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Post by feralferret on Oct 13, 2023 3:06:57 GMT -6
Thank you, ncsfsgm.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 13, 2023 10:31:54 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by imahic on Oct 13, 2023 14:15:12 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 15, 2023 11:17:06 GMT -6
Chapter 38
As Andy chopped wood, he thought about the wedding. He wished the best for Dan and Holly and that nothing ever came between them. He had almost stepped into the harness once, in that case it would have been a trap. The hurt from something like that doesn’t go away, but some things only get not so much better but less bad over time. That was probably the reason he was almost willing to go for a full relationship with Crystal. They didn’t always agree on everything, but it made the relationship he had with her more interesting. Maybe, just maybe….
Dan put the kettle of water on for coffee and their breakfast. Neither he nor Holly felt like going out to eat. When the kettle began whistling, he placed a K-cup in the coffee maker, poured the water in the reservoir, inserted the plunger, and made Holly a cup of coffee. Adding two spoons of Coffee Mate, and one teaspoon of sugar, he stirred it and took the mug out to Holly’s chair under the awning.
Throwing four slices of bread into the toaster oven, he made toast and measured the rest of the hot water into the bag of Mountain House breakfast skillet. He set the timer, got out the bamboo tray and placed two paper plates on it. When the toast was done, he buttered the toast and spread muscadine jelly on the slices. He gave the meal bag a stir and set the timer for 9 minutes. Boiling more water, Dan made himself a mug of coffee, plated the breakfast skillet, added eating utensils, and carried the tray out to the awning, setting it on the side table. A light breeze was stirring as they ate their breakfast.
“Would you like to live around here?” Holly asked Dan.
“In two words, HELL NO!” Dan replied.
“Why?” Holly asked.
“Well, in this area, without extensive testing, you don’t know what’s under the ground. The springs, like here, are caused by sinkholes. You could build your dream house and all of a sudden watch it as it sinks underground. The bedrock here is limestone, but the springs erode the rock and cause it to collapse. We have limestone in Missouri too, but it hasn’t eroded like the bedrock here. If you look at a map of this part of Florida, you will see hundreds of lakes in this part of the state, the majority of them formed in sinkholes.
“That’s a shame,” Holly said, “The weather is so beautiful here.”
“You would think so until one of those Cat three hurricanes swept through.” Dan replied. “The grass isn’t always greener. There are take-aways in everything.”
Jim scoped the firing pin, but it was within specs. Loading a round, he went over to the barrel, pointed into the barrel, and pulled the trigger. The rifle fired. It was as he figured. The firing pin had been gummed up with dirt and old oil. After two hours in an ultrasonic bath of brake cleaner and a few swipes with a stainless-steel brush, it was clean and shiny again. Some people just couldn’t get it in their heads to clean their weapons occasionally. It would save them some money at the gunsmith. Jim completely disassembled the gun and placed everything but the wood into the Lyman ultrasonic cleaner and set the timer. This should give Mr. Collins a few more years’ use without cleaning it if he continued to quit caring for the old rifle.
Shaking his head, Jim cleaned his hands to go back to the house. Shaylynn had come over earlier and was helping Katie with her schoolwork and was tending a pork roast in the oven. Both females were finishing up preparations for supper. A fresh pie was sitting on the counter cooling, peach, it smelled like.
“LADIES, I’M HOME!” Jim yelled as he closed the door.
Katie peeked out of the kitchen. “Uncle Jim. You’re supposed to say “Honey, I’m home!”
“Quit watching re-runs on TV,” Jim said, chuckling.
Jim walked into the kitchen and kissed Shaylynn on the cheek as she was taking plates out of the cabinet. “Thank you for finishing supper,” Jim said.
“I enjoy cooking for my two favorite people.” Shaylynn said, smiling.
“Kiss her good Uncle Jim! She baked a peach pie!” Katie said.
“If I must,” Jim said, pulling Shaylynn into his arms and smothering her with a kiss.
“My! I have to do more cooking around here!” Shaylynn said after she caught her breath.
Katie set the table and Jim filled glasses with ice and tea. Katie gave a short blessing, and they ate their supper, finishing it off with the peach pie and vanilla ice cream.
“Ladies, that was a delicious meal!” Jim said, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of the coffee he had with his pie.
Holly decided she’d had enough of the springs and asked if they could cut their time short in Florida and spend a couple of days in Nashville on their way back. That was fine with Dan, and they prepared the RV to head back. Holly began to search for RV campsites around Nashville and was going to call for reservations. She selected a park between Nashville and Clarksville which was conveniently located on the interstate they would take home, plus, they supplied shuttle service into Nashville in case they wanted to go barhopping one night.
It was a nine-and-a-half-hour drive from Orange City to Nashville, so Dan pulled over in Chattanooga, and Holly drove the rest of the way with Dan napping.
Thank goodness the RV site was a pull-through, so Holly had no problem parking the rig. They were both tired so went to bed and slept until 0900 that morning.
After getting up and showering, Dan took the VW out of the trailer, and they went looking for a country breakfast. Due to the area, that wasn’t very hard. Almost overeating, they pushed away from the table and headed to Nashville for a day of sightseeing.
They did the General Jackson Showboat Lunch Cruise and finished up the afternoon at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Holly bought souvenirs, mostly things like T-shirts and novelty items, and of course, a cowboy hat.
Phil laid the stringer of fish on the pier and carefully stepped out of the boat. Leaving the rods in their holders, he bent over to pick up the stringer and a sudden sharp pain shot across his chest. Gasping and clutching at his chest, Phil lost his balance and fell face first onto the wooden floor and lay still.
The coroner said he had died instantly.
Dan got the text the next morning from Crystal informing him of Phil’s passing. Holly read the text and her heart sunk.
“Phil was one of those people who you thought would be around forever, or at least you wish he would be. Dan, can we go home now?”
“If that’s what you want. Let me get the awning up and the chairs and table stowed,” Dan said.
The 206 miles back to Wappapello were long miles, but they made it back by noon.
Phil’s estate lawyer had everything under control. Between him and the VFW, the funeral was unlike any people had seen in a long time. Sheriff’s Deputies were out in mass to handle traffic control and ROTC members of the local high school handled parking, prepared for and in some cases supplying valet parking for some of the elder funeral attendees. It was the biggest funeral in the Wappapello area history. Phil had even paid for his own wake at Annie’s.
Gary was practically inconsolable. Phil was the grandfather he never knew and his guide, but Gary continued to do his job; starting the fires, cooking the meat and the other small things Phil had educated him on.
The wake began as a morose crowd gathered at Annie’s after the funeral and the normal excitement was absent. Finally, Crystal got everyone’s attention and made a little speech.
“I know all of you, along with the staff of Annie’s, are saddened by Phil’s passing. But this isn’t what Phil would have wanted. Phil agreed to let Archer Harmon reopen the restaurant because he wanted to see the place as it was in the heyday of when he and Annie ran it. He got his wish. Now, he is in a better place, holding Annie’s hand and we should not be grieving, but celebrating what they had built. So, no more tears, no more sad looks. Let us celebrate all the good times Phil and Annie gave to us. I want them to look down and see the smiling faces of the people who appreciate the things they gave this community.”
Crystal went back to the kitchen, grabbed a paper towel, and dried her eyes. Soon, the talking got louder in the restaurant, possibly due to the half-hidden jars that were being passed around, but the wake turned into a celebration of life.
Andy was standing with some members of the VFW when the jar in the brown paper bag was passed to him. He took a swallow and swore the wax in his ears liquefied. Passing the jar on to the next guy, he finally got his breath and looked at the guys looking at his reaction.
“Good stuff, hunh?” Gene Williams asked Andy.
“Yeah, it is a little like some of the piscos I’ve had down in Peru, but they were distilled from grape hulls. What was that distilled from?” Andy asked.
“Corn, pure corn. It’s the water and the aging that makes a difference,” Gene replied.
At 1700, the VFW firing squad lined up as members lowered the Flag in front of the restaurant while a bugler from the high school band played taps, and the firing squad fired a salute. People either left to go home or returned inside, few with dry eyes.
Mr. Halbertson sat down next to Archer and cleared his throat.
“It will be a couple of weeks before clearing the estate and the reading of the will, but I can tell you now Phil left the restaurant, the house, and marina to you. He thought you’d take care of everything like it should be. He thought the world of you.”
“Well, that wasn’t expected. We all loved Phil like family,” Archer said.
“Phil knew that and cherished everything you all had done.” Mr. Halbertson said.
As the last attendees were leaving, the restaurant staff was cleaning up for the next day’s business. Crystal caught Archer as he was leaving and asked to speak to him.
“Arch, I’ve been thinking on this for a while because of some of the comments from the customers. I would like to add more items to the lunch and dinner menus. Everyone loves BBQ but I think we could get more customers if we added country entrees like fried liver, chicken fried steak, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings…things like that.” Crystal said. “I have a lot of Annie’s recipes Phil gave me.”
“Well, it does drift away from a BBQ restaurant, but we could try it. Maybe consider changing the name of the restaurant to something like “Annie’s Home Kitchen and BBQ.”
Crystal grinned. “I’ll give it a week’s run and see what the comments are.”
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Post by gipsy on Oct 15, 2023 11:54:16 GMT -6
Fine update. Life goes on even if we don't want it to.
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Post by boomerweps on Oct 15, 2023 14:39:48 GMT -6
I got it beat into my head, a firing squad is for shooting people, at a funeral it is a firing party. Odd phrase but in the military, a group of people assigned for a task that is not their regular duty is called a party.
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Post by feralferret on Oct 15, 2023 15:57:52 GMT -6
Wonderful chapter. Thanks!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 15, 2023 18:36:34 GMT -6
I got it beat into my head, a firing squad is for shooting people, at a funeral it is a firing party. Odd phrase but in the military, a group of people assigned for a task that is not their regular duty is called a party. You are absolutely correct. I'm at a disadvantage sometimes when I'm writing and listening to the news at the same time. My disgust at the leftists in this country demonstrating for Hamas had me thinking of eliminating traitors.
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Post by boomerweps on Oct 16, 2023 9:32:58 GMT -6
I got it beat into my head, a firing squad is for shooting people, at a funeral it is a firing party. Odd phrase but in the military, a group of people assigned for a task that is not their regular duty is called a party. You are absolutely correct. I'm at a disadvantage sometimes when I'm writing and listening to the news at the same time. My disgust at the leftists in this country demonstrating for Hamas had me thinking of eliminating traitors.Understood. I spent over twenty years practicing to kill millions of commies with the push of a trigger, what’s a few more? All these middle eastern nations we are concerned with supported Hitler in WW2, Aryans originated there, too. No change. Still operate as a massive cult. Stay armed and alert. Still enjoying your stories
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 23, 2023 17:58:04 GMT -6
Chapter 39
Andy stood on the dock and watched as the pilot of the Viking Twin Otter on floats lined up and set the plane down flawlessly onto the smooth lake. Day was sunny, but cold…one of those days when Father Winter wanted to show you he was still around. The plane coasted up to the dock, Andy tied the plane off on the dock stanchions, and Jeremy and the pilot, Andy Mills, got out.
“We’re going to need your pickup and trailer to move this load,” Jeremy said.
Andy went to get the pickup truck and trailer and a set of hand trucks. Backing the truck and trailer down to the top of the ramp, he rolled the trucks down onto the dock and got the first load.
“What do you have here?” Andy asked.
“1800 pounds of civilian ammo, and 50 sets of Level IV body armor,” Jeremy replied.
“What caliber?”
“You name it. You may want to sort it out later by caliber, but for right now let’s just get it stored.” Jeremy replied.
It took them around 30 minutes to unload the plane and to move the ammo into the warehouse. Without really thinking, they unloaded the trailer and stacked the ammo on empty pallets by caliber. There were a lot of hunting calibers but also a lot of pistol calibers.
“Andy, have you been monitoring the news?” Jeremy asked as they locked the warehouse door.
“About the earthquakes?”
“No, about the terrorist cells, however the quakes are a concern also.”
"Do you mean the attacks on the gas plants? I’ve caught some of it. Terrorists attacked the plants?” Andy asked.
“Yeah, and we expect they’re not finished,” Jeremy said. “My guess is they’ll go after the power grid, but there are a lot of infrastructure targets.”
“How would they go about doing that?” Andy asked.
“Oh, they could begin by taking out transformers in areas that cross-connect with other grids.” Jeremy said.
“It would be easy,” Andy said. "I remember from the Anti-Material classes at sniper school that you can take down a lot of an area’s power just by punching a hole in a transformer. If you took out several connecting substations, you could put an area out of commission for a long time.”
“Yeah, those transformers usually last a long time, so the power companies don’t keep a lot of spares because of costs,” Jeremy said. “And the damn things are mostly made in Europe or China. With the switching systems, you take out enough transformers, you can start a chain reaction and take all the grid down through overloads.”
“Bad juju.” Andy said, wincing.
“Yeah, for sure.” Jeremy said. “DHS is looking and keeping watch, and unbeknownst to them, so are we. It’s going to be a tough job with all the illegals that have gotten away at the border, and all the immigration laws that are being ignored.”
“Well, we’ve got to do another drop in Beardstown. If the situation gets to where the ammo is needed, hand it out,” Jeremy said.
“Roger that!” Andy said.
Andy watched as the plane took off and went to unhitch the trailer.
Jim put the last rivet in, slipped a pistol mold into the holster, and took the shoulder rig into the house to have Katie try it on. Katie was pretty close to the size of the woman who had ordered the rig and would be an acceptable training dummy. Katie was growing like a weed. Jim thought she must be growing an inch a month. She’d asked Shaylynn to go with her shopping soon because she was growing out of her clothes. Jim was going to take them Friday to St. Louis. Jim called to her as he walked into the house, and she came out of her bedroom.
“What are you doing?” Jim asked.
“Working ahead on my schoolwork. We’re going shopping Friday, remember?” Katie replied.
“Yes, I remember. Can you try on this rig for Mrs. Johnson and see how it fits?”
Katie let the adjustment straps out and fitted the rig. Just as she was making the final adjustments, Shaylynn walked in.
“This should work but I’ve got bigger puppies than her.”
“You’ve got bigger puppies than who?!” Shaylynn asked.
“Mrs. Johnson.” Katie explained. “This rig is for her.”
“Oh, I see.” Shaylynn replied.
“Shaylynn, are you still going to St. Louis with us Friday?”
“Sure, if that’s okay,” Shaylynn said.
“Of course, it’s okay. Uncle Jim is worthless at picking out bras,” Katie said, grinning.
Shaylynn burst out giggling. Jim just said “Humph” and scowled.
“We’ll find you some nice things,” Shaylynn said.
Friday morning, they all arose early, Shaylynn staying in the guest room. They stopped to have breakfast before reaching St. Louis, Katie and Shaylynn jabbering over pancakes about the stores they wanted to go to. Jim kept his comments few. He was just going to be the chauffeur. He’d let Shaylynn search for the addresses on the GPS. Both females were searching their phones for the malls and stores they wanted to go to. After three cups of coffee and a bathroom visit later, Jim got up with the shopping committee hot on his heels. Shaylynn put the address for the first store into the GPS and Jim pulled onto the interstate and followed the directions, which was pretty much what he did the rest of the day. He didn’t follow them into the stores, he found more interesting things to do, like trimming his fingernails, or sitting in the massage chairs in the malls reading stories on his phone. They had lunch at one of those boutique restaurants in a mall, and Katie still had more stores she wanted to go to that afternoon. By 1600, Jim was beginning to wonder if they had enough room to carry all the bags the girls had accumulated, but they managed. Finally, they headed home, but stopped on the way to have an early dinner. The girls were worn out from shopping but found the strength to put on a fashion show for Jim, who found the proper words of praise. Finally, their energy ran out and Katie put many of her new clothes in the washer to wash the sizing out, while Shaylynn relaxed with a glass of wine and finished watching a Jack Reacher movie with Jim. She lasted about thirty minutes before her head started to bob like an oil well jack pump, and Katie talked her into staying in the guest room again. They both took off to the back of the house to bed and Jim soon followed.
Everyone was refreshed the next morning for range day. They all wore matching cargo pants; Shaylynn and Katie had bought theirs the day before, matching the washed cotton pants that Jim usually wears. It was going to be warm enough the girls wore logoed hunter green hoodies to match Jim’s Sherpa Lined Waffle Henley Shirt. Katie wanted to take a picture of them before they left, that they looked like a “family.”
They were at the Range early enough to get a couple of lanes to practice and had a few observers. There were a few people who liked to just come out and watch, which the Safety Officer and his assistants encouraged because it brought in more people to take part. There was free ear protection for anyone who wanted to watch from a safe area. They had been discussing setting up an area with spotting scopes for observers also.
Jim, Katie, and Shaylynn were able to get off one magazine each before female customers whose shoulder rigs were ready showed up. Jim let Katie and Shaylynn help the ladies fit their rigs and went to open his trailer up for business. An hour later he had sold and installed a set of Eagle pistol grips and a set of XS Big Dot pistol sights. The girls seemed to be selling a lot of logoed ball caps and Beeswax Lip Moisturizer. The girls had picked through the promotional items catalog and had Jim order a few extra things like lip balm, a combo lip balm and sunscreen connected with little caribiner, more ball caps, watch caps, tissue packs, and travel rain ponchos. They still hadn’t spent their quarterly advertising budget and the shop’s name was spread all over the county. The clothing items were sold but many of the things like tissues, lip balm, and sunscreen that were given away. Katie and Shaylynn took turns walking through the area and would give away things people looked like they could use, like tissues to a mother with a kid with a runny nose. The girls sold sets of electronic ear defenders, but also kept a dispenser of free disposable ear plugs, and corded ear plugs available.
A couple of 3-gun competition ranges had been added to the complex, so those were bringing in more visitors and shooters from farther away. Bob Dennison was more than pleased with how well the complex was doing. They were clearing enough money to pay extra safety officers, and bring in named judges for the competitions, and hire babysitters for the daycare center they had put in. The vendor for the concession stand wasn’t working out so their lease probably wouldn’t be renewed. The last he had heard, Crystal Dutton had high bid so far, so she might have the lease starting next month.
Ben was about to take a drink of water from the bottle he was holding when the shaking started and the warning horn went off, signaling cease fire and the closing of all ranges. After the shaking stopped, the Safety Officers told all shooters to safety all their firearms and unload, that there would be a 30-minute break. This was part of the S.O.P. since the last earthquake they’d experienced. If there wasn’t another tremor within the next thirty minutes, they would continue with operations.
Some people began leaving to check on their homes but most of the people stayed in place and bought more drinks and food.
The 3.6m tremor did little to no damage in the Wappapello area but down in Fisk, the elementary school lost a wall and the bridge over the St. Francis River was closed due to weakened supports from liquification and cracks in the roadbed.
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Post by feralferret on Oct 23, 2023 18:52:36 GMT -6
Thank you, ncsfsgm.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 23, 2023 19:23:19 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by ncsfsgm on Nov 4, 2023 10:39:52 GMT -6
Chapter 40
My apologies for taking some time to get some of my stories up. Life, as they say, sometimes happens. It might take me a little while to get back into my rhythm. I can no longer type 80 words a minute as I could in my younger days. I’ve been tapping paragraphs on my phone while in the doctor’s offices and then transferring them to my computer when I got home. I would like to thank all those who have read and offered comments and constructive criticism on my earlier stories.
Jim selected the program, made sure all the power switches were on, and started the CNC, or Computer Numerical Control machine to cut out the stock liner for the Beretta BM62 that Ross Chambers brought in. It was a very rare weapon that had been owned by his grandfather. Unfortunately, it had been severely damaged in the wreck that had killed his grandfather. The stock had been shattered and the inserted magazine had been bent over and damaged the stock liner beyond repair. He had replaced the wooden stock, modified from a Garand stock, but the ATF looked hard at anyone importing parts for a weapon which was almost identical to a foreign selective fire weapon and ATF was always seeking headlines. The BM62 was the civilian equivalent of the BM59. It didn’t have the grenade launcher, no tri-compensator, and extremely rare to have gas cylinder with bipod capability. Ross’ grandfather had used it to hunt black bear. After milling, he would have to bend lips on the liner and parkerize it, but that wouldn’t take that much.
The weather was warming up and Andy was spending as much time as he could fishing for crappie. He kept a few, but gave the rest to Crystal to have lunch specials at Annie’s. She would offer fish, pork loin sandwich, liver and onions, fried chicken, and chicken and dumpling specials during the week. They had increased the lunch clientele twofold. Every member of the crew was doing everything they could to improve the restaurant every day. No one was idle. Crystal was planning a pay increase.
Wappapello continued to receive minor aftershock tremors, usually in the magnitude of 2.0 to 3.0. Most everyone had gotten used to them, but advisories went out to make sure gas connections were routinely inspected.
Since the quakes started, Dan decided to put together emergency supply kits for his and Holly’s vehicles. He got sturdy Tuff Boxes and filled them with a hard hat, an ax, a shovel, a broom with a two-piece handle, a rope for rescue, Rocky Puncture Resistant Boots with side zip, three pairs of work gloves, extra work socks, a fire extinguisher (multipurpose, dry chemical type), a large first aid kit, and a multi-pocket tactical vest with a loud whistle and pockets for a canteen, radio, flashlight, Leatherman, and other pockets he and Holly would fill with whatever. He was sure Holly would fill one of the pockets in her vest with Werther’s butterscotch hard candies. On the floorboards of the back seat of their vehicles would be a three-gallon water jug and six MREs.
The magnitudes of the tremors were diminishing but there was no guarantee a big one wouldn’t hit. When Archer and Andy found out what Dan had done, they put together vehicle kits also. They ordered the boots from the same place Dan did. Archer and Andy also put together kits for Siobhan and Crystal. For radios, they all agreed on Garmin Rino 755Ts that had GMRS capabilities since they would probably be working in adjacent areas.
Jim had a small pistol range with a backstop berm built in the field next to the house for Katie to practice on. She was on the girl’s pistol team sponsored by Annie’s. Jim had her practice drawing from shoulder, IWB, and hip holsters. Katie was just as proficient with her left hand as she was with her right. Jim found where he could by the old-style strike anywhere kitchen matches and set up a post to stick matches in so she could practice lighting matches. It was a lot harder with a 9mm pistol than it was with a .22 rifle. Katie was at the stage where she would go on a bike ride with Mollie running beside her, come back, and practice striking matches. She was becoming quite proficient at seven meters.
The next day Shaylynn was coming over to spend the day so Jim could run some errands, and Jim nervously drove to Cape Girardeau to lay down $4,000 for a halo-style engagement ring. Like Katie had said, “Gotta risk it for the biscuit.”, but she was sure Shaylynn would say, “Yes”.
Jim didn’t really pay that much for the ring. The jewelry store owner was trying to sell out and head back to New York. She said if she wanted earthquakes, she’d go to California. Jim secured the ring box in an inside jacket pocket and spent the rest of the time he’d given himself cruising several gun stores, picking up reloading supplies and various gun parts. He picked up several hundred 9mm FMJ 115 grain bullets. He liked to keep several boxes of practice reloads available in the trailer for the Wappapello range. The range had begun to run IPSA matches and he wanted Katie and Shaylynn to enter as many as possible and work their way up to 3-gun matches if they wanted.
The plane landed on a specific part of the lake and as the plane slowed to taxi, the right door opened and the gun sock encased barrel and receiver slipped out and dropped, to sink into the silt of one of the deepest parts of the lake. The plane continued on to Andy’s dock.
Jeremy taxied the plane up to the dock and Andy tied it off.
Behind Jeremy, another man got out of the plane and walked over to them.
“Andy, meet Shane Benson. He is from up in Minnesota, down here for a visit.”
“Pleased to meet you Shane,” Andy said, shaking Shane’s hand. “No deliveries today.” Jeremy said, “We just need to pick some things up.”
The three men walked to the warehouse and began unstacking some pelican cases in the back, checking ID tags on each case.
“Here we go,” Shane said, unsnapping the latches on a case. Inside was a Blaser R93 LRS2 .300 Winchester Magnum rifle. Closing the case back up, Jeremy led Shane over to where ammo was stacked, and they picked out a case of marked 300 WINMAG ammo and placed everything on a handcart and wheeled it out of the warehouse.
“That all you need?” Andy asked.
“That’s it,” Jeremy replied.
Andy locked the warehouse back up, set the alarm, walked them back to the plane, and watched as they loaded the two cases inside. He released the plane and shoved it away from the dock, as Jeremy started the engine, and watched the plane as they set up and took off.
Andy went back to the wood pile and continued splitting kindling.
Dan opened the case and began filling the can rack. He had to open another case to finish filling the rack and saved the last can back. Taking down two cans of dehydrated cheese and a can of butter, Dan took them back upstairs, put water on to boil and opened the cans. He was making macaroni and cheese with ham chunks for dinner. Checking his watch, he saw he could have it finished by the time Holly got back.
Andy woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon. After doing his business in the master bathroom, he threw on some casual clothes. He went downstairs to see Crystal in the kitchen dressed only in one of his long-sleeved shirts.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she smiled as she handed him a cup of coffee. "Breakfast is about finished."
"You're going to spoil me, you know that?" Andy asked before giving her a kiss.
"Isn't that the idea?" she responded. Andy smiled at that. She returned and brought two plates with eggs, bacon, and toast. She handed him one and set the other down in front of her.
"This is delicious," Andy said after taking a bite of the eggs.
"Thank you," Crystal said. "Kinda hard to screw up an egg, though."
"Maybe," Andy said. "Or maybe it's the fact that you cooked it when you didn't have to."
“Oh yes I did!” Crystal said. “After last night we both needed to rebuild our energy!”
Andy’s ears reddened as he took a sip of coffee.
Jim dropped the last baffle in, followed by the spring, and screwed the end cap on. Getting out the Glock 19, he screwed the suppressor on, he turned on the decibel meter in its rack next to the sand filled drum, and loaded a magazine. Firing three shots slowly, he checked the decibels and was satisfied. Unscrewing the suppressor, he wrapped the suppressor in paper, taped it up, and placed it in the box with the others. He needed to cut more housing blanks, went over to the bandsaw and got another tube off the rack, set the length measurement, and lowered the saw, allowing it to cut through the tube using its own weight. He filled the oil cup and watched the cutting for a second. He needed six .308 suppressors and six .338 Lapua magnum suppressors. Going to a shelf, he began laying out the parts he would need and went to reset the bandsaw for the next tube. While the next tube was being cut, he threaded the first tube and caps. Once he had all the blanks cut, Jim peeled off the latex gloves and threw them in the trash. It was getting close to supper time.
The two men got out of the truck, locked the doors, and went around to the rear to check the seal. Going into the truck stop, they grabbed a booth. They ordered coffee when the waitress brought them menus and glasses of water. Un-noticed, the waitress slipped a tiny pill into each mug before filling them. Settling on the Swiss steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, the two men discussed the delivery while waiting on their meal. They had another 300 miles to travel, and it would be a pain in the ass to go through all the security measures once they arrived. They really hated deliveries like this. When they finished their dinner, they returned to the truck, checked the seal on the cargo doors, and got into the truck. They were both overcome with fatigue and 15 minutes later, two men walked up to the truck and moved the drivers into the sleeper bunks. No one paid any particular attention as the truck rolled out of the parking lot and got onto the interstate.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 4, 2023 13:19:58 GMT -6
You are doing fine a keeping the Moor hounds fed. Thanks
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Post by feralferret on Nov 5, 2023 2:01:09 GMT -6
Ncsfsgm, thank you.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Nov 13, 2023 15:27:49 GMT -6
Chapter 41
Dan laid out his and Holly’s emergency vests, checked the size of the pockets, then went through his boxes of “nice to have” things he had accumulated over the years and dug out a couple of emergency thermal blankets, and shoved one down flat into the pocket. He estimated he could fit five in the pocket, so he ordered twenty from Amazon. He also had a couple of Mylar lined ponchos, so he added one to each vest. In another pocket he added an LED head flashlight with a battery storage box that contained four spare batteries for the light. Four red chemlights were added to another pocket. He left the other pockets empty for now until he studied it a little more and stored the vests in the Tuff Boxes, then put them in the vehicles. He would get Holly aside later and go over everything.
The latest tremor’s epicenter was located southeast of Charleston, Missouri. An observer said the waters of the lake were almost whipped to a foam by the still standing trees above water and the river and lake banks were collapsing . There was no consensus on why they had earthquakes in that area. There were no continental plates meeting there. Some said they were caused by the east-west compression of the North American Plate, some said a thin mantle in the area, but the one that made most sense to Mike was crustal rebound. As the climate warmed about 12,000 years ago, the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated, the pressure upon the crust abated, and the crust began to rebound. The crust where the ice sheet once was and for hundreds of miles away had been slowly rebounding ever since. It was just another thing you had to contend with that nature threw at you, sometimes often.
The downside, some say the upside, of the quake was the lengthening and widening of what is now known as Lake Cairo. To the consternation of the governor of Illinois, Cairo was being relocated and rebuilt four kilometers along I-57 southwest of its last location, and renamed New Cairo, because Missouri already had a town named Cairo. A demolition company came in to destroy the structures still protruding above and just under the water because of their danger to navigation.
There was a general consensus (at least among the women) that they weren’t canning enough sweet corn, so John agreed to plant a field on his land. The corn was good, but they just were not coming out even by the next harvest. Everyone liked corn whether frozen on the cob, cold packed, or creamed. So, they tilled a field to plant six long rows and space to grow lima beans and okra. The field got nicknamed the “Succotash field”, because that was what the field was supplying some of the ingredients for, except for onions, garlic, bell peppers and tomatoes. Those were grown in the greenhouses.
The Succotash was so well liked at the church dinners, and they had been asked so many times for the recipe, Angel had printed the recipe out on 5x8 cards and handed them out when asked. When a pinch of Hickory smoke powder was added, you could almost envision a pot of succotash cooking over an open fire.
Once the field was plowed and manure spread, Paul and Eduardo did a timber cruise and selected trees to gird for next winter. Any misshaped trees were girded and some that were browning last summer had been marked for girding. They found no instances of bark beetle nor walnut beetles in the grove of black walnut trees. The forest up to the Ozark St. Francis National Forest was pretty clean but once they got to the boundary, they could see diseased and damaged trees within the national forest area. Paul would have to coordinate with the local forest ranger to get permission to harvest the wood with a permit.
Andy walked into Annie’s to get some lunch and took a seat in a booth. The waitress took his order and Andy began browsing through his phone while waiting. Archer came in, saw Andy, and went and sat down with him and ordered a cup of coffee.
“It’s about time you came out of hibernation.” Archer said, grinning.
“What?! I’ve been out plenty of times,” And said.
Archer studied Andy, as Andy watched Crystal scurry around at one task or another.
“Why haven’t you two tied the knot yet?”
“I don’t need the drama. Statistically, the odds aren’t good enough.” Andy said. “Look, 50 percent of all marriages end up in divorce. In a divorce, the odds are of the wife getting everything, while the ex-husband gets the shaft. He loses his kids, their home, and has to pay child support until the kids are 18. Not to mention the mortgage on the house he doesn't live in. The wife often has cheated and gets to bring her boyfriend or boyfriends in the house where the kids live. The minute a man has a child with a woman, his life is in her hands. And no matter what she does, the legal system is on her side. To me, the odds are against the husband getting an even break. I know enough about the legal system to know that fairness and justice often don't enter into final decisions. It would be cheaper to kill the cheating slut. Carefully planned, people can disappear easily.”
“That’s a hard and terribly sad mindset,” Archer said.
Andy shrugged. “It is what it is. I could come around. I am fond of her, you know.” Citizens were beginning to realize activist judges were playing havoc with the judicial system. The ONLY activist judges that should be on the bench were constitutional activists. As it was, judges could make a bad call and the man-on-the-street could go into debt for thousands of dollars taking a case to the appeals court. By the time the appeals court could overrule, you might get a fair ruling, but be as poor as a church mouse, only to have a similar case come up, ruining someone else. Something needed to be done. The politicians didn’t have the guts to impeach the judges.
Jim added two clicks of elevation and one of windage and the boresighting was done. He would work with Harley the next day to get the rifle fully zeroed. Harley had picked out the Leupold VX-3i scope to mount on his Marlin 336. He should be able to zero the rifle at 200 yards with no problem. Going over the supplies he was taking to the range the next day, Jim restocked some things and added some new items that had come in that week. He opened a new box of sponge ear plugs into the dispenser he’d hang on the outside of the trailer the next day. Katie and Shaylynn were folding clothing to be displayed in their tent and placing them in boxes. Shaylynn stocked the cashbox with change and added a new receipt booklet. Katie opened a box of Women's Canvas Safari Hats to add to their display.
Bob Dennison stood and watched the firers the next morning and was pleased. They always had a lot of people come out on Saturdays to just to shoot for fun or competition. He was surprised at the number of elderly ladies that had taken up shooting for pleasure. Instead of card parties they now were holding shooting parties and discussing the merits of one pistol or another. Bob had to give Jim Collingwood credit for getting a lot of people into shooting. His expertise in guns had made more people relax and he would fit them with a gun that they could easily handle. He had even gotten the local optometrist to carry shooting glasses with prescription inserts. Saturdays at the range had become almost like reunions for friends to enjoy the day. The 3-gun ranges were almost completed, and then they should see an uptick of attendance if for nothing more than observing the expertise of the shooters. IPSA matches started at 2:00 PM and there were always observers for those. Also, they were marking off areas on a new part of the range complex for Cowboy Action and Single Action shooting matches people had been asking for. He asked the Range Master to train more judges and safety officers. There was enough money coming in to pay them all their salaries.
Bob went over to the concession stand to talk to Crystal about possibly getting a concession trailer to handle the Cowboy action areas on the complex so the spectators and participants wouldn’t have to walk all the way back to the concession building.
When Crystal told Archer what Bob had requested, he went to Little Rock and was having a custom concession trailer built to Crystal’s specifications, arranged for an advertising skin for the trailer with “Annie’s on the Road.” They discussed possibly extending to catering for special events. The future was opening up.
The leadership of the FBI had gone completely political to the left side, from apolitical to the STASI of America. They were now targeting ordinary citizens who voiced their displeasure over the political corruption instead of focusing on the child-smuggling sex rings and child-smuggling labor rings. Organized crime was infesting the cities with mass shoplifting incidents that are out of control. The Chicoms had yet to have most of their illegal police stations shut down, and Chinese and other foreign spies were being caught left and right, suggesting there's a lot of that stuff going on, what with nobody having to pass a background check anymore before getting into the military and the rest of the government. Then there was Antifa and its violent activities. There is political corruption up the wazoo in Congress and in the federal workforce with inside trading alone. And don’t forget the fentanyl rings that are taking hundreds of thousands of lives, as well as making social media sites censor, and a federal building in San Francisco housing the FBI office declared a no-go zone. The target list was building.
College students were caught up in the whole groupthink of entitlement and with an ineffectual education in history and civics were just too young, too naïve, and self-centered to think of the consequences of their actions. The drain was swirling.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 13, 2023 16:18:01 GMT -6
Swirling in a left handed direction for sure. Thanks for the update.
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Post by feralferret on Nov 14, 2023 2:37:06 GMT -6
Thanks for the new chapter.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Dec 2, 2023 22:20:51 GMT -6
Chapter 42
Jim finally found the right time to ask Shaylynn to marry him, she accepted the offer and they decided on an early summer wedding. Shaylynn didn’t want a big wedding and certainly didn’t want any publicity, which suited Jim just fine.
During range Saturdays, Jim had been noting the different weapons people were shooting and began buying and storing spare parts. The older weapons he usually obtained parts for were those that would wear out in time, like springs, extractors, and firing pins. There were a lot of AR15s, so he began ordering parts for the upper and lower groups for the ARs along with common sense accessories. Jim didn’t stock flashy or gimmicky accessories but those that might help the firer put lead on target. He had every type of sight on the market up to, and including thermal sights, and had even started keeping a couple of night vision sights on hand. His constant best seller lately had been gun cleaning supplies. Most of the shooters began using CLP® Cleaner, Lubricant & Preservative so he kept cases of it on hand in various sized containers. Jim had at various times given weapons cleaning classes, and he had been seeing better maintained guns at the ranges.
Slowly, but surely, between Andy and Jim, they were able to transfer updated weapons and ammo to local militia cells and get them trained. Patriot Security Task Force, Region VI, wasn’t anti-American, but they'd been forced into preparatory action by ineffectual executive, justice, and legislative systems that couldn't, or wouldn’t, protect them. Jeremy was getting them equipped with tactical gear and whatever equipment they were ready for. Jeremy was now stockpiling AT4s, SPG9s, and FGM-148 antitank missiles for distribution. Since they had no place to safely practice with them, Jeremy was searching for simulators for the militia members to get practice in.
Most of the time, the Wappapello area residents were just trying to get by day-by-day. Everyone was putting in their own gardens or growing vegetables in containers, at a minimum. Several greenhouses of varying sizes were seen being constructed throughout the community. They made sure their neighbors had enough to sustain their families and cemented the community’s relationships.
Jeremy got word from higher that a big press was coming and to prepare for collateral activities.
This was summing up to be a second Civil War.
The first action that took place was just after the exposé about who was actually running Washington. The reporter was blackballed, and no publication would hire her. She moved to the internet to publish her continuing series, and more and more ISPs blocked her stories as disinformation. She finally got a site that eagerly hosted her and had a mirrored site in the dark web. Her revelations were being fed by insiders in Washington that felt uneasy about how things were done in government. Security firms were having a hard time protecting their customers from harm if they were knee deep in the Establishment. Meetings were being disrupted because of changes in travel schedules that, for some, were being disrupted with anti-tank weapons being used on their conveyances. No one was safe from the just retribution inflicted on them. Even the President and Vice President weren’t immune from false radar locks on their helicopters when traveling. At least a half-dozen times the helicopters were forced to take evasive action when flying in and out of Washington. Not only were the political elite being targeted, but in Philadelphia, a meeting of pharmaceutical giants was disrupted when a drone flew into the 17th floor conference room window and exploded, giving access to a second drone that flew through and released tear gas and a dense purple smoke that deeply stained everything it touched, especially skin. Several resignations were tendered after that action. Many industrial/government collaborators refused to meet any more, expecting to be outed and destroyed also. There were so many resignations in Congress, that true lovers of the Constitution were gradually taking power, and were able to begin several investigations and were hinting of impeachments. One of the newsman had a epiphany and realized it was politicians that voted against established constitutional principles who were being targeted. Capitol police weren’t even able to provide protection to the guilty. Care was taken and constitutional conservatives were given protection by the Patriot Movement to blaze the trail for them. Any hint of retribution was quickly squashed by means that made the Establishment and their collaborators back off if they valued their lives, and in most cases, the wealth they had gained while in office or government positions.
On the other side of the country, the cartels and coyotes were becoming leery of crossing the border during their human trafficking and drug operations, sometimes not getting within sight of the border and the snipers that were waiting for them. It was a given fact that if they stepped foot on American soil, they wouldn’t leave alive, and doubts of their compatriots even bothering to bring the bodies back. There was no guarantee that if you crossed the border you would come back. Even scouts who were sent out to recon for snipers weren’t making it back. Drones with loudspeakers were on station to tell the drug mules to stack their packs and go back across the river under the threat of death. The policy of immediate death for those who deal in drugs, no matter how small the distributor, was sweeping the nation despite the pleas of those who cried out against the policy. Many of the influential (read rich) were finding family members being admitted to special clinics when the drug supplies began drying up.
Holly started the propane stove, set her cast iron griddle on the burners to get hot, added a little bacon grease to the surface, and while it was getting hot, she mixed the batter, and added the right amount of water to the egg mix, and let it sit to rehydrate. When the griddle was smoking hot, she added a small ladle full of pancake batter on one side of the griddle, then did it again on the other. The griddle was just big enough to make 2 pancakes at a time, which was okay for them, they didn’t eat that many anyway. In a smaller cast iron pan, she heated some butter, added the egg mixture, and seasoned it well. As the eggs started to set and cook, she scrambled the mixture. Minutes later, breakfast was ready. Dan came in and set the table, and they had pancakes with real maple syrup and scrambled eggs for breakfast, and a pot of coffee they had staying hot on the stove.
“I was planning on stroganoff tonight. Is that okay?” Holly asked Dan.
“It’s fine with me. I need to go down to Poplar Bluff today. Do you want to ride with me?” Dan said.
“Yes, I’d like to go to Walmart, okay?” Holly asked.
“Sure, anywhere you want to go.” Dan replied.
As they headed down Missouri “T” Holly asked, “What is going to happen when things blow up?”
Dan glanced over at Holly. “Well, there will be no law enforcement or fire departments to call for help, and I doubt there’s even enough competent military in much shape to help. We’re on our own, and if we can’t defend ourselves, we die. It’s not going to take much to push this country over the cliff into a cesspool that will be hard to swim out of.”
“Gee, nice to see you’re such an optimist.” Holly said.
“You asked, I was just being realistic.” A stone-faced Dan said. “I know what can happen when normal society’s restraints break down.”
Andy watched as the HU-16C circled the lake and set up to land. Jeremy sat in the #2 seat and helped get the plane ready to land. He’d bought the restored Coast Guard rescue plane and spent a lot of money upgrading the avionics to prepare it for their requirements. They needed something a little larger for cargo operations and the Albatross was perfect for what they needed. All they needed was a large lake to land on to stay away from the airports. Jeremy and the pilot carefully maneuvered the 63-foot aircraft and aligned it to the dock.
Dan got his cases of filters, oil, and fuel stabilizer, and was at the service of Holly for the rest of the day. She had persuaded him to take the box trailer with them and she was determined to fill it up. She had her agenda and he silently let her follow it. Cases of feminine hygiene products, canned meats, other hygiene and paper products soon filled the trailer.
“What’s on your mind?” Dan asked Holly.
“I’m taking into account some things I’ve been reading in your “Save” folder on the computer. You need to come up with more ideas on storage space. Shipping will shut down completely if things are going to get as bad as some have predicted. I see the danger in what can happen, and I want to help make things as easy as I can for our family’s future. I want to have children and want to prepare for as good of a future as I can.” Holly said. “If things don’t get so bad, at least we won’t have to shop very much when it all blows over.”
“Is that the reason for all the baby products?” Dan asked. “Are you planning to get pregnant?”
Holly smiled. “Not yet, but there can be slip-ups while we practice.”
During the trip home, Dan was thinking. He could get shipping containers, but they were not strong enough to be buried. He would have to reinforce the sides and tops to do that. Perhaps place the containers in groups of four, place concrete blocks to reinforce the sides, and use 4” I-beams on top and cover it with sheet metal before burying them.
Asher inspected the refrigerated rooms he had added to the restaurants. They now had enough space to hold supplies to maintain the restaurant for 30 days if they didn’t get any deliveries. Crystal was now ordering supplies to fill them. Asher went back to the office where Crystal was working and asked her if there was anything he could do.
“No, I’m good. I just finished talking to Benny about getting 500 pounds of pulled pork for Brunswick stew and have got everything else on order. We’ll be set by the end of the week.” Crystal replied.
“Good. Let me know of any problems.” Asher said. Asher left the restaurant and headed to Jim’s to pick up his pistol. Jim was going over the pistol to try and figure out why Asher was getting frequent stovepipes.
The driveway alarm sounded, and Jim peeked out, then opened the shop door.
“Hey Ash! Come on in.”
“Did you figure out what was going on with my pistol?” Asher asked.
“Yep, primarily with the magazines. I’ve got you three more still in the packages, but I disassembled the gun and went over everything, even replacing the extractor spring and polishing the ramp.” Jim said. “I shot three mags through it and no stovepipes. I recommend firing +P ammo when you carry, and you shouldn’t have any problems.”
“Thanks Jim” Asher said, paying the invoice.
Jim reached into a drawer and took out two boxes of reloads. “Here are some of my hand loads that will work for you. I loaded the as +P with HST bullets.” I’m going to start selling them at the range as “Custom Self-Defense Rounds.”
“Thanks Jim. I appreciate your help,” Asher said.
“Anytime.” Jim replied.
“Oh, by the way, what do you recommend me getting Crystal to keep at the cash register for crime deterrent?” Asher asked.
“If she could handle it, a Taurus Judge Public Defender with a 2.5-inch barrel.” Jim grinned. “I can have one out at the range Saturday if you want to let her test it out.” “Do that. I’ll have her there,” Asher replied.
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Post by gipsy on Dec 2, 2023 22:39:50 GMT -6
Fine update. Thanks
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Post by feralferret on Dec 3, 2023 1:16:07 GMT -6
Ncsfsgm, looks like things are beginning to come to a head.
Thank you for the new chapter.
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Post by imahic on Dec 3, 2023 21:46:03 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. Your stories have a present day feel to them.
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Post by eyeseetwo on Dec 11, 2023 23:34:31 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Dec 19, 2023 8:27:13 GMT -6
Chapter 43
Andy sat and ate his apple pie and watched the other customers. There was one that especially irked Andy. He was putting the moves on Crystal. He desperately wanted to gut the man like a fish right then. However, Crystal did to seem to be avoiding his advances with the skills of a wily woman. Crystal had been very attentive to Andy as of late and he was thinking he needed to step up his game. With Holly and Crystal’s mother’s help, he was able to get Crystal’s ring size and made a trip to Jayson Jewelers In Cape Girardeau. The next morning, Crystal showed up at the restaurant wearing a 2-caret rock.
Crystal did try out the Taurus Judge and in the following days, other people who worked the cash register went to the range and fired the gun also. When everyone was confident using the pistol, it was kept in a special nook under the counter within hand’s reach. Crystal at times even carried a Walther PPS M2 LE at the center of her back, depending on how she was feeling. At certain times of the month the gun irritated her.
The next month brought about an occasion for Crystal to have to use the Taurus. One morning, right after their 0600-0900 breakfast run Crystal was thinning out the register drawer of some of the big bills when a young man, somewhere in his 20s, walked in and said, “Okay, let me have it.” drawing a pistol out of his belt. Upon hearing the click of the hammer being pulled back as Crystal drew the pistol from under the counter, the man’s faced morphed from one of irritation and gruffness to one similar to the one in the painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. The #6 shot from the .410 shell smashed into the young man’s sternum, driving the staggering man against the wall next to the entrance door, the shot was quickly followed by a 350 grain .45 Colt JHP round. Shelley, one of the waitresses shakily called 911, while Crystal called Andy and then Asher.
A Deputy Sheriff was soon there, followed by a State Patrol officer and two more deputies. Asher had been on the way to the restaurant, so he was there 30 seconds before Andy. Asher pulled up the security video and watched what had transpired through the lenses of three different cameras. Andy walked Crystal down to the marina and back.
Once the crime scene investigators were finished, initial interviews from a supportive clientele conducted, the body removed, and evidence gathered, law enforcement left and Asher told Crystal to close the restaurant for the rest of the day. The rest was up to the DA and a Grand Jury. Andy and Asher cleaned up the blood off the wall and the floor. Crystal came in behind them and sprayed and wiped with disinfectant until Asher made her stop. Andy took Crystal home and cuddled with her the rest of the night.
Andy returned to the restaurant the next morning with Crystal. Asher had gotten there first and drank coffee with Andy while Crystal and the crew got ready for the day. A reporter from the Daily American Republic stopped by to interview Crystal and Asher. Later in the morning a news crew from FOX 2 news out of St. Louis came for interviews. The liberal interviewer was shut down when she asked a man what he thought about Crystal taking the steps to be judge, jury, and executioner.
“Well ma’am,” the customer replied. “That’s bordering on the hypothetical. Can you tell us what would have happened to the customers in here if he had fired the gun while waving it around? Can you tell your viewers how many people would have been killed or wounded? No you can’t! Just like we can’t tell you how many lives Crystal saved. But we appreciate what she did and will stick by her side on this.”
FDNY races to rescue New Yorkers trapped in dark ELEVATORS as the Big Apple and New Jersey is plunged into chaos by sudden mass power outage sparked by 'explosion' at Con Edison plant.
Jim stopped by the restaurant later that morning and gave Crystal a box of .410 shells with #6 steel shot. “I didn’t want anyone raise the specter of lead shot around food.”
Crystal laughed and replaced the three shotshells in the pistol.
Jim Collingwood had almost more customers than he could handle, a few of them a couple of counties away. Many brought their guns in for the first time and all they needed was a good cleaning. Katie began helping her uncle and soon mastered disassembly and assembly of many different guns. The first thing Jim would do was disassemble and clean the guns that had sat in closets for years before running them through their function checks. Katie took over the cleaning of the guns, dissembling them and running the parts through the ultrasonic cleaner. When she had finished cleaning and oiling the guns, Jim would put them through their paces. Jim was amazed at the number of Hammer shotguns that were brought to him. And even though they were functional, he would only use lower powered loads them. Without an x-ray, he couldn’t be sure the chambers and barrels were strong enough to handle modern loads. Later, Jim was able to find a handheld x-ray gun that would allow him to x-ray the guns and look for potential problems. He talked a few of the owners into trading up to more modern versions of home defense shotguns, citing the danger of family members using the wrong shells and either injuring or killing the user. This sometimes led to Jim also providing a PTR-91 (U.S. made copy of the H&K G-3 combat rifle) that Andy provided him with the ammo, which brought more people on the range on Saturdays to try out their guns. Some of the PTR users also bought good scopes and QD mounts from Jim to use for deer hunting. If anyone showed up at the range with their PTR, Andy helped them zero it or gave them shooting tips.
Jim began seeing a few M1917 Enfields and M1903 Springfields all in 30.06 being pulled out of attics, so he began ordering bulk quantities of 30.06 ammo and asked Andy to see what he could come up with, which Andy passed on to Jeremy. Jim doubted there was a home in the Wappapello area that didn’t have some sort of gun.
Wayne County, Missouri, named after General “Mad Anthony” Wayne, could be the most heavily armed county within the state.
Shaylynn was back and forth to meetings in Greenville, coordinating the county effort for National Wreaths Across America Day on December 16th. Cemeteries and veterans buried in those cemeteries were identified so they could get a count of how many wreaths would be needed. Volunteer truckers were identified who would deliver the wreaths to the volunteers that would be staged at the cemeteries. A county-wide effort was in progress for people to sponsor wreaths for the veterans who sacrificed for their country. Annie’s Restaurant was sponsoring 250 wreaths, Jim sponsored 50 wreaths, and Shaylynn and Katie were taking sponsorships from people at the range on Saturdays.
Criminals were keeping clear of many areas of Wayne County. Like many animals that shy away from shiny things, Wappapello had become shiny due to the coverage by news organizations about the will of the people to stand up against criminals. This brought in more visitors who wanted to rest at the lake in peace. In other counties in the state, home invasions became frequent. Wayne County had the highest number of CCW permit holders, per capita, in the state.
These statistics also caused Islamo-fascists to stay away from that part of southeast Missouri. Although they were not reluctant to become martyrs for Allah, they didn’t feel it was glorious to be shot down by pig farmers, even if in their martyrdom they would be awarded with the metaphorical 72 virgins. One national news story showed the pig-lovers coating their bullets with pig fat. The FBI had caught several terrorists around the larger cities at first because of heightened security. Fortunately, also some illegal migrants with criminal backgrounds were caught and deported due to citizens informing the police about suspicious people. To a lot of people, middle-eastern people look just like Latinos. Nevertheless, the terrorists were spreading out more into the more rural areas. A lot of Citizen’s Security Committees were formed to guard their places of worship and businesses.
Holly pulled the Kurierwagen into the yard and parked it under the car shelter. They were going to have BLTs that night and she had run to the Food-Rite to get lettuce. Dan was cleaning planting beds in the greenhouse, preparing them for planting fall crops. Holly put the lettuce in the refrigerator, got a harvest basket and went out to the plum trees. The plums were ripening and she wanted to make jelly to dry some. She ended up picking three baskets full, about half of a bushel, before she quit, and there was still more to be picked. Esther, Holly’s mother, wanted to can some plum jelly also, so she would get the bulk of them. Dan was still hard at work, so she began cutting the plums up and removing the seeds. The seeds were saved and dried, to be planted later this fall. She and Dan would plant them along the driveway out to the main road. If they sprouted, Dan would cut the trees, to be used for firewood, away from around the seedlings to allow more sunlight to them. In a few years they could sell the plums at the farmer’s market. They probably would have enough to sell this year, especially if they were dried. Dried plums were popular around Thanksgiving for making sauces and pies. Holly would also can pints of plum sauce. It was delicious with duck and crispy pork loin or for marinating roasting chicken.
Dan came in from the greenhouse, scooped up the bean can full of seeds and took them out to the wellhouse. He spread the seeds out on top of the barely slanted roof to dry. Holly took the pot of plum slices, mashed them up with a potato masher, added a little water and put the pot on the stove to boil.
“What are you planning to plant?” Holly asked when Dan came back in.
“Brussels sprouts, cabbages, white onions and some mustard.” Dan replied.
“Can you watch the pot? I want to run these extra plums over to Momma.”
“Sure, no problem.” Dan replied.
Dan carried the basket out to the VW and placed it in the back seat, securing it with the seat belt.
He went back inside, saw steam seeping around the pot lid and turned the heat down to medium-low. Every few minutes Dan gave the plums a stir to make sure they weren’t scorching, and by the time Holly got back they were done. Holly sat the pot to the side to cool and got out the food mill and a pot to catch the juice in. Dan turned the handle on the mill while Holly ladled the fruit into the mill. When he placed the last of the plums into the mill, she got out another pot and cheesecloth and Dan poured the pot that caught the fruit juice from the mill, straining the juice. That was Dan’s extent of knowledge of making jelly. Holly tasted the juice and added pectin and sugar, placing the pot back on the burner to boil and kept stirring. Holly told Dan to get the canner ready so he put water into it and turned on the heat beneath the pot.
“Place a thermometer in the water and bring it to 180 degrees and get the jelly jars out of the pantry and heat them up in the water.” Holly directed.
When they had finished, they had 12 pints of plum jelly sitting on the counter to cool. Using a grease pencil, Holly marked the lids with the date.
“How much jelly are you going to put up?” Dan asked.
“Probably around 20 to 30 pints. Of course, most of it I’ll give away.” Holly replied, sitting down at the computer. She printed up a sheet of jar labels and affixed them to the jars.
“These need to sit and cool to room temperature tonight. I’ll place these in the basement tomorrow.” Holly said.
“I think the apples will be ready to pick next week. I’ll make some apple jelly and sauce, but most of them we need to dry.” Holly said.
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Post by gipsy on Dec 19, 2023 10:45:46 GMT -6
Nice bounty for sure. Thanks for the update. I fail to understand how a good guy with a gun is bad,but a bad guy with a gun isn't. A sure sign things are mixed up in some peoples brains.
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