Chapter 14: Caution - Signal Function Changed

It was evident in the next little while that her mood had changed drastically. When we’d first awakened, she’d seemed to be totally into sex and all that it involved, but now she seemed to be more interested in long term plans and dreams. As well she actually wanted to be involved in the work I was doing, she even tried to understand exactly what was going on and why I did anything.

We ate breakfast first, then went to work on the jobs that I’d planned to do. Grampa Bender even had the first job I wanted to tackle marked on the calendar; we needed to check the battery bank and service the wind turbine. Once we’d checked out all the animals and cared for them, we hiked up the knoll behind the house to the wind turbine tower and battery shack.

“Why is this so far from the house and why are we hauling water to the top of this hill?” Carissa panted as she helped me pull a wagon filled with jugs of rainwater to the battery shack.

“Well, the wind blows a lot stronger up here,” I sighed as I stopped for a short break. “And, the reason we’re hauling the water is to use it to top up the batteries if they happen to be low.”

I went on to explain that we used rainwater because it had fewer minerals in it than ground water or spring water, then answered her questions about the reason for using the generator in the first place.

Since Grampa Bender’s homestead was twelve miles from the nearest hydroelectric supply line, the cost to have a regular electrical supply line installed would have been astronomical. Instead, he had installed a wind turbine since his homestead actually sat near the end of a mountain pass and the wind blew through the area quite often and usually quite strongly. The only problem with that was that it didn’t blow continuously. To solve that problem he’d added a batch of batteries which could be charged by the turbine when the wind was blowing and he wasn’t using power, then he’d have those charged as a reserve electrical supply when the wind wasn’t blowing.

Unfortunately the wind turbine and the batteries were getting quite old and had to be serviced every few months to keep them in working condition. Not only were they getting old, but the wind turbine and batteries were all set up to produce thirty-two volts direct current and it was getting hard to get the light bulbs that worked on what had become an odd voltage. Even worse than that there was a lot of loss in the system because it was direct current, but it was better than nothing.

Of course I had to explain the difference between direct current and alternating current as well as to go into all the problems with the system. Then she asked about the reason for not having regular hydroelectric power run in, since she could only see the advantages of a regular electric supply. She didn’t understand why we thought it was too costly, but she’d only seen the normal electrical bills that came to a house in town. Up until I explained the costs, she hadn’t realised that each farmer had to pay for the lines and poles that allowed the power company to supply the electricity to each farm.

I was impressed with how quickly she understood the overall situation and was even more impressed that she dug in and helped with everything except climbing up the fifty-foot high tower to help me check over the turbine. It turned out she was afraid of heights and was just as worried about the idea of me climbing the tower while I still wore my casts. In fact since the turbine seemed to be working well and still producing full power, she browbeat me until I agreed that I could get Wil or Tom to help me do that part of the job some other day.

While we were on the top of the knoll, I took the time to point out the boundaries of Grampa Bender’s original homestead and then explain the complete extent of his lease. I wanted her to understand some of the reasons that I and my family were so involved with the whole setup and have an idea of why I was so adamant that someone should be living on the place all the time.

First off, I pointed out the steep hills that ran along the northern, eastern and western sides of the valley that were the base for the boundaries of the homestead and explained that the upper extension of the valley to the northwest led to a mountain pass several miles to the west of us. That was the real reason why the wind almost always seemed to blow from that area and was the reason Grampa Bender had used the wind turbine as a source of power.

While we stood under the wind tower, we could just make out the little spring fed lake that lay at the north western corner of Grampa Bender’s original homestead. Unfortunately from the knoll we were just barely see the lake through the trees and bushes that surrounded it, but I thought she should see how far away from the cabin it was. As well as that, I pointed out that beyond the lake and along the northern edge of the original section of land there was a relatively steep hill and at its base lay the springs and seeps that filled the lake. That area was covered in willows, birches and quaking aspens, then there was a small swampy area that was tightly fenced off so that none of the stock would ever get mired in the muck and mud. That source of water was the real reason that the government had granted the lease that Grampa Bender had applied for so many years before.

Of course I had to pause then and explain the idea of water rights and the relation that had to our leases and grazing rights. Since Grampa Bender’s original homestead enclosed the source of the water that fed the whole valley, he had prior rights to whatever happened with that water. Without another source of water no one else could farm, ranch or even build anything in the valley below him without his permission. Once she understood that concept she could see the reason that the lease included the whole valley as it meandered down to the upper edge of Dad and Mom’s farm, which was where another creek joined the one that ran along the valley below us.

We took several more minutes gazing off into the distance as I pointed out the landmarks that roughly delimited the area of the homestead as well as others that indicated the extension of the government lease. It wasn’t long before she understood that my family controlled the whole valley and at least part of the reason why I was so enthusiastic about maintaining control of the lease.

It wasn’t until I told her of my dream of a horse ranch that she grew really enthused though. Instantly she wanted to know all about my idea and I decided that the only way she’d really understand was if she saw the area I was talking about with her own eyes. The only way I could think of to do that was from horseback, so I suggested we take a break for lunch, then we could catch my two horses and go for a ride.

I think she would have willingly skipped lunch and gone for a ride instantly, but I insisted that we needed food and a change of clothes. In actual fact I was a bit worried about riding far with her because I knew that neither of us had ridden much in the last while. I was worried that we’d both suffer from saddle sores if we rode for too long. It was only as we were walking down the hill toward the cabin that I remembered she’d come in a Jeep and realised that we could use that to travel to the boundaries of the area I’d been discussing.

That suggestion brought on an argument which lasted all through lunch and I learned just how adamant Carissa could be. Of course I was almost as stubborn, but in the long run we managed to hash out a compromise. We ended up planning to take the Jeep out first and using it to climb up one of the surrounding hills to one of the high ridges. From there we could see the overall area, then we’d come back and saddle the horses in order to see some of the areas closely and much more thoroughly.

At least that was what we had planned ... Unfortunately for us, Mother Nature and circumstance had other plans.

When we had been making our plans for the afternoon, the one thing we hadn’t taken into account was the possibility of a change in the weather. After we’d eaten, and as we walked out of the cabin, toward the Jeep, I glanced at the sky to the west of us, then came to a sudden halt.

“What’s the matter?” Carissa asked.

I didn’t speak aloud, instead I simply raised a hand and pointed at the roiling black line of clouds coming our way from the direction of the mountains.

“Is that a storm?”

“Unh huh, that’s a hum dinger,” I nodded. “I think there will be both wind and rain in those clouds, maybe even some hail, so we’d better forget that drive. In fact, I think we should batten down the hatches for some weather. For one thing we’d better try to get the chickens inside the henhouse if we can, we don’t want the wind and rain to get the young chicks, that would kill off some of them.”

“Oh great we’re going to have a storm and the Jeep has no roof,” Carissa moaned. “Uncle Frank will kick my butt if I let the upholstery get all wet.”

“Well, you could always park it under the shed roof by the barn, the one with the tractor parked at the other end, that would keep off a lot of the rain,” I pointed it out to her. “If you look around the corner, just inside the barn, you might even find a tarp you can cover it with, but be sure you close the barn door and tie the tarp down. If the wind does come up really strong, it’ll tear the tarp off the Jeep if it’s not tied down well and if the barn door is open, it could blow the roof off.”

So she went to move the Jeep and I headed for the chicken run.

Thank goodness Grampa Bender only had a couple of dozen chickens because Carissa had time to park the Jeep and tie a tarp over it, then come down and help me get the last few hens inside. By that time the wind was rising and we had to hurry to the cabin to beat the rain.

Once we were in the shelter of the front porch, we paused to watch the oncoming storm. One of the things I was watching in particular was the wind turbine; I wanted to see if the self-feathering blades were still working automatically. Luckily everything seemed to be okay, but I still worried slightly about that. It was one of the things I’d have checked if Carissa hadn’t talked me out of climbing the tower.

Of course I was worried about the other animals. Luckily there was just enough height from the front porch to see the big corral where I had my horses. I could see that they’d moved into the shelter of the open fronted shed built into one corner of the corral. Further down the valley I was able to make out the cattle through the driving rain; they were making a beeline for the shelter of the quaking aspens that lined either side of the upper pasture. Since the old sow was a coward about high wind, I knew she’d be inside. Of all the animals, that only left the dog and he was almost under our feet on the porch, so all the animals seemed to be okay, which meant I could breathe a sigh of relief.

As the wind gusts rose and the rain started coming down harder, we were soon getting splattered with raindrops and it wasn’t long before we retreated into the cabin. Then because the temperature was dropping so fast during the storm, I lit a small fire in the wood burning heater in the kitchen.

“Are there often storms like this up here?” Carissa asked, as she watched the storm through a kitchen window.

“Not really, no more than down home,” I chuckled as I walked up behind her and slid my arms around her waist. “It just seems worse here because we’re a bit isolated, but we’re really only about thirty miles from town. The weather is about the same here as it is there. Of course since this place is right at the entrance to the pass, the winds are a bit stronger than they are down on the flatland.”

“It feels colder,” she snuggled back against me.

“Well, we are a couple of thousand feet higher than your house in town and quite a bit closer to the mountains,” I gesture out the window in the direction of the pasture. “I think Grampa Bender told me that the surveyors had said that the flats out there were about a mile above sea level. That’s why he uses ‘MHR’ as his brand; it stands for ‘Mile High Ranch’. The place has been registered under that name for years.”

“Oh, I thought it was an ‘M’ and an ‘R’ with a bar between them,” she snickered. “That’s what I get for not asking about things.”

“Actually, the letters are just close together and run into each other,” I nibbled on her ear

“Umm,” she lifted one of my hands to a breast and wriggled her bottom against my growing hard-on. “I can see you feel like snuggling together too. Are you having ideas about keeping us warm?”

“Maybe?”

“Well, I’m a bit tender, but...” she turned in my arms.

Suddenly the storm was nowhere near as interesting as it had been. That afternoon we discovered the joys of making love while listening to a storm roar outside. Somehow, in some perverse way, it added a sense of danger that increased the enjoyment we shared.

Later that evening, after that the worst of the storm had passed, we sat out on the front porch and watched the drizzling rain. We’d had time to check for problems and no major damage seemed to have been done, so we were celebrating with a cup of coffee as we snuggled together on the old porch swing. Suddenly Carissa drew a deep breath, then sighed softly.

“Just smell that,” she spoke softly. “Everything smells so fresh and clean up here.”

“Um hmm, wait until the sun comes out again,” I nodded. “That’s when the odours really show up and they always seem stronger after it’s rained.”

“Mmm, I think I’m going to like that, but then I already like this place a lot,” she sighed and grabbed one of my hands in hers.

“So do I. That’s why I wanted to be sure everything was okay while Grampa Bender was in the hospital. I’d hate to have anything happen to this place.”

“I can understand that,” she drew a deep breath and sat up, then turned to face me, her forehead furrowed by a frown. “Have you any idea what will happen if he’s incapacitated enough that it would be unsafe for him to come back here?”

“Well, I’m hoping that won’t happen for a few years,” I sighed as I shrugged my shoulders. “Someone would have to be here to look after the place and I’ve sort of stepped up to the plate for now. I’m hoping that this isn’t permanent though, because I’ve got a lot of things I want to do first. However, I’d love to live here in the long run.”

“Besides moving to the city and studying electronics, what else do you want to do?”

“Well, for one thing, I’d like to try racing that old stock car your uncle Frank gave me, but if I’m living up here, I won’t even have time to work on it to get it ready,” I sighed.

“I thought Uncle Frank said it was ready to go?” she questioned. “Can’t you just jump into it and race it?”

“I wouldn’t feel safe, not until Tom and I have a chance to go over it from top to bottom. There are some things that I just don’t trust others to do. I like to check them myself.”

She chuckled and snuggled close. “I kind of like having you check things out myself.”

“I think that’s a slightly different kettle of fish,” I laughed. “That’s more along the lines of exploration of totally new territory, at least for me.”

“For me too, buster, and don’t you ever forget it,” she poked me in the ribs, but none too gently.

I’d just started to tickle her in retaliation when I heard Grampa Bender’s call sign on the CB.

“Oh damn, that’ll be Wil checking in to see if we’re okay after the storm. I’d better answer him or he’ll worry,” I hurriedly disentangled myself from her arms and leaped to my feet.

Inside I grabbed the mic. and answered the call.”Mile High here. How goes it, Big Brother? Over.”

“Well, we had some hail, but we’re okay. How are you doing? Over.”

“Everything is okay. Over.”

“Everything? No surprises? Over,” Wil was chuckling.

“One, but it was a pleasant one,” I grinned and wrapped an arm around Carissa, who’d come inside to stand beside me. “Nothing I can talk about on the radio, though. Over.”

“I understand. Do you need any help or any supplies up there? Tom’s car is insured and he has his learner’s permit. He was talking to me earlier about coming up to see you. Over.”

“Nope, everything is fine, but if you want to visit that’d be fine too. The roads will be a bit slippery from the storm though and there might be some minor flash floods in the gullies up on the plateau, so it might be a good idea to wait for things to dry a bit. Over.”

“Maybe tomorrow afternoon? Over.”

“Sounds good. Over.”

“Right, see you then,” I could hear Corinna say something in the background, but Wil just chuckled and then I could hear Corinna squeal.

“Over and out,” he said and his radio shut down.

“It sounds like you aren’t the only explorer in your family,” Carissa laughed.

“Well, with weather like this, some indoor exploration seems like a great idea,” I laughed, reaching for her.

“Unh uh,” she danced away. “I want to explore too and we have clean bed sheets. Shall we go mess them up? That way I’ll have a decent sized wash tomorrow because I want to try it out that old gas powered washing machine of your Grampa’s.”

“Only if it’s sunny,” I laughed. “Otherwise there’s no way to dry things.”

“Lets gamble,” she laughed as she moved toward the bedroom, delighting me with an impromptu strip tease on the way.

The next day neither of us was moving as quickly as we could have been because we were both a bit tender. We’d found out the hard way that there are consequences to overdoing certain physical activities that we weren’t used to doing. Of course we did feel slightly better when Corinna and Wil showed up in the early afternoon; they were moving even more slowly and carefully than we were, which gave Carissa and me a small private chuckle.

Tom had decided not to come up after all, but he’d lent his car to Wil, who had used the excuse of bringing us some milk as a reason for visiting. Since Grampa Bender didn’t have any milk cows and only an ice box to keep things from spoiling, we actually did need it. The milk I had brought up with me would only last that day anyway, mostly because I hadn’t counted on having two people to use it.

While Wil and I carried the extra supply of milk to the ice house to store it safely, the twins went inside in order to make everyone some coffee. We could hear them giggling and Wil looked slightly embarrassed as he glanced at me.

“I’ll bet they’re comparing notes,” he sighed.

“Well, I expect they are,” I had to grin. “First off, they’re women, secondly, they’re twins. Are you worried that Corinna might let out a secret or something?”

“No, I guess not,” he sighed again. “It’s just that I think some things should be private.”

“Maybe, who knows,” I had to chuckle. “I’ll be honest, I’m not worried since I’m a complete neophyte at the sort of thing that we’ve been doing. Carissa and I are learning about each other as we spend time together.”

“Well, I’m not exactly and old hand at this either,” he snorted. “Corinna is really only the second woman I’ve ever done anything with. On top of that I never expected this and it took me by surprise when she showed up. I can’t believe Mom went along with the idea.”

“I agree,” I nodded. “In fact I think I probably question it more than you do. Carissa has made it plain that she’s not expecting me to make it permanent.”

“Wow,” he paused and looked at me strangely. “How do you feel about that?”

I thought for a moment, then sighed. “Uneasy I guess.”

“Oh, why?”

“Well, there are just too many changing factors in my life right now,” I sighed even deeper than before. “Hell, I’m only sixteen and there are just too damn many things going on in my life. I’m having a hard time with all of the crap that’s affecting me.”

“I think that’s why Carissa said what she did about you two,” Wil clapped a hand on my shoulder. “She’s smart enough to know that you’re putting yourself under pressure and she’s trying not to add to it.”

All I could do was stare at him questioningly.

“Look, you’ve stepped in here like a grown man,” he waved his hand as if taking in the whole of Grampa Bender’s homestead. “I know you can handle anything that might happen and deep down I think you know you can handle it, but it’s not surprising that you’re a bit worried. You’re young and you can’t help looking around you at other guys your age, and you know damn well that they’d never do anything like this. Fuck, I’m not sure I would even try it, but you’ve always been the guy who grabbed responsibility by the horns and wrestled it to the ground. Seeing you leap into this wasn’t a big surprise to me or to anyone who knows you. That’s always been the way you do things.”

“Yeah, but what if I fuck up?”

“You won’t, because if you find something you can’t handle, you’ll call for help. That’s when you’ll find that the whole family and all your friends will back you up and help you handle the problem.”

There wasn’t much I could say to that, all I could do was smile in gratitude.

Actually that visit with Corinna and Wil left me feeling a lot more at ease than I had felt for weeks. It also convinced me that I had to talk to Carissa about her dreams and desires. Somehow I knew that if I understood her long term hopes and plans, I’d have a better handle on what she wanted from me.

I was surprised to find out that she wasn’t sure what she wanted. Well no, that’s not quite truthful. She was sure she wanted to be involved with young children, either as a pediatric nurse or a kindergarten teacher and one day she wanted a couple of children of her own. She paid me a very high compliment then, admitting that she wanted to have a husband who was like me in many ways, but she emphasized that she wasn’t in a hurry to get married.

When I asked her why she had worked so hard to arrange for us to have the weekend together, she’d laughed and admitted that for some reason I fascinated her. To her, it seemed I was something of an enigma, a quiet and shy ‘Mr. Nobody’ who hung back most of the time and let others take the lead at school, but now she was seeing a guy who seemed to know when to step in and take charge if he was needed. She also thought I was a true, died in the wool, romantic and that I’d make a great husband for some woman one day, but she thought it might not be her. Finally she asserted that I was the one guy she felt completely comfortable to be around, so I was a natural to be her first lover. In a nutshell, those were the main reasons why she was with me.

As a matter of fact, when she’d admitted that she didn’t think we’d be together for more than a few months, it was a relief to me. Up until then I think I was still harbouring thoughts about Corinna and Wil, who seemed to think that they were meant to spend a lifetime with each other. Somehow, I didn’t want to follow that model. I wasn’t excited about being tied down to any one woman right then. In fact I was positive that I needed more freedom than that, at least until I was older.

That evening we found out that we were really good at something else besides making love; we could talk intelligently with each other, even when we disagreed on many subjects. As a matter of fact, we spent most of that Saturday evening talking and discussing whatever subject happened to come up.