has ever been and it remained so well into spring of year 24. Thanks in part to our best hunter, Amelana, educated in outdoor classroom.  An educated herbalist across the river was ready and waiting to get out to collect more herbs.

  Other than the helper, Migdalena, dying of old age, things seemed to be going well.  We had thought to use the old orchard site as a second graveyard but the old one still had room.  We found that the simple white wooden crosses did not last long.  We had other plans now for the old orchard site.  When the next group of helpers arrived, they only stayed long enough to give us recipes for fruit cake and other baked goods from Mrs. Claus.   It seems that wise Nordic woman, @Nilla , paid her a visit and explained our situation to her.  Mrs. Claus understood completely, she would not be offended if we returned the helpers to her.  Wise Nordic woman has stopped by our town several times on her way south for respites from the harsh Nordic cold.

  It was nice to see people starting to enjoy themselves a bit, decorating with plants and color roads, even taking time to do some crayfishing, actually wading out into the sun warmed stream.  Not a bad catch, 48 crayfish.  Upstream the mill and bakery were producing flour and rye bread after our salt order came in.  The first red cottage with tiled roof was built.  One of the builders said the roads he started experimenting with were CC color roads. He said he had 9 colors and CC stood for color clay but I don't think he really knew what CC was.   

  Our second apple harvest was less than the first one due to an early snowfall but it was still a very good one.  We got walnut seeds from the boatman but did not get the orchard planted yet.  When wise Nordic woman stopped by on her way south we thanked her for the orchard size advice and gave her a large sack of apples to take with her.  I wish we would have had some nuts to give her, I heard a rumor that she took nuts from the squirrels but I don't like telling such tales. :D  You didn't hear it from me.  Ho Ho Ho

Nilla

:D
As the Nordic woman passed by, she also gave the advice to build at least another apple orchard. It takes long until the trees are big enough to give a harvest. The population however will grow fast and need more. Even though she very much likes nut, she wouldn´t give the advice to plant any walnut trees. The harvest would most likely be bad. Nut trees don´t grow well in a Nordic clamate, probably not even in a fairly mild one.

brads3

hmmmm i guess i'll save the comments bout nuts being up north.lol

Abandoned

lol @brads3  :D

@Nilla , good advice to build another apple orchard, I will do that if I continue playing this map after the story is finished. Will probably cut down the walnuts to make room. It is almost time for Santa to arrive at The North Pole Fishing Hole.  Here is chapter 8

Abandoned

#36
Chapter 8

  That December we trimmed a pine tree that sprouted where the old apple orchard use to be.  Everyone in town just loved it and said it should stay that way all year round.  Santa was sure to love it too.  It was December of our 24th year, we had hoped to have his vacation village completed by the 25th.  We would now concentrate on building Santa's village at the North Pole Fishing Hole, but it was sure to take a few years longer to complete than we had anticipated.

  We realized that we should have built Santa's workshop a lot sooner.  Santa's Elf immediately began making gifts for us, tools, coats, firewood, and alcohol. We built a house above the workshop for him and his family.  We had a lot to do but we added a tavern to our to-do list.  That year the schoolchildren decorated a tree over by the schoolhouse.  It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Even the new red looking creamery added to the holiday spirit, and tasty cheese was added to our diets.  One of our very skilled blacksmiths made the weather vane for the roof peak, everyone in town loved that weather vane, and the cheese. There was a lot of talk about how good that cheese would go with a thick slice of rye bread and a mug of beer. 

  Construction of the brewery and the dairyman's house was put on hold for lack of iron.  We began building Santa's Fantasy Castle which took a good deal of logs and stone and 60 iron.  We had to keep a close eye on our iron and tool supply while working on these 3 building projects.  We did not want another food crisis this close to completing Mrs. Claus's present to Santa.  The extra tools from the Workshop Elf sure helped.  Completion of the 3 buildings called for a festive celebration in the new tavern and beer garden.  We drank to the health and happiness of our building designers and builders, and tree trimmers, and wise elders, and everyone else we could think of at the time. 
 

Abandoned

#37
 Chapter 9


  No time for a long winter's nap now. Mrs. Claus wanted to give Santa his gift this year. She would be sending plum cakes and gingerbread men cookies our way via the river boatmen, and the elves would make sure there were enough fruits and nuts on the sleigh.  Did she mention we needed to build a landing field for the sleigh and reindeer?  Oh dear, there were only a few months left before Christmas and there was still so much to do.  We had a list and we were checking it twice.

  Finishing touches were added to the Castle.  The school children made pine wreaths.  The builders paved the way to the fishing hole and added a covering. The red and green trees were doing well and a set of garden furniture was in place.  A large field was cleared in front of the workshop and new warehouse with a designated spot paved for the miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer: Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen.  Oh no, we forgot about the most famous reindeer of all, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Hopefully, the good weather will hold and Rudolf's very shiny nose won't be needed to guide the sleigh that night.  The hunters were given strict instructions to lay down their bows whenever Santa and his reindeer team were present.  There was bound to be some summer reindeer games out back behind the castle where the new walnut grove was planted.  Santa's elves worked late into the night making last minute gift for all the townspeople and it had begun to snow.  There was little doubt that it would be a white Christmas here at the North Pole Fishing Hole.

  Yes, weary traveler, everything appeared to be ready.  Mrs. Claus would use Santa's magic snow globe for an overview of our settlement just to make sure.  Yes, it twas the night before Christmas, and the children were nestled all snug in their beds, and their stockings were hung by the chimney with care. Plenty of plates of cookies and milk were ready and waiting there.  Some claimed that during the night they heard the jingle of bells and others said they heard noises on their rooftop.  Waver and I heard a Ho Ho Ho and a:

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night


kid1293

I love the landing field! :)

Merry Christmas to you too!

brads3


Nilla


QueryEverything

Thank you for your lovely story and village share, it's been a lovely adventure :)
[color=purple]~ QE, I query because I like learning new things.  [/color]

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