Abandoned - Butcher & Baker - Story 20 NWS

[Abandoned]

Chapter 15


  We were told that a new trading post was started immediately and was done that winter, but we thought that was not the case, eager explorer.  We think it had to be the following winter because we were told about other buildings that were done first.



  A colonial style house was built behind the storage barn for a young single that had still been living in one of the vacant houses.  Two shops were built on the road near the Rivertown forester; one was a furniture store and the other a home goods.  The shopkeepers lived above the shops.  The surplus of logs the town had was put to good use making tables, chairs, and bedframes.  The home goods stores had wooden cups, plates, and bowls, plus storage barrels and crates.  The town's women made other household items for the shop that others, especially those will young children and little time to spare, really appreciated. 





  Another school was built for the children, the new one in Rivertown was on the road that led to Timbertown since Huntington had its own school.  One of the older students from that school went to teach at the new school; it was completed and ready for new students when the first snow fell in autumn, we were told.  It was the school Ken went to years later.



  So, that's why we think it was that winter that the new trading post was done.  The trading post itself was a lot of work.  They removed the old wooden fishing pier next to the seed trader and built a matching stone fishing pier on the other side.  Another colonial house was built across from the pier.  The new trading post was good size and stocked with crates and barrels of items moved from the seed trader.  The farmers weren't planning on ordering more seeds; what they had would last for years with saving seeds from each crop, plus they had plenty of seeds for patches which were being stored with the others in the stone seed trader.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 16




  The rye seeds were planted along with the oats and barley in the 3 farm fields.  Three new patch was dug closer to those fields to replace the other patches.  One new patch was planted with cabbage and the other with potatoes, the 3rd patch was not planted right away; they were deciding which they needed more of, the cabbage or the potatoes.  A new colonial farmhouse was built by the patches and fields.  The last family was now out of the vacant house, which was then truly vacant.



  Huntington got a picnic table and bench from the furniture store, and a barrel from the home goods store.  They began making cider with the berries from the market, there were a lot of berries.  There was also a lot of leather at the market; the tailor's cart was full of wool and leather.  It wasn't long before someone came up with a plan to use some of the surplus leather; a cobbler shop was built next to the furniture store.  Everyone in the 3 towns would be getting either a new pair of shoes or boots, or new leather soles put on their old ones.  The children's shoes held up much better; they outgrow their clothes and shoes so fast that they are in good condition to pass down to a young sibling.



  Yes, eager explorer, they do tend to grow up so fast.  At that time, there were several young adults living at home with their parents who either wanted a place of their own or wanted spouses.  A few more houses were built, most in Rivertown and one in Timbertown.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 17


  No one could tell us how long it was before there were more apples and less berries in the Huntington market; they began making their cider from apples instead of berries. Elders could tell us that everyone liked that apple cider, especially when it was warmed by the fire on chilly fall evenings; they still do.



  In Rivertown, a tavern was built on the main road by the cemetery.  It was completed in late winter, and in spring the furniture store provided some tables and benches for both inside and outside the tavern.  A hardy ale was brewed from berries no longer being used in Huntington; the ale and the tavern were enjoyed by both men and women from all 3 towns and still is.



  Down the road the elderberries were blooming beautifully that spring.  Several trees and shrubs were cut down, so the berries got more sun and had more room to grow.  A wine barrel was set up and ready to make elderberry wine as soon as there were elderberries to pick.  A shed was built nearby to store the berries and the wine.



  It was that same year that Timbertown built a nut roaster.  The hedgerows that had apple trees had either a walnut tree or a chestnut tree.  Walnuts were the first nuts roasted and in fall the tavern set out bowls of warm roasted walnuts to go with the mugs of berry ale.

[Abandoned]

Oops, first time ever, I posted the wrong chapter this morning.  I have removed it and will post the correct one, chapter 18.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 18


  It may have been that same winter that the livestock merchant came to port in late autumn when it was already snowing; someone remembered he was given a small sack of warm roasted walnuts to take with him; no one remembered his name.  He was late because there were not enough riverboats or boatmen and when he finally got to his last stop, they did not want the turkeys they ordered.  There were a few baby turkeys, and he feared they would not survive if they were not given shelter and food soon; could he leave them here? 





  The turkeys were put in the animal shed with the chickens for the winter.  I was just a little girl at the time; I remembered the chickens being in the animal shed but not the turkeys. I helped Grandma gather chicken eggs in the summer and got to feed them sunseeds.  I remember Grandma said there was a donkey in the shed when she was my age.  My mother was busy with my baby brother, so I spent a lot of time with Grandma.





  I do remember the turkeys being in a pen with a roost that was next to the school.  I remember the orange pumpkins.  I must have been 6 at the time because in fall I went to school.  There are still turkeys in that pen with pumpkins, Brussels sprouts, and an apple tree for making more apple cider.  Someone said that was the year that pumpkins were planted in Rivertown by the cabbage and potato patches.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 19


   Grandma and Grandpa both remembered that it was that year that there was an unexpected cold spell right at harvest time, it did not snow but there was a cold misty rain that lasted a couple of days.  The turkeys were moved back to the animal shed.  The harvest was good despite the weather, and the miller was busy grinding the grain and the bread baker was again baking rye bread.




  Two more baker shops were built that autumn, a baker and a pie baker. The pie baker was by the market and the baker next to it by the home goods store.  The pie baker made basic meat pies; he had the recipes for beef, chicken, mutton, pork, or venison pies, but made the pies with venison because that was the only meat we had.  He used spices from the spice shack that was built across from the stockpile and next to the market.



  The baker had all the favorite recipes from the women in town, I don't think there was a grandma in town that didn't make oat cookies.  The first thing that was baked in the new baker shop was jelly buns; the baker made the plum jelly herself.  The plums would not keep long so had to be used up.  The same went for the elderberries that were not used for wine; the baker made elderberry fruit pies first. 

  There was always an oat cookie for us kids if we stopped in at the baker.  Our 3 towns were a good place to grow up.  The older kids were often sent to the butcher to pick up some sausages or boar ribs, or to the baker for a rye bread.  Brendal, the general goods merchant, and Alizetter, the new food merchant often stopped by to pick up cookies or sausages for customers that were close by; we got fruit jam in exchange.  The boatmen started referring to our 3 towns as the Butcher & Baker. 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 20


  It was mid-winter when there was an outbreak of diphtheria in Huntington.  A hospital was built just outside of town on the road to Rivertown.  There were 9 cases all together, only one patient did not survive, my grandma.



  My mother was very busy taking care of my younger brothers and Grandpa too. We ate a lot of meat pies.  I helped a lot with going to the market and to the butcher and bakers.  It was in the baker shop that I first, literally, bumped into the man I was to marry, but I just didn't know yet.  I picked up some jelly buns and couldn't resist taking a bite just as I turned to leave the shop.  I bumped right into a customer who just came in the door.  I ended up with plum jelly all over my face and am often teased about how sweet our first meeting was.

  We met often in Rivertown after that, his name was Kenden.  When we turned 15, we were married in the chapel in Huntington.  His older sister and her husband surprised us by making beeswax candles to light the small chapel.  From then on there were candles available in the home goods store.  Yes, eager explorer, candlemakers, as in the Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick maker.



  It was a wonderful wedding celebration the towns planned for us.  There were smoked meats, sausages, and fresh vegetables from Huntington, breads and plum wedding cake from the bakers in Rivertown, and a kettle of vegetable soup from Timbertown.  Folks from all 3 towns could stop by anytime during the day for a bite to eat and to wish us well.

  Kenden and I had a cottage built with a view of the river in Rivertown; it was halfway between his family in Timbertown and my family in Huntington, and it was close to the 3 bakers.  We had both turned sweet 16 before our first child was born; we named our daughter Berenata.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 21


  It was at our wedding celebration talking to the old folks that Ken and I became interest in the towns' early history, and when we realized we were expecting our first child, we wanted a record of current events and town statistics.  The town residents were pleased with the idea, and they built a stone town hall on Main Street across from the cemetery for us to work in and keep the records.



  We began by taking a census of the three towns and compiled housing and birth records starting from when the 3 town became one Butcher & Baker.  We calculated that it was 12 years since the towns were first referred to by that name by the river boatmen.  They stopped here often to see if there was anything we needed; they brought us seeds for the fields, sacks of assorted seeds, a flock of turkeys, and fruit jam that all of us loved with wild oats for breakfast all winter long.  The boatmen and their customers loved our oat cookies.







 Our Butcher & Baker statistic are a combination of all 3 towns, Timbertown to the west, Rivertown in the center, and Huntington to the northeast.  On this last day of summer of year 12, Butcher & Baker has a population of 168 citizens, 95 adults and 51 children.  There is a total of 45 homes with 54 families.  There is plenty of firewood, tools, clothes and food; the yearly harvest was underway.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 22



  Today is the first day of autumn, and a harvest feast to celebrate another bountiful harvest is being held inside and outside the town tavern later today, eager explorer, and you're invited. 





  A small grill is roasting turkey outside and there are sausages from the butcher and meat pies from the pie baker inside.  Vegetables from the patches and farmyards are being prepared as well as corn and Brussels Sprouts.  There's nut bread and rye bread from the bread baker, and vegetable soup warming on the hearth.  There's berry ale, apple cider, and elderberry wine to go with the meal, and of course pumpkin pie from the baker for dessert.



  Stay as long as you like and enjoy the evening; the candles are all lit.  There's a sack of oat cookies waiting for you on your houseboat.
 


  We enjoyed your visit, eager explorer, and wish you a happy first day of autumn.


The End.

[kid1293]

Here is the new mod used in the story. Butcher & Baker.

https://worldofbanished.com/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=715