Chapter Ten
Sally drew a pictureof what she wanted for her smokehouse, both inside and out.“I’ve never really used one,” she told Tom, “but there are lots of pictures of them in my homesteading books.”
Tom looked at them, brow furrowed for a minute.“I can do this!How many rods do you want to suspend the fish from?”
“Eight.From what I read, if we want them to store long-term, it’s best to smoke them for five to seven days.So I’m going to put a string of salmon on one hook daily.When all the hooks are full, I’ll take down the first because it will be ready, and I’ll fill it the next day.Does that make sense?”
“It does.It might be smart if we fashioned you a trap instead of nets.That way you’ll be sure to get a few every day.”
“Sounds good to me.I’m so excited about this.I know it’s silly, but every little way I can improve our farm feels like a huge accomplishment.”
He smiled.“I didn’t know I lived on a farm until you arrived.I simply had one milk goat and a few chickens.”
“Does it bother you that I’ve changed so much?”she asked, worried he secretly resented her for what she’d done there.
“Not at all.I’m glad you’ve found your place here.Though at times I worry you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.”
“I haven’t,” she said.“I love all the work I’m doing.Well, not so much the days I watch a baby who only wants his mother, but what I do here on the farm makes me so happy.”
“Have you talked to Mrs.Johnson about the salmon yet?Will she sell it?”Tom asked.He knew even if the store didn’t sell it, he could sell to some of the men at work.
“I have.She loves the idea.And Maggie loves salmon any way it can be prepared.We’re not fishing for just us.”
“I hope the daily take from the trap will work out well for us.I’d be happy to eat salmon every other day all winter, but I’m a fan of variety as well.We’ll see how it all shakes out.Oh!Belle is going to try some of the smoked salmon when we have it ready.She’s never had salmon, and I’m hoping she’ll like it as much as the rest of us.”
“Has anyone thought about what Agnes will do when she arrives?”he asked.
“We’ve thought about it, but until we know if she wants to be part of it, we can’t really know.She’ll hopefully be here soon, and we can talk about it all then.”
“It’s probably going to be another month,” he told her.
“I know.I just wish she were here now.Should we share food with her?”Sally asked, wanting to help her friend, but not certain he would agree with her generosity.
He shrugged.“You’re doing all the work for the food.You can make that decision.Keep in mind that she’s marrying Jasper, who is my closest friend.I’d be inclined to help them.But it’s up to you.”
“All right,” she said.
On Saturday, the other two couples came over.While the men worked on the smokehouse, Sally, Belle, and Maggie made traps for the fish following some illustrations from Sally’s homesteading book.
Belle was finished with hers first, and she held it up.“What do you think?”
Sally nodded.“I think that will work well.”
Maggie nodded her agreement.“There’s something Belle and I discussed that we want to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?”Sally asked.She hoped her friends hadn’t decided they didn’t want salmon.
“We think all the money you make from the salmon should be yours.We’ll take a share for our families, but anything left over should go into your account not ours.”
“But you two do so much for me!”Sally protested.
“Your share was supposed to be the garden.Now it’s pigs, fish, and the garden, as well as helping with the baby,” Belle said.“It’s fair for you to keep it.And I think we should pay for our pigs as well.”
Sally shook her head emphatically.“That was not the agreement.Everett donated wood for the pig pen.All three men were here building it.No, I can’t charge you for it.I’m sure your husbands will help with the butchering as well.And the castration.I see the pigs as a joint endeavor.I may have them on my farm, but that’s only because I know more about pigs than the two of you do.”
Maggie sighed.“What if we share the cost of feeding the pigs?”
“We do!You two give me table scraps every day.And the fish will help cover the amount of food they need.Pigs love fish heads and entrails.”
