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Post by gipsy on Jul 19, 2023 7:13:33 GMT -6
Sneaking in the first well done. Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 21, 2023 8:56:07 GMT -6
Chapter 25 – Tail of the Storm
For the next three days Paul’s schedule included getting Angel to the store safely and he swapped off with Eduardo keeping the driveways to the main road and the other farms cleared with the tractor. The thought of getting a snow blower attachment for the tractor crossed Paul’s mind but they were doing just fine with the blade. Rabbit hunting didn’t go so well except for those his shot from the porch. Crunching through the sleet layered snow let every rabbit in the county know bad doo-doo was coming, plus when he broke through the layers, his shins got bruised. Rabbit stew was put on the back burner.
He tried to kill the monotony of the days; he began listening to his favorite talk station playing in the background. But that soon became monotonous because it was always the same. Crime was rising. The economy was failing, the same politics were being repeated over and over with only the names changing. It was the same, ever-conflicting news about economic trends, forecasts, and problems. The same discord and divisions were being sustained among one group after another with no resolution and no easing of tensions. The same efforts to fix the problems that had failed before were being tried again under a new name. The same analysis of bad news being spun as hopeful news and hopeful news being spun as full of uncertainties was being tossed about as if it was fresh insight on new events. The same commercial sales pitches about things you must buy in order to be comfortable and happy with your life were being broadcast over and over to sponsor the same old "news". It was troubling and enough to make you puke. Paul finally quit listening and only tuned in to the Weather Channel on satellite.
Paul and Eduardo loaded the tractor onto the equipment trailer and took it up to Angel’s store and cleared the parking lot and around the pumps. The weather was warming slightly but the snow that melted during the day just froze at night, leaving a sheet of ice. Paul made sure a 5-gallon bucket of ice melt and a 5-gallon bucket of sand was ready to spread when and where needed.
It took over a week for the last of the snow and Ice to melt, just in time for Christmas.
Mike had been at a quandary on what to get Hanna for Christmas. He did buy a ring but was going to wait until New Year’s Eve to do the deed. He got her a couple of gift cards from department stores in Sioux City and bought her a Smith & Wesson stainless Model 66 At Shooter’s Paradise. He knew she’d use the pistol but as far as clothing from the department stores, she favored more utilitarian clothing. He should have gotten her a gift card from Tractor Supply. He also loaded her 200 rounds of .38 shotshells. Hanna liked to shoot snakes and the occasional rabbit when driving a tractor for her father. He’d take her back later and get her fitted for a shoulder holster. He’d judge her reactions to her presents. If he needed to, he could move popping the question up some to placate her.
After dropping the camper sell down on his truck during the first of the winter storm, Mike had loaded their winter emergency kits into their vehicles and added a couple of more things he had picked up. It was easy to get stranded, even only a couple of miles from home in whiteout conditions. It was a way of life out there.
After loading the presents and other things they were taking to Didrik and Annika’s, Mike and Hanna headed to her parents’ house. As they walked through the door, they were assailed with the aromas and humidity from the cooking food. Didrik was asleep in his chair with his feet propped up on an ottoman, oblivious to anything going on in the house. Annika gave both Mike and Hanna a hug and a kiss and invited them in. Mike carried presents over to the tree then went back and got his box of goodies. Placing the steel rods in the stove to heat up, Mike readied the other components to make Annika a buttered rum as soon as the bolts were red-hot. Hanna went in and helped her mother in the kitchen while Mike went out and got an armload of wood for the woodbox. Going into the kitchen, Mike caught the tail-end of the conversation where Annika asked, “Has he asked you yet?” Mike turned around and went back into the den, grinning. He turned the TV on and turned the volume down.
After the delicious pheasant meal, they gathered around the tree and exchanged gifts.
Mike and Hanna gave Annika a few pieces of antique cast iron and a bundle of packages of dried fruits she liked to cook with. Mike gave Didrik a Daniel Defense DD5 308 with a mounted Vortex Razor HD rifle scope and 200 rounds of ammunition. He liked to take a whitetail now and again but especially liked to watch the prairie dogs blow up. Anika gave Mike a whole case of pints packed with pickled herring and Hanna a cedar blanket chest.
Mike made hot buttered rum for everyone, and they watched the football games and talked to near dark, when Hanna and Mike headed home.
For the next couple of days Hanna showed no signs she was disappointed in her gifts, although was contemplative at times. Then Mike got a request from Jeremy to build a high-end tower computer for Taylor. Jeremy said he would come up to talk to him about it.
The winter wheat had already been planted so they couldn’t land a plane in the fields, so Mike gave him an option to land on NE-51 since there were less than 5 vehicles an hour that traveled it. Jeremy nixed that and said he would fly into Martin Field in South Sioux City and meet him there. Mike was to set up somewhere they could talk privately.
Two days later Jeremy and pilot Joe Norris few into Martin Field and Hanna waited in a hotel room for the men to return. Joe stayed at the FBO getting the plane serviced for its return flight. When Mike and Jeremy got to the hotel, Hanna left to go visit the Singing Hills Secondhand Finds & Furnishings while they talked. Mike told her he would call her when they were finished.
“Mike, I want you to build me the fastest, baddest desktop tower computer that can be made. It will be used with a secure satellite terminal that will have direct access to your servers instead of your normal operations. This will be separate from what you are currently running on the fiber network. The computer here needs to be directly connected to the server farm. My people need to have instantaneous connection for data input.”
“Okay, but I’ll have to build two of them. Between the satellite delay, we’d want the handshakes to be close as we can get them. Did you bring the SAT terminal with you?”
Jeremy chuckled. “No, I couldn’t quite fit a 2.4 meter dish into the Maule. When you’re ready, I can have a crew in here in a couple of days to install it. Once everything is in place and tested, it will be our primary system and maintain the troposcatter system as backup.”
“So, you want the systems to work in conjunction with each other?” Mike asked.
“From what I am told there is a autoswitch that will immediately switch to troposcatter if SATCOM is disrupted and automatically switch back when coms are reestablished. It won’t require any effort on your part. You can study the setup when they install the system.” Jeremy said.
Jeremy was setting the stage to lower the hammer, indeed, he was going to slam the hammer down that would alienate a lot of people and call for their arrests. A floodgate of information would be released both digitally and physically that would shatter the confidence in the current leadership of major government agencies.. If done correctly, it would give investigators many trails of corruption to follow.
Mike called Hanna and as soon as she returned, they took Jeremy back to the FBO. Mike told Jeremy it would take a couple of weeks, or more, to get the computer parts, assemble and test them.
“What was that all about?’’ Hanna asked on the way home.
“He wants me to upgrade his computer support,” Mike said. “It will take me about a month to get the parts and stress test them. He wants two but I think I’ll make three units. It will upgrade my setup and give me a backup for the future.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” Hanna said. “I had a chance to get tickets to the New Year’s Eve party at the Dakota Dunes Country Club.”
“Great!” Mike said, “It saves me the time to find a good venue. If you’re happy with it, then I’m satisfied.”
Hanna smiled broadly and slid closer to Mike. “Can we get a hotel room and not have to come right back home?” “That was my intentions. I’ll get us a room at the Marriot.”
“Oh my gosh! You’ll have to drive back into South Sioux City with all the drunks on the road!” Hanna said.
“Nope, I’ll hire an Uber to pick us up from the hotel to take us to the country club and pick us up. I’m not about to drive. I plan on having a good time.” Mike said.
Mike ordered his parts from his usual supplier, and they would be delivered in the next few days. UPS should have him as a waypoint on their GPS by now.
Hanna and Annika went back to Sioux City to use the gift cards to find her a gown for New Year’s Eve. Mike spent his time hunting coyotes and groundhogs and keeping his eyes on the weather patterns. He hoped nothing would interfere with his plans for New Year’s Eve.
Mike was an analytical thinker. He was never content to simply accept on faith what someone else told him. He’d learned that quickly in the Service. Even if they sounded like they were making sense, he still did his own analysis to be sure it made sense to him before he would accept it. It had served him well since becoming a “civilian.” No matter how it was sliced and diced the pieces he was being fed in the national news and from politicians just would not fit together with a favorable outcome. In his pondering he decided to dig his heels in and start preparing unless he wanted to be devastated when the balloon finally popped. He had been and had seen people hammered enough already, and he did not relish the idea of being totally stomped in the mud and shattered again.
The people around the Lyons area were good neighbors and he had no regrets about coming back here to make it his home. If and when the balloon went up and things started getting really bad like he expected, this was likely to be a place that would be overlooked at the beginning of the collapse. It was in an obscure area usually ignored by politicians except those looking for votes. His eyes picked out defensive areas as he took his walks around the mostly open country. He would pick cache sites and bury enough weapons, food, and equipment to support himself when the time came. The people around here were suspicious of those who didn’t live around here time so they kind of acted like a tripwire. They looked out for their neighbors. Plus, ½ mile of Lyon’s main street was paved with red brick. Yes, the people were simple and hard working. It was a better place to plant your tent stakes than most. He could make this work.
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Post by gipsy on Jul 21, 2023 10:10:26 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by feralferret on Jul 21, 2023 18:34:27 GMT -6
Thanks for the new chapter.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 26, 2023 0:38:52 GMT -6
Chapter 26 – Starting the New Year
New Year’s Eve Day, Hanna had her bag packed and a clothing bag hanging by the door. She had gone yesterday and had her hair clipped and done. Instead of the usual bun she wore, her hair fell to her shoulders in fluffy waves. Mike had always believed she was the spitting image of Caroline Winberg, one of the best things to come out of Sweden, with ABBA in a close second. Hanna was as perky this morning as a young colt and was humming as she flipped pancakes.
“Someone is happy this morning.” Mike said, smiling.
“Well, I’m going to a ball with my best man tonight!” Hanna said.
“Best?!” How many others do you have in your string?” Mike asked.
“Shut up, YOU! You know darn well I’d have no other but you! Get the syrup.”
Mike got the jug of syrup and the butter out.
“If you start to feel nauseous, have a cup of ginger or peppermint tea.” Sabrina said. “Does Paul know?”
“I just got back and haven’t been home.” Angel said.
“Well, why don’t you take off the rest of the afternoon?” Liz said. “We can handle the closings.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden this early.” Angel said.
“Of course, we’re sure. We are going to have the biggest baby shower this area has ever seen and need to start planning.”
“Don’t do anything too elaborate.” Angel said.
“We’ll have your mother in on the planning, she’ll keep us straight.” Sabrina said.
“But who will keep her under control?” Angel replied.
Paul and Eduardo were cutting logs into planks when Angel got home. They found some dead trees that were in just too good of condition not to turn them into lumber. Of course, the scraps were cut into firewood size pieces and added to the firewood stack. After cleaning up the sawdust and adding it to the compost pile, Paul headed to the house. He brushed himself off as well as he could before climbing the steps and going in. He heard a shriek and laughing in the kitchen, so he headed there. Carmelita and Angel were both grinning.
“What’s going on?” Paul asked.
“Carmelita, would you prepare Paul’s favorite meal?” Angel asked.
“Of course,” Carmelita replied.
“What’s the occasion?” Paul asked.
“You, my Dear, are going to be a father.” Angel said, kissing Paul on the cheek.
Jeremy called Paul to inform him fuel prices would be rising drastically in the next couple of weeks. All Paul kept on hand was LL100 aviation fuel and two 2000-gallon tanks of diesel. He kept a couple of 55-gallon barrels of gasoline and a gasoline caddy with 30 gallons of gas, to fill the saws and such. He had just had the tanks topped off so he wasn’t too concerned. He would like to get more four and two cycle oil and more PRI-D and PRI-G fuel stabilizer though. He notified John and Brad and they scheduled fuel deliveries. Paul took off for a day and began buying his oils and stabilizer. He had to go all the way to a marina on Table Rock Lake to find enough of the stabilizer he wanted. When he was done, he estimated he had enough lubricating oils and for mixing with fuel for the two cycle engines to last about five years. Probably longer than he would be able to get fuel.
During one of Paul’s visits to an estate sale, he bid on a BCS diesel walking tractor with an amazing assortment of implements and bought everything. He figured if fuel did get hard to get, the walking tractor would use less fuel in the garden than their bigger tractors. Although he had already planted a winter cover crop in the garden, he use the mold board attachment on the walking tractor and plowed up an area half again the size of the garden next to the original area, added compost, and tilled it in. They had canned a lot of vegetables from their garden this past summer and they could have even more the next year. With them sharing the produce, everyone on Crooked Creek would provide plenty of help. He bought some busted bags of fertilizer and tilled it in. In a few weeks they would start planting.
Sure enough, more great ideas of the present administration brought fuel prices to historic high levels. Angel ordered more cases of canning jars and lids through her wholesale distributor along with freezer bags, freezer paper, and vacuum seal products they used. Paul now had enough LTS foods to cover his and Eduardo’s family for 5 years. John and Brad were catching up too. Now he and Angel had to figure in baby products. He had no idea where to start on that except for maybe diapers. Maybe there was some average number of diapers a baby used and he could figure it out from there, or better yet, let the women come up with the answer.
Mike and Hanna arrived at the South Sioux City Marriott Riverfront early in the afternoon. Hanna made Mike leave the room and go to the bar while she unbagged her dress to hang in the closet. She had not let him see the dress yet. She would join him later. Mike grinned, shook his head, and conceded to her wish. It was her night, after all.
Mike took his shower first and got ready in the bedroom. Hanna said she would need more time to get ready, so Mike dressed and tied his bow-tie in the sitting room mirror. He made a drink and was waiting, watching a boxing match on TV when Hanna made her appearance.
ATTANS! The woman standing in the doorway was easily a twelve on a scale of ten! The farmgirl who he was accustomed to seeing in jeans and a T-shirt looked like she had just stepped off of a movie set. The dress she wore was off the left shoulder, tied at the waist by a cloth belt and came to about halfway on her thighs. He had seen similar dresses but they had been in a leopard skin pattern and worn by goddesses. Tonight, Hanna was a goddess in her own right. Mike helped her into her coat and they took the elevator downstairs. Like filings in a magnetic field, every man’s eyes in the lobby followed her as they got out of the elevator in the lobby. A valet quickly opened the door for them as they stepped outside of the hotel and a car pulled up. The driver quickly got out and opened the rear door for them to enter the car.
“I thought you were getting an Uber!” Hanna said.
“You deserve much more than that. Sorry, I didn’t think about having the hotel management lay out a red carpet.”
Hanna leaned into Mike and kissed his cheek.
Jeremy had stopped in to have a Sunday BBQ with the Crooked Creek residents. He, Mike, John, and Brad were drinking some good Irish whiskey when Paul’s cell rang. Paul looked at the caller ID and frowned.
“Paul Austin. Yes, Yes, When? I’ll have to check the airline schedule and see. Send me your contact information and I’ll be up as soon as I can.” Paul said before ending the call.
“What’s up?” John asked.
“I have to go to New York. My great uncle died and I am named executor of his estate.”
“Howard Austin?” Jeremy asked.
“Yes, did you know of him.” Paul asked.
“I’ve known Colonel Austin for a number of years. He was one of our biggest supporters.”
“Well, the lawyer wants me up on long island ASAP to sign some paperwork. I need to make some reservations.” Paul said.
“Don’t bother. I can arrange for an aircraft to fly you there. It will have to be a turboprop, but it will get you there in less than three hours,” Jeremy said.
“I would appreciate that. I hate waiting around airports for connections.” Paul said.
Jeremy made a call and arranged the airplane.
“There will be a Beechcraft Starship waiting for you at Poplar Bluff Municipal tomorrow at 0900 to fly you to East Hampton Airport. You might want to arrange for a rental to get you around."
“The Hamptons! Snazzy!” John said.
“Uncle Howard has…had an estate on Sagaponack Pond near East Hampton on Long Island,” Paul explained.
“The Colonel commanded a couple of Special Forces “A” Teams and a “B” Team in Vietnam,” Jeremy explained. “He was a damn good leader and man.”
“If you get a chance Paul, there is a great churrascaria in South Hampton that you really should try, but be careful you don’t overdose on their steaks. Don’t plan on anymore activities after you eat; you’ll be practically comatose.” John said.
"Sounds great. I just hope Uncle Harold had everything in order. He always thought ahead on things and had the best people working for him.” Paul said.
“I’m sure he did,” Jeremy said. “He was a planner. He was rich as hell when he was a Captain and is probably worth somewhere 70 or 80 million now, I would think.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Paul said. “With the estate he probably left, I’m going to be up to my eyeballs in tax and estate lawyers to get it all figured out.”
“Oh, I doubt that. I’d be surprised if you have to sign more than a dozen papers and on your way out of there.” Jeremy said. “Colonel Austin always had excellent contingency plans.”
The Beechcraft was waiting when John arrived at the airport the next morning. He quickly boarded and was told to take any seat he wanted, they would be taking off in 5 minutes. They took off, and after diverting around a couple of storms, landed on Long Island at 12:00 noon.
Paul had made reservations through Enterprise Rent-a-Car for a car and went to pick it up. The pilot gave him a card with his cell number and told him to call when he was ready to return to Poplar Bluff. The Enterprise desk wasn’t busy, so Paul was quickly out of there. He started the car and called Mr. Wilcox, the estate lawyer. Mr Wilcox was surprised he was there so quick. He directed Paul to go straight to the estate; he would be staying there tonight if he wanted. The staff was still on hand. Wilcox would meet Paul at the estate in the morning at 10:00. Paul turned onto Daniels Hole Road and headed to the estate.
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Post by feralferret on Jul 26, 2023 3:43:10 GMT -6
Ncsfsgm, another wonderful chapter. Thank you.
It looks like things could be getting a bit interesting for Paul and Angel.
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Post by gipsy on Jul 26, 2023 8:00:58 GMT -6
I sense a growth spurt in the future. Thanks for the update.
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Post by 223shootersc on Jul 26, 2023 11:27:51 GMT -6
Thanks, good stuff! Need MOAR!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 28, 2023 12:12:35 GMT -6
Chapter 27 – A Twist in the Future
As American troops oversaw the emergency evacuation of remaining US personnel from Afghanistan, which was only necessary because of the total collapse of the Afghan military, suicide bombers targeted one of the entry gates to Kabul’s main airport. The results were horrific, with hundreds dying, including 13 American servicemembers.
One of the deceased was a female member of the US Marine Corps. She had famously been photographed rescuing a young infant in the preceding days before the deadly attack that took her life. Unfortunately, her own government abandoned her after her passing.
The servicewoman's family was being forced to pay $60,000 to transport her body to Arlington National Cemetery after ceremonies were held in her hometown of Roseville, CA.
Jeremy picked up his phone and started making arrangements. “Damn those paper pushing political pimps!”
Paul arrived at his uncle’s estate and was met by Mary at the door. Mary was officially his late uncle’s housekeeper but had become more of a companion in his later years. He could not remember a time she wasn’t around. With tears in her eyes, she hugged Paul tightly.
“How are you getting along Mary?” Paul asked.
“I’m getting by. He will be sorely missed.” Mary replied.
“What are you planning to do?” Paul asked.
“Well, it depends on what you are going to do,” Mary said. “If you plan to keep the estate, I could stay on and manage it for you. If not, then I believe I’ll retire to Florida. The times that Harold and I went there were wonderful. I hope you don’t mind, he left me the cottage in Port St. Lucie, or at least he said he did.”
“I’m sure he did,” Paul replied. “I plan to sell this estate. It’s too much for me and I’m happy in Missouri, so, I’ll make sure you get the cottage one way or another.”
“Harold really loved you, you know,” Mary said.
“I loved and respected him too. He always encouraged me, no matter what I did,” Paul replied. "He used to quote to me from Winston Churchill, ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts'.”
Mary nodded, “that was Harold. Come on, let’s get you a cup of tea.”
Jeremy arranged for a Gulfstream G280 to carry the servicewoman’s family to Dulles, arranged for accommodations, and got the California Air National Guard to fly the remains on an Angel Flight to Washington with two retired Force Recon members as escorts. He was attempting to track down the assholes who started this and wanted to make sure their next job was checking invoices at the Nuclear Penguin Refueling Station on Adak Island.
The coat check girl took Hanna’s coat and gave her a ticket which Mike slipped into his pocket. They were led to their reserved table to the side of the ballroom and seated. They were served a complementary glass of champagne and when Hanna indicated she liked it, Mike ordered a Melchior of it. They got up and danced a few songs and sat when the food started to be served. Mike had selected the filet mignon with baked potato and asparagus for them both when he made the reservations. The steak was seared perfectly and all but mooing.
The evening went perfectly and as the clock showed 11:30, Mike and Hanna sat down to rest from all the dancing when they heard a loud “BOOM” and Mike recognized the racking of a shotgun. He pulled Hanna down in the corner where an extension that held the room dividers rolled back into and pulled his Glock 19. Peeping around the divider, he saw a man with a shotgun pointed down the bar, taking aim. Slightly rocking the slide lock, turning on the green laser, Mike placed it on the man’s left ear and put a 147 grain Gold Dot through the man’s ear, splattering the mirror behind the bar. Mike re-holstered the Glock and helped Hanna back up.
“Did you get them?” Hanna asked, slipping her 380 back into her clutch purse. People were slowly getting up around the ballroom. Hanna chugged the rest of her glass of champagne and Mike refilled it. All the screaming and shouting died down as the Police began arriving. Someone must have pointed Mike out, because it wasn’t long before a man in a rumpled suit came over and asked if he could speak with him. He followed Mike out to the foyer and asked Mike to turn over his pistol. Mike pulled the pistol out, dropped the magazine, and cleared the chamber before handing it over. A uniformed officer opened an evidence bag and the detective dropped the pistol, mag, and the single bullet into the bag.
“One of the witnesses said they saw a green laser light before the alleged shooter dropped,” the Detective said.
“I installed a LaserMax Green Guide Rod Laser on the Glock 19,” Mike replied.
“Oh, okay. Well, we need it as evidence for now. You can pick it up later. We just need to do a bullet comparison test.”
“I doubt you find much left in the body. Those bullets tend to fragment quite a bit,” Mike replied. “Especially after hitting bone.”
“So, tell me your version of what happened here,” The detective asked.
“My fiancée and I were just sitting down after dancing when we heard an explosion, so I jerked her down behind the room divider extension and drew my pistol. I spotted the guy with the shotgun, racking and aiming it down the bar. I put the laser dot on his ear and pulled the trigger.”
“We’re not exactly engaged,” Hanna said, stepping up beside Mike.
“That’s only because we were disrupted,” Mike replied.
“Then you’d better get to it!” The detective said, grinning.
Mike took Hanna’s hand and stepped to the side of the foyer. As he dropped to one knee, he drew the ring box out of his pocket.
“Hanna, I have loved you since the first summer I met you. You have always been a part of my life and I want you by my side for the rest of it. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Hanna said, tears welling in her eyes.
Well done, Mr. Anderberg!” The detective said. “I’ll call you if we need to, and I’ll make sure you get your pistol back. I don’t see any problems for you. It looks like a proper use of deadly force.”
Paul took Mary out that night to a Brazilian Steakhouse down near Brookhaven. Mary was flustered because she was unfamiliar with any of the food. Paul ordered for them and explained the dishes and sides to her.
Bife Com Alho (a tender cut of beef basted with a special garlic butter recipe that infuses garlic flavor into the beef), Couve (Sauteed collard greens and bacon), Arroz Branco (Brazilian white rice), and Pão De Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread made with traditional yucca flour and a blend of cheeses). For dessert they topped their meal off with slices of Romeu E Julieta style Cheesecake with Brazilian guava sauce.
“That was a delicious meal, Paul. Thank You.” Mary said, as they drove back to the estate.
Back at the estate, Paul poured a glass of fine cognac and a glass of Grand Marnier for Mary.
“Tell me about your farm, Paul,” Mary said.
They sat and for a couple of hours and talked about how Paul had found and acquired the farm, improvements he had made and especially about Angela.
“It sounds wonderful Paul. To think, you’re going to be a father too!”
“Who do you know in Florida?” Paul asked.
“I don’t really know, the residents there are so fluid and change frequently,” Mary said.
“Then why don’t you come to live with us at Crooked Creek. I have plenty of room, and we could build you a cottage next to the creek if you wanted. The weather, for the most part, is temperate and besides, I have no living relatives and you’ve been like an aunt to me for so long, and I need a grandmother figure on my side of the family to help spoil the baby.”
“Let me think on it Paul. What time is Robert Wilcox coming tomorrow?”
“He said he’d be here at 10:00. I’ll have time to do a little sailing in the morning.” Paul said.
The man quickly peeled the covering off the sticky tape, and rushed out of the bushes next to the Virginia Railway Express commuter lot and trotted slowly beside the freight train. Pressing the soap dish shaped charge onto the tank car, he let the fuse string out until he got to the igniter then pulled the ring, just as he had been trained to by the CIA in Nicaragua so many years ago. Moving quickly back into the bushes, he checked to see if anyone was watching then walked over to the battered Honda Civic and headed down Prince Edward Street to leave Fredricksburg. As he reached the Blue and Grey Parkway, he saw the quick flash of light and felt the compression as the charge destroyed the LNG car that ignited like a Thermobaric Vacuum Bomb on the trestle that ran over the Rappahannock. The trailing car was thrown into the river, and the rest of the cars overturned and accordioned across both tracks, effectively blocking both north and south tracks.
Paul was up early the next morning, drank a bottle of water, went to the dock, lowered and launched the Marshall Catboat. The sun was just peeking out of the sea when he got the sail up. It quickly filled and he pulled the tiller toward him, pointing the bow toward Sagg Main Beach.
At 08:00 Paul headed back in. He’d forgotten how much fun it was to sail a catboat. Maybe he would have this one shipped down, and he could use it on the Arkansas River. When he had the boat rinsed off and hung back up, he headed to the house where Mary had breakfast ready.
They ate breakfast on the patio in a slight breeze.
“Did you think about the Florida move yet?” Paul asked.
“Yes, but I want to wait until after we talk to Robert before I make a decision,” Mary said.
“Fair enough,” Paul replied.
When Wilcox and his secretary got there they went into the dining room so there was room to lay out the papers to be signed. After Wilcox had the papers laid out in order, they sat down and Wilcox summarized the will.
“Paul, if you don’t mind, I’d like to start with Mary.”
“By all means…,” Paul said.
“Mary, Harold left you an annuity that will pay out a minimum of $7,000 paid monthly for the rest of your life, plus a briefcase of undisclosed contents that I have in my car. He also left you the bungalow in Florida if you should so desire. Do you have any questions?”
Mary shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye. “No.”
“Paul, Harold willed you the bulk of the estate. That includes an estate on Governor's Harbour, North Eleuthera, the Bahama’s. There are several off-shore accounts and an annuity of $8,000 a month. Basically, that is there for tax purposes. Mary, If you will sign on these papers at the yellow arrows, we can go ahead and get you squared away.”
“Paul, If you will sign this sheaf of papers at the yellow arrows, We will have you fixed up. Also, here is the information on three overseas accounts you will need.”
“Robert, I have a question,” Mary said.
“Sure, go ahead,” Robert said.
“What can I do with the bungalow if I don’t want it?”
“Why wouldn’t you want the bungalow?” Robert asked.
“Harold and I had some wonderful times there, but in 10 years he had to practically rebuild it twice because of hurricanes. With the property tax and insurance that never quite pays for the damages done, I don’t think I want that albatross around my neck in my latter years.”
“Mary, we can offer it for sale with the estate,” Paul said.
“I can set you up with a realtor, if you like,” Wilcox said.
“I’d appreciate that. We need to go through and select what we want to keep and we’ll give the rest to charity,” Paul said.
Wilcox gathered the paperwork up and checked it, then the secretary notarized the paperwork. He and his secretary went out to the car and came back with two aluminum briefcases. And laid them on the table.
“Please don’t open these until we have left. I can’t be a witness to this. Mary, your case’s combination is 2222. Paul, yours is 5555.”
Wilcox and his secretary left and Mary and Paul went back to the dining room.
“I can only imagine what’s in these cases,” Paul said.
“They are heavy,” Mary said. Both of them grunted when they lifted them up to the table.
They opened the cases and looked at the different denominations of gold coins neatly laid out in trays.
“Why couldn’t Robert watch us open these cases?” Mary asked.
“Probably because the IRS would tax us if they knew we got them with the estate,” Paul replied.
“Paul, I think I’ll come to Missouri. If I can have a small cottage there and can plant my flowers, I’ll be happy, especially with your baby on the way,” Mary said.
“We will be more than happy to have you join us. I want you to go through the house and pick out the things you want to keep. You can select any furniture you want for your new cottage. I want to keep some of Uncle Harold’s books for my library, and I want to see about getting the catboat moved to Missouri. I've got to return to Missouri, but I'll fly back up here to go through things.”
“It’s going to take me some time,” Mary said.
“Take all the time you need. There’s no hurry, but I do need you to select the house plan you want so we can get started on it,” Paul said.
“I will let you know,” Mary said.
“Oh, and also pick out a charity to give the rest of the things to,” Paul said.
Paul called the pilot and told him he would be ready to leave on Friday morning. The pilot told him the plane was already serviced and he would be ready to leave at 10:00 AM.
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Post by gipsy on Jul 28, 2023 12:33:41 GMT -6
Good plan in the works. Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 1, 2023 5:30:48 GMT -6
Chapter 28 -Transplant
Paul had to drive all the way to Riverhead to get packing boxes at Lowe's. He bought a bundle, packing tape, large permanent markers, and a box of contractor bags. Paul started in the library and began selecting books, while Mary began sorting out Uncle Harold’s clothes. Around 11:00, Mary called and ordered sandwiches from Bridgehampton Deli and went to pick them up. Paul continued selecting books and took almost everything, except the books on economics and a few others on subjects that wouldn’t’ be worth or mean anything if the SHTF. He sealed up the full boxes and stacked them out of the way. When Mary returned, they stopped and had lunch.
“I’ll start flying back to here on Monday,” Paul said “It will take me a couple of days with fuel stops. We can finish going through things when I get back. I won’t be hauling anything back home on the plane but you and your luggage. I want to try and get this place cleared out next week if we can. I can stay longer if need be, but I don’t want to be away from Angel for too long.”
Mary nodded. “I’ll pick out what furniture I want and mark it to be moved. Anything personal of Harold’s I’ll wait until you return before I make a decision on them.”
“I’ll show you how to look up sample house plans on the internet this evening. You might find something you like, and it’ll help you pick out furniture."
The pilot picked up Paul Friday morning and Paul carried both of the briefcases of coins with him. Mary asked him to secure them for her until she arrived. This time Paul rode up front and the co-pilot rode in the seating area. Paul took the yoke for a while until they reached West Portsmouth, Ohio, then switched back with the co-pilot and settled down to do some research. The plane had an AirSatOne system similar to what he had on the TurboBeaver that provided internet service. It also served as a back-channel communications link in case terrestrial links were down. It seemed all the planes Jeremy used had the same setup. He even had his own ground station located somewhere in Nebraska so all the aircraft could exchange information over the same link. Paul brought up the website for Country Comfort Homes of Hot Springs and looked at the floorplan that Mary had picked out. After talking to her and explaining their preps, she decided she wanted to store things also. The floorplan had three bedrooms, so she decided to modify the plan and use the bedroom that was adjacent to the Utility room as a large storage room. She would have the bedroom door closed off and the entrance changed to coming in from the utility room. That would give her around 145 square feet of floor space. Mary also wanted a free-standing wood fireplace which Paul knew just where to get one and have it installed. Mary was excited and in very good spirits and couldn’t wait to get down to Arkansas.
As they were nearing Searcy, Arkansas, the pilot called on the intercom and told Paul they had been given orders to land immediately, that there was a terrorist threat. They had permission to continue to Clinton International but not to be alarmed if they picked up a couple of F-16s as escorts. Sure enough, Paul looked out the window and saw an F-16 flying off to the right. Paul acknowledged and placed the handset back in its cradle. This world was going to shit. If the intelligence agencies spent more time on threats to the U.S. instead of digging up dirt on politicians, the country would be a lot safer.
They landed in Little Rock with no problems. Paul went to get his truck and brought it to the FBO to load his bags. He called Angel and told her he was on the ground in Little Rock and would stop by the store on his way home.
Forty-five minutes later Angel called Paul and asked him when he would be there. He told her it would be in another 45 minutes. She said she had called Carmelita to have her fix liver and onions for dinner, and Paul thanked her. He said he would see her in a few minutes, and she ended the call.
Mike and Hanna returned to the Marriot and drank more champagne that Mike had left in the room fridge.
“Does it bother you, shooting that man tonight?” Hanna asked.
“A little, it doesn’t feel very good having to take a life, but he was a threat to everyone at the ball until someone stopped him,” Mike said. “I have no idea what his reasoning was, but people were killed or hurt, and I didn’t want to take the chance you could be swept up in it. I’ve got plans for you.”
“I was scared to death the father of my children was going to get hurt,” Hanna said.
Mike’s eyes grew large. “YOU’RE PREGNANT?!"
“Not yet, but I’m planning on it as soon as practicable,” Hanna said, smiling.
Mike frowned. “I don’t know, it might take a lot of effort.”
“I can handle all the effort you can make. Maybe we should get started,” Hanna said, getting up off of the settee and heading for the bedroom.
John and Brad sat peeling the potatoes and tossing them into the large stock pot of water.
“This is a big comedown from the last job I had,” Brad said.
“Yeah, but a lot less stressful, I’ll bet,” John said.
“There is that,” Brad replied. “What are we peeling 100 pounds of potatoes for?”
“Carmelita is teaching the women how to can. They’ve got plans to help each other can vegetables and such next year. Diane already has it in her head to can a year’s worth of vegetables next year as soon as the farmer’s markets open up. We can’t grow everything right now that we all need, so she plans to buy fruits and vegetables by the bushel next year.”
“Why can’t the women take up sewing for a hobby?” Brad asked.
“Oh, they are!” John grinned. "Our wives are turning into real farm girls.”
Diane came out , lifted the basket out of the stock pot, and after the potatoes had drained, poured them into an empty pot she had brought out. “Peel faster guys.”
Carmelita took the pot of potatoes from Diane, and they began cutting the whole potatoes into smaller pieces. Taking another stock pot with a strainer out, they threw the potatoes into the strainer as they were cut up while the water in the stock pot was put on to boil.
“When the water has boiled, we’ll put the potatoes in and parboil them for five minutes. The jars are ready except for adding a teaspoon of salt to every jar for flavor,” Carmelita instructed.
Once the potatoes had parboiled, they began filling the wide-mouth quart jars with potatoes, filled the jars with boiling water to within an inch of the top, then placed the lids and rings on the jars. Water had been boiling in the pressure cooker while they worked, so Carmelita turned the heat off and they began placing the jars into the canner.
Once the lid was locked down, Carmelita continued with her instructions while they waited for the steam to begin coming out of the vent.
“When the steam starts coming out of the vent, let it steam a steady stream for 10 minutes before you put the jiggler on the vent. For potatoes, you let them cook for 40 minutes.”
The women set up an assembly line while the jars pressure cooked. Diane went out and got more potatoes and they started the process again.
Paul pulled into Shaner’s and parked in a parking space. Angel saw him through the window and ran to the steps to greet him.
“I missed you so much!” Angel said.
“I missed you too, Sweetheart,” Paul said, picking her up and swinging her around.
“Did you get everything taken care of?” Angel asked.
“Well, we’re going to have a guest for a while. Mary is going to come here to live. She’s going to build a cottage next to the creek. She’s looking forward to being a surrogate grandmother.”
“That’s great! A built-in babysitter!” Angel said, grinning. "I look forward to meeting her.”
“I’m flying back up there Monday in the Beaver so we can finalize the closing of the estate and getting it on the Market. She’ll fly back down here with me.”
“How long will you have to be gone?” Angel asked.
“I’m not sure, maybe a week, maybe a little more.”
“Oh, that long?” Angel said, frowning.
“You wouldn’t believe how big that place is. Mary will be working on picking out the furniture she wants to keep, and the biggest part should be done when I get back there. I need to arrange for a boat to be shipped back here and there’s some outbuildings I need to check. Most of it will be sold though.”
“Oh well, it’s good to have you back though,” Angel said. "I think I’ll take off early. I’ll be home in a few minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll wait and follow you home,” Paul replied.
Hanna and Mike were awakened by the room phone. Mike rolled over and picked up the handset.
“MIKE! ARE YOU TWO ALL RIGHT?” Annika screamed.
“We’re fine. Here, I’ll let you talk to Hanna.”
“Hanna, it’s your mother.” Mike said.
“Good morning Mamma. No, I turned it off last night and left it in the room.”
“Because we got busy when we got back to the hotel, and I forgot to turn it back on.”
“We’ll stop by on our way home. I love you too, Mamma.”
Mike looked over at Hanna; “Breakfast?”
“I want waffles!” Hanna said, swinging her legs out of bed.
“Yes ma’am!” Mike said, following her.
Once they had their shower and dressed, Mike took his Glock 36 and holster and three magazines out of his suitcase and slipped the holster into his waistband at the small of his back and the mag pouches slid onto his belt. The Glock 36 also had a guide rod laser but in red. Hanna had her mind set on Belgian waffles at Kahill’s so they drove there. Hanna ordered a waffle, a poached egg, avocado & grilled bread, with a cup of tea, and a glass of orange juice. Mike requested a waffle, a 3-egg omelet with Smoked Bacon, Spinach, and goat Cheese, toast, a cup of coffee, and a glass of apple juice.
After stuffing themselves, they went back and checked out of the hotel then headed back home. The forecasters were calling for bad weather and the two-lane highway out on the plains was no place to be with the winds predicted.
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Post by gipsy on Aug 1, 2023 7:52:33 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by CountryGuy on Aug 1, 2023 18:33:03 GMT -6
Thanks for another great chapter!
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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 2, 2023 23:06:23 GMT -6
thank you
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 4, 2023 6:50:25 GMT -6
Chapter 29 - Planning
It was just a few minutes before dawn during Before Morning Nautical Twilight. That special time of pristine silence and serenity that unveils the new day in slowly evolving lightness This was a time that Mike held in awe. A new day was dawning with no immediate indicator of what it would bring. But for now, it was quiet and peaceful. These last, still moments before the day started were like recharging his batteries. But the wind was picking up and the clouds to the west and northwest were darkening.
Mike went back down and put his coffee mug on the counter before heading for the pantry. He selected a 5-gallon bucket of hard red wheatberries. He wanted to make some souped-up Oatmeal Raisin cookies and didn’t have enough flour. He went back to the kitchen and got the baking flour canister and took it back to the pantry. Mike filled the hopper and placed the catch tray under the front of the mill and flipped the switch, starting the electric motor. As the catch pan filled, he scooped the flour into the canister. He went ahead and ground the whole bucket. What flour wouldn’t fit into the canister, he put in Mylar bags and vacuum packed it, placing the bags in the freezer, 5-pounds of flour to a bag.
“What is all this racket?” Hanna said, stepping into the pantry.
“I wanted to make cookies and didn’t have enough flour.” Mike said. “It was time for you to get up anyway. You don’t need beauty sleep. You’re beautiful enough as it is.”
“We must really be getting a big storm. You don’t make cookies unless we’re getting a big one.” Hanna said, grinning.
“Your folks seem to like them well enough.” Mike said.
“I do too! I’m going to take a shower,” Hanna said.
“First batch should be ready when you get through dressing. Do you want tea or coffee?”
“I think tea.” Hanna replied.
Mike put the kettle on and set another pound of butter out to soften. He gathered up the oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, and spices and had them sitting on the kitchen counter. Getting out a large stainless-steel bowl, Mike began mixing the ingredients. Getting out two baking sheets and covering them with parchment paper, Mike spooned out the cookie batter onto the sheets and placed them in the oven. Setting the timer for 7 minutes, he poured a mug of coffee and got out enough cooling racks to cool 4-dozen cookies at a time. He was really only baking two dozen at a time but the short interval for them to cook wasn’t enough time for them to cool properly. As soon as the timer dinged, Mike slid the paper off the sheets onto the counter and replaced the parchment paper on the baking sheets and spooned more batter onto them. After placing the sheets back into the oven, he used a thin spatula to scoop the cookies up and place them on the racks.
As Hanna returned to the kitchen, Mike placed the teapot, cup, and saucer onto the island and a bread plate with a couple of cookies in front of her.
Sunday afternoon, Paul reinstalled the fuel bladder in the Beaver and filled it. He just needed to repack his travel pack and he would be ready to leave at daybreak the next day. He’d decided to use the bladder so he wouldn’t have to refuel until Pennsylvania and then make the hop to Long Island. He’d handled long flights down from Alaska and there weren’t any major weather systems headed toward his destination.
Angel got up with Paul on Monday morning and fixed breakfast while he showered and shaved. He brought his bag down and set it beside the door and went into the kitchen. Angel placed a plate of pancakes and bacon on the island in front of Paul and moved the syrup and butter closer to his plate. Pouring a cup of coffee for him, she sat on the stool next to him.
“Do you have everything?” Angel asked.
“Yes, I think so,” Paul said, taking a sip of coffee.
Angel set a plastic grocery bag on the island next to Paul, who opened the bag to see what was in it. There were a half dozen Travel John Portable Urinal packs inside.
“Oh Yeah. Thanks,” Paul said.
“Do you have cash with you?” Angel asked.
“Yes, I took two grand out of the safe.”
“Are you wearing your vest?” Angel asked.
“Yes, but I can’t legally carry in New York. No reciprocity. They don’t honor anything but their own communistic gun laws,” Paul said. What he didn’t say he was carrying a toss-away if needed.
Paul finished breakfast and gathered his things. I’ll give you a call tonight,” Paul said, kissing Angel.
As Paul stepped out onto the porch, he saw Eduardo sitting in his UTV waiting for Paul.
“You should have come in and had a cup of coffee,” Paul said.
“I have my thermos with me,” Eduardo said, grinning. They rode to the hangar and Eduardo opened the hangar door, helped Paul roll the plane out onto the apron and waited as Paul did his pre-flights. Lastly, Paul made sure the fuel c*** for the bladder was on. Paul cranked the engine and as the engine warmed up, brought up the coordinates for Reading Regional Airport on the flight computer and watched the gauges on the display. Once everything was in the green, He changed frequencies and clicked the mic to turn on the runway lights. With a wave to Eduardo, he taxied to the southwest end of the airstrip and after checking his instruments once more, pulled the throttle open and headed down the runway. After liftoff, he held his rate of climb to 600 feet per minute and cleaned up the plane. He called regional and opened the flight plan he had filed the day before. He set the autopilot and let the computer take over.
At 0900 Paul called Mary to let her know he was enroute.
Hanna laid parchment paper in the bottom of the box, sorted out two dozen cookies in it, and tied a ribbon around the box to secure the lid.
Mike was downstairs finishing up the last tower computer case and was going to start the software and hardware stress test. He didn’t foresee any problems. The only component he couldn’t test was the special board Jeremy had sent him. It wasn’t a commercial board, but it looked similar to a Terminal Node Controller board used in Ham radio Packet communications. There was another chip on the board that looked suspiciously like an encryption chip. The rest of the components so far had passed with flying colors. It made a difference buying quality components and pre-testing the memory chips. That’s where he usually ran into problems. The memory that had failed the test would have been fine for some computers that would be used only a few times a week but wasn’t good enough for what Mike wanted. The company he bought it from was used to him returning memory and gave him a choice of repaying his credit card or using the returned purchase price on a future purchase. Mike would just order another 100 pieces of DRAM and pre-test them to have on hand. He also could use another couple of external SSD drives. Finishing up, Mike turned the majority of the overhead lights off and headed upstairs.
“Are you ready to go?” Hanna asked.
“Just need my coat,” Mike said.
As they drove to the Edwinson homestead, a few pieces of sleet peppered the windshield. It was only a 1300-meter trip to Hanna’s parents’ place but even at that short distance the weather turned increasingly worse. Hanna carried the box of cookies in but the first thing Annika saw was the diamond ring on Hanna’s left hand. Squealing, she took the cookies from Hanna and hugged her.
“DIDRIK! COME HERE!” Annika yelled.
Mike heard Didrik drop the footrest on his recliner and come into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” Didrik asked, spotting the box.
“Hanna and Mike are getting married!”
“Well, it’s about time, what’s this?” Didrick asked as he picked up the box.
“Mike made his special storm cookies.”
“You trading these cookies for Hanna’s hand?” Didrik asked.
“Didrik, I asked you for your permission almost a year ago,” Mike said.
“And you waited all that time before asking me?” Hanna asked.
“You did the right thing Mike,” Didrik, with eyes twinkling said. “Always test-drive before you buy. I did her mother.”
“PAPPA!” Hanna shrieked.
“Don’t worry about that,” Annika said. “We need to start planning a wedding!”
Didrik went over and poured a cup of coffee and grabbed a bread plate full of cookies and went back into the den. Mike followed him and took a seat in an easy chair.
“It’s best to just stay out of the women’s way now,” Didrik said. “Annika is going to want a big wedding and Hanna will not want any part of it.”
Mike grinned and nodded.
Hanna and Annika were heard occasionally in the kitchen arguing. Finally, Hanna stomped into the den and sat on the couch. Annika came in a little later.
“I want to say this in front of everyone, so my words are witnessed. Mamma, I do NOT want a big wedding! We can invite all 50 church members and whoever you want, but as far as a reception, I want it in the church social hall and NO wedding gifts! I think Mike and I have everything we need already. I don’t need a lot of pretty glass bowls and knick-knacks that catch dust and no pretty negligees, we don’t wear anything to bed anyway. If anyone just has to give something, tell them I need 20-gauge bird loads for my shotgun.”
Didrik and Mike snickered, and Annika became flustered.
“Hanna! This could be the social event of the year, Annika said. “For Lyons, that is something!”
“Nope, have them hold a hog scalding,” Hanna said. “I don’t want the event I’ve been waiting for most of my adult life turned into a circus.”
Mike Got up and looked out the window. The ground outside was covered and turning white with sleet.
”Honey, we need to get going. Sleet has everything covered outside.”
“Okay.” Hanna said, standing up. “Mamma, I’m sorry I’ve upset you, but this is my wedding. I’ll talk to you later once we’ve both settled down.”
Mike and Hanna tugged on their coats and left. Driving back, the roads were icy, but Mike had no problem keeping the sliding to a minimum. He pressed the garage door opener and drove straight in. After plugging in the block warmer, they both went inside.
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Post by gipsy on Aug 4, 2023 9:57:23 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by imahic on Aug 6, 2023 14:59:51 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 12, 2023 5:16:10 GMT -6
Chapter 30 –The beginning of the End?
It was late when Paul landed at East Hampton Airport, but Mary was waiting for him with the estate Land Cruiser.
“Have a good flight?” Mary asked.
“It was fine, no bad weather to dodge at all. I can’t say that for much longer though. It looks like we’re in for a Nor’easter in a couple of days.” Paul replied. “I need to go back to the airport tomorrow and get the plane hangared.”
“As long as it’s good weather for you to go through the outbuildings.” Mary replied. “Robert Wilcox will be by tomorrow for you to sign the Power of Attorney. He’s already got an auctioneer lined up for the sale and a couple of interested buyers for the property.”
“Did you find a mover?” Paul asked.
“Yes, Concorde Van Lines. They have an affiliate in Little Rock that can store everything until the cottage is ready.”
“Good. The home builder has already started on your new home modules at the factory, and they will be starting on the basement soon,” Paul said.
“I really can’t wait to leave this area.” Mary said. “Things are really getting tense around here.”
“How so?” Paul asked.
“Crime is creeping closer; They arrested a whole gang of MS-13 near Brookhaven. Every day you hear about car jackings. They caught one group rolling a stolen car into an enclosed trailer. The police had been wondering how they had been getting the cars off the island.”
“Well, you’ll enjoy Crooked Creek then. Criminals have to wade their way through a lot of armed locals that keep the riffraff away.” Paul said.
“Speaking of armed, what are you going to do with the three gun safes?” Mary asked. “They are full of World War II weapons that Harold was so proud of.”
“I’ll open them up and wrap the weapons in padded packing paper and let the movers move them.”
“I’ll call Concorde and have them send some paper and tape over. We just have to mark the boxes that we pack ourselves for insurance purposes.” Mary said. When they reached the estate, Paul took his bags out of the Land Cruiser and took them to his bedroom Mary had set up. They both went to bed to get a few hours’ sleep.
Paul awoke, feeling somewhat refreshed, showered, and went downstairs. Mary had brunch ready which Paul hurriedly ate. He needed to get to the airport and put the plane into a hangar before the storm got there.
When he got back from the airport, he began checking the outbuildings, but they mostly contained maintenance equipment for the estate. Going back into the house, he found Mary packing boxes.
“The moving company dropped off the paper and more boxes,” Mary said. “It’s all over there.”
“Do you have the safe combinations?” Paul asked.
Mary went over to a small safe and opened it, taking out a small leather notebook.
“I’ll have to show you. There is an extra step Harold had the locksmith add.” Mary said.
Going into the large study, she went to the first safe and began punching in the combination.
“When the green light comes on, punch in #00 and the light will begin flashing, then punch in #16 and the light will come on steadily. The safe will then open.”
Paul watched her open the safe, then the opened the second and third safes.
The big Remington safes were supposed to hold up to 46 modern weapons, but the bulkiness of the older weapons precluded that. The first gun he saw puzzled him. At first glance, it looked like a Thompson M1A1 sub machine gun, but it definitely wasn’t. He checked the chamber then read the stamped printing on the receiver. Printed on it was “American 180.” Paul took out his phone and searched for the name and found out it was chambered for the .22 long rifle. It was fed by a pan magazine like an old Lewis machine gun. He found one for sale in a search for a little under $17,000 but he would never pay that much for one. Looking for the magazines, he found there were two of the guns and he did find 6 pan magazines. He would need to talk to Wilcox and find out if these were papered. He didn’t need to have problems with ATF.
Paul began wrapping the weapons in paper and taping them up. Slowly he emptied the safe and wrapped the loose magazines up also. The last gun he pulled out was a Sturmgewehr 44 and a bandolier of 7.92×33mm Kurz ammo. Another headache to deal with. The doorbell rang and soon Mary ushered Mr. Wilcox in to finish the power of attorney. Pulling the paperwork out, Paul signed where he was told, and the notary stamped the paperwork. Paul waited for the notary to leave the room before he asked the lawyer about the weapons.
“None of the weapons are papered, Paul. Your uncle kept all of these under wraps. No one but you knows what is even in the collection, so, don’t try to sell them; otherwise, it will open up a whole new can of worms.”
“With Wilcox going forward and taking charge of the sales of the properties, a large burden was taken off Paul’s shoulders. He went back to wrapping guns and storing them back in the safes.
Annika had come over to apologize to Hanna so Mike took his shotgun to hunt the swales to the north to see if he could stir up some prairie chickens or a pheasant. Nothing was dropping out of the sky so they should be out feeding at this time. Better yet, it kept him from having to referee the women.
He got the Rokon out of the garage and rode to the major swale that ran north and south. This time of day the birds would be feeding on the east side. He rode up around 500 meters and parked the bike. Taking the 1100 out of the scabbard, he chambered a round and began walking north. Within a few hundred meters he had killed three chickens Crossing the swale in a less boggy area, he walked back down the west side and within 25 meters, bagged a ring-neck pheasant. He found a place to cross back over the swale and got the bike and headed back to the site. “Site. That’s an odd name for a place he’d called home for so long.” Mike thought. He remembered something Ben Miller had talked to him about and decided to look into it.
Ben had been one of the lucky ones on the Omaha Reservation who had gotten a full scholarship and gone on to get an engineering degree. When he graduated he got a job with a construction company in Minnesota and designed domed commercial and residential buildings. After working a few years there, he came down to Sioux City to work at another firm that was also working on domed structures. Domed structures were perfect for the plains. They were energy efficient and could withstand winds of 100 mph or more. Ben got the company to bid on a government contract to build residential structures on the Omaha Reservation. Ben was a member of Omaha Nation and knew many people still there. The domed structures would last many years more than what was usually erected. Ben’s company partnered with the Omaha Nation and started a sub-company to just build domed strictures and used tribal members and workers. The wages would far exceed what most of the men could make elsewhere. Ben wanted to branch out and build bigger homes, but no one had yet come forward. He wanted to video tape the complete process from start to finish and make a mini documentary for potential customers. Mike had been thinking of having them build a dome structure in front of the entrance building for living and keep the underground area for the expanding server farm. There was plenty of space to put a structure on the concrete Parking area next to where the tower stood. He would give Ben a call. Mike wanted Hanna to have something better than an underground man cave.
Paul grinned as the burly movers struggled with the gun safes. Once they had them loaded, everything else went quickly. There wasn’t that much. Mary wouldn’t have that much room to play with in her cottage. She did pick out some of the gardening tools she could use at her new place and of course, they loaded all the books Paul had boxed and the kitchen things Mary had wanted. When the movers finished, Mary called Robert Wilcox and told him they had finished getting the things they wanted out. Mr. Wilcox said he would call the auctioneer and set it up for him to come out on Monday and catalog everything.
Saturday morning the news was all about the riots and looting flowing from a concert held in Massapequa the night before. The instigators were members of Black, Chinese and a hodgepodge of other gangs. Stores and other buildings were set afire and so far, the damages were estimated in the hundreds of millions. Paul was glad they were planning to leave on Sunday morning. He went back out to the airport and refueled the plane and bladder, inspecting everything to make sure they would be ready to leave first thing in the morning. Big cities and their suburbs didn’t appeal to him at all.
When he got back to the estate, Mary had a cleaning service come in and touch everything up.
“Well, how do you feeling about leaving?” Paul asked Mary.
“Excited, and a little melancholy. I’ve spent a lot of good years here and will carry a lot of fond memories with me. But I’m excited about starting a new life,” Mary replied.
“Let’s go get a seafood dinner to cap our last day here,” Paul said.
“I’m sorry to say the best we could get is down in Oyster Bay,” Mary replied.
“Well, that’s out. Pick somewhere else,” Paul replied.
Paul called Angel before he and Mary went to dinner.
“And just what was my unemployed husband up to today?” Angel asked.
“Just tying up loose ends, getting the plane ready to leave tomorrow,” Paul replied.
“What is this I’m hearing about riots up there?”
“Don’t worry, that’s over 50 miles from here,” Paul replied.
“You ARE leaving there tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Yes Dear, but don’t be alarmed if it takes us longer to get back. If that storm front gets to be too much, I’ll sit down and we’ll overnight somewhere.”
“All right, just call me if you do have to land somewhere.”
“I will. I’ll call you en route tomorrow.” In many of the Democratic controlled larger cities, supermarkets that were normally stocked to overflowing with food and produce were weekly not being able to keep up with the demand when the stores stopped receiving shipments with the previous on-demand, just-in-time regularity. Gangs were hijacking trucks before they could reach the stores, Shelves were quickly becoming bare, and some were empty as the surviving consumers raced to stock up on anything they could find. Even things like pet food quickly disappeared as all available food items became scarce. The food riots were becoming common, and the situation was quickly getting out of control and spreading out to smaller, adjacent towns.
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Post by gipsy on Aug 12, 2023 9:23:11 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 15, 2023 9:13:43 GMT -6
Chapter 31-Expansion
Mike called Jeremy and told him the servers were ready. and Jeremy said he would send a pilot to Sioux Gateway to pick him and the computers up the next morning. He told Mike to pack a bag for three days. Hanna was bummed he was leaving but said she would have a nice meal for him when he got back. Mike had placed the finished computer cases back into the shipping boxes they came in and boxed up the cables and peripheral equipment in another box. Placing the boxes on the cargo lift, he took the up to the first floor, out to the garage and loaded them into the back of the truck.
He appreciated the lift. Actually, it wasn’t designed for freight, but started life as a beach house cargo lift for groceries and people getting too old to climb up the stairs of an elevated beach house. It was only rated for 1000 pounds, but it was satisfactory for his use. You can find some pretty good things on eBay.
“When I get back, you and I can go talk to the dome builders and work out a floor plan for the house,” Mike told Hanna. “Check the websites I wrote down and get some ideas of what you want. Oh, and that Spencer kid is going to drop by with the photos he took with his drone. I’ll need them to take with us to the builders.”
Paul and Mary arrived at the airport early and loaded their bags. The airport was only operational between 08:00 AM and 08:00 PM and didn’t even run a control tower in the winter months. When the FBO people arrived, he paid his hangar fees and one of the tug operators towed him out to the apron of the hangar. After making his pre-flight checks, Paul got Mary seated and buckled in, then and started the engine. At 08:00 he taxied out to threshold of runway 28 and called New York Center and opened his flight plan. When he was given permission to take off, he opened the throttles and sped down the runway. There was a bit of crosswind off the ocean but nothing to worry about. Paul quickly climbed to 5000 feet as instructed to get over the approach corridors of JFK. He landed in Harrisburg International to let Mary get a pee break. He wasn’t going to have her use the Travel John portable urinals. While she was gone he called Angel to give her an update.
Mike watched as the Twin Otter taxied up to the FBO. He rolled the computer equipment and his bag out on a cargo dolly and a handler helped him load the boxes into the plane. He told the pilot the approximate weight of everything, and the pilot showed them where to strap the boxes down. Mike took a seat and strapped in. The pilot didn’t have to refuel so they were in the air quickly. The pilot, Jack, told him they had a two-hour and fifteen-minute flight to Arkansas. Once the plane was at altitude, Mike leaned the seat back and took a nap.
Mike awoke as his ears popped when Jack depressurized the aircraft. Crossing the Arkansas River at the Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Jack dropped down to 2000 feet and followed the little valley until he picked up the Fourche La Fave River and followed it to Little Cedar Creek. Jack set the flaps for a STOL landing, added power, and floated over the ridgeline. A little left rudder brought him right online with the runway at Washita Lodge.
“Welcome to the Ozarks,” Jack said. “We won’t be here long. I’m just picking Jeremy up to fly you on to your final destination.”
They flew through a small pass in the ridge and there before them was the runway. There was a bit of ground fog on the ground, so Jack turned on the runway lights. He easily set the plane down and rolled up to a hangar that had soil mounded up over it.
Jeremy walked out of the hangar with a pack over his shoulder, opened the door, got in and wedged his pack behind a seat. After buckling in, He nodded to Jack who taxied the plane back to the runway and began his takeoff roll. They were quickly in the air again and turned northwest and as they gained altitude.
“Our ETA is about 45 minutes, Mike,” Jeremy said over the intercom.
“Okay,” Mike said, looking out the window at the lakes and the trees of the Mark Twain National Forest.
Soon, they dropped down closer to the forest and suddenly cleared a ridge and the plane nosed down, aligning on an airstrip.
“Flat Creek,” Jeremy announced, as Jack set the plane up for landing. There was no fog here and Jack neatly set the plane down and slowed quickly but continued rolling to a hangar up the runway. When the plane stopped at the hangar and Jack shut the engine down, Jeremy got out and opened up the cargo door. A truck backed up to the plane and a man and woman got out.
“Mike, this is Matt and Taylor Richardson. She’s the one who will use the computers,” Jeremy said.
Mike shook their hands and took the first box Jack handed out. They loaded the back of the pickup with the boxes and his bag and Mike got in the back seat of the crew cab and Matt, Taylor, and Mike headed for the Richardson house.
“A covered bridge! I haven’t seen one of those in ages!” Mike said.
“It’s only one of two operational in the state,” Taylor said.
At the house, Taylor opened a basement door and Mike and Matt began carrying the boxes into Taylor’s workspace in a basement room. There was a computer table ready for the computers with a single computer and screen already set up.
“Nice desk. This will work nicely for the computers,” Mike said. “Matt built this for me,” Taylor said.
“She told me what she needed, and I put some boards together,” Matt said, grinning. I’ll leave you two to set everything up. I’ll get rid of the boxes when you are through,” Matt said as he left.
Two hours later, everything was set up and Taylor was mirroring the old computer hard drive’s programs and files and programs over to one of the new computers. Mike had set up several viewing options with which she was thrilled. Each computer had its own screen but with a push of a function key on her keyboard, she could port all the screens to her large main monitor, or split the viewing to multiple monitors.
Mike began taking the boxes down and made a pile of them next to the door. Soon, Matt returned, and they carried the boxes out and threw them in the back of the truck.
“Come one on in and I’ll show you to your room,” Matt said. “I’ll get lunch started because we’ll not be able to pry Taylor away from her new toys,” Matt said, grinning.
Mike carried his travel pack in, following Matt to the guest room.
“This is nice,” Mike said.
“I’ll have to give Taylor credit for that. I just know how to pay people to build what she wants,” Matt said.
“Tell me about it!” Mike said.
“You’re married too?” Matt asked.
“Not yet, but Hanna pretty much has a ring in my nose now.” Mike said.
Matt led Mike to the kitchen where there was a pot of chili simmering on the stove. Matt got out the ingredients and began making a pan of cornbread.
Paul called Angel as soon as he was in sight of Arkansas International Airport, near Blytheville, to tell her he was an hour out from the farm. She said she would meet him at the hangar.
“This is much better than flying commercial,” Mary said.
“Yeah, I much rather have my life in my own hands than in some stranger’s,” Paul said.
“That wasn’t exactly what I was thinking,” Mary said. “But I get your point.”
Forty minutes later Paul closed out his flight plan with Memphis Center and turned the autopilot off. He brought the plane down to 2000 feet and did fly-by of the airstrip to check the windsock, coming in from the northeast, he set the flaps and brought the plane in slowly and touched down without even a hop.
“This is really out in the country,” Mary commented.
“I think you’ll love it here,” Paul replied.
“Oh, I like it already!” Mary said.
“Anderberg? That’s Swedish, isn’t it?” Matt asked.
“Yeah, 5th generation. My folks have lived in Nebraska for a long time.” Mike replied.
“Jeremy said you had a neat place up there.”
“I guess it is strange, but I’ve made it work. It is an old AT&T underground communications site. I’ve got around 30,000 square feet to work with, although I’ll be getting married soon and am planning to build a dome house above ground at the site.”
“That sounds neat,” Matt said. “I guess you don’t have to worry about tornadoes if you already live under ground.”
“We get them occasionally, but unless you are in the fields or on the road, they aren’t any bother.
“Do you farm any?” Matt asked.
“Used to, now I only grow a small garden and have a couple of structures that have been turned into greenhouses,” Mike replied, then took a sip of his beer. “Do you farm here?”
“We do. We grow hay for sale. With the weather as uncertain as it’s been, we have made a pretty good profit. Of course, we grow most of our own food in gardens and greenhouses and have a few cattle for meat and dairy products. There’s not a lot of food we have to buy anymore, except for wheat and rice.”
“That’s good. We have nothing but wheat around my area and we can as much as possible, but buy in bulk from farmer’s markets.” Mike said.
Jeremy came in then and Matt got him a beer.
“Want to have some chili with us?” Matt asked.
“Sure, I’d love some,” Jeremy said, opening the beer.
Jeremy sat down next to Mike at the island and asked him how the installation went.
“It went well,” Mike replied. “Taylor is mirroring her old drive to a new one now. She said she was going to run a data transfer test with my site through the secure module. It might be two or three hours before she gets the results.”
“Good. She’s thorough.” Jeremy said.
Slowly enlarging the cavity of the hollow point bullet, he remeasured and was satisfied. Taking the next bullet, he continued the operation until all 20 bullets had been done. Putting on neoprene gloves, he took the opaque bottle out of its padded case on the safe and prepared the hypodermic with the correct sized needle and drew the thick liquid out of the bottle. Putting the magnifying goggles on, he partially filled each bullet cavity with the thick liquid, partially refilling the needle barrel one more time. He disposed of the needle and got the box of tiny ball bearings out and dropped one into each bullet nose with a pair of tweezers, closing off the cavity. Taking out a stainless-steel barrel and needle, he heated the needle on the Bunsen burner and dipped the needle into the pot of melted bee’s wax and put a tiny drop into the cavity of the hollow point bullet, sealing the bearing in. Finished, he slipped the plastic cap onto each bullet, to be removed before loading the bullet into the rifle chamber. No one was going very far with that dose of curare in their system.
The curare had been brought in from South America where it had been made by a Waorani shaman from one of the tribes in the Oriente of Ecuador. The amount of curare entering the body during the fragmenting of the bullet would cause paralysis of the diaphragm, effectively asphyxiating the recipient. Curare was once used to treat a variety of medical problems but was no longer used clinically. The only cure for curare poisoning was an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor which would not be common in even the best medical centers, and especially not immediately available to EMTs.
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Post by gipsy on Aug 15, 2023 14:02:10 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by misterjimbo on Aug 15, 2023 20:36:43 GMT -6
Chapter numbering...skipped 31?
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 16, 2023 11:11:15 GMT -6
Chapter numbering...skipped 31? Oops! Got out of sequence!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 18, 2023 4:07:19 GMT -6
Chapter 32 –Returning Home
When Taylor had done all the tests and double-checked her data backups, Jeremy called Jack and told him to prepare the Twin Otter to take Mike back to Snail Mountain.
Mike asked Jeremy why he called it that.
“Well, your site is only slightly higher than the surrounding fields, like a spirally coiled snail laying on its side, and the name is enigmatic.” Jeremy explained.
“Enigmatic it is,” Mike said.
Mike packed his travel pack and Jack was ready to go at 1:00 PM so with his travel pack, a mixed case of pint jars of jams and jellies, and two wheels of cheese, Mike and Jack took off for Nebraska. Mike called Hanna and informed her he would be back at Sioux Gateway by 4:00 PM.
Hanna got busy thawing out sliced and pounded pork loin to prepare schnitzel for dinner, with Cheese & Herb Potato Fans and braised Red Cabbage.
Jack was on the ground long enough for Mike to take his baggage off at the FBO and was soon in the air again. Mike put his things in the truck and headed south to home and Hanna.
It was Wednesday, so he would wait a day before heading back to Sioux City to see the builders and select a floor plan. To kill more birds, they would take the trailer and stop by Sam’s Club, the bulk grain place, and Walmart. On the way back, he wanted to go through Macy and see Ben Miller, if he wasn’t at the Sioux City office, since he would be the one to design his house.
Mike pulled into Snail Mountain at 4:50 that afternoon and made two trips to bring in the cheese rounds, case of jellies, and his bag.
“Welcome home!” Hanna said, giving Mike a hug.
“It’s good to be back. I’ve missed you,” Mike replied.
Hanna took the cheddar cheese rounds and cut slices off for tasting with a glass of sweet Jurançon wine.
“What’s in the pint jar case?” Hanna asked.
“Jams, jellies, and honey,” Mike replied.
“All of this is homemade?” Hanna asked.
“Taylor said it was. They pretty much grow their own food and make their dairy products,” Mike replied.
“It might be nice to set up a trade with them sometime. Perhaps they would trade some of their products for grains after the harvest.”
“That’s an idea. Of course, they would have to dehull their own grains if they wanted them cheap. I could point them to where they could buy dehuller pads or make their own,” Mike replied.
At one time, Mike had just purchased dehulled grain from the mill but finally bought the dehuller pads for his grain mill and now did his own. He now bought wheat directly from Didrik or a neighbor, depending on the type of wheat he needed, and dehulled his own. If he had the time, he would dehull the grain, after it had been dried, before he stored it in food-grade plastic pails. This last year, he didn’t, and now had to dehull newly opened pails before grinding them. He’d decided that from now on, he would dehull the wheat before storing. He still purchased his rolled and steel-cut oats from the mill in bulk and repacked them in nitrogen flushed pails. He kept nitrogen on hand that he purchased from Airgas in Sioux City, where he also purchased his welding gases.
“Speaking of which, we’re running low on bread flour,” Hanna said. "
“Do you have enough to last you until Saturday?” Mike asked.
“Yes, I just noticed it when I was baking bread yesterday,” Hanna replied. “I’ve finished my baking for the week.”
“Did the Spencer kid drop off the drone photos?” Mike asked.
“Yes, he left a thumb drive that I placed on your desk.”
“I need to work out the scale and draw the dimensions on them for the builders for planning,” Mike said.
“I’ll have supper ready soon,” Hanna said.
“Okay, just yell.” Mike said. “I’ll be in the office.”
Mike opened up the photos out of the thumb drive with Corel Paintshop Pro and scaled it to the dimensions he had measured before and overlaid a grid over that. He added another overlay of the underground dimensions that he had measured out previously. Mike then wrote the dimensions for all the structures and areas in contrasting colors, merged the layers and printed several copies. Mike watched the video of the flyover and made copies of everything to copy to a CD, then placed the printed copies and the CD in a padded envelope.
Paul taxied up to the hanger, pointed the airplane toward the runway, and shut down. Angel came over as he was helping Mary off the plane.
“Mary, this is my wife Angela. Angel, this is Mary Gilbert.”
“I’m pleased to meet you Mary. Let’s get your bags and I’m sure you need to use the facilities.” Angel said.
Paul and Eduardo were already loading the bags onto a UTV. Angel took Mary to the house with another UTV and Paul followed them.
“Anything going on around here?” Paul asked Eduardo.
“Not really, at least not nearby.” Eduardo replied. “Someone tried to hijack an SGC Foodservice delivery truck in Russellville yesterday. They didn’t get away with it. Seems like even the truckers are heavily armed these days. The locals and the truckers had the hijackers apprehended before the police got there.”
“Things were getting rough up north too,” Paul said. “The media isn’t reporting the crimes, but they are happening. As soon as these gangs figure out they can’t get to the delivery trucks, the looting will probably pick up. Make sure you have a long gun, pistol, spare ammo, and a radio in your truck when you go out.”
“Already doing that,” Eduardo replied.
Eduardo and Paul carried the bags to the bedrooms. Paul went to the kitchen where Angel was making a pot of tea.
“Good flight?” Angel asked.
“Pretty good. I had to fly a little closer to the ocean, at times, because of the fronts, but it wasn’t bad.” Paul replied. “How have you and the boy been doing?”
“We are fine,” Angel said, smiling.
Paul’s eyes darted over to Carmelita, and she smiled back, nodding her head.
Mary came into the kitchen and took a seat beside Paul at the kitchen island.
“You have a beautiful home Angel,” Mary said.
“Paul renovated the place,” Angel replied.
“Yes, but it takes a woman to make it a home,” Mary said.
“Angel did make some good changes here,” Paul said.
“Oh Mary, your cottage is going to cost you a little more than you thought,” Paul said. “I had the builders add a tornado safe room on the ground floor near your bedroom. It only added 12 square feet to the size of the house.”
“That’s fine, I’m sure I can afford it. It would be better than me rushing downstairs to safety.”
Angel was serving tea for her and Mary when they heard a horn blow outside. Paul went out to the porch and saw Eduardo fielding the dogs away from a delivery truck driver. Paul walked out and the driver showed him the electronic invoice. Paul signed it and Eduardo went to get the tractor with pallet forks. They unload pallets of hard and soft red winter wheatberries, soft white wheat and soft red spring wheatberries, and two hundred pounds of oatmeal. Eduardo placed the pallets next to the cellar door and Paul began breaking down the pallets and carrying the pails in. They stacked the pails under shelves in a dark corner of the basement with the labels turned out for easy identification. Paul added the shipment to the temp inventory list to be added to the computer program later.
Monday, the well driller showed up, along with the construction crew that would dig the basement and foundation for Mary’s cottage, as well as drill the holes for the pilings for the deck next to the creek. Knowing the historic seismic activity in the area, the builders were going to drill down to a rock shelf to stabilize the structure to keep everything from sliding off into the ravine of the creek. There were always a few tremors from New Madrid seismic zone on its edges, so they decided to be safe than sorry. In 2017, even Harrison Arkansas, only about sixty miles to their north suffered three earthquakes. Most of the ones they’d experienced so far in this area were barely perceptible, but who knows?
Driving along the drive, Mike noticed the condition of the driveway and decided to get it repoured once the dome was finished. It was the original concrete that had been poured in the 60’s and had received a bit of damage over the years through wear and tear, and winter freezing. He didn’t want to resurface it with asphalt because it got hot enough in the Summer to soften asphalt. They got to the builders about 10 minutes early and were offered coffee, which both he and Hanna accepted. Ben showed up for the meeting and when Mike showed him the photos, Ben was pleased, but said they would still like to come down and survey the site anyway. Mike understood and they set a time when Mike and Hanna would be there. Nevertheless, with the measurements indicated on the photos, Ben sorted through some plans they could look at. Hanna couldn’t make up her mind on what she wanted so Ben took out some tracing templets and drew four 36’ domes and merged them with the entrance building. He filled in areas for a master bedroom and ensuite plus a nursery in a wing dome, kitchen, pantry, laundry, utility room, and living area in the center dome and bedrooms and a study in the other wing dome. With a few other changes Hanna wanted, Ben had a rough plan he could draw the final plans from.
With that done, Ben gave Mike and Hanna a tentative construction schedule and they headed to Sam’s Club, the butcher, Walmart, Mid-State Bulk Grains, and Midwest Technology. They replenished their spices, bought laundry and personal bath soap and other hygienic supplies, laid on more toilet paper and other paper goods, added to their sugar and salt supplies at Sam’s. At Walmart, Hanna laid on a stock of her favorite shampoo, and conditioner, and bought bulk packs of toothpaste. She also picked up a couple of bunches of bananas and stocked up on frozen juice concentrates, plus several blocks of Cabot’s cheeses. At Mid-state, Mike bought another 400 pounds of Durum wheat to make pasta.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 18, 2023 15:39:24 GMT -6
Chapter 33
When they returned home, Hanna helped unload the trailer then was like a whirling dervish. She was using a copy of the floorplans to fit furniture in and making her own notes. Mike began dehulling the wheat and storing it in buckets, using Nitrogen to displace the Oxygen in the buckets. From what he had read, the grain should last up to 40 years in the Nitrogen. Of course, that was overkill, the grain would be used up long before then. He saved the last bit for grinding. Putting away the shop vac he had used for cleaning up the chaff, Mike went to find Hanna, who had her nose buried in furniture catalogs and making notes. Looking over her shoulder, he saw that she had all the rooms listed with furniture that would go in each room. It looked like she would be at it for a while. He had picked up a nice flank steak that morning, so he pulled it out of the fridge. Putting on his coat, Mike went to their herb greenhouse and picked fresh thyme, rosemary, and oregano then took it back in the kitchen and washed it. Getting a couple of pounds of baby red potatoes out of the pantry, he washed and cut them into wedges, chopped the herbs and five cloves of garlic, put the pan on the burner and added 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. He seasoned the steak all over with 1 teaspoon of salt and sliced it into two pieces. When the oil was shimmering, Mike added the potato wedges to the pan and sprinkled kosher salt over them. At about 10 minutes, Mike turned the potatoes over with a pair of cooking tongs. When the potatoes were cooked, Mike transferred the potatoes to a serving platter. He wiped out the pan with paper towels and put the pan back on the burner and turned the heat on high. When the pan began smoking a little, he carefully laid the steak pieces in the pan and cooked for two minutes until the meat crusted and didn't stick to the pan, then flipped them to cook on the other side for 1 minute. Sliding the steaks to the side, Mike added a half stick of unsalted butter and let it melt down. He tilted the pan away from the steaks and dumped the chopped garlic into the pool of melted butter, then began spooning the melted butter over the steaks. He flipped the steaks until the garlic butter coated both sides of the steaks. Checking the internal temperature with a temperature fork, when the temp reached 125 degrees, he transferred the steaks to a cutting board. Adding the rest of the herbs to the pan, Mike stirred the mixture for a minute then poured it into a Pyrex measuring cup and returned the potatoes to the pan, placed the lid on it, and turned the heat off the burner. When the meat had rested, he cut the steaks into inch wide strips and returned them to the pan and poured the sauce over everything. He placed the pan into the warming oven and began cleaning up.
After checking on Hanna, Mike went back and got the angel biscuit dough out of the refrigerator and squeezed off enough to make biscuits in a 6-inch greased cast iron fry pan. When the oven was up to temp, he placed the biscuits in the oven and set the timer, clipping it to his shirt pocket.
Paul rode the UTV up to the bridge to check out the water level. It had been raining for two straight days and the water level was up some but not enough to be concerned about. His concern was about the nights temperatures that were predicted to drop down in the 20 s and continue for a few days. If it continued to rain, they would end up with a damned ice storm. Paul didn't mind snow, but ice was another thing. The water level would have to rise another 20 feet in the creek to start causing any concern. He'd have to keep a watch for debris damming up the creek and clear the obstruction if it happened.
Paul returned to the house and was met on the porch by the dogs. They seemed disgusted with all the rain they'd had lately too. Paul scratched their ears for a couple of minutes and let them into the house. They both took up positions near the wood stove and flopped down.
Carmelita was in the kitchen dropping strips of pastry into a pot of chicken broth. Six large, cooked chicken breasts lay in a platter next to the stove. Ah, chicken and dumplings! Paul thought. He had taught Carmelita his recipe and she could now make them almost as good as he could. He had eaten chicken and dumplings all over the country and he could make them better than any he had eaten anywhere else. In some places, they were called Chicken and pastry. Some people put carrots and peas in theirs. Hell, if he wanted pot pie, he would make pot pie. Nope, all you needed was chicken, cooked like you do kidneys. Boil the piss out of them, black pepper, salt, and dumplings made with plenty of butter. He did cook the chicken with a drawstring cheesecloth bag with freeze dried carrots and celery in it to give the broth a little flavor, but he'd never have bits of orange and green floating around with his dumplings. Paul got a spoon and tasted the broth between Carmelita s stirrings.
M-m-m-m good!
"It's okay, Señor Paul?" Carmelita asked.
"Perfect!" Paul replied. "Maybe a little more fresh ground pepper."
Getting a beer out of the fridge, Paul went to the study and saw the light on the printer interface module attached to the radio flashing. Paul looked in the printer and took out the two collated sheets.
Looking at the reference number on the first sheet, Paul went to the bookshelf and took down the 4th volume of Winston Churchill's The Second World War to decipher the message. Paul knew this was nothing more than an intel update by the reference numbers in the third group of numbers, but it was good practice in decryption. The combination Book and Homophonic cypher was archaic but worked for what the group needed.
After he read the report, Paul took the paper into the great room, balled it up, and tossed it into the wood stove.
Paul put on a CD and began reading a book on aquaponics while Beethoven's "Für Elise" Performed by Lang Lang played in the background. Mike jerked as the alert tone on his phone's weather radio app blasted him out of his thoughts. He had been inspecting the windbreak on the north and west sides of the property. The announcement warned of flooding on the Missouri, James, and Sioux rivers. Mike wasn't surprised. It had been raining for almost four days. There wasn't any danger of flooding here. They were 9 miles from the Missouri River and the bluffs on this side gave them some protection. In Sioux City, they would have some problems; there were several areas where flooding could occur, especially the Dakota Dunes area where He and Hanna had celebrated New Years. As he strode back to the entrance building, he saw Didrik's pickup parked there. Didrik and Annika must be visiting. Going into the entrance building, Mike took off his rain gear and hung it up in the mud room. As he headed to the kitchen, he heard the weather radio, then his app sounded another alert. Mike turned on a portable radio he had hooked up to an outside long wire antenna and tuned to KSCJ in Sioux City to get any evacuation and road closure announcements. Dakota Dunes Resort had been evacuated because it was sandwiched between the Bix Sioux and Missouri rivers. There were parts of South Sioux City that were beginning to flood also. He hoped they could keep the roads open into Sioux City. There wasn't an emergency care clinic in South Sioux City. The closest emergency care was across the river. He had to think about Didrik and Annika; they weren't spring chickens anymore.
"Oh Lord!" Annika said. "All we are going to hear for the next month is how all this is caused by Climate Change."
"Yep", Didrik said. "We used to call it weather, but the so called educated folks changed the name to fit their agendas. What you will hear about is how many millions of dollars in damage has been caused. What the idjits don't look at is that these rivers flood somewhat every year. When the Indians settled here, they were smart enough to keep to the west of the Missouri where it didn't flood so much. If it did, they would move. That bunch that built that resort up at Dakota Dunes should be sued. That place is always flooding because of the convergence of the rivers there. That fella Gump had it right; stupid is as stupid does."
Mike got out a couple of antique Irish Pewter Pint Mugs and poured cold Mead into them, handing Didrik one.
"Excuse me?" Annika asked.
Mike chuckled and got two more mugs down and poured Mead for Annika and Hanna.
Hanna got a gallon bag of her Just in Case Swedish Meatballs out of the freezer to thaw, and a bag of green beans.
Mike, if you could get me three or four green onions out of the greenhouse I'll make Lemon Rice Pilaf. Hanna said.
Mike got up to get her the onions, while Annika got the containers of freeze-dried celery and the lemon zest out of the pantry. She measured out what they would need and put them in separate bowls with water to rehydrate.
"This rain is supposed to stop sometime tomorrow", Didrik commented.
"I hope so!" Hanna said. "We need to get the house foundation started."
When Mike returned he washed the onions off in the sink, trimmed off the roots, and gave the onions to Hanna who began chopping them up. Annika thawed the meatballs in the microwave and began making the sauce.
"How are they going to build this dome house of yours?" Didrik asked.
"They have a fiberglass form that covers the rebar frame. Foam insulation is sprayed, then a layer of shotcrete, and more foam layered until it's finished. It only takes a few days to complete. They'll do the outside first to dodge any weather, then finish the inside. I m having Solar Tubes installed as they go, with Bullet resistant transparencies on the solar tubes and windows; not that I expect to be attacked, but we do get large hail at times."
"How are you going to do the entrance building?" Didrik asked.
"It will be blended seamlessly into the structure, slotted right in between the domes." Mike replied.
The women finished preparing supper at 5:00 PM and served Swedish Meatballs with Lemon Rice Pilaf, and Green Beans Almondine.
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