|
Post by udwe on May 2, 2022 21:20:01 GMT -6
Thank you, another great addition!
|
|
ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
|
Post by ydderf2 on May 3, 2022 15:00:20 GMT -6
Thank you for all the updates.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on May 3, 2022 23:55:55 GMT -6
Chapter 32
They woke up the next morning to one of those steady, slow rains that were common this time of year. The temperature hovered in the low to mid-forties and made your bones ache to think of going out in it. Max stood at the top of the steps and stared with unhappiness across the bleak landscape when Hank called him around the wrap-around porch to the litter box he had made. Max sniffed it for a few seconds and the pungent odor of one of his landmines Hank had planted in the box assaulted his olfactory nerves. PERFECT! Max lifted his leg and watered the tree trunk and immediately squatted and pinched a loaf. Finished, he proudly trotted back over to the door and waited to be let back into the comfortable house.
Hanks chest shook with his suppressed laughter. What a dog! He let Max in and went to fill his bowls and gave him a dog biscuit, telling him what a good dog he was. Hank washed his hands and placed the frying pan on the stovetop, then checked the firebox window. The two sticks of wood he'd placed in there before he went out were burning brightly. He was getting the pack of country sausage out of the fridge when Diane came through the archway from the bedroom. She was a vision with her hair pulled back and tied, her loose turtleneck sweater coming down midway over her jean-clad hips….how in the world did he deserve this?
"Good morning!" Diane smiled, kissing him on the cheek.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"No, why?" Diane asked, puzzled.
"You look awful good for just staying at home."
"It's because I'm staying home with you, My Love. Can we have blueberry pancakes? I woke up thinking of blueberry pancakes this morning."
"As you wish." Hank said, going to the pantry and retrieving the pancake mix and the jar of dried blueberries.
I wish we could grow blueberries here, but it is just too much work. I guess I'll just settle with drying the bags from Sam's. The next time we go to Springfield, I want to take a cooler and fill it with those 8-lb bags from Sam's." Diane said.
"I've still got another jar of dried berries." Hank said.
"You can NEVER have enough blueberries. I still have two bags in the freezer. I think I'll get out the dehydrator and dry them today."
"Good day to do it." Hank said, adding blueberries to the batter. "It will make the house smell nice."
Diane got out another frying pan, set it on the stove top, and went to the fridge to get the bacon and the glass jug of maple syrup out of the pantry. She sat the jug in the warming oven and stripped off bacon and added it to the pan. Hank added a little bacon grease from the can into his pan, spread it around with the spatula and poured batter for the first pancake.
"It's nasty out today. What are you planning to do?" Diane asked.
"Let's get the food stored and inventoried in the shelter and play it by ear from there. It is a lazy kind of day." Hank replied.
They got everything stored and inventoried then returned to the kitchen. Diane made a pot of coffee.
"When these rains quit, I need to finish the hide and you said you'd build a smokehouse."
"Where is the hide now?"
"I've got it rolled up. It's dry. I've just got to smoke it to make it more waterproof, otherwise, every time it gets wet, it will get stiff."
"Okay, as soon as the rain stops, I'll start making lumber."
"I want a sewing machine." Diane declared.
"Well, get one."
"But the one I want will be hard to find."
"Just what do you want?"
"I want a pedal Singer sewing machine."
"Not electric?"
"No, I learned on one when my grandmother taught me to sew. I thought I'd take one of the bedrooms in the cabin and make a sewing room. There's room for a layout table, a storage cabinet and a sewing machine."
"Well, you'll have to check antique shops, or put and add in the Cassville Democrat."
"I'll find one."
Max had to go out to Hank let him out the door. Max made a bee line for the litter box and peed on the post and came back with a happy look on his face. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he went directly to the pantry door and sat, waiting for his treat for being a "good boy."
It rained for two more days. A couple of rivers in the area overflowed but Hank and Diane weren't affected. Hank took time to go through a the guns in the shelter and give them a light coat of oil. When he was finished, he took out two of the five Remington 870 tactical shotguns, filled the magazines and side saddles and took them upstairs to mount above the back porch door and above their bedroom door.
Hank finished wedging the 8' log so it wouldn't roll and laid the rails of the Alaskan Chainsaw Mill and set the dogs. He had eight poplar logs he could get a 10"x10"x10' beam out of each log and six planks out of each beam, but he would also be cutting 2"x4"s also, but would have more than enough lumber to build a decent smoke house with a lean-to roof on one side to cover the fire box and to store wood under. When he had finished making the lumber, Hank used the tractor to scrape and level off an area for the smokehouse. With Diane's help, Hank got the walls framed up and added the vertical boards. A couple of trips to the True Value got him stove pipe, damper, wire mesh for the vent and a couple of racks and a hole saw. Hank put Diane to work cutting shakes for the roof from a cedar tree they taken from the glade. She became quite good with the froe. Building the firebox turned out quite easy. There was a welder in Cassville that fabricated smokers so Hank had him build a firebox slightly bigger than he normally made. It turned out exactly what he needed and saved Hank a lot of work.
Climbing down the ladder after attaching the ridge cap, Hank stood back and took a look at the 5'x5' smokehouse. It looked good. Now to make it functional. Taking a board, Hank marked it to cut 2" holes down the center to make pole holders. After drilling the holes, he'd rip the board down the center and nail them on opposite sides of the wall to hold the meat hanging poles on. He then made a frame covered with ½ inch wire mesh for smoking things like a hide or jerky. He placed the box that contained the 12v fan in the middle of the floor to keep the smoke circulating so the hide would smoke evenly. The battery setup to power the fan was a golf cart battery charged from a 100 watt solar panel. After connecting the stove pipe lengths together, Hank put everything together and called Diane to come down for the inaugural lighting of the fire. She showed up with the deer hide under her arm. Hank lit the fire and went and got the two buckets of rotted hickory wood he had picked up out of the forest. When he had a good bed of coals, he adjusted the air vents and tossed in the punky wood. Smoke began coming out the vent in the top front vent in the smoker. Hank watched the temperature gauge and the temperature stayed under 80 degrees.
"I thought smokers were hot." Diane said.
"Well, they are, if you are hot smoking and are going to consume the meat immediately. The smoking temperatures are between 140 and 300 degrees. I've got this set up for cold smoking. The temperature shouldn't get above 80 degrees."
"Can we cook ribs and stuff in here?"
"Yes, I have another firebox we set on the floor. It has a pan built above it I can fill with water and build a fire under it. It will cook the meat quite well."
"Is this ready to smoke the hide?" Diane said, pointing to the smokehouse.
"Sure." Hank said unlatching the door. "Let's spread it out on the mesh rack so the hide will get smoke on both sides. How long does it need to smoke?"
"About two days or until it gets to a color I like."
"What if the fire or smoke goes out?" Hank asked.
"Rebuild the fire and re-smoke it. Smoking is part of the tanning process. You've seen white buckskin? Well, that hasn't been smoked, but, if you get water on it, you've got to stretch the hell out of it to get it soft again. Smoking the leather gives it water resistance and won't get stiff if water gets on it."
They spread the hide out and Hank added a piece of wood and more of the moist, rotted wood to the coals.
"We probably need to check this in an hour." Diane said.
"Let's go build a fire in the pit and snuggle." Hank said.
Diane grinned and put her arm around his waist as they went up the hill.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on May 4, 2022 5:34:55 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
|
|
|
Post by udwe on May 4, 2022 21:45:14 GMT -6
Love this story!
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on May 5, 2022 3:58:05 GMT -6
Chapter 33
Hank screwed the last log down on his three-wall compost pit when Diane got home.
"Come help me!" Diane shouted.
Hank laid down the drill and walked up to her Jeep parked under the porte-cochère. In the back were treadle sewing machines and boxes of other things.
"Where did you find that?"
"You know that place on 76 where the motorcycles with side cars are always displayed? Well, there was a yard sale sign out so I pulled in. The guy who owns the place was selling his deceased mother's things he didn't have room for. It just so happens her hobby was making clothing out of deer hides. I bought her sewing machine, four hides, all her scraps and a lot of leather working items like imitation sinew, glass beads, a lace maker, gouges and a pair of nippers, all for $750."
"Well I think you might have gotten a deal. Tanned hides go for anywhere between $100 to $250. I don't know what all this other stuff is worth."
"Oh, you don't know the half of it! One of these is a Singer Treadle sewing machine for clothes, the other is a chain stitching machine for sewing on shoe soles. There are two boxes of rubber shoe soles in there also. At one time, she made moccasins or slippers with a rubber sole. Help me carry the sewing machines in. They're not heavy, just awkward carrying."
Hank helped her move everything in and set the Singer sewing machine under the window. Diane looked around.
"Sam's has that 72" adjustable height workbench that could go right over there, and I can put the chain stitcher over there." Diane said "Sam's also has that rolling workbench with cabinets and drawers, and it has casters. I don't know how high you want it but it would save space by not having to get a separate cabinet, and you could move it around." Hank said.
Diane pursed her lips. "I don't know, I'd have to look at it." She looked at her watch. "I don't want to rush up there today. Can we go tomorrow?"
"Sure. Make a list of anything else you think we might need. 'No use coming back without a full load,' as you have said." "Hush, well, I need to start the beef stew."
"Do you need help with the vegetables?"
"Nope, I'm modifying the recipe and using all LTS ingredients to make it. Wish me luck."
Hank went back working at the compost bin. He added what dirt they had left over from filling the planting beds, manure from the chicken coop and would add some hickory leaves once he had run them through the chipper. Oak leaves took longer to compost so he would stay away from those. There was a couple of good hickory groves he could get the leaves from. He had made the bin wide enough to back the tractor in with the rotary tiller and churn everything up. He would add a cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer to the compost once a month to keep the nutrients balanced.
After rinsing the rotary tiller off, he put the equipment up and headed for the house, unlacing his boots on the back porch and setting them in the boot tray. When he walked in, he immediately smelled the beef stew.
"You made this with LTS food? What do you have in it?"
"Well, I used the freeze-dried beef cubes from that can I ordered to try, diced potatoes, diced carrots, freeze dried white onions, freeze-dried garlic, Thyme, sugar, tomato powder, Worcestershire sauce, a cup of beer, a cup of Merlot wine, beef broth made from bouillon, a couple of bay leaves and Love."
"Well, it smells delicious!"
"It will be ready in an hour. You smell like chicken manure."
"I'll go get cleaned up. Give me a hug."
"Get away from me! Get a shower and then you get a hug. SCRAM!"
Hank laughed as he went up the stairs.
Hank was looking at the National Weather Service map when Diane followed him down the next morning.
"Looks like we might be in for some snow this week." Hank commented.
"Well, this time of year is when we get the heaviest snowfall, if we get any at all." Diane replied.
Diane poured them each a cup of coffee that had just finished perking and brought them over to the island where Hank sat. "Did you make a list?" Hank asked.
"Yes, and now hearing about snow, I'm going to add Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix to it."
"Hmmm. Maybe I'll stop and get some cognac too."
"I've got wine on the list."
"I thought we had plenty of wine."
"We could be snowed in here the rest of the Winter, though." Diane said, with a faked concerned look."
Hank chuckled. "You just want to get me drunk and have your way with me."
"Beats shoveling snow!" Diane replied, wiggling her eyebrows."
Hank got up and got out a pot.
"What are you going to make?" Diane asked.
"I thought I'd cook up a pot of oatmeal and throw some chopped up country ham in it."
"Sounds good. I'll fry a slice of ham."
After they had eaten and had cleaned up in the kitchen, Hank sat down at the laptop and was searching Sam's website for Springfield.
"Did you put those gallon-size iced tea bags down on your list?"
"Yep, two boxes."
"I'm going up and get ready." Diane said.
"I'll be up in a few." Mumbled Hank.
As they tuned onto Highway 173, Diane commented.
"I've been wondering. To get the shelter down in the ground, they had to have removed limestone. What did they do with it?"
"I have no idea." Hank replied.
"An another thing. This is a karst region, water just oozes through the soft rock, How is it the shelter is always dry?"
"They probably used a waterproof sealer on the concrete of the shelter. That has always concerned me too. Every time I go down there I always check for moisture."
They pulled into the Sam's Club just as it opened for regular customers. Hank got a flat cart and they went to where the workbenches were. Diane checked out both tables and decided the one with the built-in cabinets and drawers would work just fine. Grunting, Hank moved the big box onto the cart and away Diane went. She checked off everything on her list and included bottles and cans of classic Irish Cream beverage syrup, Coffee mate, Sugar-free vanilla syrup, Peppermint beverage syrup, Non-fat instant dry milk and powdered sugar and chocolate powder.
"That's a good load. Let's go home." Diane said.
It took some creative packing and moving things around, but they got everything in the truck so nothing would break during their trip home. When it came to unloading the table, Hank left it on the cabin porch. It was just too big to have enough room to assemble it in the bedroom. As it was, he'd have to take it in piece-by-piece. If he assembled it before hand on the porch, he wouldn't have enough space to turn and roll it into the bedroom. He had his work cut out for him.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on May 5, 2022 7:56:33 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
|
|
|
Post by frankie on May 5, 2022 10:02:01 GMT -6
I love this story. I was raised in Branson area. So interesting & fun to read about.
|
|
|
Post by imahic on May 5, 2022 19:10:04 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. Great story.
|
|
|
Post by udwe on May 5, 2022 21:12:05 GMT -6
Thanks!!!
|
|
|
Post by kiwibutterfly on May 6, 2022 0:12:52 GMT -6
Great story (as usual), umm have we two chapter 32? (not that I mind or anything lol)
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on May 6, 2022 1:31:56 GMT -6
Great story (as usual), umm have we two chapter 32? (not that I mind or anything lol) Sorry, I went to see the Movie 2000 Mules last night and got me out of whack. If you haven't seen it, well, it solidified many of the thoughts I've had.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on May 6, 2022 13:52:26 GMT -6
Chapter 34
It was a real pain, especially getting the drawers and doors aligned, but Hank got the worktable/cabinet assembled. When he finally got everything together, he went out on the cabin porch to a flurry of snow. He cleaned up the box the worktable had come in and cut it up into burnable pieces and added it to his kindling pile. Walking into the kitchen and said, "Go forth and do good things with your sewing room!"
Diane grinned and went out the door. Hank put his toolbox away and sat down to check the National Weather Service. It was a slow-moving front and they could pick up a few inches. Hank wasn't that concerned. On the average, the heaviest snowfall they received at one time here during the year was around three inches. Hank made a cup of coffee and added a dash of Jameson's and a little of the Irish cream syrup. He settled in his chair and picked up his book on subsistence farming.
Diane came back in an hour later.
"That is going to work out perfectly. I've got everything stored and I'll start working on a couple of patterns. That lady had dozens of patterns and now I have the information on where to find more. I'll go start dinner."
"I got out some vegetable beef soup. I thought we'd just have soup and sandwiches." Hank said.
"Oh, thank you. That's fine with me. I'll go make the grill cheese."
Hank got up and went out on the porch. There was a spattering of snowflakes falling. He looked at the wood he had on the wood rack on the porch and went back in.
"Diane! I'm going to go get more wood for the porch."
Putting on a heavy coat, he walked to the equipment shed and hooked a trailer to a Gator. After filling the trailer at the wood shed he headed back and unloaded it on the porch. Putting the trailer and Gator back in their places, he was walking back to the house when the snow went from a few flakes to a deluge. Hank's hat and shoulders were covered by the time he got to the house.
"My goodness! It's really coming down out there!" Diane exclaimed, standing at the door.
Hank took off his boots and shook the snow off his coat and hat. "I have a feeling we'll be getting more than the 2.8" average they get around here."
"Come on, everything is ready."
By the time they finished eating, snow had completely covered the ground. Hank placed a piece of wood in the firebox of the cookstove and set the damper vent. He added more wood to the Family Room stove. Diane, watching him, giggled.
"Did looking at the snow give you a chill?"
Hank grinned. Yeah, I guess it did. What are you reading?
"An article on how to make your own patterns for sewing leather articles. Come sit down beside me and look at this."
Hank looked through the article and saw a list of items needed:
Pattern paper or big sheets of semi translucent paper (marker paper works too) Pencil and eraser Colored pencils Clear ruler Cloth tape measure Paper scissors Overstitch wheel French curve Scotch tape
"Do you have these things called for?"
"I don't have a French curve, or an overstitch wheel, colored pencils, clear ruler, or the Pattern paper."
"Well, I think I remember seeing a Hobby Lobby over in Branson. You could probably find what you need there."
"Probably. I could also go to the Branson Craft Mall and ask some of the exhibiters where they get their craft supplies from." Diane replied.
"Well, I guess you'll have to wait a couple of days to do that."
"Can we go a make a day of it. It has to be on a Tuesday or Thursday."
"Why?"
"Well, the Peterson Family plays at the Little Opry Theatre from 2:00-3:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
"Sure, We could go and be there when the stores open, have lunch, then go and see the show."
Diane kiss Hank on the cheek. "Thank you."
The next morning it was still snowing. Hank stuck a yardstick out in front of the steps and it showed 8 inches, and it was still coming down steadily. Hank went back in and looked at the national weather map and it showed a huge vortex over Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, centered on the Kansas/Oklahoma line. Their part of Missouri was only about a third into the edge of the vortex and it was slowly, very slowly, moving east. There was a stream of moisture coming out of the Gulf that was slowing the eastward advancement of the vortex, but when that cold air hit that moisture, someone was going to be in for some bad weather. Hank added wood to the stoves and got the percolator on. Diane came in and looked out through the window.
"How much did we get so far?
"Eight inches and climbing."
"Sounds like a pancakes and bacon day to me."
Hank went into the pantry and brought back the buttermilk pancake mix. Diane poured maple syrup into a mini cast iron fondue pot and set it in the warming oven, then got another frying pan to fry bacon.
After the breakfast dishes were done, Diane disappeared to the cabin. Hank went over and down into the shelter to rearrange a couple of things. He sat down at the radio table and pulled out the binder labeled "Antennas." Thumbing through the binder he found the description and drawing of the main HF antenna. It was a 100' long-wire buried 8'' underground and encased in PVC pipe and operated on 40- meters. The antenna was tuned with a transmatch - type coupler and the instructions said it would be necessary to retune periodically depending on whether the soil surface was moist or dry. Hank looked at the patch panel on the wall above the desk and connected the coax cable on the radio to the connector marked "Long-Wire." Turning on the radio, Hank tuned the radio until he had a 2:1 SWR reading. Reading the instructions from the radio manual, he set it to scan the 40 meter band, which spanned 7.000-7.300 MHz. He sat back and listened to the few amateur operators using voice but he would need to brush up on his Morse Code, there were several stations using that. He heard a couple of stations in Kansas and Oklahoma talk about blizzard conditions but nobody anywhere in their part of Missouri. Hank shut down the radio, disconnected the coax from the patch panel and put the radio manual back on the shelf. Looking farther through the antenna binder, He found the locations of the other antenna leads for the scanner, and GMRS radios. Hank went into the store room and found the antenna bags for the antennas, plus a dipole kit for the HF radio. He put everything away and went back upstairs. Going toward the sewing room, Diane heard his footsteps.
"Don't come in here! I'm making you a surprise!"
"Okay, would you like a cup of hot chocolate?"
"Yes please." Diane replied.
On his way out, Hank filled the firebox in the stove and went to make the chocolate.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on May 6, 2022 14:56:00 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
|
|
|
Post by freebirde on May 6, 2022 19:45:58 GMT -6
We got a couple of end pieces of rolls of newspaper for crafts for the kids. Found this paper was good for making patterns. Now most small papers don't print their own papers, so you may have to ask where they get their papers printed if you want some.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on May 7, 2022 5:46:53 GMT -6
Chapter 35
Hank made Diane's hot chocolate with a dash of peppermint syrup, placed it in a pint thermos and took it and a cup over to her. Yelling to her that the chocolate was on the kitchen table, he went back to the house. Snow was drifting under the porte-cochère so he got a square point shovel and cleared it away. The area looked like a winter wonderland. Hank knocked the snow off his boots, went in and got his camera, and walked out around in a wide path to the front of the house and took a few pictures. Going back in, he downloaded the photos to the computer and printed them out. He began browsing the internet and it was a little slower today, maybe because of the clouds. Hank had Hughesnet dealer install their satellite internet system and it was much faster than using the personal hotspot on his phone. Hank spent the next couple of hours going through a website on homesteading and was half way through reading an article titled "Homesteading Skills Every Homesteader Should Know" when Diane came back in with one hand behind her back.
"I made something for you." Diane grinned.
She brought her hand, holding a pair of moccasins, from behind her back.
Hank looked at his watch. "You made those that quick?"
"There was a pattern your size so it was just a matter of lacing and gluing the three pieces of leather for each moccasin. This was a quicky. I've already got an idea of how to use the soles and maybe a set of those gel inserts you can get at the drugstore for a pair you can wear outside. These are for you to wear when you take your boots off at the door."
Hank took the moccasins, slipped them on, and walked around.
"They feel good! Thank you. Now, go make yourself a pair. I'm going to fry a couple of chicken breasts for supper."
"Are you sure? I can do supper."
"No, you go on and get some practice. I've got this."
Diane went back out and Hank looked at his watch and went back to reading.
Before it got dark, Hank looked out the door and his footsteps in the snow were already filled in. He didn't bother measuring the depth, he' d do that when it stopped snowing. He breaded and fried the two breasts and placed them in the warming oven, opened a can of sweet peas and boiled water for the instant mashed potatoes. He used a packet of Idahoan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Taking a couple of dinner rolls, he placed them in foil and placed those in the warming oven. As he was putting the bowl of mashed potatoes in the warming oven, Diane walked in, carrying her moccasins in her hand. She changed into her new moccasins, washed her hands and set places at the island. Hank filled glasses with ice and brought the tea from the fridge. When he began getting the food out of the oven, Diane declared, "You used a packet of instant potatoes, didn't you?"
"My conscience is clear as spring water. I like them, I added sour cream powder to them too."
Diane grinned. "I like them too. I wish Sam's carried them in cases."
"Check at Ramey's and see if they will order you cases."
"I'll do that."
The next morning Hank checked the snow depth again. There was sixteen inches in front of the porch steps. It could be more, it could be less, but it didn't look like drift snow where he measured. Max used the litter box on the porch, not desiring to get his family jewels chilled. Hank went in and turned on the computer and checked the national weather map. The vortex had just about passed them and they should be seeing a break in the clouds later on that afternoon.
Diane came in. "What do you feel like for breakfast?"
"You know, I think I could go for a bowl of oatmeal."
"Ham in it?"
"Bacon."
"Got it."
"MDOT has roads closed all over the state." Hank said.
"They'll have 76 cleared pretty soon after it stops snowing. The back roads will take a bit longer." Replied Diane.
"What do you plan to make next, with your leather, that is."
"I was thinking. To get more practice, I think I'll make each of us a hunting vest with pockets and a license holder."
"Not much left of the hunting season left."
"You still have a deer you can get and we both can get a turkey."
"That is true. Have you bow hunted?"
"No, I never have. You?"
"Yeah, back in North Carolina. I had to leave my bow back though. I think I'll get a bow for next season. That would give me more deer, thus, more hides for you to use."
"Well, if you'll teach me, I could extend my limit also."
"You definitely could. You should put up an ad to buy hides from hunters."
"Yeah. I don't know of many that tan, or pay for the hides to be tanned. The only thing is I probably won't get the brain with it but a dozen egg yolks will work in place of the brains, it's just brains are slightly superior."
"Well, I guess we can add a Bass Pro stop when we have our day in Branson."
"Speaking of eggs, I need to go check on the chickens." Hank said.
"Well, have your oatmeal first. It's cold out there."
The snow finally stopped Sunday evening and road crews were out getting the main county roads cleared. Hank nor Diane didn't even bother trying to go anywhere. Diane worked on her leatherwork and Hank did as little as he could. He did haul more wood to the porch and cleaned the chicken coop. Mainly, he tried a few recipes cooking lunch and dinner for them, allowing Diane to do her work. Tuesday, mid-morning, Hank was startled out of his internet reading by the quick chirp of a police siren. Max jumped up and ran to the door, bristling.
"Easy Max."
Going to the door, Hank saw a Sheriff's Department SUV sitting in front of the porch steps. A Deputy got out and approached the steps.
"Sorry to disturb you folks. I was just making a health and welfare visit. I noticed no one had been out the drive since they'd cleared the road and just wanted to make sure everything was okay."
"That's very thoughtful of you. Come one in and have a cup of coffee." Hank said. "Max, it's okay. I'm Hank Tyson."
"I'm Earl Atkinson. What breed of dog is he? At first, I thought he was a Redbone."
"He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback. See this ridge of hair down his spine?"
"Oh yeah, I see. Say, do you belong to the Springdale Tysons.?"
"Not hardly." Hank said, setting cup of hot coffee on the island for the Deputy. "There's enough of them as there is."
"I hear you." Earl said.
Hank cut a large square if a Pecan Coffee Cake he had made that earlier and placed it in front of Earl.
"Oh, you didn't have to do that!" Earl protested.
Diane came in the door and quickly shut it.
"B-r-r-r-r-r! It is cold out there!"
"Diane, this is Deputy Earl Atkinson. Earl, this is my wife Diane."
"Pleased to meet you ma'am. I saw you around once in a while when you were a Game Warden."
"It's good to meet you too Earl." Diane said, taking the cup of coffee Hank handed her and sitting at the island. "Is there a problem?"
"Oh no! I was just telling Hank I didn't see any tracks coming out of your drive and wanted to make sure there wasn't a problem here. Some people get cabin fever too easily."
"Well, there's no problem here. We have plenty to keep us busy. I was just sewing up some leather hunting vests for Hank and I."
"Oh, you do leatherwork?" Earl asked.
"I've just started. The only thing I've really done so far are a couple of pairs of moccasins. I'm learning as I go along."
"My wife sews, but doesn't do leather. This was good coffee cake."
"Well have another piece." Hank offered.
"Oh no! If Ellie found out she'd have me on a diet before the sun went down, not that we've seen much of it lately." Earl said, grinning. "Well thanks for the coffee and cake. I'd better get back out on patrol. You folks be careful if you go out. There's a few spots of black ice in areas."
"We will Earl, thanks for stopping and checking." Hank said.
He and Diane stood and watched as Earl got into his SUV, made a U-turn and went back down the drive.
"I think I'll put the blade on the tractor and clear the drive."
"I'll come out and do the steps and walkway. I need some fresh air." Diane replied.
Hank went out, with Max reluctantly following him and hitched up the blade on the back of the tractor. Angling the blade, he backed the tractor down the drive, pushing the snow off. Switching the angle of the blade at the end of the drive, he came back up and finished clearing the drive. A little pushing here and there cleared other areas around the house, woodshed and equipment barn. After he put the tractor away, he went back to the house, pulling his boots of and slipping his moccasins on. Diane poured him a cup of hot chocolate.
"As a precaution, I should go buy a snow shovel. Back in North Carolina, I could never find a shovel when it snowed, go out and buy one, then it wouldn't snow the rest of the year. I'll nail it to the wall in the equipment barn as a talisman."
Diane giggled. "You do that! I don't remember it snowing this much before. That global warming sure brought a bunch of cold weather!"
"Yeah, well, you still want to go into Branson Thursday?"
"Yes, of course!"
""Well, remind me to bring Max's box in Thursday morning. I don't know if he can hold it the whole day."
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on May 7, 2022 7:41:13 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. Cow brains can be used for the tanning, just ask the butcher to save them for her.
|
|
|
Post by sniper69 on May 7, 2022 8:40:17 GMT -6
<snip>
He used a packet of Idahoan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Taking a couple of dinner rolls, he placed them in foil and placed those in the warming oven. As he was putting the bowl of mashed potatoes in the warming oven, Diane walked in, carrying her moccasins in her hand. She changed into her new moccasins, washed her hands and set places at the island. Hank filled glasses with ice and brought the tea from the fridge. When he began getting the food out of the oven, Diane declared, "You used a packet of instant potatoes, didn't you?"
"My conscience is clear as spring water. I like them, I added sour cream powder to them too."
Diane grinned. "I like them too. I wish Sam's carried them in cases."
"Check at Ramey's and see if they will order you cases."
"I'll do that." <snip>
If looking for Idahoan in case or bulk/food service sizes - there is www.foodservicedirect.com/search-result?q=Idahoan and for the Idahoan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, the specific link at that site is www.foodservicedirect.com/idahoan-roasted-garlic-mashed-potatoes-4-ounce-pouch-12-per-case-21275074.html I've bought other Idahoan potatoes (sliced dried potatoes) from the company in the past and received my order quickly and they had good best by dates.
|
|
ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
|
Post by ydderf2 on May 7, 2022 9:18:49 GMT -6
Thanks
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on May 8, 2022 9:28:56 GMT -6
Chapter 36
They arrived at Hobby Lobby just after the store opened. Diane went through the aisles in the leather working section and picked up all kinds of new things. She picked up a professional leathercrafting kit that many of the tools she didn't need because they were for working with thicker hides, but she would work into cowhides later. She assured Hank she had what she needed and picked up four cowhides on the way to checkout.
They decided to have lunch across from the Little Opry Theater. At 1:45 they went into the theater and purchased their tickets and had an enjoyable hour and a half of music, got to meet the Peterson Family then headed for Bass Pro.
Hank selected a recurve bow with a 60# pull, like he was used to hunting with. He picked out hunting and practice arrows, a precision bow release and picked up an arm guard and extra broadheads. Diane picked out a crossbow with an optical sight and plenty of bolts. She told Hank not to get quivers , she would make them. They also picked up a Camelbak hydration pack for Diane.
When they got home, Max was ready to go outside. Hank noticed Max had used the litter box so he cleaned it out and set it back on the porch. Diane took all her things and went to the cabin to unpackage and put them away. Hank went into the kitchen and gathered the ingredients for Beef Stroganoff. Just as he had the noodles on boiling, Diane returned.
"Smells good! What are you making?"
"One of my old standbys, Beef Stroganoff."
Diane got out two plates and a baguette and sliced it up, placing the bread in the warming oven. She finished setting the table and poured two glasses of wine as Hank was draining the noodles. He dished the noodles onto the two plates and laded the sauce over them.
They sat down and Hank raised his glass. "To my wonderful wife."
"To my wonderful husband."
Hank and Diane spent the next few weeks attending to chores around Piney Creek and planning for spring. Diane finished the vests that had some interesting pockets that she and hand decided were needed. A lot of design time went into them and to keep from wasting leather, she first made a prototype vest of denim and Hank became a tailor's dummy for Diane. Hank and Max spent a great deal of time outdoors. He began setting our mineral blocks for the deer and elk.
"Diane, what is the law on hunting baited areas?" Hank asked Diane one day.
"Well, scents and minerals, including salt, are not considered bait, however, mineral blocks with food additives are prohibited. If you bait an area, you've got to remove the bait ten days prior to hunting it. MDC considers the area baited otherwise."
"Sounds like a lot of trouble to me."
"Not if you use mineral and salt blocks without grain, apples or other additives. The best way is, along with the mineral and salt blocks, use scents. Those are legal. You can add scents to an area and lure the deer in. That area I killed my deer in was a huge White Oak grove. The grow down in the lower areas, Red oak near the tops of the ridges. Red Oak acorns are more bitter than White Oak so the deer are more attracted to the White Oak areas. Placing mineral blocks near a White Oak grove will get you a deer, one way or another. Some years, White Oaks don't produce many acorns. It's a natural cycle, so even if the acorn harvest is sparse, you'll always have deer in the area."
"Okay, so I need to go do some scouting tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be clear."
"I'll go with you. I'll bring my topo map and the GPS and we can lay out some areas."
The next morning the three headed out in a Gator. They marked three areas that would be good areas to place blocks to lure the deer and elk in. Hank selected good areas for tree stands and marked the locations with the GPS. They found black bear sign in a couple of areas, but didn't spot any bears. Hank made a note of that. He might upgrade their pistols when deer hunting. An arrow against a charging bear doesn't give you good odds.
They went back home and use the map and GP coordinates to plan out their hunting areas. They would make a trip to Tractor Supply in West Branson and get the mineral blocks and scents they planned to use.
Diane had finished the hunting vests, or more properly they should be called survival vests for hunting. One pocket contained a fire starting kit, another contained a multi-tool, others contained signal flare, emergency blanket, whistle, a small flashlight, two Millennium bars and a survival tin. She had also made pockets for their GPS units. Instead of snaps, Diane used a button hole punch and each pocket was secured with a flap and a button. The whole vest only weighed about three pounds and with their belt hunting knives, they felt comfortable venturing out with them.
"Diane, I think we are going to have some pest problems with the garden."
"What do you mean?"
"I've read through several articles about homesteading in Missouri and Arkansas and it boils down to raccoons, possums and deer. The garden is going to be a big attractant to the animals when we get things growing."
"What about fencing?"
Hank chuckled. "Unless you encased everything in a concrete bunker, I don't believe we can keep the raccoons out. They would climb the Empire State Building to get at a strawberry. I looked up some greenhouse dealers and they've got a greenhouse that actually produces its own power. It's made of 8 mm polycarbonate that is impact resistant, has ten foot tall sidewalls. And the interesting thing is the plastic is some kind of pink stuff that has photovoltaic strips embedded in it that gather the sun's energy. With something like that and a heat source, we could at a minimum extend the growing season, making it possible to start spring planting at least four weeks earlier and extend it into the fall at least six weeks later or even grow crops year-round."
"That sounds expensive."
"Oh, it is, but we can afford it and I think it will be worth it both in production and peace of mind."
"Well, go for it then."
Hank made some notes and looked through websites and finally picked up his phone and made the call.
It had snowed again before the middle of February. This time they only got a dusting in comparison to the January storm. There was only a four inch accumulation and except for some of the hollows, the snow was gone within four days. On March the tenth, a representative from the greenhouse company came down from Kansas City to survey the building site. Hank took him around to show him what he wanted.
"You want to leave the beds in place?" The Rep asked.
"Yes, If possible."
"We can pour the floor around them. Just be aware that if you ever replace them, there will be eight holes in the floor."
"If anything, we may replace a log now and again, but I think we'll stick with the beds."
The man took notes and said he'd call him when they were ready to do the floor. Hank had settled on a 23'x75' structure. After the concrete had cured, it would only take about four days to get the greenhouse complete, plenty of time to get the Spring plantings done.
Hank put a checkmark on his homesteading list. He wasn't going to bother with raising goats or cattle. He didn't want to thin the forest out for pastures. They would continue to buy yearlings for slaughter and fill their freezers from that. If things really got bad, they could always hunt.
|
|
|
Post by freebirde on May 8, 2022 10:20:17 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by sniper69 on May 8, 2022 10:41:21 GMT -6
Reading about Branson -makes me think of my favorite restaurant there - Billy Gail's. billygailsrestaurant.com/The breakfast is out of this world, and the portions are, well....huge. With that said - when in the area, I try to get there about 10 to 15 minutes before opening to not have a line (or at least not a long line). Last time I was there, I got there 20 minutes early, Gail let me and my family in 15 minutes early and the coffee was flowing (the waitress never let my cup get under 2/3 full), food tasted great, and service is excellent. When my family and I left after eating breakfast - there were about 20-25 people waiting for their turn to go in and eat.
|
|
|
Post by cavsgt on May 8, 2022 11:34:13 GMT -6
"Tin snips" are good for cutting the thicker leathers and shoe sole materials. Most who cut leather for a living will tell you that a GOOD Sharp knife is the best way to cut heavy leather. Tin snips are too labor intensive and produce blisters, plus are hard to get the curves cut cleanly.
|
|
|
Post by bluefox2 on May 8, 2022 11:46:02 GMT -6
Reading about Branson -makes me think of my favorite restaurant there - Billy Gail's. billygailsrestaurant.com/The breakfast is out of this world, and the portions are, well....huge. With that said - when in the area, I try to get there about 10 to 15 minutes before opening to not have a line (or at least not a long line). Last time I was there, I got there 20 minutes early, Gail let me and my family in 15 minutes early and the coffee was flowing (the waitress never let my cup get under 2/3 full), food tasted great, and service is excellent. When my family and I left after eating breakfast - there were about 20-25 people waiting for their turn to go in and eat. Have not been to Branson in several years. I used to like going to the craft stuff at silver dollar city. didn't spend a lot, just watched the masters at work.
|
|
|
Post by cavsgt on May 8, 2022 12:21:51 GMT -6
Reading about Branson -makes me think of my favorite restaurant there - Billy Gail's. billygailsrestaurant.com/The breakfast is out of this world, and the portions are, well....huge. With that said - when in the area, I try to get there about 10 to 15 minutes before opening to not have a line (or at least not a long line). Last time I was there, I got there 20 minutes early, Gail let me and my family in 15 minutes early and the coffee was flowing (the waitress never let my cup get under 2/3 full), food tasted great, and service is excellent. When my family and I left after eating breakfast - there were about 20-25 people waiting for their turn to go in and eat. Have not been to Branson in several years. I used to like going to the craft stuff at silver dollar city. didn't spend a lot, just watched the masters at work.Worth the trip just to see them at work and visit with them.
|
|