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Post by udwe on Aug 23, 2022 20:34:22 GMT -6
As said above, more please!
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Post by texican on Aug 23, 2022 22:11:07 GMT -6
Mitch is gone and doesn't yet know it and Bridget has a cook and nanny.
Texican....
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Aug 24, 2022 14:15:15 GMT -6
Nice really nice thanks
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Post by feralferret on Aug 24, 2022 21:45:33 GMT -6
ncsfsgm, Excellent story so far. Thanks for your efforts. Looking forward to more.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 25, 2022 1:58:18 GMT -6
Chapter 10
In twenty minutes Mitch had the teak chaise put together. Bridget skipped down to her car and brought back the cushions for it. Laying them out, she had Mitch lay down on it, then spread his legs and sat down between them. Leaning back, Bridget sighed as she made contact with Mitch’s chest.
Smiling, she turned her head to the side. “Isn’t this more comfortable than that chair?” she asked, pulling Mitch’s arms around her.
“Yes, it is more comfortable.”
“What have you planned for tomorrow?”
“Well, I guess I need to go get a mower for Jerome to use. The bush hog is good for the rough cutting but I need something to cut the grass a little cleaner. Also, I need to get something for Raelene to drive to go to market and such. I’ll take Jerome with me to bring the vehicle back.”
“Why couldn’t I go with you?”
“You can if you want, but Jerome might have a better idea of what his mother would drive.”
“I’ll still go. You don’t mind do you?”
“No, not at all.”
“When are they going to finish the hangar?”
“They’ll be back Monday. It will take them at least a couple of days to put it up, depending on the weather.”
“We need to go to Des Moines tomorrow. I’ll need to get the vehicle registered. I’ve got a friend coming in this weekend with his daughter so I want all loose ends tied up.”
Glen paused in his packing to reflect on how his life had gone over the years. His wife, Marie would always hold a special place in his heart, but he loved Michelle, the daughter his Marie had given more than anything in the world. Marie had given her own life giving birth to Michelle. The doctors had told her she might not survive the birth and suggested she get an abortion. Marie wouldn’t hear of it and never would discuss it again. Glen had been playing for the Chiefs at the time and Marie had the baby in the off season. After the funeral, Glen’s widowed mother came to live with them to care for Michelle. Granted, Glen had to be on the road a lot during the season but he spent every minute in Kansas City with Michelle he could. He got to spend even more time with Michelle after he retired from active play and was offered a job in the front office. He and Michelle were always taking mini vacations traveling around in his expensive off road RV. He had waited for a little over a year for it to be built but it was worth it. When he’d gone down to Springfield to pick it up, he had run into his old college buddy, Mitch, who was working in Springfield at the time. He was on a short leash at the time, having to get back to K.C. but they had agreed to stay in touch, and they had. Mitch had emailed Glen and invited him out to his farm and he his ten year old daughter were taking another mini vacation.
Jerome picked out the Chevy Express van and Mitch sent him on back home with it while he and Bridget went to the Kubota dealer and bought a Kubota ZD1500 zero turn mower. They didn’t have trailers there but sent Mitch up on 14th street and Mitch bought a gravity tilt trailer and returned to the Kubota dealer. One of the maintenance people drove the mower onto the trailer and tied it down. They stopped at a Jersey Mike’s and got a sub and drinks to eat on the way home.
When they arrived at home, Mitch stopped at the maintenance building and parked the mower in it He backed the trailer up next to the building and unhitched it, then drove up to the cabin. When they went inside, Raelene grabbed and Mitch and he grunted as she seemed to want to squeeze the life out of him.”
“Thank you so much for the transportation!” Raelene said.
Getting his breath back, Mitch just smiled.
“You two go find something to do. Supper will be ready at 6:00.” Raelene said.
Bridget grinned. “Can we go flying?” She asked in a little girl voice.
Mitch chuckled. “Let’s go!”
They took the Gator up to the plane and Mitch removed the tie downs and stowed the straps in the cargo area then did his pre-flights. He got Bridget in the right seat and got her buckled in and her comms headset on. When he started the engine, Bridget was like an excited kid, watching everything Mitch did, eyes darting across the instrument panel. When Mitch taxied over to his “airstrip,” she was looking all around through the windows. Mitched moved the flaps to the second notch, held the brakes and advanced the throttle. Releasing the brakes they quickly began moving down the field. To Bridget, it seemed as though they took off like a helicopter. In reality, they had gone about 50 feet when the plane decided it wanted to fly. They were well above stall speed so Mitch let it fly. Mitch trimmed the flaps and climbed to 1000 feet and did a slow turn to the right and headed southeast. They flew for a couple of minutes and Mitch stayed well away as to not scare the animals, but pointed to a farm out the right window.
“That’s a cousin of mine’s hog farm.”
Bridget counted 72 long buildings in 9 different groups with holding ponds beside each.
“That big building there is for processing the manure. They pelletize the manure. Pelletizing compacts fresh manure at high temperature and pressure to convert it into a dry finished product. Pellets are useful as a soil amendment or fertilizer. They make around $2 million a year off of that alone.”
Mitch kept his eyes peeled for other light aircraft and turned north for Lake Thunderhead, north of Unionville and climbed to 3000 feet. Staying to the west shore of the lake and away from the airfield on the northeast shore, Mitch flew to the end of the lake then banked east taking a wide loop around the airfield then headed south to Unionville.
“Look! Bridget said excitedly. “There’s the shed place where we got the chairs!”
Mitch looked at his watch. “We’d better get back. I don’t want that big Amazon whipping my ass because we were late for supper.”
Bridget slapped him lightly on the arm. “She really is a pussycat. She might act sometimes like she’ll snap your neck, but just retreat and she’ll be fine. Besides, she’d never try anything. She really likes you.”
Mitch flew a pass around the airfield and guesstimated the winds were less than 6 knots so he dropped down, set full flaps, and did a short landing in the middle of the strip. He taxied over to his temporary parking area and almost got it right. He ended up having to move one of the screw in tie-down anchors. Mitch would bring the trailer up in the morning and fuel the plane.
Raelene had made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn and yeast rolls along with iced tea, and for dessert, she’d made a lemon sheet cake with cream cheese frosting. Mitch groaned as he pushed away from the table.
“I just gained 15 pounds.” Mitch groaned at a grinning Raelene.
“It was delicious!” Bridget agreed.
“I don’t know how things were done at the last household you worked at Raelene, but there will be no more eating separately. When we eat, we all eat together. That includes you and Jerome. You two are my employees, not my servants. Is that understood?”
“Yes sir!” Raelene replied.
Mitch raised his eyebrows.
“I mean, yes Mitch.”
“Good. Now you and Jerome eat. I’m taking this beautiful lady out on the porch to enjoy the evening.”
A grinning Raelene watched Mitch take Bridget’s hand and walk out the front door. Mitch laid down on the chaise and Bridget assumed her position, pulling Mitch’s arms around her.
“Who is this friend you have coming?”
“Glen Masters and his daughter Michelle.”
“Glen Masters. That name is familiar.”
“Glen played for the Kansas City Chiefs for ten years and retired.”
“He retired young.”
“He wanted to spend more time with Michelle before she reached her teenage years. Kids always drift away at that time. Glen’s wife died in childbirth and Michelle was raise quite a bit by her grandmother until she passed away. Glen finally retired from playing about that time and got a job in the front office of the Chief’s organization.”
“Do you want kids someday?” Bridget asked?
“Sure.”
“Boys or girls?”
“I don’t care. Either one, I’ll probably spoil the hell out of a kid.”
“For some reason, I don’t believe that. Oh, you will spoil them a little, but I think you’ll be firm with them also.”
“Them? You are assuming I’ll have more than one?”
“I think the perfect number would be even numbers. Two, four, six, whatever.”
“I could maybe see four, but six…That’s a little to many.”
“So, what are they planning to do while they are here? I mean Putnam County isn’t quite the center for entertainment in northern Missouri.”
“I think just relax. From talking to Glen, he a Michelle take little mini vacations. Seldom does she want to go to the touristy places. I think they like to just spend time together. He has this RV that is out of this world. A company down in Springfield makes them. I know he spent over a million dollars for it but it will go just about anywhere and has its own power and they can say away from civilization for a couple of weeks before they have to resupply. I’m going to let them stay up by the lake. There is a nice area there they can park.”
“I hate leaving you every evening.” Bridget said.
Mitch remained silent.
“Mitch, don’t you feel anything for me?”
“You’re all right.” Mitch said, grinning.
Bridget pinched him on his forearm.
“Wouldn’t you like to…you know…’test drive’…..”
Mitch pushed her up off the chaise lounge. “First, I don’t need a ‘test drive’, especially from the woman I love. If you spend a night in my bed, it will be as my fiancé or my wife.”
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Not yet. We need to pick out rings.”
“But you are going to ask me?”
“Of course I am. I’d be a fool not to!”
“That’s good enough for me. I am unofficially your fiancé. Now take me inside and I want my first test drive.”
“You mean you…”
“Mitch, I was waiting for you.”
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Post by paulk on Aug 25, 2022 8:04:10 GMT -6
I tried to think of another way to say 'I love your stories', but am simply stuck with I love your stories soo much! MORE PLEASE!!
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Post by gipsy on Aug 25, 2022 8:40:56 GMT -6
Fine business for sure. Thanks for the update.
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Aug 25, 2022 8:56:55 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by solo on Aug 25, 2022 10:15:39 GMT -6
Test drives..... Okay, I need moar now.
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Post by texasknt on Aug 25, 2022 11:34:20 GMT -6
She's been waiting ten years. In Texas a Gentleman doesn't make a Lady wait. LOL
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Post by CountryGuy on Aug 25, 2022 16:30:31 GMT -6
Time to kick the tires and light the fires...
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 26, 2022 5:28:59 GMT -6
Chapter 11
Raelene was pouring juice when Mitch walked into the kitchen and poured a mug of coffee. She smirked but didn’t say anything.
“Raelene, I have a couple of guests arriving today but they won’t be staying here. They have an RV and will be staying out by the lake.”
“Will they be here for lunch?”
“I’m not sure. Can you be ready to feed them if they are.”
“No problem. I can whip up some Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps and pasta salad. I’ll send Jerome in for one of the rotisserie chickens from Hy-Vee. If we don’t eat it all it makes great snacking food.”
“Sounds good.”
Bridget came in wearing shorts and a T-shirt and was barefooted. She and Raelene grinned at each other.
“Sit! Breakfast is ready.” Raelene directed.
They finished breakfast and Mitch took Jerome down to the Machine Shed and introduced him to the new mower.”
“I ran one just like this at the golf course.” Jerome said.
Mitch took Jerome around in the Gator and showed him where he wanted mowed and took Jerome back to the Machine Shed. Jerome pulled the mower out and began mowing first along the drive. Mitch hooked up to the MOGAS trailer, took it up to the plane and topped the plane tanks off.
With the trailer parked back in its place, Mitch went back to the cabin. Bridget and Raelene were in the pantry rearranging things the way Raelene wanted them. Mitch left them alone, got a glass of water and went to sit on the porch. He’d fix a jug of water in about an hour and take it to Jerome. Mitch sipped the cool water until it was gone then went into the garage. Searching around in the closet, he found a Thermos picnic jug and brought it out. Going through the garage door into the kitchen, Mitch washed the outside of the jug, ridding it of the accumulated dust of time. His hand was just a little too big to fit down into the jug to scrub the insides but Bridget came in and took over the cleaning. Rinsing it out thoroughly, she turned the cold water on only and let it while she put some ice in the jug, then filled it with water. Replacing the spout cap and the top, she handed the jug to Mitch. Raelene came in with the pantry checklist sheet and found the two embraced and Bridget giggling.
“I’ve found a few things that you need to the pantry.”
Mitch released Bridget. “Hang on second.”
Mitch went into the study and took an envelope out of the desk drawer and returned to the kitchen. Handing the envelope out of the desk drawer he said, “Keep this with you. It is the household debit card. If you see something we need for the kitchen or maintain the house, use this. Fuel for the van, take it out of the trailer. I’ll show you how to pump the fuel when you are free. I’ll not dictate to you how to run the house, just take care of it.”
Raelene looked at Bridget, then took the envelope. “Girl, where did you find this man?”
“Go find your own! I chased this one practically all my life until he got tired of running.”
Raelene grinned. “Well, I’m headed to the Hy-Vee. Is there anything special you two want?”
“Could you pick up a watermelon or two?”
“I sure will.”
Bridget and Mitch followed Raelene out as far as the porch.
Bridget turned to Mitch. “Can you help me get the rest of my things out of my car?”
Mitch nodded and followed her outside. When she opened the hatch, there were three suitcases and another boxed chaise lounge and its cushions.
“Surely this isn’t everything you had in K.C.!”
“No, I’ve got a few pieces of furniture and my winter clothing I need to pick up. The lease runs out at the end of the month.”
“Well, we can kill two birds with one stone. We can go pick your things up, pick out rings and bring my fiancé and her things back here.”
“I like the sound of that!” Bridget grinned.
“But that will have to wait until they finish the hangar.”
“Just as long as it’s at the top of your “To Do” list.”
They took the bags in and carried the boxed chaise to the back porch. While Bridget was unpacking and putting her clothes away, Mitch assembled the chaise and cut the box up for the incinerator.
As he was putting his tools away, he heard a loud blast of a diesel locomotive horn. Grinning, he went outside and found Glen and Michelle climbing out of the silver and tan EarthRoamer. Glen laughed and grabbed Mitch in a man-hug.
“How’s it going buddy?” Mitch said, grinning.
“Doing well. Say, when you said you were back in the sticks, you weren’t kidding!”
“Listen to silence. It has much to say.”
Glen laughed. Ahhhh! Jalal al-Din Mu?ammad Rumi! Or was it Balkhi? I can’t remember what to call him. Anyway, I will take the words to heart.”
Bridget came out of the cabin.
“What! Who is this?” Glen asked.
“Glen, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Bridget.”
“Well, you dog! Bridget, this is my daughter, Michelle.”
“Hi Michelle. Would you like to help me get some cold lemonade for these two crazy men?”
“Michelle grinned. “Sure!”
The two went into the house and the men sat on the porch.
Mitch, all kidding aside, this area is beautiful. Remote, but beautiful. Just the kind of place Michelle and I like.”
“Well, I have you a nice space picked out on a 25 acre lake here on the land and there is a creek about 200 feet from the spot also. I think you’ll enjoy it.”
“Great, any fish in the lake?”
“Absolutely, and it doesn’t get fished that much so they should bite anything. There’s fish in the creek too.”
Michelle came out and held the door as Bridget carried out a tray with a pitcher of lemonade with four glasses filled with ice and sat it on a side table. Michelle poured the lemonade, gave each man a glass, and handed one to Bridget before taking up her own.
“To good times!” Glen toasted.”
“To good times!”
“How do the Chiefs look this year?” Mitch asked.
“They’ve got a good chance of taking it all.” Glen grinned.
“Are you two hungry?” Bridget asked.
Michelle grinned and nodded vigorously.
“You don’t even have to ask this little monkey. She will eat you out of house and home!” Glen said, grinning.
“Da-a-a-ad-d-d-dy!”
“Well, Raelene has made some Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps and pasta salad. Do you want to help me get everything together?”
“Okay!” Michelle said, hopping out of her chair.
The two went into the cabin, carrying their lemonade with them.
“Who’s Raelene?”
“The cook and housekeeper.”
“Ohh-h-h-h! Mr. moneybags is finally opening up his fist.”
Oh, I’ve opened up my fist several times since I moved here. I’ve got a plane and I’m having a hangar put in next week. I’ve asked Bridget to marry me and she has a few ideas to fix up the place too, I’m sure.”
“I hope not too much. This is perfect from what I’ve seen so far.”
“I would like to fix up a nice gazebo/cooking area. I do love to cook over the fire.”
“So, what kind of plane did you get?”
“A Maule. It’s kind of s bush plane, like they fly up in Alaska. It can take off short and land short. We can take a ride tomorrow if you feel like it.”
“Michelle would love that!”
They heard the sound of a vehicle and Raelene’s van appeared through the trees.
“That’s Raelene.” Mitch said.
Raelene opened the side doors on the van and took out two bags. Mitch jumped up to help her.
“I’ve got these. Could you grab the melons?”
Mitch grabbed the melons and took them inside, returning quickly.
“Whatever happened to Seth?” Glen asked.
Mitch chuckled. “He made a killing in Chicago and met up with a dancer from one of those Riverdance troupes that came through. He chucked it all and followed her back to Ireland and now they have two little girls, living on a farm overlooking the Clady River near Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. We make contact every so often.”
“Well good for him!”
“What about you, Glen? Are you seeing anyone?”
“No. I don’t have the time. With work and Michelle, I try to spend all my free time with her.”
“She’s growing fast.”
“That, she is. She’s scary sometimes. Her mind seems ten years older than her body.” Glen mused.
Michelle stuck her head out the door. “Lunch is ready!”
Jerome pulled up on the mower and they waited for him. He declined to eat at the table only because he was covered with grass clippings and dust from the mowing and just ate on the back porch. Raelene looked at Mitch and he nodded. He understood Jerome wanted to get back to mowing after lunch and would just get dirty again if he showered. Raelene was a little late to get to the table, having hulled and sliced some fresh strawberries then left them to maturate in sugar for the cheesecake.
“When everyone had finished eating, Raelene served the cheesecake with the fresh strawberries over each slice. There was nothing but praise from everyone for the delicious meal. Michelle eyed the four wraps and the cheesecake that were left over and whispered to Raelene. Raelene grinned and nodded. Jerome went back to mowing, taking the water jug with him and the men retired to the porch. The women, and Michelle stayed inside to clean up, Mitch supposed.
“How is the gas mileage on that EarthRoamer?” Mitch asked.
Glen chuckled. “I asked the salesman the same question when I ordered it. He told me if I needed to ask that, then I couldn’t afford the vehicle. It’s got a 115 gallon tank on it and I can go a little over 900 miles on a fill up so I average about 8 miles per gallon.”
Michelle came out of the cabin with several food containers in her hand and went into the EarthRoamer.
“Would you like to go flying in Mitch’s airplane tomorrow, Pumpkin?” Glen asked.
Michelle’s eyes lit up. “Can we?”
“Sure can.” Mitch replied. “Why don’t I pick you two up in the morning around 10:00?”
“That would be great!” Glen said.
“Are you ready to go see your campsite?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Mitch got in the Gator and led the EarthRoamer, it towing a toy hauler, up the road that Jerome had been cutting along. He led them north to the area they were building the hangar in then through the woods to the lake. Mitch pointed out the parking space and Glen expertly wheeled the vehicle in and parked. Mitch watched as Glen pushed a few buttons and the vehicle automatically leveled itself.
“Do you mind if we have a fire? I have a Solo fire pit that will keep a fire from getting out.”
“Not a problem. Here.” Mitch said, handing Glen a key. “This is the key to the gate on the main road down that trail over there of you need to go into town. Just turn right at the main road.”
“I’ve got a GPS on my Jeep in the trailer.”
“Well, if you need anything, just give me a call.”
“I think we’re good. I appreciate this Mitch.”
“It’s good to see you kicking. I’ll see you two in the morning.”
“Mitch, I saw where your plane is parked. We can just meet you there at 10:00.”
“Okay, then I’ll see you there in the morning.”
Mitch headed back to the cabin. It was good to see Glen. He wasn’t as beefy as when he played linebacker for the Chiefs, but he was still in shape and looked good. Mitch met Jerome where the trail came to the open field. He pulled over and got out as Jerome stopped the mower.
“Do you want me to cut anywhere up here?” Jerome asked.
“Not yet. I haven’t completely got the old airfield parameters completely marked out yet. We can do that next week and then you can cut the runway portion. Go ahead and clean up and let’s call it a day.”
“Okay.”
Mitch went on down the trail to the cabin.
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Post by paulk on Aug 26, 2022 6:35:32 GMT -6
I feel like I'm on a diet. MORE PLEASE!!
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Post by gipsy on Aug 26, 2022 7:26:49 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by texican on Aug 26, 2022 18:46:46 GMT -6
I feel like I'm on a diet. MORE PLEASE!! Be happy paulk for this diet of moar will not put pounds around your gut... Texican....
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Post by udwe on Aug 26, 2022 19:23:44 GMT -6
Getting interesting!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 27, 2022 3:41:26 GMT -6
Chapter 12
Michelle giggled as they went along gathering wood and stacking it on the folding cart.
“How much more do we need, Daddy?”
“Let’s fill the cart to the top and we won’t have as much to gather tomorrow.”
They edged through the woods so they were near the trail when they finally filled the cart. They walked back to the RV, just enjoying the late afternoon. Glen took the Solo firepit out of the storage compartment, took it out of its bag and set it up just outside the awning extended from the side if the RV. He started a fire and set the cooking grate to the side.
“What do you want for dinner Michelle?”
“Raelene gave use four wraps, pasta salad and two pieces of cheesecake with the strawberries.”
“Great! Those were really good! Then we can just have a lazy fire. Do you want to eat now?”
“No,, not yet. Can we just sit next to the fire and listen to music?”
“Sure. You pick the music and I’ll set up the chairs.”
Michelle went inside and came back out with the player and a flash drive. She had spent hours and hours converting CDs to MP3 and saved them to flash drives for their trips. That way they didn’t have to contend with a lot of CDs. The first song she played was “The Gael” from the movie, Last of the Mohicans. The song fit the early evening perfectly. Gazing across the shimmering lake into the trees on the far side, you could easily imagine the hunters and Indians of over 250 years ago moving along the shoreline. As the sun went down, it gave them an eerie feeling, but it was also relaxing. This was exactly the opposite of the suburbs of Kansas City and they were always excited to leave the mass of vehicles choking the roadways, the street noises and the people always in a rush. Their mini vacations refreshed Glen and Michelle’s lives like charging a battery and let them survive another few weeks until they both would look at each other and plan their next excursion.
They sat by the fire, ate their evening meal and drank lemonade while listening to the music until Michelle drifted off to sleep. Glen made himself one more glass of lemonade, this one included 1 ½ ounces of 180 proof vodka. He added a couple of small pieces of wood to the fire and again thought about the future.
The next morning Glen and Michelle were up early fishing the banks of the lake. They weren’t keeping anything but Glen was tempted when he caught a ten pound bass with a plug, but turned it loose after Michelle had taken pictures. They went back to the RV and Michelle took a shower while Glen made breakfast. He made scrambled eggs and sausage patties and had become quite adept at baking those frozen biscuits in the microwave/convection oven. Glen opened the jars of homemade strawberry preserves and concord grape jelly that he had purchased along with a small watermelon the day before at a roadside farmer’s market. Michelle got dressed, pulled her hair into a ponytail and told her father to get his shower and she would watch the biscuits. Michelle put together their plates and as soon as the biscuits were done, broke them open and put a pat of butter in them to melt. When Glen had finished dressing, Michelle took their plates outside to the table Glen had set up while Glen brought out his cup of coffee Michelle had made for him and her glass of orange juice.
“It feels like it is going to get hot today.” Glen said. “It will feel nice flying around in the cooler air. Hey, when we get back, do you want to get the Jeep out, pull the cover off and go for a ride? See a little of the countryside?”
“Yes!” Michelle said excitedly.
They finished their meal and Michelle did the dishes while Glen got the Jeep out of the toy hauler. He took the canvas top and doors off and stowed them in the toy hauler. Michelle came out with a couple of steel bottles of water and their sun glasses, jumped into the Jeep and buckled up as Glen closed up the trailer. Glen drove to the gate, unlocked it, drove through then got out to relock the gate. When they got to the road Glen asked, “Which way?”
“Left!”
They drove through the back country on a road that was sometimes crumbly pavement, most times just dirt until they came to state highway 149. Michelle pointed right and Glen followed her directions. They traveled through the village of Connelsville and down to the intersection with highway 6 at Novinger. They saw the sign for Kirksville and turned left. As they got near Kirksville, Michelle needed to use the facilities so they stopped at what was advertised as a “General Store” but was probably Kirksville’s version of a tourist trap, you know, full of tacky, useless things that had the Kirkville name on everything. Michelle used the restroom and came back out to browse the aisles. She wanted something to commemorate her visit to Kirksville, Missouri. Michelle finally picked out an oversized T-shirt to sleep in that had “Life Is Better In Kirksville Missouri” printed on it with a skyline that would have rivaled New York. Certainly not realistic. They both got cold bottles of juice out of the cooler and on their way to the checkout counter, Michelle stopped in front of a sign made out of what looked like aged barnwood. On it was neatly hand painted,
7 RULES OF LIFE
1. Make peace with your past so it does not affect the present.
2. What others think of you is none of your business.
3. Time heals almost everything, give it time.
4. Don't compare your life to others and don't judge them. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
5. It's alright not to know all the answers. They will come to you when you least expect it.
6. You are in charge of your happiness.
7. Smile. You don't own all the problems in the world.
Michelle looked at it thoughtfully then looked up at her Dad.
“Can we get this to give to the Bakers to thank them for letting us camp on their land?”
How could he say no to such a thoughtful little girl? Glen nodded and carried the wall hanging to the counter.
They stopped at a McDonald's, had a late lunch, then headed north and made one big loop and went back to the lake. Stiff from riding, they decided to take a walk in the late afternoon and strolled up to where Mitch was going to build the hangar, then returned back to the RV. Glen pulled out the folding chaise chairs made a fire in the firepit and enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing across the lake. As it got dark, they cooked hotdogs over the fire, listening to more of the soundtrack from the Last of The Mohicans.
The crane and installation crew showed up at 8:00 Monday morning followed by two 18-wheelers carrying the panels. Mitch followed them up and watched as they got to work. They definitely had done this before because in less than an hour they had the first arch bolted in and were adding the rest just as quick. There didn’t seem to be a wasted movement. It might not take that long to get the hangar up after all. Mitch drove over to the lake to check on Glen and Michelle and found them fishing.
“Catching anything?” Mitch asked.
“You’ve got some big bass in here! We haven’t kept any, we’re just catching and releasing.”
“Did you have a good day yesterday?”
“We did! We took a little trip on the back roads down to Kirksville then made the loop back to here.” Glen said.
“We have something for you!” Michell said, running to the RV.
She came back out with the plaque and showed it to Mitch.
“This is very nice, but I’m not the one to give this to. You should give this to Raelene and Bridget. After all, they take care of me.”
“Okay! Can we come down later this afternoon and give it to them?”
“Certainly! Why don’t you and your Dad come down for supper. Bridget told me that Raelene is making the best meatloaf you’ve ever eaten.”
Michelle looked up at her Dad. “Can we Daddy? Raelene cooks good!”
“Sure Honey. What time Mitch?”
“Make it about 6:00.”
“We’ll be there.”
Mitch went back to the hangar and watched for a while. They already had ? of the panels bolted in. They were moving quickly. The power wrenches were a lot quicker than bolting the panels together using a ratchet wrench. Mitch went back to the cabin and Bridget was doing a wash. Mitch found Jerome trimming some stakes he had asked him to.
“That should be enough Jerome. Let me get a hammer and some flag tape and we can go stake out the runway.”
They loaded everything into the Gator and headed up to the airstrip. It was fairly easy from there. They just had to mark the edges to where Mitch wanted Jerome to mow.
“Well that’s it. Set your mower height to four inches when you start to cut.” Mitch said.
Mitch drove Jerome back down to the Machine Shed. “Bring the mower up to the fuel trailer and I’ll show you how to operate the pump.”
“Okay.”
Jerome brought the mower up and Mitch instructed him on how to operate the solar pump then Jerome was off to mow the airstrip. Mitch went back to the house and Bridget was getting ready to leave.
“Where are you headed off to?”
“We need potatoes and we need those packages UPS left at the drop-off at Bob’s.”
“Yeah it’s probably my wind sock. I’ll go with you, besides, I need to stop at the bank to pick up some cash.”
They took the Rover in and Mitch pulled in to the Great Western Bank to use their drive-thru ATM when he noticed the teller at the drive in window two lanes over staring out the window with a look of horror. Mitch pulled on past the ATM, parked at an angle, and grabbed his pistol out of the glove compartment.
“Stay here and stay down!”
Mitch got out of the Rover with the Glock in the ready position when two men came running out of the bank towards a car. Mitch didn’t even have time to shout anything when one of the men saw him and fired. Mitch fired and caught the man in the upper sternum. The other man, carrying a bag turned and stumbled, dropping his pistol. Mitch ran over and kicked the guy in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Unionville had a police force consisting of a Chief of Police and two officers. The two officers traded around on shifts so for any given hour during the day, there were only to available officers in town, and God only knows where they would be. Mitch made sure the bank robber’s weapons were kicked well away and kept his pistol trained on them. The bank manager came out as they heard the sirens. The first to arrive was the ambulance. They were attending to the man with the gunshot wound when the Police Chief drove up with lights flashing, followed by a Deputy Sheriff. Mitch laid his pistol down and backed away from it. The law officers approached with guns drawn until the bank manager explained Mitch’s presence. Bridget finally came over but the officers separated them to get their statements. When everything had calmed down and Mitch explained to the manager his had come there to get some cash, the manager personally handled Mitch’s requirement personally. When they were finally able to leave. Bridget started laughing.
“This has certainly turned out to be an exciting day!”
“Yeah, real exciting.” Mitch said. “I could do without days like this though.”
They picked up the boxes at Bob’s and fifteen pounds of potatoes then quickly went back home.
When Glen and Michelle arrive that evening Mitch had to tell the story all over again. He had just finished answering Glen’s questions when a strange car drove up. A red-head woman got out and came up to the steps.
“Ya wouldn’t be Mitch Baker would ya?”
Her Irish brogue was as thick as potato soup.
“Yes ma’am.”
“Then I have sometin’ for ya.” She said, walking up the steps and holding out her hand.
“This is from Seth.”
Mitch took her hand and shook it.
“And this is from Siobhan!” She said, giving Mitch a hug.”
“You know Seth and Siobhan?”
“Aye, we…oh pardon me, I am Saoirse Brennan, I too am from Gaoth Dobhair. I’ve come to America to study at the Chicago School of Music and they asked me to look you up and thank you for the container and to ask you how you got it past Customs. The Gardaí would be mighty interested if they knew what was in that container.”
“Well, he mentioned some things that were hard to get and well, I know a guy.”
Saoirse chuckled. “I suppose you do!”
Bridget came out on the porch and Mitch introduced her to Saoirse and explained what she was doing there.
“Well, it was very kind of you to drive all the way here for that.”
“Yes, it was a long drive, and not as green as Ireland, but interesting, nevertheless. Well, I must be going. I want to get back to Davenport and get a hotel room before it gets too late.”
“Heaven’s no! I wouldn’t hear of it! We have a guest room you can stay in unless of course you need to hurry back.”
“No, I’m in no particular hurry. Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Not at all. Mitch would you carry her things to the guest room?”
Glen stared at the woman as she talked. Her red hair was tossed like she had been riding with the windows down and her green eyes seem to burn into him as she occasionally glanced his way. When Mitch brought her bags up, she went inside but came back shortly. You could tell she had brushed her hair.
“An’ who might you be?” Saoirse asked, staring into his eyes.
“Glen…Glen Masters. And….and his is my daughter Michelle.”
“Well, it is a fine thing to meet you.” Saoirse said, shaking Glen and Michelle’s hands.
“Are you really from Ireland?”
“That I am! You are so precious! And where is your Mommy? She must be beautiful to have such a beautiful Iníon, uh..daughter.
“My Mommy is in heaven, but you remind me of her pictures.”
Saoirse jerked back in horror, her eyes dancing between Michelle and Glen. “I’m so sorry! I….”
“It’s okay. You didn’t hurt my feelings or mean any harm.” Michelle said. “Tell me about Ireland.”
The two walked down the steps talking, Saoirse’s hands moving animatedly. Glen suddenly realized he had been holding his breath. He was prodded by a grinning Mitch holding out a glass of whiskey to him.
“Stunning, isn’t she?”
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Post by gipsy on Aug 27, 2022 6:31:58 GMT -6
It has to be the water around there causing the men to go all gaga. Thanks for the update.
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Post by iamnobody on Aug 27, 2022 6:58:58 GMT -6
When women find out that even though I am a widower, that I have minor age children, they leave faster than a hyper-sonic missile.
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Aug 27, 2022 11:03:17 GMT -6
Thanks
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Aug 27, 2022 11:06:04 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by bluefox2 on Aug 27, 2022 11:44:22 GMT -6
Chapter 12
Michelle giggled as they went along gathering wood and stacking it on the folding cart.
“How much more do we need, Daddy?”
“Let’s fill the cart to the top and we won’t have as much to gather tomorrow.”
They edged through the woods so they were near the trail when they finally filled the cart. They walked back to the RV, just enjoying the late afternoon. Glen took the Solo firepit out of the storage compartment, took it out of its bag and set it up just outside the awning extended from the side if the RV. He started a fire and set the cooking grate to the side.
“What do you want for dinner Michelle?”
“Raelene gave use four wraps, pasta salad and two pieces of cheesecake with the strawberries.”
“Great! Those were really good! Then we can just have a lazy fire. Do you want to eat now?”
“No,, not yet. Can we just sit next to the fire and listen to music?”
“Sure. You pick the music and I’ll set up the chairs.”
Michelle went inside and came back out with the player and a flash drive. She had spent hours and hours converting CDs to MP3 and saved them to flash drives for their trips. That way they didn’t have to contend with a lot of CDs. The first song she played was “The Gael” from the movie, Last of the Mohicans. The song fit the early evening perfectly. Gazing across the shimmering lake into the trees on the far side, you could easily imagine the hunters and Indians of over 250 years ago moving along the shoreline. As the sun went down, it gave them an eerie feeling, but it was also relaxing. This was exactly the opposite of the suburbs of Kansas City and they were always excited to leave the mass of vehicles choking the roadways, the street noises and the people always in a rush. Their mini vacations refreshed Glen and Michelle’s lives like charging a battery and let them survive another few weeks until they both would look at each other and plan their next excursion.
They sat by the fire, ate their evening meal and drank lemonade while listening to the music until Michelle drifted off to sleep. Glen made himself one more glass of lemonade, this one included 1 ½ ounces of 180 proof vodka. He added a couple of small pieces of wood to the fire and again thought about the future.
The next morning Glen and Michelle were up early fishing the banks of the lake. They weren’t keeping anything but Glen was tempted when he caught a ten pound bass with a plug, but turned it loose after Michelle had taken pictures. They went back to the RV and Michelle took a shower while Glen made breakfast. He made scrambled eggs and sausage patties and had become quite adept at baking those frozen biscuits in the microwave/convection oven. Glen opened the jars of homemade strawberry preserves and concord grape jelly that he had purchased along with a small watermelon the day before at a roadside farmer’s market. Michelle got dressed, pulled her hair into a ponytail and told her father to get his shower and she would watch the biscuits. Michelle put together their plates and as soon as the biscuits were done, broke them open and put a pat of butter in them to melt. When Glen had finished dressing, Michelle took their plates outside to the table Glen had set up while Glen brought out his cup of coffee Michelle had made for him and her glass of orange juice.
“It feels like it is going to get hot today.” Glen said. “Want to get the Jeep out, pull the cover off and go for a ride? See a little of the countryside?”
“Yes!” Michelle said excitedly.
They finished their meal and Michelle did the dishes while Glen got the Jeep out of the toy hauler. He took the canvas top and doors off and stowed them in the toy hauler. Michelle came out with a couple of steel bottles of water and their sun glasses, jumped into the Jeep and buckled up as Glen closed up the trailer. Glen drove to the gate, unlocked it, drove through then got out to relock the gate. When they got to the road Glen asked, “Which way?”
“Left!”
They drove through the back country on a road that was sometimes crumbly pavement, most times just dirt until they came to state highway 149. Michelle pointed right and Glen followed her directions. They traveled through the village of Connelsville and down to the intersection with highway 6 at Novinger. They saw the sign for Kirksville and turned left. As they got near Kirksville, Michelle needed to use the facilities so they stopped at what was advertised as a “General Store” but was probably Kirksville’s version of a tourist trap, you know, full of tacky, useless things that had the Kirkville name on everything. Michelle used the restroom and came back out to browse the aisles. She wanted something to commemorate her visit to Kirksville, Missouri. Michelle finally picked out an oversized T-shirt to sleep in that had “Life Is Better In Kirksville Missouri” printed on it with a skyline that would have rivaled New York. Certainly not realistic. They both got cold bottles of juice out of the cooler and on their way to the checkout counter, Michelle stopped in front of a sign made out of what looked like aged barnwood. On it was neatly hand painted,
7 RULES OF LIFE
1. Make peace with your past so it does not affect the present.
2. What others think of you is none of your business.
3. Time heals almost everything, give it time.
4. Don't compare your life to others and don't judge them. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
5. It's alright not to know all the answers. They will come to you when you least expect it.
6. You are in charge of your happiness.
7. Smile. You don't own all the problems in the world.
Michelle looked at it thoughtfully then looked up at her Dad.
“Can we get this to give to the Bakers to thank them for letting us camp on their land?”
How could he say no to such a thoughtful little girl? Glen nodded and carried the wall hanging to the counter.
They stopped at a McDonald's, had lunch, and headed north and made one big loop and went back to the lake. Stiff from riding, they decided to take a walk and strolled up to where Mitch was going to build the hangar, then returned back to the RV. Glen pulled out the folding chaise chairs and they dozed the rest of the afternoon with a gentle breeze blowing across the lake.
The crane and installation crew showed up at 8:00 Monday morning followed by two 18-wheelers carrying the panels. Mitch followed them up and watched as they got to work. They definitely had done this before because in less than an hour they had the first arch bolted in and were adding the rest just as quick. There didn’t seem to be a wasted movement. It might not take that long to get the hangar up after all. Mitch drove over to the lake to check on Glen and Michelle and found them fishing.
“Catching anything?” Mitch asked.
“You’ve got some big bass in here! We haven’t kept any, we’re just catching and releasing.”
“Did you have a good day yesterday?”
“We did! We took a little trip on the back roads down to Kirksville then made the loop back to here.” Glen said.
“We have something for you!” Michell said, running to the RV.
She came back out with the plaque and showed it to Mitch.
“This is very nice, but I’m not the one to give this to. You should give this to Raelene and Bridget. After all, they take care of me.”
“Okay! Can we come down later this afternoon and give it to them?”
“Certainly! Why don’t you and your Dad come down for supper. Bridget told me that Raelene is making the best meatloaf you’ve ever eaten.”
Michelle looked up at her Dad. “Can we Daddy? Raelene cooks good!”
“Sure Honey. What time Mitch?”
“Make it about 6:00.”
“We’ll be there.”
Mitch went back to the hangar and watched for a while. They already had ? of the panels bolted in. They were moving quickly. The power wrenches were a lot quicker than bolting the panels together using a ratchet wrench. Mitch went back to the cabin and Bridget was doing a wash. Mitch found Jerome trimming some stakes he had asked him to.
“That should be enough Jerome. Let me get a hammer and some flag tape and we can go stake out the runway.”
They loaded everything into the Gator and headed up to the airstrip. It was fairly easy from there. They just had to mark the edges to where Mitch wanted Jerome to mow.
“Well that’s it. Set your mower height to four inches when you start to cut.” Mitch said.
Mitch drove Jerome back down to the Machine Shed. “Bring the mower up to the fuel trailer and I’ll show you how to operate the pump.”
“Okay.”
Jerome brought the mower up and Mitch instructed him on how to operate the solar pump then Jerome was off to mow the airstrip. Mitch went back to the house and Bridget was getting ready to leave.
“Where are you headed off to?”
“We need potatoes and we need those packages UPS left at the drop-off at Bob’s.”
“Yeah it’s probably my wind sock. I’ll go with you, besides, I need to stop at the bank to pick up some cash.”
They took the Rover in and Mitch pulled in to the Great Western Bank to use their drive-thru ATM when he noticed the teller at the drive in window two lanes over staring out the window with a look of horror. Mitch pulled on past the ATM, parked at an angle, and grabbed his pistol out of the glove compartment.
“Stay here and stay down!”
Mitch got out of the Rover with the Glock in the ready position when two men came running out of the bank towards a car. Mitch didn’t even have time to shout anything when one of the men saw him and fired. Mitch fired and caught the man in the upper sternum. The other man, carrying a bag turned and stumbled, dropping his pistol. Mitch ran over and kicked the guy in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Unionville had a police force consisting of a Chief of Police and two officers. The two officers traded around on shifts so for any given hour during the day, there were only to available officers in town, and God only knows where they would be. Mitch made sure the bank robber’s weapons were kicked well away and kept his pistol trained on them. The bank manager came out as they heard the sirens. The first to arrive was the ambulance. They were attending to the man with the gunshot wound when the Police Chief drove up with lights flashing, followed by a Deputy Sheriff. Mitch laid his pistol down and backed away from it. The law officers approached with guns drawn until the bank manager explained Mitch’s presence. Bridget finally came over but the officers separated them to get their statements. When everything had calmed down and Mitch explained to the manager his had come there to get some cash, the manager personally handled Mitch’s requirement personally. When they were finally able to leave. Bridget started laughing.
“This has certainly turned out to be an exciting day!”
“Yeah, real exciting.” Mitch said. “I could do without days like this though.”
They picked up the boxes at Bob’s and fifteen pounds of potatoes then quickly went back home.
When Glen and Michelle arrive that evening Mitch had to tell the story all over again. He had just finished answering Glen’s questions when a strange car drove up. A red-head woman got out and came up to the steps.
“Ya wouldn’t be Mitch Baker would ya?”
Her Irish brogue was as thick as potato soup.
“Yes ma’am.”
“Then I have sometin’ for ya.” She said, walking up the steps and holding out her hand.
“This is from Seth.”
Mitch took her hand and shook it.
“And this is from Siobhan!” She said, giving Mitch a hug.”
“You know Seth and Siobhan?”
“Aye, we…oh pardon me, I am Saoirse Brennan, I too am from Gaoth Dobhair. I’ve come to America to study at the Chicago School of Music and they asked me to look you up and thank you for the container and to ask you how you got it past Customs. The Gardaí would be mighty interested if they knew what was in that container.”
“Well, he mentioned some things that were hard to get and well, I know a guy.”
Saoirse chuckled. “I suppose you do!”
Bridget came out on the porch and Mitch introduced her to Saoirse and explained what she was doing there.
“Well, it was very kind of you to drive all the way here for that.”
“Yes, it was a long drive, and not as green as Ireland, but interesting, nevertheless. Well, I must be going. I want to get back to Davenport and get a hotel room before it gets too late.”
“Heaven’s no! I wouldn’t hear of it! We have a guest room you can stay in unless of course you need to hurry back.”
“No, I’m in no particular hurry. Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Not at all. Mitch would you carry her things to the guest room?”
Glen stared at the woman as she talked. Her red hair was tossed like she had been riding with the windows down and her green eyes seem to burn into him as she occasionally glanced his way. When Mitch brought her bags up, she went inside but came back shortly. You could tell she had brushed her hair.
“An’ who might you be?” Saoirse asked, staring into his eyes.
“Glen…Glen Masters. And….and his is my daughter Michelle.”
“Well, it is a fine thing to meet you.” Saoirse said, shaking Glen and Michelle’s hands.
“Are you really from Ireland?”
“That I am! You are so precious! And where is your Mommy? She must be beautiful to have such a beautiful Iníon, uh..daughter.
“My Mommy is in heaven, but you remind me of her pictures.”
Saoirse jerked back in horror, her eyes dancing between Michelle and Glen. “I’m so sorry! I….”
“It’s okay. You didn’t hurt my feelings or mean any harm.” Michelle said. “Tell me about Ireland.”
The two walked down the steps talking, Saoirse’s hands moving animatedly. Glen suddenly realized he had been holding his breath. He was prodded by a grinning Mitch holding out a glass of whiskey to him.
“Stunning, isn’t she?”
AYE, Those red headed Irish Lassies will get ya every time.
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Post by CountryGuy on Aug 27, 2022 15:50:05 GMT -6
I noted something I wanted to point out. At end of Chp 11 they were going flying with Mitch the next morning at 10AM but then in Chp 12 they went riding around in the Jeep.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 27, 2022 17:22:57 GMT -6
I noted something I wanted to point out. At end of Chp 11 they were going flying with Mitch the next morning at 10AM but then in Chp 12 they went riding around in the Jeep . OOPS!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 28, 2022 2:41:07 GMT -6
Chapter 13
When Michelle and Saoirse came back from their walk, Michelle remembered the plaque and got it from the back of the Jeep. She took it inside and presented it to Bridget.
“Why thank you Michelle! This is very thoughtful! Thank you so much!” Bridget said.
“I thought they were good rules to follow.”
“Yes they are and I’m going to hang it on the wall in the Great Room.”
Michelle went back out on the porch to her Dad.
“Bridget liked it Daddy!”
“That’s good, Sweetheart. Did you have a nice talk with Saoirse?”
“Oh yes! I’d like to visit there sometime. It sounds beautiful.”
Saoirse was standing over to the side waiting for a chance to talk to Glen when Michelle got up and went back into the cabin. Saoirse walked over and cleared her throat.
“I want to apologize…”
“No need. You didn’t know and no harm done. So, you are studying music?”
“Yes, I need advanced instruction on the piano and guitar and got a chance to attend the school in Chicago.”
“How long will you be there?”
“Six months, with an option to extend my time.”
“Well, Chicago gets quite cold in the winter time.”
“So I’m told. I’ll have a wee bit of shopping to do, I’m thinking. We don’t normally get that cold in Ireland. It is cool and damp, cloudy and rainy throughout the year but rarely do the temperatures get as cold as Chicago though the winds can be just as brisk.”
“Well, it’s survivable, you just have to dress for it.”
“So, you and Michelle are traveling around in a caravan?”
Glen gave her a puzzled look. “I think you call it a recreation vehicle?”
“Oh yes, we live in Kansas City and take mini vacations around the mid-west to get out of the city.”
“Kansas City? Is that far from here?”
“About two hours.”
“Oh, that’s not that far. The only city I’ve been to here in America is Chicago. I flew directly from Shannon to O’Hare coming here.”
“Well, Kansas City is not nearly as big as Chicago but big enough make you want to escape from occasionally.”
Everyone turned as Bailey came driving up in his Gator. He got out and climbed the steps and came to a sudden stop when he saw Saoirse.
“I see we have a visitor!”
“Bailey, this is Saoirse Brennan. Saoirse, this is Bridget’s grandfather Bailey.”
“’Tis a pleasure to meet ya suhr.”
Bailey jerked, then smiled "Fáilte go Meiriceá. Tá súil agam go bhfuil tú ag baint suilt as do chuairt." ("Welcome to America. I hope you are enjoying your stay.")
Saoirse’s eyes danced with glee. "Go raibh maith agat go cineálta, tá am iontach agam. Agus conas atá duine uasal cosúil leat féin ar lá breá mar seo?" ("Thank you kindly, I'm having a grand time. And how is a gran gentleman such as yourself, on a fine day as this?")
Bailey grinned. “Enough with the Gaelic. You lost me there after ‘gentleman’ It has been many a year since I spoke it.”
“You did very well! “Where did you learn to speak it?” Saoirse asked.
“My seanmháthair was from near Portlaoise.” Bailey replied. “She still smelled of peat ‘til the day she passed. What brings you here?”
“I came to study music in Chicago but made a trip here to pass on personal word of gratefulness to Mitch from a friend of his in Ireland.”
“Dinner is ready!” Michelle said, sticking her head out the door.
Glen stood and offered Saoirse his arm, which she took with a smile. They all sat at the big table with Michelle insisting Saoirse sit between her and her Dad. Raelene had made a big meatloaf with mashed potatoes, corn and peas, yeast rolls and had iced tea or lemonade to drink.
“Saoirse, this is meatloaf. It’s kinda like Shepherd’s pie, but not all cooked in the same pot together.”
“Oh, so ya have eaten Shepherd’s pie?”
“Oh yes! Dad makes it often and lots of times over the coals in our camp fire.”
Saoirse looked at Glen. “I would like to see that.” She said, grinning.
The meal was delicious and they couldn’t help having seconds of this and that. Raelene followed the wonderful meal with a delicious peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
Coffee was served to everyone, even Michelle, who liked hers with just a little sugar and lots of cream. Finally, Raelene ran everyone out so she could clean up. They all went out on the front porch and the men went to collect more chairs off the back porch to have seating for everyone.
When everyone was seated, Mitch brought out one of his bottles of his cherished Michael Collins Irish Whiskey and a tray of glasses. He poured two fingers for each adult and raised his glass.
“To Home and Family.”
Bailey tipped his glass to Saoirse and said, “"go hÉirinn."
“So,” Bailey said to Saoirse, “You are studying music?”
“Yes, I wanted a little more trainin’ on the piano and the guitar.”
“Do you sing too?” Michelle asked excitedly.”
“Why yes, I have been known to sing from time to time.”
“Please sing us a song!” Michelle begged.
Michelle’s request was followed by echoes of yesses.
“Well then, in honor of Bailey, I will sing you a fun pub song, but I will need some help on the chorus. The chorus goes like this,
“Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o Real Bog, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o”
The group kind of stumbled through the chorus.
“Okay, let’s try this again. Repeat after me.”
“Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o”
“Wonderful, now, the next part.”
“Real Bog, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o”
After a couple of tries they had it down, so she started the song.
Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o Real Bog, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o
Well in the bog there was a hole A rare hole and a rattlin' hole And the hole in the bog And the bog down in the valley-o
Ho, ro, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o Real Bog, the rattlin' bog The bog down in the valley-o
Well on that limb there was a nest A rare nest and a rattlin' nest And the nest on the limb And the limb on the branch And the branch on the tree And the tree in the hole And the hole in the bog And the bog down in the valley-o
The song went on and on with verses about an egg in the nest, and a bird in the egg and a bug on the bird. Eyes sparkled and the air was filled with merriment as the gathering sang along, of course helped by Mitch’s occasional refilling of the glasses. Raelene even came to the door grinning, wiping her hands on a towel. When the song finally ended and the laughter calmed down, Michelle asked, “What is a bog?”
“Well darlin’, in Ireland, if they burned wood for cooking and heating, there wouldn’t be any trees left, so they burn peat. Peat is nothing but rotting vegetation in the ground. When it is in the ground, the peat itself consists of 95% water, so they dig the turf up and let it dry to burn.”
“That’s cool!”
“When do you have to be back in Chicago?” Bridget asked.
“Not until Monday week. I already have my apartment in walkin’ distance from the school. I just have to be there to start school.”
“I wish you would consider staying with us as our guest until you have to return.”
Saoirse looked around at the acceptance on everyone’s faces.
“Yes, I would like that.”
“YAAAY!” Michelle said, clapping her hands.
“Then it’s settled.” Mitch said, refilling the glasses.
“Can you sing us another song?” Michelle asked.
“Well, there is one I like to sing A cappella. It’s called “Eleanór, a rún”, or Eleanor, My Darling.”
Saoirse began the song, her voice hauntingly sweet.
Mo ghrá den chéad fhéachaint thú, ’Eleanóir, a rún, Is ortsa a bhím a’ smaoineamh, tráth a mbím ar mo shuaimh, Mo ghrá den tsaol thú, ó mo chéad searc, is tú is deise ná ban Éireann, ’S a bhruinnillín deas óg, is tú is deise, is milse póg, Ach chúns a mhairfeadsa beo, beidh gean a’m ort, Mar is deas mar a sheolfainn na gamhna leat, ’Eleanóir, a rún.
’S bhí bua aici go meallfadh sí na héanlaith ón gcrann, ’S bhí bua eile aici go dtóigfeadh sí an corp fuar ón mbás, ’S bhí bua eile aici nach ndéarfaidh mé mar ’sí grá mo chroí is ó mo chéad searc, ’S a bhruinnillín deas óg, is tú is deise, is milse póg, Ach chúns a mhairfeadsa beo, beidh gean a’m ort, Mar is deas mar a sheolfainn na gamhna leat, ’Eleanóir, a rún.
’S an dtiocfaidh tú nó ’bhfanfaidh tú, ’Eleanóir, a rún? Nó an aithneofá an té nach gcáinfeadh thú, mo chuid don tsaol is a stór? Ó tiocfaidh mé ach ní fhanfaidh mé, is maith a d’aithneoinn an té nach gcáinfeadh mé, ’S a bhruinnillín deas óg, is tú is deise, is milse póg, Ach chúns a mhairfeadsa beo, beidh gean a’m ort, Mar is deas mar a sheolfainn na gamhna leat, ’Eleanóir, a rún.
When she finished the song, there was a moment of silence then the clapping and praising began.
“That was beautiful.” Michelle said. What is the song about?”
“It’s about the love a young man has for a girl named Eleanor. He praises her sweet kisses, and how he has loved her all his life. He thinks she is the most beautiful girl in Ireland.”
“That was beautiful.” Bridget agreed.
Glen sat there, studying Saoirse and taking sips of the whiskey.
“Mitch, why don’t we take Saoirse down to Branson and show her around? It’s only a little over an hour there, isn’t it?” Bridget asked. “We could take Glen and Michelle too, couldn’t we?”
Michelle’s eyes lit it and her mouth was in the shape of an “O”.
“Yes, I could put the 5th seat in and Michelle could ride there.”
“Saoirse, have you heard of Branson?”
“I don’t believe so.”
“Well, it is a tourist town but they have a lot if traditional music shows there.”
“Dad? Michelle asked.”
“Sure, we could go if you think there wll be enough room Mitch.”
“Of course!” Mitch said. “If we leave around 8:00 that would give us time to pick out a couple of shows to see and walk around.”
Michelle was hopping up and down in her seat. “This is going to be wonderful!”
They sat and talked a couple of hours more and Michelle was getting sleepy so Glen took her back to the lake. Bailey returned home and everyone turned in. When Mitch closed the door to their bedroom he cocked his head and squinted at Bridget.
“What do you have up your sleeve?”
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