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Post by papaof2 on Nov 8, 2020 14:36:06 GMT -6
Chapter 8
Thursday, 13 April, 2028, 13:20
Beeep!
'Wilson residence. This is your Father speaking.'
'Good to hear your voice, Dad. I've heard from more vets in response to a message I posted on one of our professional forums. People are bringing in their cats and dogs for boarding for "a few days" while a member of the family is in the hospital with a bad case of "the flu". All of the animals involved have recently gotten some new item from the same Chinese manufacturer. None of those animals are showing signs of illness, just their humans. At the rate this is spreading, the possibly infected troops who will be getting here in four or five days may only be a small part of the problem.'
'Damn! That is bad and the CDC probably isn't aware of it. Can you get the vets' professional association to issue a letter of concern and provide details to the CDC?'
'I've worked with the current president of the association so I'll email him the references and the info I have and suggest he make it public and contact the CDC.'
'Excellent. We'll eat lunch and then go get the other load of implements.'
'Just time it so you're back before the 8PM thunderstorms arrive at their new time of 5PM and the road turns to sticky goo.'
'I hadn't heard that update. Thank you. We'll eat and be out of here quickly. Do you remember how to switch to the backup solar power?'
'Dad, I've only been "allowed" to do that since I was ten years old. Yes, I remember. At the moment, I'm watching the weather radar from one of the Birmingham TV stations and, while the storm looks serious, it's not moving very fast. I'm not sure why they moved the storm arrival time to 5PM but I'll keep an eye on it and call you on your cell if it looks as though it will get here before you plan to be back.'
'Thank you. Both our phones have been on charge in the truck so they're good for several hours.'
'Drive careful.'
'I will. When your Mom's riding with me, I have precious cargo on board.'
---
"What's up with you watching the sky to the West, Jack?"
"Bob, the updated weather forecast has those 'severe late evening thunderstorms' getting here at 5PM."
"Excellent reason. Let's get the rest of these things loaded per your sketch and you can at least get the trailer home before the storm and not be stuck on the road somewhere."
"Literally 'stuck' in the sticky goo the dirt roads out here sometimes become."
"Been there; done that - no tee shirt but I did need new boots."
"Because you couldn't find the one that got lost in the mud."
"It was you that winched my truck out that time!"
"Correct. Let's get these things tied down and get us on the road so I don't need to use the hydraulic winch on the front of the cab-over to get it out of the mud today."
"Tossing the last two tiedowns across to you."
---
Ring! Ring!
'This is Jack.'
'Dad, the storm has suddenly picked up speed. You might have 20 minutes to get home before it hits.'
'We're about 25 minutes out. Be armed and go open the gate at the road so we're not out in the rain twice. Click on camera seven and set it for "Alert on motion" so you'll know if anyone else tries to come in the gate.'
'The camera's changed and I'll go open the gate. Radar shows the storm getting heavier: the rain levels are past dark red and into purple and white. Don't remember seeing that except in a tornado.'
'Check for anything that needs to be moved under cover or tied down as rain that heavy probably has some serious wind with it. Go ahead and turn off the main breakers to the house and outbuildings and switch to backup power. Easier and cheaper than repairing lightning or surge damage.'
'On my way to do all that.'
'Thank you.'
"At least we won't be totally in the dark, Jack."
"And we can get warm showers if we get soaked closing the gate and getting the trailer under cover."
"Room for two in that shower?"
"As you wish."
----
"I hear thunder in the distance, Jack."
"Check the mirror on your side."
"Almost a solid line of black clouds with lightning flickering across the front of the clouds and to ground. Will we beat it?"
"It'll be close. Regardless, I'll pull through the pole barn to have the trailer mostly covered and you dash for the house while I close the gate."
"Didn't you plan to make that a remotely operated power gate?"
"Yes. The remote control receivers, the weatherproof intercom and keypad to go by the front gate, the hand held remotes and the gate actuators are scheduled to be delivered today. If UPS gets to the house before the rain hits, we'll have those things. Their usual delivery time out here is between 4PM and 6PM so delivery today is a toss up. The LTO batteries for the gate openers are scheduled for delivery tomorrow. I'll be using the little 318 Deere with the irrigation pipe plow to bury the plastic pipe for the wiring from the house to each gate. Primary power will be a solar panel near each gate but there will be an option to charge the batteries from house pow..."
FLASH!
BOOM!
RUMBLE!
"Is it just me, Jack, or did that thunder shake the truck?"
"I felt it too, Susan. Just a mile to go so maybe we'll be off the road before it goes to goo. The rain is catching up with us, though."
"You have a rain suit and boots in the cab?"
"For both of us. Part of the Get Home Bags in here."
"I'm getting in my rain suit. Stop when the trailer clears the gate and I'll get out and close it and then head to the house. I'll get out dry clothes for both of us and some extra towels so you can shed wet things at the back door."
"Good planning. That's a shorter walk for you than from the pole barn. Downshifting for the turn into our gravel driveway… and the trailer didn't slide much in the turn. It's clear of the gate."
"I'm out. You get moving!"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"You goof!"
The trailer is mostly covered so rain suit and boots for me and then open the doo… Can't get it open against the wind with my shoulder so maybe I should go out the other door? But first I roll that window down a fraction of an inch to ensure I can close the door after I get out.
Better choice of doors but now I'm leaning hard to stay up in the wind - and the rain is getting in every nook and cranny of this rain suit. Ten more yards to go and I'll be in the lee of the house.
Much better without the wind. I need to check our weather station to see how fast the wind is. It records a year's worth of data so that can wait until I'm warm and dry.
I'm inside and I hear the shower running. All my wet clothes in a laundry basket and me to the shower.
---
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Post by texican on Nov 8, 2020 21:35:59 GMT -6
PP2,
The virus and now violent weather. Just what else will happen?
Thanks for the chapter.
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 11, 2020 17:23:12 GMT -6
Chapter 9
Thursday, 13 April, 2028, 17:40
"More tea, Jack?"
"Yes, love. The sounds of the wind and rain make the day seem colder."
"The temperature did drop a little more than twenty degrees when the storm came in. That, plus being wet from cold rain plus 50MPH wind gusts made for a strong windchill factor."
"Worse than I remember from any other April. I should check the online weather… Maybe not. The laptop has an IP address but 'no internet connectivity' so our internet is down again. You think we might still have TV?"
"Not with the way U-verse usually fails out here. We've kept the farm's business number on a copper-to-the-central-office link to ensure we have some level of phone service when power is out."
"So I'll try my cell phone. It has two bars of signal! Our nearest cell tower hasn't gone down yet."
"As long as you include the 'yet', Jack. It rarely stays up more than four hours after we lose U-verse. And the weather is?"
"It's slow, possibly because everyone out here is using cell data to check the weather. There's enough rain in the forecast for the next four hours to have a 'flash flood warning' in effect. The radar from the B'ham station has purple and white for maybe 40 miles to our West and the storm's forward speed has slowed abruptly. The hourly forecast has us with 'heavy thunderstorms' for the next four hou…"
Bee-deep!
"Camera on the gate. A UPS truck is sideways across the road with its front wheels in the ditch on the other side. That's a tractor recovery after the rain ends. I can get the truck onto firmer ground inside our gate but it's stuck here until morning. The driver closed and locked the gate after he came in so I'll guess it's Dave Lloyd. Towels for him, love?"
"And some of your sweats. I'll take those to the hall bath and you can point the way."
Knock! Knock!
"Sorry, we're not in the market for drowned rats today."
"Maybe not, but you're the only people with lights on which tells me that you probably have running hot water and other things I've been treated to before in bad weather."
"Susan's in the kitchen brewing some hot tea. Leave your boots in the tub on the porch. Basket for your wet clothes. Towels for you to use here. Fresh towels and some sweats in the hall bath."
"I never cease to be amazed at your hospitality."
"As the US Mail once was, 'Neither rain nor snow' applies to you, Dave."
"Most of your stuff is on the porch against the house and out of the rain. The rest of it needs a cart and the mud's too deep for that."
"When the rain stops and we have enough light…"
"After daylight, then."
"Probably. Tomorrow I'll bring a tractor around then and pull your truck onto the gravel drive. For tonight, I'll go out when the rain stops and put some magnetic battery-powered flashing lights on the sides of the truck so it's less likely to be hit in the hours before daylight. None of the locals will be traveling this road until several hours after the rain stops unless they're on a 4WD tractor and I'm almost certain the tractor won't be in 'road' gear."
---
"More tea, Dave?"
"No, Ma'am, but I will have another of these great cookies. Jack, the boxes have 'Mighty Mule' on them. You're making the front gate remote control?"
"Actually three gates. The gate out front is just the most obvious one. All the gates will have a wired remote in the house. The front gate will have an intercom to talk to anyone at the gate."
"You already have a dozen or more cameras so I guess talking with people is the next step in isolating yourselves from the 'flu' that's been in the news today."
"We were moving equipment most of the day and haven't checked the news since this morning."
"The CDC says there's a new 'flu' that you might get by handling things made in certain cities in China. There's a list of items and manufacturers on their website. They credit some veterinarians with spotting the connections to items from China and they're trying to figure out how a virus or bacteria or whatever can survive during a week in transit via air or a month or more in ocean transit."
"Questions we discussed with Janet earlier today."
"She's here?"
"Left her vet job after seeing multiple expensive birds 'wilt and die' in a matter of hours after being brought in by their 'runny-nosed' owners. She's in two week quarantine in the bunkhouse."
"Good to know that she's OK. Tell her I said 'Hi'."
"Tell her yourself. The intercom is at the end of the kitchen counter. Press the 'Call' button twice."
Beeep! Beeep!
'This is Janet.'
'Hi, Janet. It's Dave Lloyd or maybe just today's first drowned rat your folks have rescued.'
'You're driving for UPS now.'
'You can monitor the cameras from out there?'
'From almost anywhere on the property.'
'Better coverage than we have at the UPS depot. Just wanted to check up on you.'
'Don't stop by only when your truck gets stuck. I need to finish my quarantine so I'll be out here at loose ends for a while. You have my cell number?'
'It's still the same?'
'Same as five years ago.'
'Then I have it.'
'Then you should use it when Mom and Dad aren't in earshot.'
'Later, then?'
'Yes, later.'
---
I should check the electric co-op's outage page to get a feel for how long we'll be without power. Only one bar on the cell phone so the nearest tower is already gone. At least we still have some level of service. The substation that serves us - and about a third of the county - has 2% of its meters in service. 2% of 400 meters is eight meters in service. Either those are meters right next to the substation or they have 100% out and the status page hasn't caught up ye…
Bzzt!Bzzt!
A text from the co-op. Telling me that my power went off three hours ago - that's much slower than their usual status reporting - and that I can expect restoral by midnight Sunday. That will be something over 72 hours expected outage and possibly much longer when they likely won't be able to get a truck down this road to start any type of repairs until late tomorrow, if that soon. At least I know what they're planning.
---
Something sounds different - I think the level of rain has decreased. I should go look. The rain and the wind are both down. I can bring in the packages on the porch and either dry them or open them and dry the contents.
"Hey, UPS man!"
"Yes, Jack?"
"The rain and wind are much lower than they were so help me get this eight foot table open and we can bring the packages in for opening and drying."
"At your service."
---
"We'll have a remote control gate tomorrow, Jack?"
"Not until the ground is dry enough to do some digging and pour concrete, love. But we can temporarily wire everything together on this work table and verify that it all works."
"Better than finding out that it doesn't work after you pour concrete."
"Correct."
---
"Jack, what's the code for the remote keypad?"
"Dave, it's the last four digits of Susan's phone number when we were dating."
"You remember that?"
"Yes, love, and I'm certain you do also."
"I do and I'll think of you every time I enter it."
"How do you two do it? You have kids older than I am and you're still lovey-dovey."
"Helps to be married to the right person."
"He's right, Dave."
"I think you may have a point."
---
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Post by texican on Nov 12, 2020 1:28:23 GMT -6
PP2,
Hopefully Dave is not a carrier for he sees lots of different people on his route.
A good rule is to wear masks and sanitize all outside packages and contents if maybe from China.
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 16, 2020 23:10:56 GMT -6
Chapter 10
Friday, 14 April, 2028, 05:45
Beep!Beep! Beep!Beep!
The little battery powered clock has an annoying alarm but it nearly always wakes me in less than a minute and it works reliably when commercial power is off. I need to do some animal chores and check how soft the driveway is so I'll know whether I can get Dave's truck out of the ditch and then get my other packages out of it. The thermometer outside the bedroom window has about 55 so it's cool for the middle of April in Alabama. Cool enough to be comfortable wearing long sleeves in case one of the hens that doesn't like rain decides to take her anger out on me for stealing her eggs.
Now to the kitchen to fill the whistling tea kettle and put it on the stove to have hot water for tea and get the camp stove percolator ready to brew some of the good coffee - maybe the Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend today? That's done, so get my rubber boots on for the muddy trek outside.
Speak to and pet the horses and give them COB. Some food from the barrel for the pigs plus all of yesterday's scraps and the four-day-old leftovers. Food for Petunia then some warm water for washing her udder (from the well insulated two gallon tank that part of the solar panels are switched to when the batteries reach full charge) and then milk her.
Now to get the milk back to the house and in the milk fridge and then turn on the burners for the tea kettle and the percolator before I head out to feed the chickens and collect eggs. The coffee should be just about right when I bring the eggs in and the scent will probably have awakened Susan before I get back inside. Much nicer wakeup than the "Beep!" of an alarm clock.
We have ten eggs today. With Janet here, Susan will boil some to make deviled eggs - another Southern comfort food - and to have sliced hard-boiled eggs for salads. Those items take care of most of yesterday's egg collection and I can give Dave a half dozen of today's egg collection to take home with him.
"Good morning, Mr. Wilson."
"Good morning, Mrs. Wilson. I do like your good morning kisses."
"That feeling is mutual."
"Thought it might be as we seem to do this daily."
"You goof! Two scrambled with a pinch of shredded cheddar cheese and a little diced pepperoni plus bacon and biscuits on the side?"
"You do know the way to my heart."
"You wash today's eggs while I cook some of yesterday's. Will Dave want…"
"Two scrambled with cheese and pepperoni sounds better than anything I can cook."
"Morning, Dave."
"Morning, Susan. Since Jack has the egg basket, I'd best say 'Morning, Jack' too."
"Susan, is it OK if throw those eggs at Dave instead of handing them to him?"
"Only if you mop the floor afterwards."
"Less work to hand him the eggs."
"Jack, is it dry enough to move my truck?"
"Better if we wait until noon. You might want to tell the dispatcher where you are and why."
"I did that when the scent of coffee woke me - that's a great way to start the day! Tory's not happy that I didn't finish yesterday's deliveries and that I probably won't get any of today's scheduled deliveries done but he's thrilled that I can get a free tow instead of the usual $2000 or more plus mileage for a big wrecker tow on a muddy road out this far and there's already a backlog of wrecker calls they couldn't get to during the rain yesterday. He said a wrecker call made this morning - other than an entrapment or a law enforcement call about a blocked road - wouldn't be serviced until Sunday."
"You get the better part of a day off today."
"First time I've had a Friday off in months."
"If you're at loose ends, I have a question for you. Have you welded any stainless steel?"
"For the fuel tanks on some show hot rods. Why?"
"I plan to build wood gas generators for two old tractors that are on my rebuild list and maybe a smaller wood gas unit for a gasoline generator. I'd like to get them right the first time."
"Wood gas? As in WWII fuel-rationing-inspired wood gas generators?"
"The same, just with much better filter materials than they had available then and maybe some microprocessor control of the combustion rate to try to create a wood gas gen that could work for a passenger vehicle or a pickup."
"You have plans with tank sizes and combustion rates?"
"Thought you'd never ask…"
"Jack, eat while the food is hot and then go build your A-Team vehicle."
"On our way, love."
---
"These charts and tables only go up to the 239 cubic inch V8."
"It was rated at 95HP and most of the older gasoline tractors are much less than that. The '63 Ford tractors I have use the 172 cubic inch, 55HP gasoline four-banger so they're covered."
"I should be aware of most tractor engines having much lower HP ratings than the cars. Dad's 30HP Kubota has a backhoe and a front loader."
"Most of the Kubotas are diesel but those small tractors do well for many smaller jobs. You won't see one pulling a six bottom plow through clay, though."
"Most of them don't have enough rubber on the ground to handle much breaking of new ground. Back to wood gas and welding. I see the chart has some fairly low PSI figures. You did construction welding so a bead that looks good to you should hold up under the pressures you'll have, even with the physical beating of being on a tractor. Taylor's Junkyard has stainless tanks in sizes from two to maybe twenty gallons from some type of food processing plant so you shouldn't have any hazardous chemical residue to deal with. You'd need to weld on the pipe fittings and brackets and cut a door for loading the cooker but the basic tanks are ready to be drilled and welded. He also has some five gallon and smaller tanks of 3/8" steel that might hold up longer in a wood fire than the thinner stainless tanks which are only 1/16" or 1/8". I'd say the thicker tanks for the firebox and cooker and the stainless tanks for the filters."
"Nice to have good help."
"Nice to be in on an alternative to the gasoline that might not be available next month. The UPS delivery trucks run on natural gas but that needs a pipeline for most of its journey so if enough people are out sick that commercial power is affected, we would be on bicycles with trailers or driving a horse and wagon. The eight foot rails in your gate parts would definitely need the horse and wagon."
"If that were a mule and wagon today, your delivery vehicle wouldn't be in the ditch."
"That's also true. Somewhat longer time to get here from the depot but I'd have made better time on the dirt roads after the rain started. I'll keep 'Dave's Delivery Service' in mind as a fallback job if UPS shuts down. Dad still has a couple of mules and a decent wagon with good suspension and rubber tires."
"Good that you're thinking of alternative ways of doing things. Whether there's power or not, people need things moved from Point A to Point B."
---
Beeep!
'Yes, Janet?'
'Dad, I looked at some of the pet toys that are on the CDC's list and then looked at the manufacturer's website. The Google translation of their ad copy has 'Printed with planet-friendly, protein-rich, plant based inks'. Do you think a virus or bacteria could live on a plant protein?'
'First, I'll wonder why an ink needed any type of protein in it as most printing inks are all about the pigments used for permanence, but I'll also say it is most definitely worth investigating. Add that to your report.'
'Someone called from the CDC yesterday for details on the birds I treated and their owners. I have her number so I'll call with this info. If they can get some toys or toy packaging from the homes of the infected people they can test whether the ink could support a virus or bacteria for multiple days.'
'Sounds very reasonable to me. The CDC's news release yesterday mentioned that veterinarians had supplied them with info about the new "flu" so your organization did get credit for the work it did.'
'I didn't hear that report but it's good to know. Thanks, Dad.'
'Are you doing OK by yourself?'
'I'd rather have live hugs than paper ones but when I get down, I go work a little more on the cabinet for the Janome. The holes for the machine hinge and lid hinge screws needed to be reworked so I filled them with wood filler and when it's dry I'll sand it and then drill pilot holes for the screws. I found a close match to the original stain in the shop beside the barn and that's what I'm using to touch up the cabinet. There's a lot of satisfaction in watching a piece of old furniture come back to life.'
'I thought the work might help pass the time. Glad it's also giving you a positive outlook.'
'Me too. I should make that call.'
'You should. Let us know if they have any new info.'
'Will do.'
---
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Post by texican on Nov 17, 2020 18:48:43 GMT -6
Work and more work as things fall apart.
Thanks PP2.
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 20, 2020 16:22:53 GMT -6
Chapter 11
Friday, 14 April, 2028, 11:40
Beeep!
'Yes, favorite daughter?'
'Thanks for the hug, Dad, even if I am your only daughter. I heard back from Ann McHale at the CDC. They think an ink with a plant protein base might serve as food for the infection agent. They've sent masked, gloved and HazMat-suited people to collect samples of the pet toys and their wrappings from the homes of the deceased owners and some unopened ones from pet stores. They'll check whether the ink is a suitable growth medium for the infection agent. If the toys or their packaging show signs of infection, they'll order confiscation of all items from those manufacturers and institute cleanup procedures at all stores and warehouses. If needed, they will also start an ad campaign in all media to warn people about the products and provide procedures for disposal and cleanup. I'll guess that will start another run on chlorine bleach and hydrogen peroxide as well as the disinfecting wipes.'
'The problem I see with that is the number of other Chinese products that might be using that same ink and the possibility of everything from kids' picture books to instruction manuals for cell phones being printed with it and all the printed items being havens for infection in transit.'
'You'd need to know every print shop which purchased that ink and every company that used it for in-house printing.'
'Janet, you'd also need to know whether the ink is available to home users on Amazon, EBay, Etsy and their equivalents in other countries.'
'Dad, you're saying Etsy-marketed craft items for babies could be infected or at least carriers for infection if coughed or sneezed on in transit?'
'Remember to include Etsy items for home and pets and that you'd have no idea whether an infected person had contact with the item.'
'Tracing the source of an infection and eliminating it won't be as helpful as people limiting their exposure because government control of production and distribution will be too late?'
'That's how I see it. If the CDC determines that anything printed with that ink is suspect and they can get the word out to avoid any product with that ink on it, they might make some difference in the infection levels but what if the 'green' and 'organic' food producers have started using that ink? How many people will sacrifice their green or organic lifestyle to stay alive?'
'Not a choice some of those libiots can make intelligently. Certainly not the ones that drive "green" electric cars charged by coal-fired electricity.'
'Care to guess how many other people each of those will expose?'
'Far too many. Printers' ink could be a major factor in the next SHTF event?'
'It appears so. We can hope for some positive news from your CDC contact.'
'I'll let you know.'
---
"Couldn't help but overhear, Jack. What is a 'libiot'?"
"Dave, that's shorthand for 'liberal idiot'."
"I like that. Is it dry enough to tow my truck? I'm now even more anxious to get home."
"Dry enough to move your truck as the tractor will be on the gravel drive. We can tell more about the state of the road after I wade over to the truck with tow cable in hand and you try steering it as I pull it out of the mud. Clip this handie-talkie to your belt so we can talk while I'm on the tractor and you're steering the truck."
"Let's do it."
---
'Another five feet to have the front bumper clear of the gate, Jack. The truck steers much better with the front wheels on the gravel.'
'Dave, I think that difference in steering means you'll be here another night. This section of the road dries out faster than the section near the creek.'
'Much better to be here than wading through a mile of this mud to get back here after I get stuck. I'll let Troy know when we're done with this. Where do I park the truck?'
'On your left, next to the cab-over.'
'I'll get the tow cable loose and walk it back to you. Then I'll park the truck.'
'Good enough.'
---
Ring!
'UPS depot. This is Troy.'
'Dave here. Jack just got my truck out of the ditch but the road is still too muddy to drive on. I expect to have the truck at the depot tomorrow afternoon in time for loading.'
'At least you'll have a truck in motion. Probably 20% of the rural trucks are stuck somewhere and the best the tow service can promise is "Some time Monday". Can you do an extended day Monday? From 6AM to midnight if there's overtime in it?'
'Yes to Monday. I'm guessing the next question is "Tuesday?" and I'll answer that late Monday.'
'Good enough. That's much better than the "NO!" and "HELL NO!" answers I've been getting from the drivers that spent a cold, wet, muddy and hungry night in their trucks. See you tomorrow.'
---
"Jack, show me your welding setup and I'll see if I can offer any suggestions on welding stainless with your equipment."
"The welder is the Bobcat 225 on a trailer in the pole barn."
"Good choice for occasional use as it can do flux core, stick and MIG plus AC and DC TIG on steel, stainless and aluminum."
"I wanted one machine that could do all the welding likely to be needed on a small to medium farm and be easy to tow."
"At just under 500lbs for the welder, you got the 'easy tow' part. What rod and wire do you have?"
"A selection of everything is in the weatherproof storage cabinet on the trailer."
"Looks like a good variety for what you do. You've probably gotten some requests for repairing cast iron?"
"I have. There's an LP weed burner that does a good job of preheating cast iron."
"Then cast iron is covered. With your experience, MIG the stainless if you want it done quickly but TIG it if you want it pretty and have the time to do it."
"On that basis, I might MIG all the wood gas setups just to get them done faster. It's not like I'm rolling and welding sheets of stainless to make a tank - I'm just adding plumbing fittings and mounting brackets. "
"I'll also say MIG. For the bits of work you're doing and for use on a 65 year old tractor, you might notice the difference in appearance but no one else will. I do want to see the finished product in action."
"You might need to get that horse and wagon ready."
"And get binoculars so I can see your semaphore signal?"
"We'll hope that all communications don't go away that fast. I have ham radio to fall back on for long distances and CB for local things."
"I still have a CB that probably works. I'll hook it back up when I get home and give you a call. What channel?"
"21, just in case you don't have a 40 channel CB."
"I think it's 40 channels but channel 21 works for anyone with a CB so maybe use that and make it the local calling channel if things get that bad?"
"If enough people have power for a CB, having a 'calling channel' could be useful. I have solar power to fall back on. What will you do if the grid goes away?"
"I have just enough solar power to keep a very small fridge running, my phone charged and a few LED lights lit. I can power a CB from that if it's only on for an hour or so a day."
"I'll leave the CB in the house on while we're awake so you can try calling when you have an opportunity."
"When I get home tomorrow. I'll leave the UPS truck at the depot to be loaded and go home for a couple changes of clothes, a sleeping bag and a backpack of food and water, just in case there are equally bad roads in other places out here Monday."
"Good planning."
---
Friday, 14 April, 2028, 20:10
Ring! Ring!
'This is Jack.'
'Bob Sanders. You were right about the Case; it's a diesel. The Farmall is the 220 cubic inch gas engine. Give me a price on a wood gas conversion for it.'
'When I pick up the stainless tanks for my tractors, I'll also get tanks for you. When I have a working conversion in place on one or both of my tractors, I can quote you an installed price on the Farmall.'
'About what I expected from you, Jack. No price until you have a working version of a new device. You'll be getting back most of the junk silver you spent with me?'
'No more than twice that price.'
'As Susan would say "You goof!" I know that what you build will work and there is no other source, so possibly still cheap at twice your final price.'
---
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Post by texican on Nov 23, 2020 1:48:47 GMT -6
Printers' ink could be a major factor in the next SHTF event?
pp2,
This is going to be interesting.
How soon will Dave move out to the farm and hook up with Janet?
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 24, 2020 22:38:45 GMT -6
Chapter 12 Saturday, 15 April, 2028, 06:30 "Susan, you could take over the diner near the seed and feed and double its business just with your breakfast menu. These waffles are great!" "Dave, it's fun to cook for family and friends but I'm not interested in the pressure cooker environment of a short-order diner." "Your puns are as bad as Jack's." "You really think so, Dave?" "Yes, Jack." "Then answer me this: Why are accident lawyers rarely successful in the restaurant business?" "I have no idea." "They only hire sous chefs."* Beeep! 'Yes, favorite daughter?' 'Dad, the CDC tested the ink on the pet toys and the packaging and it's a 21st century Petri dish. Everything they've tried grows in it.' 'Specific brands of toys or inks?' 'Any pet-related item with the letters "M-a-g-i-k" in its name. Anything from Chongqing Industries in China or MagikPet in California. Not just bird-related things. They also produce collars, harnesses, leashes, beds and food/water dishes for cats, dogs and pot belly pigs, chew toys, aquarium products, rodent habitats and probably other things. The CDC is getting cooperation from the Chinese health officials in contacting the manufacturer and distributors of that ink.' 'You don't sound very happy about what you've learned.' 'The manufacturer is resisting their efforts to get the formula of the ink and lists of the purchasers. They may have to bring in the local Chinese military to get access to the corporate offices and labs.' 'That sounds like they may be hiding more than a trade secret.' 'That's what some of the CDC people think.' 'Using that ink for flyers for entertainment events or newspapers or grocery coupons and infecting it with a short incubation disease could disable a city very quickly.' 'That's why their military is being involved. More when I hear from Ann McHale again or it makes the national news.' 'Someone will be here.' --- "Jack, do you have any busy work for me so I'm not pulling my hair out from being idle?" "Glad you asked, Dave. There are stalls in the barn to muck, the chicken coop needs cleaning and fresh straw, the pig pen..." "You have hip boots?" "Things aren't quite that deep but we do have good boots." "Lead the way." --- "Jack, from the back of the barn, I can see that you do have solar power to 'fall back on'. Looks to me like you might manage close to normal as I'd guess the solar array is maybe 4000 watts." "It is 4000 watts, Dave, and while the LTO batteries can provide four days of autonomy for fridge, freezer, well pump and LED lights they can't handle the central air for more than a day but we can run the air from solar power for a few hours on most sunny afternoons." "You have a diesel generator in that little 'powerhouse'?" "A water-cooled 12KW Kohler. It can provide near normal power for the house and all the outbuildings but at a price." "The cost of diesel and your concern that an SHTF event would limit you to just the fuel you have on hand." "Correct. The Toshiba LTO batteries are rated for 20,000 charge/discharge cycles and in solar power service with typically one charge/discharge cycle per day that works out to a little over 54 years. The solar panels have a 25 year output warranty - not that I could get warranty service after an SHTF event - but they will last much longer than the diesel fuel and the generator and having a backup set of panels and controllers means we might have solar power for the life of the batteries. I'm reasonably certain we'd have some level of power for the next 20 years." "Aren't those LTO batteries expensive?" "If you only look at initial cost, they're very expensive. If you look at cost per year over even a 20 year life they're competitive. If they last 50 years, you're in the 'pennies a day' cost level." "So you have grid level power reliability for a lifetime?" "In a second era of 1820 horse-drawn farming and that era's likely level of medical care, 54 years might be a lifetime." "Damn! You're right. I should upgrade the batteries on my solar system from the lithium ion 18650 packs I'm using." "That'd be great if you can get delivery soon enough. Try batteryhookup.com for their used, tested LTO batteries or bigbattery.com for their big LiFePO4 batteries If you can't get delivery in time, set your charge controller and the BMS for the 18650's to the military ratings of 'charge to 80%, discharge to 20%' and the batteries will last longer. If you don't have the voltages for those numbers, they're in a 'Lithium Battery Info' folder at my desk. I don't know how much longer they will last because that depends on whether the batteries are a name brand such as LG or Toshiba or some brand you've never heard of before." "They're all new LG 3000mAh cells." "Use them as though they were half that rating and they should last a long time." "I found a spreadsheet online that I used to size things and it's somewhat pessimistic - so much so that the spreadsheet's 'safe maximum discharge' in amp hours didn't drop the batteries to the BMS' low voltage cutoff. I'll just set the battery capacity at 60% of the original ratings and work with that." "The spreadsheet** from that PAW fiction author who's paranoid about power?" "Yes." "I also used it. If a solar system that a non-electrical-engineer designed and built is your main source of power, it's fine if it's overbuilt a little. Better to have power for the fridge than to not have power for it and even more important if there's a diabetic in the family that needs to store insulin." "You or Susan?" "Lily, the little girl Tom and Erin adopted. We gave them a 12 volt Engel fridge/freezer as an adoption gift because they would need refrigeration in transit and for the days wildfire prevention shuts off power where they are. They weren't excited about that gift at the time but they've used it multiple times every year since then and we get a 'Thanks for planning ahead' text each time they use it." "Those three to five day outages would really make it hard to keep insulin cold and the evacuations could be even harder to manage. Are they now more willing to listen to 'You should be prepared for the unexpected'?" "They have a secondary 'pantry' in their basement with a month of shelf stable food, three months of LTS foods and a month of water in 55 gallon barrels." "Not where you'd like for them to be but better than getting takeout or ordering pizza for delivery because there's 'nothing to eat'." "Much improved over three years ago." "That even got a smile from you, Jack." "I'm sure it did. Grab that pitchfork while I lead Petunia, Silver and Buttermilk out to pasture." "Putting on my gloves." --- "For something a little less messy, I'd like to get my other packages out of the truck." "In a hurry to dig in the mud, Jack?" "No, Dave. Just want to verify the sizes and that there was no damage in transit. Long metal pieces don't always stay straight when mixed with other packages." "Very reasonable. You want to use the cart or just have one of us on each end?" "If you use the cart you'll be scraping mud off it before you put it back in the truck. We can do a two man carry." "Then I can stack these three high and we can make it in two trips. UMPH! Make that two high and three trips." "Sounds reasonable. When we get these inside, you retreat to the truck and call Janet. She did say when Susan and I were out of earshot." "Will do." --- * If you didn't get it, read it aloud. ** www.jecarter.us/files/My-Solar-Generator.xls
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Post by texican on Nov 25, 2020 17:06:56 GMT -6
Printers' ink could be a major factor in the next SHTF event?pp2, This is going to be interesting. How soon will Dave move out to the farm and hook up with Janet? Texican.... "Sounds reasonable. When we get these inside, you retreat to the truck and call Janet. She did say when Susan and I were out of earshot."
"Will do."Looks like sooner than later. Thanks pp2. Texican....
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Post by eyeseetwo on Nov 26, 2020 23:41:20 GMT -6
Thank you.
Yes, basic office supplies are hard to get at all, let alone at a decent price point living in the hinterlands.
As I slowly sort boxes from teaching days I have cleaned a huge amount of work sheet type papers from math, science, history etc. I always kept a master copy and a class set on hand for tge days when the tech part of the lesson crashed with access to online google docs. I retired now and I am letting go of resources I spent far to much money on over my decades of teaching. It tickles me pink to drop off teaching goodies to my former students.
I cannot recycle office pack paper any longer locally, so we are using the upcycled paper for homestead needs.
I just gifted my deceased mom in law’s manual typewriter to my step daughter. She was so stoked. She writes letters to her tribe and circle of friends and family. She found replacement ink ribbons on the net.
Dear hubby complained that I hung onto the typewriter and was surprised at the joy dear daughter has pecking at the keys.
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Post by texican on Nov 27, 2020 11:51:15 GMT -6
EST,
Most of the recent generations would not know how to use a manual typewriter unless shown. Technology has taken over.
We had a manual typewriter until Mother bought an IBM electric wheeled typewriter for my sister. I still have the IBM typewriter and the manual typewriter. Used the IBM in college for computers were still years off.
Saw a HP 35 calculator that a engineering prof had and bought one for $495 in 1972 which I was the first student at Texas Tech to have one. Had to wait nearly 90 days for it to be delivered. The HP 35 was high tech back in the early '70s. Still have the HP 35.
God bless all.
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 27, 2020 17:52:04 GMT -6
I'm still using printer paper I bought in the days the office supply stores ran sales of a 10 ream case for $9.95 ;-) Considering the current "sale" price is $29.95 for that same case of paper, I should have bought a truckload and now have a fleamarket booth where I sell it for $4/ream - cheaper than the office supply store and a tidy markup for me.
I am near the end of the free note paper - the tearoffs from 11" x 14" greenbar printer paper when what you printed was 8 1/2" x 11". At the time, that just went into the trash so I would bring a box of the tearoffs home from work a couple of times a year. It's been a LONG time since I worked in a place which used 20 of those printers.
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Post by texican on Nov 27, 2020 18:49:00 GMT -6
I'm still using printer paper I bought in the days the office supply stores ran sales of a 10 ream case for $9.95 ;-) Considering the current "sale" price is $29.95 for that same case of paper, I should have bought a truckload and now have a fleamarket booth where I sell it for $4/ream - cheaper than the office supply store and a tidy markup for me. I am near the end of the free note paper - the tearoffs from 11" x 14" greenbar printer paper when what you printed was 8 1/2" x 11". At the time, that just went into the trash so I would bring a box of the tearoffs home from work a couple of times a year. It's been a LONG time since I worked in a place which used 20 of those printers. pp2, Bought cases of paper when it was on sale and have stored in one of our containers. Will probably run out of pape some day, but not the day after tomorrow. Paper will be a commodity once it falls apart. Buy while you can as part of your preps. God bless. Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 29, 2020 15:28:46 GMT -6
Chapter 13
Saturday, 15 April, 2028, 10:40AM
Ring! Ring!
'Hi, Dave. Are you out of earshot?'
'In the truck for a while - at least until it gets too hot in here. No motion means zero ventilation.'
'Just wondered if you might be interested in an evening of pizza and beer on Friday, the 21st. That will be fifteen days after I was first exposed and eleven days after I was last exposed.'
'Most definitely. Sausage and pepperoni with extra cheese?'
'Or whatever Mom's homemade pizza in the freezer has for toppings?'
'Been there; enjoyed that and always ready to do it again. Colorado Kool Aid or something else?"
'That or Bud Light or I'd settle for Diet Coke and your company.'
'Best offer I've had in a long time. You're on my calendar - electronic and paper - for next Friday. I may be working long days. Is 8PM OK?'
'It's fine. If you're delivering out this way, bring a change of clothes and park the truck in the yard.'
'I'll accept that offer and call you in the afternoon to let you know when I'll be there.'
'You can call before then. I'm not going anywhere.'
'I'll do that.'
'Go get something cold to drink. That dark truck sitting in the sun has to be hot.'
'I will, because it is. Talk to you later.'
---
"Good news, Dave?"
"Why'd you ask, Jack?"
"Your smile that's lighting up the room might have something to do with me asking."
"I have a date next Friday."
"Just after the quarantine expir…"
"Exactly."
"You do know that Susan will do the 'nurse check' before letting Janet out?"
"But she sounds so good today!"
"That's one of the scary things about this 'flu' - you may appear fine until day ten or twelve and then be gone in a day or two."
"Then I'll be saying a little prayer for her daily."
"Certainly can't hurt to ask for help the medical community can't provide."
"There's nothing?"
"Susan suggested maybe a high dose of Tamiflu but that's the perspective of a nurse in the field, not any of the medical advisors the country has heard from."
"Her experience with other versions of the 'flu' is worth a great deal."
"That's what I think, so I had Janet order some Tamiflu when she ordered masks and gloves for the County."
"It's here?"
"Not yet. Coming Next Day Air if they can get it on a plane. Otherwise it'll be via ground and somewhat slower. There's a high dose for everyone in the county."
"Thank you, Mr. Resident Millionaire. I know, don't say that anywhere else as you're just another blue collar guy trying to make it through hard times. I guess Doc Barton at County General gets to dole it out?"
"Most of it. We'll keep enough for family and he gets the rest."
"About what I expected. What are the odds of it helping?"
"The symptoms look like a mix of Ebola and Bird Flu so Tamiflu might help if the Bird Flu is dominant but might be a waste of time if the Ebola is dominant."
"Everything but staying away from people is a waste of time if the Ebola is dominant. I saw some of that in Africa and I'd say the best prevention is 500 miles of separation."
"Susan would agree with you. She was in a refresher class on high risk patient care at that hospital in Texas when they got the first Ebola patient in. I still remember the PPE video she showed me - and that you needed help to get out of the PPE safely."
"Just talking about it gives me chills. I'll be hitting my workshop for the N95 masks and nitrile gloves before I go back out on the route, including the loading."
"Probably a wise choice."
"You'll have signs up about masks and gloves to enter the property?"
"The 3D printer is going through a spool of red filament as we speak. ABS is weather resistant and relatively sturdy. I'll mount the five inch letters on some plywood that has multiple coats of white exterior paint for contrast."
"And have 'Enforced by Smith & Wesson' in small letters at the bottom?"
"Might be 'hollow point and 00 buckshot' instead of 'Smith and Wesson'."
"I think the locals would understand either. Don't know that either would be understood by the 'libiots' Janet mentioned."
"Guess I could add 'Trespassers will be shot' signs with silhouettes of a rifle, a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol."
"Sign language for the somewhat illiterate sheeple?"
"And you think my puns are bad?"
---
Beeep!
'Yes, favorite daughter?'
'Dad, I looked at some of the things the CDC posted online and there's a graphic behind the manufacturer's logo. It looks like a Chinese character I've seen but I can't place it.'
'Reference?'
'Sample P-113 in their pictures of pet toys and packaging.'
'I'll check it and see what's there.'
---
I know I've seen this before but it's not a common pictogram. Maybe in some propaganda leaflets dropped on Taiwan? I should have an image of that…
From five years ago. Enlarge that. Looks close. Get the CDC's image, use the Zoom software to enlarge it to the same magnification, set the opacity to 30% and overlay the images… it's a match. The manufacturer's logo partially obscures the graphic but that graphic is definitely something used to identify things printed with the approval of the Chinese High Council. I need to text someone. His number is in 202 area code so he's still in DC.
{Tom. See attached image. More info on the linked CDC pages. Possible threat level?}
And that's sent. His resources in the Agency can follow up on that quic…
Bzzt!Bzzt!
Apparently very quickly.
{Jack, DefCon might be up a level within the hour. You never spot small things, do you? Thanks for a very much needed heads-up.}
{Tom, Janet spotted it while looking through the CDC postings. She's one of the veterinarians who sent the CDC samples from 'well cared for' birds that were dying quickly and with no obvious cause. Some of those birds' owners were dead in a few days.}
{First level of research shows Chongqing Industries owns MagikPet through a chain of shell companies. The President has sent a formal caution to the Chinese leaders. It's near midnight in China so possibly nothing back from them before morning their time. You have a fallout shelter?}
{Nothing like the Greenbrier Hotel but it is adequate.}
{I can imagine your expectations of "adequate". Hope it's not needed but the President is very angry. Best answer from the CDC is that IS-A-003-2028 - shorthand for Infection Source, Alpha Severity, case number 3 of 2028 - will have a best case fatality rate of 50%, but probably higher, and has some selective properties, being more serious for people with Type O blood and less serious for those with Type B+. Testing is in progress to see if any of the anti-virals work. Remember that those drugs are always in short supply due to their limited shelf life.}
{More of the population has Type O blood and B+ is about number 3 on the list of most common types. Sounds targeted to me but at whom?}
{Research in progress. Little things in terrorist communications for several months that seemed unimportant are now getting a lot of attention. I'll keep you posted if I can but "lock and load" anyway.}
{Will do.}
---
"Jack, what has had you so busy with texting?"
"Love, I sent Tom a picture of the Chongqing Industries logo. It's this one…"
"Approved at a very high level."
"Indicative of being somehow related to the Chinese military or the Chinese equivalent of the CIA."
"DefCon is up?"
"Perhaps within the hour. Tom said to 'lock and load'."
"I'm sure he did. We change anything here?"
"Just ensure all cameras are set for 'Alert on motion' and 'Record on motion'. If there are news reports that the President has given the Chinese an ultimatum, expect panic in the streets."
"The early months of Covid-19 on steroids?"
"Steroids or meth."
"You goof! At least you do try to defuse things back to a sound decision-making level. We have all we're likely to be acquiring?"
"Some additional heirloom seed for more variety in the vegetables if I can find it, although Bob Sanders mentioned having some available so maybe I'll take those for part of the cost of the work I'm doing for him. Otherwise, we're good for a while."
"No further power work?"
"I won't add to the solar power until October if things are still going sideways then. No point in being visible doing something other people may want very soon."
"What about the tractors?"
"I'll help others farm for a share of their crops. If I'm using firewood for fuel, everyone out here can contribute some 'fuel'."
"Reasonable, although Doug Jones and a few others will whine about 'not fair'."
"I'll be happy to take an ax to Doug's left foot and then we'll be equally 'disabled' and he'll only be required to do as much work as I do."
"That would be about ten times what he does now, Jack."
"Love, if Charley and Katie weren't very responsible kids, the entire family would have starved after Molly died. Those two take care of the cows and pigs plus the garden and the twins care for the chickens. Charley has consistently managed to find someone to plow the big garden in exchange for his manual labor during the year."
"You might take in one or more of those kids?"
"If they needed a place to live. I'm certain we'd like having good help in an 1820 future."
"I agree."
---
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Post by texican on Nov 29, 2020 15:50:42 GMT -6
pp2,
Nuclear war around the corner.
Janet and Dave locked in a shelter for months will be interesting.
God bless all.
Texican....
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Post by misterjimbo on Nov 29, 2020 15:56:07 GMT -6
You are a sneaky sob and I love it. These stories carry just the right amount of truth and teaching. I can't wait to see how things develop. Bio plus nuclear war definitely equals 'dark days'. Thanks
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 5, 2020 21:10:20 GMT -6
Chapter 14 Saturday, 15 April, 2028, 13:50 Ring! Ring! 'This is Jack.' 'Bob Sanders here. I found the original manuals for most of the implements you got and the service manual for the tractors. I'll guess they'd fill a big backpack or two saddle bags.' 'I'll saddle up and ride over. No point in burning fuel if a vehicle isn't needed.' 'I'll be here.' "You're going where, Jack?" "Bob Sanders has original manuals for some of the things and a service manual for the tractors." "Excellent reason for the trip." "Plus I can check the status of the roads between here and there. If they're OK, Dave can drive home." "Typical of you making every trip serve at least two errands. You'll be armed?" "Handgun on my belt. Shotgun in the scabbard on the saddle. Plus backup." "Mask and gloves?" "Always." "You're riding Silver?" "Yes. Some years ago I would have left with 'Hi yo Silver, away!'" "The kids loved that with Silver's sire of the same name. Not so much after they got to middle school." "Some things last from childhood; others don't. They had fun with it for a while." "You be careful, Mr. Wilson." "I will, Mrs. Wilson. In a week or so, I won't have to dismount to get through the gates." "That will be a convenience." "Even more so since my body is twenty years older than when we started doing this. I'll call when I leave Bob's so you'll know when to expect me back. He's usually better organized than this so I expect him to have some request he wants to keep private." "Like the time he wanted me to get Viagra for him?" "Could be, love. Under our current circumstances, it might be security related." "A valid assumption. About an hour?" "Unless I call to tell you otherwise." --- "Hello the house!" "Hello yourself, Jack. Tie your horse to the porch rail and come in. I have some questions…" "I thought you did but didn't want anyone tapping into your phone conversation." "Am I that transparent?" "You are to me because I know you're more organized than this." "OK, Lieutenant Wilson. Major Sanders has some security concerns." "Such as?" "If this new 'flu' is as bad as you think it might get, how do we keep the lights on?" "Barrels of kerosene?" "Walked into that one, didn't I? What about the outside lights?" "First, you need an alternative power source such as solar, water or wind - although we don't have much continuous wind - and then you need LED lighting because it uses much less power than the sodium vapor lights that you have around this place." "Where would I get solar now?" "A dealer in the Atlanta area has 250 watt panels at $999 for a pallet of ten but you must provide transport." "What about the rest of the stuff?" "There's Sun Electronics in Miami with almost everything but that's a long drive. If you want commercial grade charge controllers and inverters, that's the closest place with the most choices. If you're brave and optimistic, Wal-Mart says they can do five to seven day delivery on the Renogy products; HD says twelve days. Renogy's web page doesn't have a time frame but has 'slight delay from increased sales' in small print. Harbor Freight has multiple locations in the state so although they're closer than Miami they don't have much of a selection and they don't usually have much solar equipment in stock but you can get what they have in the store today." "I should have bought from that list you gave me last year?" "I think that's what I said then. You'd have had more choices and more time for shipping." "Anything I can do?" "Is there still enough flow in the stream to turn the waterwheel on the old mill at the edge of your property?" "There was the last time I opened the sluice gate. That slow wheel can generate electricity?" "The grinding stones turn a higher speed than the waterwheel by the gearing that drives them. That same idea can spin a vehicle alternator fast enough to provide useful power…" "How much power? Can it run the fridge and freezer?" "I'm getting there. We need to know how many gallons per minute actually get to the waterwheel, how big the wheel and its buckets are and the drop from the dam's outlet to the wheel. There's a formula for computing horsepower from those measurements and horsepower can be translated to watts. Do you have any documents on the mill?" "Some. If that thing's gonna be running 24/7, I guess I should grease the bearings every so often. How often is that?" "That might be in the info about the mill. If not, I'll guess you should check it monthly and see how it looks. I'll say once a quarter until I've checked it. You'll need at least two alternators; either 10SI at 40 to 60 amps or CS130 at 85 to 135 amps, to have an active and a spare, and you'll need a battery bank to handle the power peak when the fridge or freezer starts and to have power when the alternator isn't running such as when you clean out the sluice, work on the dam or replace the alternator's drive belt." "What kind of batteries and how many?" "If you can find the AGM batteries used in electric wheelchairs and scooters, six of the 100AH batteries might be enough and ten or twelve would be a good cushion. Those are about $200 each. Second choice would be golf cart batteries but those are usually flooded batteries which need to be in an acid-proof container and that container vented to the outside because of the flammable hydrogen produced during operation. Some of the heavy duty plastic totes work well as a 'battery case'. Tell me what you find in batteries and I'll tell you how much to get of what is available. You can get 'starter' cables at an auto parts store that can handle the power between the batteries and from the battery bank to the inverter and an auto parts store might also be where you find the inverter to turn 12 volts DC from the batteries into 120 volts AC for the fridge and freezer. At a minimum, you need a pure sine wave inverter that's rated at least 2000 watts continuous power and you can expect that to cost $250 to $350 and a bigger inverter would be better - ask me before you put down your money because there is a lot of hype about inverters and some outright lies in the advertising about their actual power capabilities. Plus you need at least two of them so you'll have a backup if something happens to the one in use." "There's a golf cart dealer in town. He'd have batteries?" "He should. Expect about $130-$150 each. Those are six volt batteries and you'd need at least ten of them but sixteen or eighteen would be better." "How long will the batteries last?" "That depends on you." "Huh?" "Battery life depends on how they are treated. I replaced the AGM batteries on my system with newer technology just before those batteries were nine years old and they were listed as having a five to seven year life. I'm picky about battery care so I got much longer than the expected life. If you're not careful with the batteries, you could kill them in less than a year." "Where do I learn that much that fast?" "You can learn at batteryuniversity.com as long as the internet stays up." "How do I measure the water flow?" "Count the time it takes to fill a five gallon bucket - to the nearest tenth or hundredth of a second - and then work out the gallons per minute." "You're good, Jack! I thought I'd need some fancy equipment but all I need for that is a stopwatch and the bucket. On a totally different security topic, do you have a way to alert the community if there's a house fire or an attack of some type?" "Unless a lot of people have a bit of power and a CB, we'll be using dinner bells or ram's horns and relaying up and down the roads." "Back to power again." "Most of rural America didn't have power until the REA came along in 1936 but they rapidly joined the march of progress as 90% of farm families had electricity by 1959. Folks out in the country have had almost seventy years to become spoiled by the convenience of electric power and near-instant communications and now almost everything depends on electricity." "Guess I'm thinking 'It's always been here so it'll always be here' but that probably only applies to death and taxes. Here's the tractor info and I need to measure the waterwheel and the water flow, tell you what those are and then hope I can call about batteries, cables and inverters." "Good luck." "I expect I'll need some luck." --- Ring! Ring! 'Hi, Jack. I do like having Caller ID.' 'Hi, love. On my way back.' 'Problem what you thought it was?' 'In a sense. More when I get back. At least there are no laws about using a phone while riding a horse - perhaps because the horse is smart enough to stay on the road and avoid obstacles?' 'Makes sense to me. See you soon.' --- 'Breaker, breaker 21. You there, Jack?' 'You're loud and clear, Dave.' 'The CB still works. I've reset the parameters for my solar system and it's OK running the small fridge and powering the CB. We'll have at least some level of communications if things go sideways.' 'We will. I'll tell Sheriff Tucker and he can tell his Deputies that we have another solar-powered base station. They still have CB in most of the cruisers.' 'Then possibly some emergency service also.' 'Possibly. If they run out of fuel, the deputies' cruisers won't be in use.' 'Have them ride horses with batteries in saddlebags and charge the batteries overnight?' 'Charge them how?' 'Only if someone has an alternate source of power. Maybe some emergency service for a few days?' 'That I can believe.' 'You've thought this stuff out, haven't you?' 'Dave, the failure sequence is in most of my books.' 'There it seems to flow naturally.' 'Not any different from how this situation might "flow" - other than you being in the middle of it.' 'I think your "in the middle" is what makes the dominoes falling hard for me to believe. These things don't happen in the real world.' 'And New Orleans has never been flooded by a hurricane, we've never had any tornadoes in North Alabama, California had no wildfires or power shutdowns to prevent wildfires last year…' 'I give! Wishful thinking on my part. I need to read some Jerry D. Young fiction after supper tonight.' 'Good idea. Even better idea if you bought one of my books.' 'I think I have all of them in ebook format.' 'Then buy a paper copy* of the first book and I'll autograph it for you.' 'You think that might become a collector's item?' 'I hope it does.' --- * www.amazon.com/Accidental-Family-Daily-Bio-War-Revised/dp/1080833757
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 5, 2020 21:30:15 GMT -6
Just a future caution. I'm currently working on Chapter 40 but my muse(s) have slowed down drastically the past few weeks - 31 words in the past 10 days and 2674 words (maybe 2 chapters) in the past month. At that rate, it will take many months to produce the next 20 or so chapters needed to properly close out all the wormholes that have been opened.
I don't think you want a Chapter 41 that has "And they all lived happily ever after." Remember to wait a week before you say "MOAR".
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Post by texican on Dec 6, 2020 18:03:47 GMT -6
"I don't think you want a Chapter 41 that has "And they all lived happily ever after."
pp2,
It would depend on the previous chapters. An epilogue would also work.
God bless us, America and President Trump.
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 8, 2020 18:39:36 GMT -6
Chapter 15
Saturday, 15 April, 2028, 18:20
Ring! Ring!
'This is Jack.'
'Bob Sanders, Jack. The waterwheel is 10 feet in diameter and 2 feet wide. That 5 gallon bucket fills in 1.61 seconds! How much water flow is that?'
'Quick back-of-envelope calculation says 180gpm, maybe a little better. How high above the wheel is the outlet from the dam?'
'About 10 feet.'
'OK. If we use 10 feet of head and 180gpm with 55% efficiency for the alternator you'd have about 370 amp hours a day with that waterwheel, which might be OK for a chest freezer but might be low for an upright.'
'It's a chest freezer.'
'Replace all your lights with LEDs and don't use the washing machine or the dishwasher or more than two of the LED yard lights - even better if you replace the "always on" yard lights with motion activated versions - and you might be OK. You'll need a good voltmeter - even better an amp hour meter - to track the condition of the batteries. RadioShack has a sale on meters this week and I can tell you which one if you plan to order from them. Do you have a battery charger?'
'Have a 20 amp charger.'
'I'll get you a list of acceptable battery voltages and when it needs to be charged and you might be running a generator for an hour or two a month - perhaps a lot more if you use more things than I mentioned.''
'I have a 1600 watt inverter gen that just sips gasoline. It'll work for the washing machine?'
'It should work for the washer if it's a recent vintage; most of the better models from at least 2013 only need a maximum of 720 watts so that generator might be OK on the auto-throttle setting. It will be more efficient to power the washer directly than to recharge the batteries from the inverter gen after powering the washer from the inverter. It's definitely a good choice for powering the battery charger and you might get several months out of a gallon of gas in that service. Is your gas treated?'
'Pri-G in the gas; Pri-D in the diesel.'
'Then you should be good for a while.'
'If I can find all the other parts.'
'I'll text you some part numbers for alternators that will work. They're all older models with V-belt pulleys because V-belts and V-belt pulleys are easier to find in the odd sizes you may need for a custom build or in the worst case I can machine a pulley.'
'I'll be watching for that text.'
---
Ring! Ring!
'This is Jack.'
'Jack, it's Paul Tucker.'
'What do you need, Sheriff?'
'How did you know this was an official call?'
'You identify yourself as "Paul" on personal calls.'
'You were intel in the military?'
'What's your clearance?'
'Don't have one.'
'Then I can't tell you yes or no.'
'That tells me. Back to why I called. As I work out possible infection and death rates from the bits and pieces of info I've gotten, I see us without power, phones or trucking in the not-too-distant future.'
'No argument there.'
'How far is not-too-distant?'
'Best case, four or five months. Worst case, maybe less than 30 days.'
'That fast?'
'Indications are it only took two weeks after the first reports for a 20% slowdown in Chinese shipping.'
'And the numbers get bigger faster?'
'Paul, if 20% of the people are sick, how many more will be sick after the next 10 to 14 day incubation period?'
'Another 20%?'
'20% of the remaining 80% is 16% of the starting population but so far we're seeing almost 100% fatality rates. Two cycles would have the population down to perhaps 64% of its original size and probably bodies in the streets. How many people would be going to work or even going out to buy food?'
'Jack, you're saying that the numbers increase until people start to isolate themselves?'
'Or at least use masks and gloves.'
'But if you isolate you can't get food or meds.'
'If those stores are even open.'
'You need a stockpile to last through the worst of things?'
'Ready.gov has encouraged people to have a minimum of a three day supply of water, food, meds and so forth. Better than nothing but not likely to be anywhere near enough in our possible future circumstances.'
'You're looking at a couple of years before anything more than small local farms are operational?'
'Possibly decades. If you lose 90% of the workforce, who raises and provides a basic education for the children who survive and where does the learning about operating our current technology come from if those who knew the most about it are dead?'
'The power plants and refineries won't just go to a 'sleep' mode with no one there?'
'If not shut down correctly, many things will run until they encounter a catastrophic failure. You want to live near a nuclear generating plant when there's no longer power to run the pumps and the cooling pools begin to evaporate?'
'They'll go into meltdown?'
'What happened at Fukushima Daiichi after the tsunami?'
'They had a meltdown because they couldn't cool the reactors and pools. You’re right, as that happened without a 90% die-off. We'd not be able to do any better if we lost that many people. Where do I get three years of food?'
'If the panic buying hasn't already started, several of the vendors who cater to those who choose to be prepared have "one year" food packages and you can max out your credit cards buying whatever you think you might like and having it shipped Next Day Air. You can find shelf stable food at the grocery store or a warehouse store. Canned corned beef typically has a "Best by" date that's about five years out. Most other canned foods are good for at least two years. Seal pasta or dry beans or rice in Mason jars or metalized Mylar bags - with oxygen absorbers in either case - and they're good for five to ten years. Same for sugar and salt. Maybe not as long for flour, corn meal or powdered milk. You can find more info online and on YouTube and there are a number of $3 and under books about food storage on Amazon. Order some good water filters, some First Aid supplies and some OTC medications and then figure out where you'll get water for several years. After a few years, the infection might burn out when there are no more infectable hosts and we may have a barter society until things grow enough for someone to introduce money or maybe people will be using pre-1965 silver coins.'
'Isn't this a lot of hysteria over a few deaths?'
'If you can trace 3 murders back to one person, is it 'hysteria' to plan to capture him or her?'
'Well, no, but…'
'But what, Paul? We have 3 deaths that can be traced to one source - pet birds - and the only thing common was that those birds got a new cage, perch or toy from the same manufacturer. Isn't that equivalent to 3 murders committed with the same 9mm pistol?'
'It's difficult to argue with someone who uses my job to refute my arguments! Any suggestions on food items or manufacturers?'
'I'll text you a list and some info links while we still have phone service.'
'That's another thing we'd lose if enough people are out sick to shut down power.'
'Along with plumbers on call 24/7, pizza delivery, police and fire services, ambulances, trauma centers, Medevac and other useful things.'
'Enough! I know when I've been overcome with facts.'
'I'll send that text in a few minutes.'
---
Bzzt!Bzzt!
{Paul, list of places to buy LTS (Long Term Storage) foods. You may also find some products (Mountain House, Wise, maybe others) for less on Amazon or at a sporting goods or warehouse store - maybe some items at Wal-Mart. Compare the prices with shipping AND how soon they can get it to you.
readywise.com
safecastle.com
honeyville.com
beprepared.com
mountainhouse.com
These are just off the top of my head and there are other sellers. You might also find the MREs (Meal, Ready to Eat - the current military per-person chow) of interest for on-the-go meals or when you can't use fire - some of them have a chemical heater that only needs 2 ounces of water to activate it.}
---
Saturday, 15 April, 2028, 19:40
Bee-deep!
"UPS van out front, Jack."
"Let's hope it's the PPE and Tamiflu delivery."
Knock! Knock!
"I need a signature. There's these three boxes and two more on the truck."
"Bring the other boxes and I'll sign after I check all of them for damage."
"OK."
"Is it all there, Jack?"
"We'll know as soon as he gets the other boxes to the porch."
"Last two boxes."
"Go back and check again. This says eight boxes."
"Huh?"
"Right here…"
"You're right, but I don't think there are that many boxes left on the truck."
"Let's see what the online tracking says."
---
"That says eight boxes were loaded this morning. This shipment includes medical supplies for the Sheriff's Office, so anything that's missing could be worth your job."
"I'll go look again."
"And I'll be with you."
---
Ring! Ring!
'This is Tucker.'
'Paul, I need a deputy for a theft - it's interstate commerce so you'll probably need to make a report to the FBI - and a tow truck for an impound.'
'Items taken?'
'Part of the PPE shipment for the County.'
'I'll be there and I'm sending a deputy who's closer. Maybe a couple hours for the tow.'
'No rush. I zip-tied the driver's wrists to the barbed wire fence. He's fine as long as he doesn't lean back.'
'That's pure Jack Wilson if I ever heard it. I may need to stop for a coffee on my way.'
---
"Your evidence, Jack?"
"Exhibit one. The UPS documents that the driver handed me. Exhibit two. The boxes he brought to the porch. Exhibit three is still in the truck."
"Then show me."
"Three boxes with the same shipment number as the shipping documents and my address. If you pull the tarp back more, I suspect you'll find more items shipped 'Next Day Air' that someone thought might be worth keeping."
"Caldwell; pictures and then help me pull back the tarp and then more pictures. The perp will be in your cruiser."
"Yes, Sheriff."
---
"Recognize any senders, Paul?"
"One of them is a coin dealer and another is a custom jewelry company. I suspect there are more people involved than just this driver."
"The driver and any cohorts are all yours. You want the masks and gloves in your vehicle?"
"They'll fit?"
"If you use the trunk plus the back seat."
"We'll be handling distribution of most of those so I'll take them to HQ and lock them safely away. I knew I should have pushed you to be a Reserve Deputy - then you could have handled this and I would already be home."
"I knew you'd think that so I said 'No thanks'."
"Considering the ways things are going, would you reconsider the Reserve appointment?"
"With the possibility of there being little or no communications available, I'll take it but not today."
"I don't have the badge or paperwork with me but you can bet I'll have them the next time I'm out this way."
---
Sunday, 16 April, 2028, 18:20
Bzzt!Bzzt!
Text from the co-op that our power is back on. No details about the failure. I'll wait ten minutes and then go switch things back to grid power. They did beat their estimated time of midnight by almost six hours.
---
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Post by bluefox2 on Dec 8, 2020 21:01:45 GMT -6
Chapter 12 Saturday, 15 April, 2028, 06:30 "Susan, you could take over the diner near the seed and feed and double its business just with your breakfast menu. These waffles are great!" "Dave, it's fun to cook for family and friends but I'm not interested in the pressure cooker environment of a short-order diner." "Your puns are as bad as Jack's." "You really think so, Dave?" "Yes, Jack." "Then answer me this: Why are accident lawyers rarely successful in the restaurant business?" "I have no idea." "They only hire sous chefs."* Beeep! 'Yes, favorite daughter?' 'Dad, the CDC tested the ink on the pet toys and the packaging and it's a 21st century Petri dish. Everything they've tried grows in it.' 'Specific brands of toys or inks?' 'Any pet-related item with the letters "M-a-g-i-k" in its name. Anything from Chongqing Industries in China or MagikPet in California. Not just bird-related things. They also produce collars, harnesses, leashes, beds and food/water dishes for cats, dogs and pot belly pigs, chew toys, aquarium products, rodent habitats and probably other things. The CDC is getting cooperation from the Chinese health officials in contacting the manufacturer and distributors of that ink.' 'You don't sound very happy about what you've learned.' 'The manufacturer is resisting their efforts to get the formula of the ink and lists of the purchasers. They may have to bring in the local Chinese military to get access to the corporate offices and labs.' 'That sounds like they may be hiding more than a trade secret.' 'That's what some of the CDC people think.' 'Using that ink for flyers for entertainment events or newspapers or grocery coupons and infecting it with a short incubation disease could disable a city very quickly.' 'That's why their military is being involved. More when I hear from Ann McHale again or it makes the national news.' 'Someone will be here.' --- "Jack, do you have any busy work for me so I'm not pulling my hair out from being idle?" "Glad you asked, Dave. There are stalls in the barn to muck, the chicken coop needs cleaning and fresh straw, the pig pen..." "You have hip boots?" "Things aren't quite that deep but we do have good boots." "Lead the way." --- "Jack, from the back of the barn, I can see that you do have solar power to 'fall back on'. Looks to me like you might manage close to normal as I'd guess the solar array is maybe 4000 watts." "It is 4000 watts, Dave, and while the LTO batteries can provide four days of autonomy for fridge, freezer, well pump and LED lights they can't handle the central air for more than a day but we can run the air from solar power for a few hours on most sunny afternoons." "You have a diesel generator in that little 'powerhouse'?" "A water-cooled 12KW Kohler. It can provide near normal power for the house and all the outbuildings but at a price." "The cost of diesel and your concern that an SHTF event would limit you to just the fuel you have on hand." "Correct. The Toshiba LTO batteries are rated for 20,000 charge/discharge cycles and in solar power service with typically one charge/discharge cycle per day that works out to a little over 54 years. The solar panels have a 25 year output warranty - not that I could get warranty service after an SHTF event - but they will last much longer than the diesel fuel and the generator and having a backup set of panels and controllers means we might have solar power for the life of the batteries. I'm reasonably certain we'd have some level of power for the next 20 years." "Aren't those LTO batteries expensive?" "If you only look at initial cost, they're very expensive. If you look at cost per year over even a 20 year life they're competitive. If they last 50 years, you're in the 'pennies a day' cost level." "So you have grid level power reliability for a lifetime?" "In a second era of 1820 horse-drawn farming and that era's likely level of medical care, 54 years might be a lifetime." "Damn! You're right. I should upgrade the batteries on my solar system from the lithium ion 18650 packs I'm using." "That'd be great if you can get delivery soon enough. Try batteryhookup.com for their used, tested LTO batteries or bigbattery.com for their big LiFePO4 batteries If you can't get delivery in time, set your charge controller and the BMS for the 18650's to the military ratings of 'charge to 80%, discharge to 20%' and the batteries will last longer. If you don't have the voltages for those numbers, they're in a 'Lithium Battery Info' folder at my desk. I don't know how much longer they will last because that depends on whether the batteries are a name brand such as LG or Toshiba or some brand you've never heard of before." "They're all new LG 3000mAh cells." "Use them as though they were half that rating and they should last a long time." "I found a spreadsheet online that I used to size things and it's somewhat pessimistic - so much so that the spreadsheet's 'safe maximum discharge' in amp hours didn't drop the batteries to the BMS' low voltage cutoff. I'll just set the battery capacity at 60% of the original ratings and work with that." "The spreadsheet** from that PAW fiction author who's paranoid about power?" "Yes." "I also used it. If a solar system that a non-electrical-engineer designed and built is your main source of power, it's fine if it's overbuilt a little. Better to have power for the fridge than to not have power for it and even more important if there's a diabetic in the family that needs to store insulin." "You or Susan?" "Lily, the little girl Tom and Erin adopted. We gave them a 12 volt Engel fridge/freezer as an adoption gift because they would need refrigeration in transit and for the days wildfire prevention shuts off power where they are. They weren't excited about that gift at the time but they've used it multiple times every year since then and we get a 'Thanks for planning ahead' text each time they use it." "Those three to five day outages would really make it hard to keep insulin cold and the evacuations could be even harder to manage. Are they now more willing to listen to 'You should be prepared for the unexpected'?" "They have a secondary 'pantry' in their basement with a month of shelf stable food, three months of LTS foods and a month of water in 55 gallon barrels." "Not where you'd like for them to be but better than getting takeout or ordering pizza for delivery because there's 'nothing to eat'." "Much improved over three years ago." "That even got a smile from you, Jack." "I'm sure it did. Grab that pitchfork while I lead Petunia, Silver and Buttermilk out to pasture." "Putting on my gloves." --- "For something a little less messy, I'd like to get my other packages out of the truck." "In a hurry to dig in the mud, Jack?" "No, Dave. Just want to verify the sizes and that there was no damage in transit. Long metal pieces don't always stay straight when mixed with other packages." "Very reasonable. You want to use the cart or just have one of us on each end?" "If you use the cart you'll be scraping mud off it before you put it back in the truck. We can do a two man carry." "Then I can stack these three high and we can make it in two trips. UMPH! Make that two high and three trips." "Sounds reasonable. When we get these inside, you retreat to the truck and call Janet. She did say when Susan and I were out of earshot." "Will do." --- * If you didn't get it, read it aloud. ** www.jecarter.us/files/My-Solar-Generator.xlsThe judge is laughing too hard to decide your pun-ishment However the trial may end in time for dinner.
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 15, 2020 19:23:25 GMT -6
Chapter 16 Tuesday, 18 April, 2028, 06:05 CDT 'There's a positive item to end this morning's WWWH-FM news: four hundred US soldiers who were recently stationed in South Korea returned home overnight. As part of the current military downsizing, they will be released to civilian life as soon as they can be processed which most likely be completed Thursday, with about 150 troops being processed each day. Welcome home, troops!' "Jack, the Army is letting them out just under the incubation wire. Care to give odds on when the first one ends up in the ER?" "Love, I'll guess Saturday, 22 April which is eleven calendar days from their exposure date." "Can't argue with that. The roughly half day time difference from there to here might skew the 'ten day' minimum incubation time into a different calendar day here." "That was my thought and they've been in transit for multiple hours which tends to depress your immune system so any that were infected will tend toward the shorter incubation time. The other thing we don't know is whether an asymptomatic person is contagious. If all the returned soldiers weren't exposed to the North Korean soldier on 11 April, having more than the original number of exposed people sick will confirm asymptomatic human-to-human transmission." "That confirmation would put all the Army troops on that base at risk, as well as all the locals who work there, whoever those locals have contact with and everyone the returned group was in contact with on the journey home. My nurse training tells me the group that was initially exposed should have been quarantined until they knew a lot more about the disease." "I agree, love. Now we have 326 million possible future victims as these troops are released upon their friends and families." "Jack, you make that sound like some type of weapon." "Remember the possible source?" "OK, it's a weapon but the rest of the country doesn't yet know that." 'The more astute people may have gotten some hints from the CDC announcements and put together 'infection from China' and 'North Korean soldier death' but there's been no information about the returning troops possibly being exposed to the same or a similar infection." "So those who understand that China and North Korea are bosom buddies might put Arabic numeral 2 together with Roman number II and get the four letters of SHTF?" "I certainly hope that a lot of people make that connection. If the LTS vendors are suddenly deluged with orders before the first returned soldier makes the news for his unique illness, we'll know there are a lot of astute people. I can see panic setting in for many people by the time the third or fourth returned soldier is in an ICU or headed for autopsy." "There's still nothing from our other kids. I commented on Facebook about the people who've apparently died from something they got from their pet birds and that the CDC said the birds apparently got it from pet supplies made in China. The only responses were from friends in Germany and Australia who'd heard about pet bird deaths in their respective countries." "People who thought Covid-19 was a global pandemic aren't going to believe the size and severity of the one we appear to be on the edge of." "I truly hope we're wrong about asymptomatic spread." "Me too, love, but we'll still stock up as much as we can. This seems to be heading for a 'dig a hole, crawl in, pull the hole in behind you' situation. I want to rent electronic billboards and put up a message of 'Stock up on 90 days of food and water and then go home and stay there' and have it in flashing red and black letters." "But those signs are already rented for months in advance." "Correct. While I might be able to buy some thirty second cable TV spots at 3AM, they wouldn't reach many people." "Nor would they have the impact of the billboards when interspersed with the 'Is that even possible?' claims of some of the commercials aired in the wee hours. We'll contact those we might be able to influence and that may be the best we can do." "I just hate seeing the storm coming and not being able to tell everyone to get under cover." "As you always have, Mr. Save The World. You'll be digging holes and pouring concrete today?" "I should be able to dig holes, set forms, and mix and pour concrete at all three gates today if nothing more pressing happens. Installation is another day or maybe parts of several days depending on how busy I am." "You have a wood gas generator to design for Bob Sanders?" "As soon as I get the tanks for the ones for our use." --- "Jack, did you check the solar motion sensor lights?" "All of them before sunrise this morning, love. The 2000 lumen, three head, $60 Westinghouse yard lights are still blindingly bright out beyond 100 feet but even the under $20 ones* continue to work in their not obvious places on the chicken coop, smokehouse and pole barn." "Didn't you do something to extend the life of the cheaper ones?" "A layer of clear, weatherproof tape over the entire solar panel because not all their 'outdoor' lighting is truly waterproof." "It doesn't block the sunlight?" "Not enough to matter with the use they see out here. We don't normally have multiple people walking in those areas all night." "You're right; it's rare that any of those lights are triggered more than twice a day - I guess that's twice a night - and more likely by one of us being out late working. So you added fifty cents worth of insurance?" "Probably not that much." --- Tuesday, 18 April, 2028, 19:30 CDT "Well, DAMN!" "What has you so upset, Jack?" "Love, a US soldier who was with that South Korean patrol has a post on one of the prepper boards." "That doesn't sound good." "It's not. Read it for yourself." "Borgmedic3of5? Isn't that Josh Calhoun?" "Correct." 'There were five of us with the South Korean patrol which encountered that North Korean soldier. From what I saw in Africa, his symptoms were similar to Ebola plus some kind of flu. I tried to get the Colonel to quarantine us for a couple of weeks but he said his hands were tied as he had orders "From the top" to get a list of troops home on or before 18 April and all of us were on that list. I'm staying masked up and self-medicating with double the high dose of Tamiflu but none of the others were interested. I won't leave the US base to start for home until 15 days after my exposure and I will be doing my quarantine for 360 hours and not 15 calendar days to ensure that the time difference doesn't affect the length of the quarantine.' "Nice to know that some of the troops are conscientious and responsible even if the officers are not. Double the high dose of Tamiflu, love?" "That's probably the best option anyone has at this point, Jack. If the 'flu' is dominant, then Tamiflu could help and doubling the high dose might help more. At least it has few side effects other than making you sleepy and extra sleep usually helps in fighting off any infection." "Sounds like Josh did good self-diagnosis." "From my nurse standpoint, he did well in telling the Colonel what was needed and then in almost isolating himself. I doubt that he'll be part of the problem but, as we've discussed previously, the other four could be contagious even if asymptomatic and the other 395 troops coming home have had multiple days to become infected. Any information leaking out of North Korea about the 'flu'?" "Not directly, love. However, South Korean surveillance reports a reduction in the number of soldiers on guard at the North Korean posts along the border and truckloads of what might be body bags leaving those posts." "I think we have an answer on the speed of spread of the new flu. You'll be able to get South Korean illness reports?" "Both military and civilian, at least until someone clamps down on their equivalent of the CDC." --- Tuesday, 18 April, 2028, 23:30 CDT "Doug, you sure that feller's OK? He looks a little green around the gills." "Sam, Chad might have one of those Asian flu things that come and go. His brother was among the first troops released of that group that just got back from South Korea. The brother got back to Atlanta around 4PM and Chad dropped him at Grady Hospital on his way out here to see his girl." "Grady Hospital? How sick was he?" "Chad's description was 'Puking up everything since his third birthday' so it's just one of those things that's gone in a day or two. Have another beer on me." "I'll always drink a free beer." "Hey, Daley! Two more!" "Coming up." --- * usa.banggood.com/IPRee-COB-100LED-30W-600Lumen-IP65-Solar-Lamp-Outdoor-Park-Yard-Garden-Light-Camping-Light-Work-Light-p-1605367.html?cur_warehouse=USA or go to banggood.com and search for 1605367 Items there are often one-time production runs and are no longer available after a year.
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Post by texican on Dec 15, 2020 20:20:07 GMT -6
pp2,
The spread is on.
Thanks for the chapter.
God bless us, America and President Trump.
Texican
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Post by sniper69 on Dec 16, 2020 6:48:59 GMT -6
"I tried to get the Colonel to quarantine us for a couple of weeks but he said his hands were tied as he had orders "From the top" to get a list of troops home on or before 18 April and all of us were on that list."
Conspiracy or were some of those at "the top" in on wanting the spread to the US, whoever the troops came in contact with from other countries that were on the airlines/in the airports, etc?
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