“Our thermometer outside is registering nineteen below zero right now.” John pinched the bridge of his nose as his shoulders slumped. “It could drop another twenty degrees tonight. According to Inuksuk, this will last for several days. And possibly get a lot colder.”
January was always the fiercest month in Alaska. Every January, Granddad put extra measures in place. Madysen bit her lower lip. Had they prepared enough this year?
Then there were Whitney and Dr. Cameron. And her dad. They’d ventured out in this weather. Did they know what was coming?Lord, please keep them safe and warm. Give them wisdom to stay put.
John stood by the fire rubbing his hands together. “I wish Chuck was still here.” He let out a long breath. “With thestaggered breeding he set up, I’m worried about the new calves that should arrive in March. I would hate to lose any of them.”
“You’re doing a wonderful job taking care of the farm, John.” Havyn went to her husband’s side. “Granddad believed in you. And we’ve got a lot of help.” She looked to Daniel and Madysen.
“She’s right. It will work out.” Daniel placed an arm around Madysen’s shoulders and squeezed.
That little bit of reassurance helped to assuage her worry.
Ruth stood and clasped her hands in front of her. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but you have a good deal to discuss, I’m sure, and we have added to the workload. So if it’s all right with you, I’ll take Eli and Bethany into the kitchen and we can work on a meal for everyone.”
Havyn rubbed a hand on her stomach. “I appreciate that, Ruth. That would be a tremendous help. There’s bread rising on the stove, and I fully intended to make a vegetable soup for dinner. But I’ve been chasing chickens down for a while.”
All eyes turned back to John. Funny, they’d always looked to Granddad for direction until this last year. Now they’d come to trust and rely on John. He’d never set out to take over and fill their grandfather’s shoes, but how amazing was it that God had provided the right man for her sister and a man who loved their farm just as much as they did.
“I guess now is as good a time as ever to discuss the challenges we are facing.” John looked down. “I’m afraid this cold snap might result in loss of animals. Not just cows, but also sheep and chickens. The few pigs we have seem to be faring the best in this cold weather.”
Havyn put a hand on her husband’s knee. “I made surethat the chickens were in the three different huts. And I closed the outer doors that give them access to the yard. It will be quite a mess in there, I’m sure, but at least they will stay warm. They’re a hardy bunch, so I’m trusting that God will keep them safe.”
Daniel leaned his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. He gave her a quick smile and then looked at the others. “The sheep too. Their wool coats are at their thickest right now, and we’ve blocked off access to the outside. As long as we can keep them inside the barn, they should be fine. Noisy and stinky, but fine.”
Madysen giggled. “The fun will be maneuvering around in there to milk. Since we’ve put the breeding of the sheep on a staggered schedule as well, it’s a good thing we don’t have any due for another couple of months.”
Granny tapped her finger on the arm of the settee. “Sounds to me like the focus then should be on the cattle. That’s the most likely place of loss.”
John nodded. “Yes. You’re correct. We stopped milking the cows that are due soon, so we’ve lost a good deal of income on the milk, butter, and cream side of things. But once the new round of calves are born, things will pick back up. We also have plenty of orders for beef. Once the April butchering time is here, we will see how many orders we can fill—of course, assuming we keep the cattle from freezing during the next few days.”
“Best to remember the words of Job: ‘The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’”
Amens sounded after Granny’s words.
She placed her hands in her lap. “We do our best with what the good Lord has given us. But ultimately, it’s out of our hands. We need to be content in whatever circumstanceswe are in and praise God for the hard times as well as the good ones.”
“Amen to that.” Madysen grinned. She looked around at the others. “On a different topic, I know that Havyn and I promised Whitney that we wouldn’t make any big decisions without her, but this fire has created a bit of an emergency, wouldn’t you say?”
Havyn tilted her head to the side. “I agree ... even though I’m not sure how Whitney will take it. But I know what you’re going to say. We should get everyone moved around since Ruth and the kids are already here.”
Granny stood. “That sounds like something I can help with. Are we rearranging rooms?”
Madysen stood with her. “Yes, we probably should go look at everything and decide what furniture to move.” She waved at everyone to follow and headed out of the room and down the hall. “John and Havyn will move into Mama’s room. Daniel and I will move into Granddad’s. Dad and Eli can take Havyn’s old room, Ruth and Bethany can take my old room, and Granny you can stay with us for now.”
The men of the family came to her side.
Daniel wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Just tell us what to do.”
She grinned. “With pleasure.”
EIGHT
Waking up in the chilly hut, Whitney pulled the fur blanket up and around her ears. She blinked several times and tried to focus on the ceiling. For three days, she had helped Peter treat the sick in the village. It had been more exhausting than even the manual labor on the farm, and every time she ventured outside, the temperatures had dropped so low she wondered if she’d be able to breathe without freezing her lungs. But the urgency of the situation had kept her busier than ever.
Exactly what she needed.
Life had become foggy. Dim. Without color. In just a few days’ time, her world had changed. Again. And she wasn’t sure she could bounce back this time.
