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Post by feralferret on Mar 7, 2024 21:48:28 GMT -6
Iamnobody, thank you!
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Post by techsar on Mar 7, 2024 22:46:51 GMT -6
Just have to say, as a woman in that age range who doesn't match that description, if you think the women are bad you should see the men in that range! I have decided I'll stick with my rescue dobies, not worth navigating the available cesspool. God is good and can't imagine he is not coming soon, I'll wait for him! The older I get, the easier it is to understand why the Grinch lived alone with his dog!
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Post by iamnobody on Mar 8, 2024 14:51:27 GMT -6
Jim was talking with Li, asking how his ex wife could be so nonchalant about her adultery. Li opened his bible and read to him. Proverbs 30:20 KJV Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. Li said that yes, what she had did hurt him and it was wrong but King Solomon had written about the same thing in the bible over 2,000 years ago. It has been going on ever since man was created by God.
Jim also talked with Li about how he felt that God was prompting him to move to somewhere remote to continue his life. Li said that Karen committing adultery, God could be using that to break Jim's ties with this area and get him to move. That Jim should be praying and fasting to see if it is God's will for him to move.
Jim started looking online for country homes for him to move to. He has spent months looking, talking to real estate agents, even visiting places but to no avail. It seemed like he was hitting a brick wall no matter which way he turned. He was complaining to Li about his failure to find a place. He kept praying that God would open the door to the place he liked. Li looked at Jim and said that it sounded like he was trying to bend God's will to the place that Jim wanted and not seeking where God wanted him to go. Jim started to protest but then realized it was true. He wasn't trying to listen to God, he was trying to get God to give him what he wanted. He asked God for forgiveness and to show him where God wanted him to be.
Jim had been looking at homes that were out of the city but still were within 10 miles of a city. To Jim, having grown up in a big city, 10 miles away was “remote.” When he gave up his will and started embracing God's will then he started making progress. He was sitting in a diner eating when he heard a man and woman talking at the next table. He wasn't trying to eavesdrop nor were they speaking loudly but to Jim it seemed like they were talking directly into his ear. It was a brother and sister and they were talking about their great grand dad dying and leaving them an inheritance of a worthless piece of land way back in the Appalachia. It was 50 acres with a rundown shack, no water, no sewer, no electric and a poor road. It was of no monetary or sentimental value to them. They hoped the real estate agent could soon sell it for at least a little bit of money for them to split. Jim asked them about the real estate agent, saying he might know someone that would be interested. They gave him a business card for the agent.
As soon as Jim left the diner, he called the phone number of the real estate agent and set up a meeting to see the place. Jim made it for several days away because it was several States away from the big city. He needed time to travel there and get a room. Finally he was there. He told the agent he would follow in his car. The agent looked at the car and then laughed, saying Jim better ride with him in his 4x4 pickup truck. They drove for over 1 hour on the main road, then on a secondary road for another 30 miles, then onto a dirt road that gradually narrowed down to almost a 1 lane road full of ruts and potholes. The agent pulled up to a locked rusty gate, got out and fumbled with the lock until it opened. Back in the truck, the agent drove another 5 miles on a road track that was overgrown with weeds. Finally they came to an open field containing a shack that was leaning.
Getting out, Jim could hear and then see a creek flowing along a field that was about 30 acres in size. The agent was saying how it was basically an undeveloped piece of ground. No home, no septic, no electric or phone and it was 50 acres in size with 30 of it in this overgrown field that would need brush hogged to make it usable. It was surrounded on all 4 sides by State forest with a deeded right away via the lane. Jim was standing awestruck as he watched a large ray of sunshine break through, bathing the whole property in a bright beam, with a rainbow in the background arching over the property. The agent stressed that Jim would need to find his own financing because none of the bankers the agent knew, would lend any money on it. Jim asked the price - $60,000. Jim looked at the agent and then said “$45,000 – CASH. Payable via a certified cashier check by tomorrow.” The agent stuttered and said he would call the owners when they got back to town with cell phone service.
3 days later Jim was the owner of the property. He had heard the call the agent made to the owners. He heard the loud squeal of excitement over a cash price payable right away and they would soon split the money. He started researching types of houses to build and what else would need done. Reading the PAW fiction stories gave him more and better ideas than any fashion magazines for homes. He talked Li into going to see the place, Jim having a rental 4x4 truck until he could buy a used one. On the way he told Li how when he was looking at the place, a ray of sunshine bathed the place in bright light and a rainbow arched over it in the background.
Getting there Jim and Li got out and walked around exploring. They saw it was a decent size year round stream flowing along the field. Digging in the field, to their eyes the soil looked good, not too many rocks. Using the surveyor plat that came with the paperwork, they walked the property boundaries, finding the corner markers. They saw many critters scampering away as they walked. Checking out the 12x16 shack, it was definitely leaning. Prying the door open, without going in, they saw a makeshift bed with old blankets on it, some old clothes and some pots in the kitchen. Li said the shack reminded him of home. Jim looked at him in surprise and Li assured him a lot of poor people lived in shacks like that.
Evening was closing in on them and they broke out the bag of hamburgers they had bought before coming out there. Finishing off 2 burgers each they rolled out their sleeping bags in the back of the truck. They didn't think of buying sleeping pads for under the bags, so it was an uncomfortable night of sleep on the channels in the truck bed. Sometime early in the morning they were awakened by animal noises. Flipping on a flashlight, the beam revealed a raccoon rummaging in the leftover burger bag on the ground, attracted by the smell. Laughing, they went back to sleep. Again they heard a noise and flipping on the flashlight again, thinking of another raccoon. Instead it revealed a very large black bear that promptly stood up on its hind legs and woofed at them. Jim and Li both thought the bear looked to be 20 feet tall and weigh at least 2,000 pounds. They both screamed, the bear woofed again, then dropped to all fours and slowly walked away. Jim almost dirtied his underwear and both of them spent the rest of the night trying to sleep upright inside the truck.
In the morning they sheepishly looked at each other then broke out laughing. Li said the bear was on Jim's property, he should of evicted it. They both laughed. Jim said he had a lot of learning and work to do. He asked Li if he wanted to move out here with him. Li said he felt no prodding to leave where he was. He would continue his street preaching ministry unless God showed him otherwise. Jim agreed. Back in the city, Jim continued helping Li while he spent time learning what he would need in the country. There was a lot to learn.
The main thing he learned was not to let people know that you were preparing and what you were doing. He knew he wouldn't be able to build his own house, he didn't have the skills. He drew up some basic plans of what he wanted. He found a construction company from several States away that would work with him and draw up blueprints. They would handle everything, from digging the hole for a basement, build the house, install a septic system and dig a water well. The company promised completion within 8 months depending on the weather, maybe sooner.
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Mar 8, 2024 16:28:15 GMT -6
Thank you
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Post by gipsy on Mar 8, 2024 17:03:25 GMT -6
And now the race against time begins. Hope he gets finished in time. Thanks
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Post by feralferret on Mar 8, 2024 17:17:15 GMT -6
Iamnobody, thanks!
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Post by iamnobody on Mar 11, 2024 10:43:06 GMT -6
7 months, 7 days and 7 hours later, the construction boss handed the keys to Jim's new place. Jim had been around as the place was being built but now it was finished and they would be leaving. He spent his first official night in his home. He sat on the porch watching the tapestry of the night stars unfold across the sky. He felt so small and insignificant under the masterpiece God had made with the stars. He knelt and praised the Name of the LORD for all his blessings. He spent his first night in his home in a sleeping bag on the floor. This time there were no bears woofing at him.
Jim had spent the waiting time in learning the skills that would be needed out here in the boonies. The first thing he learned was he needed to be a homesteader. Storing food and supplies was okay for short term but for long term survival a person needed to be able to produce what was needed. He was watching how-to videos for hours a day about being a homesteader and being self sufficient. A couple of times a week, he was out with Li and his ministry. A person could have lots of preps but not know Jesus, and that person would still be in a world of trouble when they died.
Jim had an older John Deere tractor and implements lined up for his farm. The construction crew had made a quick barn and equipment shed before they were done. He got up the next morning, after thanking God for the day, he fired up the tractor with the brush hog attachment. He started slowly as he was getting the hang of it but at the end of 3 days the 30 acre field was cleaned up. It wasn't as easy as it had looked in the videos.
Over the next few months he gets a chicken coop built by himself. Standing back, looking at it, he knows it won't win any awards but he has the satisfaction of knowing he did it himself. He plowed fields and planted cover crops to grow and then plow under to help fertilize the fields. They would decompose over the fall and winter, being ready to grow crops next spring.
He had invited his parents and a few friends to visit his new place. It was the same across the board – no way were they traveling out to some hick place where those inbred uneducated hillbillies lived. They didn't want to be taken hostage by them and never seen again. Jim laughed at that. The only one that visited was Li, Jim promised there would be no sleeping in the truck to avoid bears this time. Li was impressed with the house and Jim's plans for the farm. Jim said he was slowly learning what was needed for a country life. He had an assortment of baby egg laying chicks ordered and they should be arriving at the post office next week. He had 4 females of 12 different breeds coming. Li asked if he would be able to eat all the eggs they would be laying. Jim told him he was thinking about setting up at a farm market to sell anything extra he had.
Slowly Jim was meeting some of his neighbors. They were a little leery of the city slicker that moved into the area. They weren't sure he was going to stay or bring the city ways out to their backyard. But they were slowly starting to warm up to him as he asked for their advice on how to do things instead of doing things the “city way.” He got their opinion on what crops grew good in the area, when to plant them and how to grow them. He wanted pigs to raise. They suggested what type did well there, named a guy that sold the feeder pigs and another man that did the butchering and made hams and bacon. By the end of 2 years after he moved in, Jim had chickens for eggs and meat, raised 3 hogs a year, had a milk cow and a beef. He was studying what was needed to build a pond for fish, he was building some Layens bee hives for honey bees. They were long deep insulated hives for honeybees. The research he had done was showing that the Layens hive was protecting the bees through the winter better than a standard hive. He had 5 hives already made and had caught 4 wild bee swarms too.
Jim had paid for an electric line to be installed out to his place. It wasn't cheap. He had satellite service for his phone and internet. He even decided to try some online dating services. He signed up for a famous site and paid the membership fees for one that was advertised for “country” people. He talked with about 12 women over 6 months. 11 of them liked the thought of having a country home to sleep in but when they found out the nearest mall was a 3 hour drive, they were no longer interested in him. 1 woman was into horses, he saw picture after picture of her riding and training horses. After talking with her for 6 weeks via email and on the phone, she sent him a link for a video of her. Jim clicked the link and he could see it was a video of her. It wasn't about riding horses though, it was a video about instructional lessons on “her anatomy.” He hurriedly closed the link but not before getting an eyeful and earful as she was saying another man's name in the “instructional” video. She called later in the day asking if he saw and liked the video of her. Jim told her that it wasn't what he was expecting and asked her who “Mike” was. It turned out she had sent him the wrong video but it showed him she wasn't what he was looking for.
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Post by iamnobody on Mar 11, 2024 10:47:06 GMT -6
The woman from a dating site actually happened to me. I talked with her for weeks and she was into training horses, etc. She sent me a video and I had thought it would be about her riding the horses. But it was an up close instruction of her personal anatomy. Now if I would of been married to her, it would of been great, but I wasn't and therefore shouldn't be looking at such things.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 11, 2024 13:43:00 GMT -6
Never got one of those, but being married for 51 years might be the key.
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Post by ydderf on Mar 11, 2024 18:17:44 GMT -6
Nice to see Jim is out of the city
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Post by feralferret on Mar 11, 2024 20:51:48 GMT -6
Thank you, iamnobody.
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Post by iamnobody on Mar 15, 2024 15:05:40 GMT -6
Jim set up for his first time at the farm market on a Saturday morning. It was back in the town where he first met with the real estate agent, it was a 90 minute trip. He had bought a 4x4 Dodge Ram 1500 with a full 8 feet bed. He had milked his cow early, loaded the truck with the produce he had ready and put a crock-pot full of soup made with home grown vegetables and beef. He would be able to keep it hot by using an inverter that plugs into the truck's cigarette lighter. He arrived at the market and was set up by 7AM. He had his Thermos full of hot tea to help keep him awake for the long day. Once he was done at the market, he would still have to drive home for 90 minutes, then milk the cow before he could think about bedtime.
It was a slow start, the city people were late sleepers and slowly showed up starting around 10AM. Jim was doing a steady business, he wouldn't get rich from it but he was already a multi millionaire. His crock-pot full of soup was heating and he thought the wonderful aroma it was putting out was helping his sales. Li had showed up to visit when he had heard Jim would be setting up a stand at the farm market. They were catching up with the news. Li told him that his ex wife Karen and her preacher had set up a new church called The Church of the Enlightened Ones. He was now the Priest and she was now the Priestess. He was now in the process of publishing the “new bible” he had wrote. The new bible had all the old sins as being good and the old good was now evil. They were developing a big following. Li said goodbye and headed back to the big city.
Besides the produce he had set out, he also had several KJV bibles set out for anyone that wanted a copy. He got his copies from Bearing Precious Seed located in Ohio. He bought them by the case, they were called “pew bibles” but who needed fancy bibles. He just wanted to spread the word of God.
In between customers, he was “people watching.” He was watching them go about their lives, focused on their iPhone in their hands. He watched a man walking around the market. He was over 6 feet tall and had muscles bulging all over his body. The women were all looking at him and trying to get his attention. Jim knew that man wouldn't have a problem getting a woman. Then he saw a small man run up to the man and wrapped his arms around the man as the muscled man bent down and kissed him. Jim was watching the women walk around. Fully 1/3 of them were in a lesbian relationship with the woman with them. He saw an attractive woman and there would be a mannish woman with her, men's clothing, mannerisms and very short hair. Hating men but trying to look like men. Jim thought of the bible verses ( Romans 1:26 – 27 KJV For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. ) Jim thought there was no doubt that the US was Sodom and Gomorrah 2.0
Towards the end of the day, Jim saw a young woman walking around, approaching different vendors. He thought maybe she was trying to sell something. Then she approached Jim. He guessed her age to be mid 20 and black hair down onto her back. He could see she was of Mexican descent. She asked if there was any work she could do in exchange for food. He could hear her stomach growl in hunger as the smell of his soup embraced her. Jim said he would give her a bowl of soup and no work involved. She said no, she wanted to work for the food. Jim looked at her for a minute, then said if she cleaned up the pieces of garbage in front of his stand, she could have the soup. The woman quickly collected the garbage laying on the ground. Jim ladled a bowl of soup for her. She took it over to an older woman sitting at a wooden table set up for customers. She gave it to the older woman to eat.
Jim got the woman's attention and waved her over. He asked her why she gave the soup to the older woman and didn't eat it herself. She said the woman was her “abuela” or grandmother. Jim told her that if she helped pack up his remaining produce, he would give her the rest of the soup. She agreed, helping repack the produce and only then accepting the soup. Jim gave her extra disposable bowls and spoons, saying she could return his crock-pot the next Saturday. She promised she would.
Arriving home, he quickly unloaded what little produce was left, milked the cow, ate a quick bite of food for supper and went to bed.
Jim spent the week tending to chores around the farm and on the internet researching and reading. There was so much to learn. Farming wasn't as easy as a lot of people seemed to think, that all you had to do was throw a handful of seeds on the ground and stand out of the way as the seeds sprouted and had produce ready to harvest within hours. Saturday came and he was again set up at the farm market. Sales were steady all day, his supply of produce was dwindling. City people were paying a premium price for “baby” potatoes and carrots. In the afternoon he saw the woman and her abuela coming towards him. She held out his thoroughly washed and cleaned crock-pot. She thanked him as he put the crock-pot in the truck.
A little while later, she quietly approached him and pointed out a man and boy wandering the market. She told him they were scammers. The boy would attract the vendor's attention while the man stole the money. Jim watched and sure enough that is what happened. He alerted the market security. He thanked the woman and found out her name was Ana. He told her all he had this week was the fixings for sandwiches. Homemade bread, sliced ham, lettuce and onion. She said if he had some work for her, she would gladly accept a sandwich as payment. Again he had Ana pick up the garbage and help straighten up his produce display. At the end of the day, he left her the rest of the sandwich fixings, some produce and a container of mint tea.
On the way home he saw a store that he had missed seeing before, a gun / military surplus store. Jim turned the truck into the parking lot. He walked into the store not knowing what to expect. He had never been in a gun store before and never owned a gun nor even shot one. All he knew is what he had read on the survival / prepper sites. There was only one other customer and several employees. Jim walked around looking at everything. In a couple of minutes a woman employee approached him saying she saw him looking, is there something she could help him with.
Looking at her, he saw a woman probably in her mid 30's and she had a pistol in a shoulder holster. To say he was surprised was an understatement. She seemed as comfortable wearing the pistol as she would wearing her purse. Recovering, he said that he had never been inside a gun store before. He lived way out in the country and was looking for something for hunting and for self defense. She asked if he wanted new or used guns, him saying it didn't matter as long as the guns worked.
She led him over to a rack holding a bunch of used guns. She unlocked the chain securing the guns and picked up one of several that looked alike. He recognized it as an AR15. Removing the magazine, she then cycled the action, checking to be sure it was unloaded. The clerk handed the rifle to him, saying that they had got these in from a man that had went through a divorce and had to sell them off for money to settle with the ex wife. She explained that these had full size 20 inch barrels and the full stock, not the short 16 inch barrels and collapsible stocks that most people wanted. Each one had a 1-3x scope mounted on it and there were 6 of the AR15s. If he wanted one of them, he could have his pick of them but to remember they weren't the popular rifle setup most people wanted. She could give him a decent price because of it, they had been on the rack for months and the store owner wanted to move them.
Jim had read enough on the sites to know that in his opinion the 20 inch barrels were better for handling the bullets. He found out they had been sold with 100 magazines. He recognized the brand of the rifles and knew they were “top of the line” rifles. Jim asked the price, the woman named the price. Jim asked how much for all 6 of them including the 100 magazines. The woman clerk said she would have to ask the owner because that was above her job allowance. She came back shortly and said that if he took all 6, it would be $50 less each rifle but there would be no returning them, the owner didn't want them back. He also bought a box of 5.56 FMJ ammo. Jim paid with his credit card and hid the rifles in among the leftover produce. Back home after milking the cow, he researched more on the AR15.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 15, 2024 16:06:01 GMT -6
He is learning well
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Post by feralferret on Mar 15, 2024 18:42:31 GMT -6
Yeah, but shouldn't have used a credit card.
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Post by ydderf on Mar 16, 2024 23:43:40 GMT -6
Thanks an interesting chapter
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Post by iamnobody on Mar 17, 2024 16:22:18 GMT -6
Jim got up in the morning, milked the cow and fed the livestock and then set up a target to try his AR15. He put a 2ft x 2ft target up at 25 yards. He had never shot a gun so wanted to take no chances of missing the target. He thought that even he could hit a big target at that range. He checked to make sure the rifle was empty, then placed the safety on. He then loaded 1 round of ammo into the magazine, he put on hearing protection and safety glasses. Inserting the magazine, he pulled the charging handle back and let go, loading the rifle. He shouldered the rifle and leaned into it just as he had seen in the videos. Jim turned the safety off, settled the optic on the center of the target, let his breath ½ way out and squeezed the trigger. He was surprised when there was no recoil and more surprised when a hole appeared in the center of the target.
This time he loaded 3 rounds in the magazine and tried again, placing 3 more holes in the center. He moved the target out to 50 yards and shot 6 more rounds, all near the center. The target was moved to 100 yards and he put 10 rounds into the magazine. He fired 7 of them slowly, seeing holes appear on the target, then rapid fired the last 3 rounds. No matter how many times he looked in the ammo box, it was empty. Walking out to the target, he saw 20 rounds all grouped in a 10 inch area. He was happy with his first try at shooting. He would have to get some more ammo on his next trip to the farm market.
He skipped the next trip to the farm market, it was raining cats and dogs. He didn't need the money to trudge out in the rain and stand around in it all day to sell some produce. So he spent the time on the prepper forums. He joined the pawfiction proboards to be able to message the writers and ask questions about details in their stories. The writers were very cooperative in answering his questions about things they wrote about. Jim saw that a lot of truth could be written into a story very easily and it wasn't like sitting listening to a boring lecture. He did miss not getting to stop at the gun store to get more ammo. Shooting was a lot of fun.
The next Saturday was dawning with clear skies. He did his chores, loaded the truck, made it to the farm market and set up by 7:30AM. Again customers were steady and sales brisk. He was hoping Ana and her abuela would show up, as he could use Ana's help manning the produce stand. She finally showed up at 1PM but was alone. She came straight to Jim's stand and asked if she could work for money this time instead of food. Her abuela was sick and needed medicine. He asked her what happened. The rain last week had caused her to get sick, Ana had been working small jobs during the week to buy over the counter medicine to help her. She had worked a small job in the morning but needed more money so she was asking him for more work.
Jim told her to help him pack up and he wanted to go see her abuela. Loaded up with her riding with him, she directed him where to go. He was expecting some run down apartment but they ended up under a bridge. Inside a makeshift shelter, abuela was laying on some blankets. When she saw Jim, she slowly sat up amid a coughing spell. He saw her bloodshot eyes and when he felt her forehead, it was hot from a fever. Jim said that abuela needed medical care from a doctor, Ana's eyes widened in fear, saying they couldn't, they were illegals. Jim pulled out his phone and stated searching on it. Soon he told Ana to help him get abuela into the truck. Soon Jim was following the GPS directions to a public clinic.
Arriving he carried her abuela into the clinic and straight up to the nearest doctor. In a firm tone he told the doctor that this woman needed treated right away. The doctor took 1 look and ordered a gurney for her and into an examine room. Shortly he was out and told them abuela had pneumonia and needed antibiotics. Jim said he would pay for them. The doctor wrote a prescription for her and they left. Stopping at a pharmacy, Jim paid for the antibiotics over Ana's protest. Then he headed to a decent motel and paid for a room for them for 2 weeks. He also gave her money for food and supplies. Ana told him she would work and pay him back. He had also bought her a cheap disposable phone to keep in contact if they needed anything. Before he left, he prayed for them, asking God's healing for abuela and provisions they needed. Ana and abuela thanked him.
On his way home, he almost missed the turn off for the gun store. Inside, the woman clerk seen him, waved and came over to him. Jim told her he was out of ammo and needed some more, the 20 round box didn't last long. She laughed and said follow her. She handed him an ammo can that contained 240 rounds of 5.56 ammo in 12 boxes. She told him that would last him a little longer than 1 box. He told her that he liked the rifle and was glad she directed him to it. The woman again laughed and told him to ask for her anytime he came in, she would help him out. He told her that he was thinking of some other guns – a deer rifle for 100 yard shots, a shotgun, a 22LR rifle and a handgun. She said she could help him when he was ready.
He made it home, milked the cow, fed the chickens and pigs. Then he opened the ammo can and started loading AR magazines. When done he had a stack of 8 loaded magazines. He inserted 1 into his AR15 without loading a round into the rifle and set it back on the rack. Sitting there looking at his rifles and magazines, he thought he was starting to be a prepper. It gave him a good feeling.
In the middle of the week he called Ana to see how her abuela was doing. She told him she could see an improvement and was thanking him profusely, that she would be helping him Saturday if he picked her up. He said for her to stay there and take care of her abuela and not worry about it. He did his chores all week. This farm life was more hours and days than the old warehouse job, but he felt more relaxed and satisfaction of doing a chore. At the farm market, his sales were brisk and by early afternoon he was completely sold out, not even a tomato left at his stand. Before leaving, he called Ana to see how things were and if they needed anything. Finding out they were okay, he headed out of town.
Of course he stopped at the gun / survival store. Inside was busy and he waited til the woman clerk was free. She smiled as she walked up, asking how he was. He told her great, matching her smile in return. He said he wanted a larger amount of ammo, what was available. Telling him to follow her, she led the way to a stack of ammo in the center of the store. She said it was IMI (Israel) 5.56 ammo in 55 grain FMJ. It had sealant on the primer and case neck, making it waterproof. It came in 1,000 round cases. They had just got the shipment in and it was good stuff. Jim recognized the name from his reading on the internet, it was always good reviews. He asked how much a case, $530 each or 3 cases for $1,500. Jim told her he would take 3 cases of it and 1 box to try it in his rifle. The woman got a hand cart and loaded it on the cart.
Then she told him she had a shotgun to show him. Leading the way to the used gun rack, she unlocked the chain and picked up a shotgun. She checked to make sure it was unloaded, then handed it to Jim. As Jim was looking at it, she said it was a Mossberg 590A1. Made by Mossberg, it was in 12G and would hold 7 rounds of ammo. It was mil-spec construction, heavy wall barrel and a metal trigger guard. It had a parkerized finish, drilled and tapped receiver for a scope, dual extractors, twin action bars and a top mounted safety. She said this was a used gun but she also had a brand new one on the other rack. Pointing at a wall with no one in the way, he shouldered the shotgun several times. It came up nicely and felt natural to him.
He said he would take the used and new one if she knocked off $20 each and threw in 2 boxes of buckshot. She smiled and said she could do that and started getting everything ready. Again he paid with his card. Online there were debates about using a card verses paying cash so as to stay anonymous. It would go back and forth. Jim tended to believe it no longer mattered. A guy had pointed out that nowadays with the AI computers and store cameras, as soon as an UPC bar code was scanned and sent over the internet, cameras took facial pics and were processed. If a person bought 1 item in a store and paid cash, then went to another store, bought the same item with cash, the AI computers compiled his dossier and was building his files via the bar codes and facial recognition. Paying cash and just buying 1 or 2 items at a time no longer worked. The AI tracking system was way more advanced than the general public knew.
The woman clerk pushed the cart to the loading dock and helped Jim load his purchases. Pulling out, Jim could see her waving goodbye in his rear view mirror.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 17, 2024 17:41:26 GMT -6
The plan is coming together. Thanks.
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Post by rep1270 on Mar 17, 2024 20:52:15 GMT -6
Thank you. Ralph
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Post by ydderf on Mar 18, 2024 14:10:49 GMT -6
Two potential mates Jim best make a wise choice. Thanks for the update
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Post by bluefox2 on Mar 18, 2024 19:35:51 GMT -6
Two potential mates Jim best make a wise choice. Thanks for the update Strong suspicion here that Jim would be better off with Ana and Abuela.
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Post by steamroller on Mar 18, 2024 21:03:03 GMT -6
Great story, thanks for sharing.
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Post by iamnobody on Mar 19, 2024 9:45:47 GMT -6
Making it home earlier because of selling out of all his produce, after tending to chores, he got out his pump action Mossberg 590A1 shotgun. He brought up an instruction youtube video on it. After watching it Jim took the shotgun outside. He set up the target at 25 yards, put on his safety glasses and hearing protection. It was a 5 pack of buckshot so he loaded the 5 rounds into the gun. The woman clerk had given him Winchester 12G 2 ¾ inch 16 pellet #1 buckshot. He worked the pump and chambered a round. Sighting on the center of the target, he squeezed a round off. He saw all 16 pellets spread in an eight inch pattern. He was impressed. The #1 pellet was a .30 caliber. Jim was very happy with the shotgun and would be getting more of the buckshot.
He collected the eggs, he was getting an average of 40 eggs a day from the 48 chickens he had. They sold quickly at the farm market. His 3 pigs would be ready by November to be butchered. He would use the local man to do it and have the hams and bacon preserved. Jim called Ana on Wednesday and talked with her. She said her abuela was well. Jim told her he would pick them up Saturday since it was the last day of the motel room rental. He would swing by early before he set up at the market and would drop them wherever they wanted. Late Thursday night he was awakened by the ruckus of his chickens squawking. Wearing just his boxer shorts, he slipped on his slippers, grabbed an AR15 and a flashlight, he went outside. In the beam of the flashlight he saw 2 coyotes digging alongside the chicken coop. He quickly worked the charging handle on the AR15, chambering a round. By now the coyotes were up to full speed as they ran away. Jim shot at them but had no idea of how far off he missed them as they ran into the woods. He realized he should have had a round chambered before he checked things out. He needed a dog to help protect the livestock.
Friday he called the animal shelters in the city near the farm market to find a dog. All of them asked him why he wanted a dog and where would it be housed. He told them it was for protecting his livestock and would mostly sleep outside in the barn. 9 of the 10 refused him saying that is cruel. The last one said he could have one but it would cost him $1,000 to “adopt” one. Jim said no thanks.
Saturday he was up early to do chores. The cow looked at him like he was crazy for asking her to give milk that early. He placed a quart of fresh milk in a cooler to take along to the market as part of his lunch along with soup in the crock-pot again. His truck was loaded and he pulled out. Arriving at the motel at 7AM, he found Ana and her abuela ready and waiting. They hopped in and he was surprised when Ana gave him some money. She said it was what was leftover from the money he had given her for food and supplies. There was still $50 left. Pocketing the money, he asked where they wanted to go. She said the market with him, she would be doing work for him to pay her debt. He told her she had no debt with him, he was doing a Christian deed helping out people in need. She insisted though.
With Ana's help, he set up at the market. He had abuela resting in the truck and told her she could keep watch in case they missed a customer. Ana was a big help, keeping the customers helped and the stand tidied up. During a lull in business, Jim asked why they were living under a bridge and illegal. Ana looked at her abuela who nodded and said “El es un buen hombre.” meaning he was a good man. Taking a deep breath, Ana told him they had been brought into the country on the basis of being offered a housekeeping job at a big house. It was owned by a man who turned out to be wanting Ana to share his bed and abuela doing the housework. Ana kept refusing the man and the man was getting more insistent, saying she would never get her green card if she didn't and he would have them deported. So they ran away one day when he was at work. They had ended up here in this smaller city living in makeshift shelters and her doing day jobs for money and food.
At lunchtime he asked abuela to dish up the food and they were very happy to see fresh raw milk. They said that they had come from a rural area and were used to such food and missed it. As the market day was winding down, Ana asked Jim what his story was. Who was she? Because she had seen over the days that women had been trying to catch his attention wearing skin tight or revealing clothing while batting their eyes at him but he ignored them all. Tensing up he looked at her then relaxed. He told her he had been married once, now he was divorced. He had a good job and she was a stay at home wife. She always wanted more money and fancier things. He saw bad times coming and was trying to store a small amount of food for safety. She didn't like it. When police raided his home because of a wrong address, she had yelled he had a gun and was holding her hostage. He nearly died because of the police brutality from that. Then a few days later he had come home to find her in bed with her preacher. Then she had sex with his boss and had him fired. During the divorce he had lost everything except for the clothes he was wearing and an old car. Then he had moved out here to the rural mountain to be alone. Ana was going to place a hand on his arm but he had a faraway look, so she didn't. Abuela had been listening and came over and stood in front of him. She told him that his ex wife was a nasty woman and God had a better life for him. Abuela told him where they used to live, everyone always tried to have some food put away in case the crops were bad or the weather was nasty. And they knew about cops abusing their power, they had seen it all the time where they came from.
At the end of the market day, Jim paid them for their help. Ana tried insisting she had a debt to pay him. He told her there was no debt and he wanted them to help out next week. He asked where he could take them but they said they would find a place and see him next Saturday.
Of course he had to stop on the way home at the gun store. Entering, the woman employee saw him and came over to him, asking how he liked his last purchase. He noticed that she hadn't said what it was since other customers were nearby. Jim told her they were great but he needed some things. He asked about some type of vest to hold the AR magazines and she led him to the surplus area. She showed him several types of setups to carry the magazines. He picked out a chest type and then said he would need a cart again. Going to the IMI 5.56 ammo, he placed 3 more cases of it on the cart. Then he asked about the Winchester #1 buckshot by the case. The woman told him she would have to order full cases in for him, most people wanted the 00 buckshot. Jim told her to order 5 cases for him, did they need a deposit. She responded that he was a good customer so they could forgo a deposit.
Then he asked her about rifles for 100 yard shots in the brush. Again it wouldn't matter if it was new or used, just as long as it wasn't a hyper velocity magnum. He didn't want anything like that, just something that would get the job done on a deer at close range. The area he lived in was a lot of brush and shots would be close. She thought a minute, then took him over to the new gun rack. Unlocking the chain, she pulled out a rifle. She checked it to make sure it was unloaded and handed it to him. It was a Savage Axis II bolt action rifle in .308 Winchester caliber with a 22 inch barrel. It had an adjustable AccuTrigger with a detachable box magazine that held 4 rounds. It was drilled and tapped for mounting a scope. It was a synthetic stock and the barrel was button rifled. The woman clerk said he wouldn't need an expensive scope on it for what he was wanting it for. She suggested a Tasco 3-9x 40mm with Weaver mounts and rings. She also suggested a sling for it.
Jim asked if the store could mount the scope. She said they could and it would take about 30 minutes to mount the scope and bore sight it so it should be close to being on target when he fired it. They got started on the job and Jim asked about ammo for it. She showed him several brands, ranging from the low end to premium ammo. He saw a brand PPU – Prvi Partizan, made in Serbia. It was 150 grain hunting bullets which would be fine for any critter up to 200 pounds. He took 2 boxes of it and added it to the pile of things he was buying. Then he was on his way home. Looking on youtube he quickly found the Axis II rifle and watched several videos on it. It had a lot of good reviews. He also researched the PPU ammo and it had good reviews too, plenty good enough for deer hunting or larger 2 legged varmints if necessary.
He waited to the next day to try the rifle. The woman clerk had suggested he aim over a sturdy table to make sure his scope was good. His 25 yard target showed the bullet impact ½ inch low and good side to side. The 100 yard target showed the bullet right on and ½ inch to the right. He shot 2 more rounds and they were still grouping a little to the right. He made the adjustment to the scope and shot 1 more round, seeing it was now in the center. He did a quick cleaning of the rifle and set it on his gun rack. He had AR15s, he had shotguns and now a deer rifle. From his reading, he figured he still needed a 22LR and handguns.
His crops were still producing good and he would have lots for the farm market. Li had already called him and said he would be meeting up with Jim there to catch up. Jim was looking forward to seeing his friend. Saturday arrived and he was at the farm market by 7AM and was setting up when Ana and abuela had arrived and were helping him. At 10 AM Li arrived and came over to Jim's stand. He was surprised to see 2 women helping him. Jim introduced Li to them and they started talking. Li then was telling him that the big city was really getting bad, that to him he could feel a dark feeling settling over it. Li said that Jim's ex wife and the preacher's church and teaching were really gaining a large following. They were openly saying that Lucifer is god along with his wife Gaia and the ex and preacher were claiming to be the priest and priestess representing Lucifer and Gaia. Jim was shocked to hear such blasphemy and then he saw both Ana and abuela standing still in shock. Abuela said “Dios tenga piedad de nosotros” meaning God have mercy on us.
Everyone had some lunch and then Li said he had to head back to the big city. He told Jim that even fewer people wanted to hear the Gospel of Christ and that he was only seeing maybe 1 person a month accept Jesus as their Saviour. But he would keep preaching, saving 1 soul made it all worth it. While no one was looking, Jim pressed a large wad of cash into Li's hands as he had done every time in the past. They prayed for Li 's safety.
At the end of the day, he was sold out again. He paid Ana and abuela and told them he would see them next week. He stopped on the way home at the gun store to pick up the buckshot he had ordered. Inside he looked around, looking for the woman clerk who always waited on him but didn't see her. He thought maybe she was sick or something. He asked another male employee where she was. The clerk said her mom had become seriously sick, she had quit her job and headed back west to take care of her. The clerk said he could help him. Jim said he had buckshot ordered and was here to pick it up. The clerk said it was in the back and would get a cart to bring it out. Jim told him to bring it over to the IMI ammo, he also wanted some of that. Also he wanted some cases of the PPU .308 ammo. By the time he left the store, he had the 5 cases of Winchester #1 buckshot, 3 more cases of the IMI 5.56 ammo and 2 cases of PPU 150 grain ammo. The clerk told Jim to ask for him next time, he would be glad to help him with his needs.
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Post by NCWEBNUT on Mar 19, 2024 10:05:38 GMT -6
If I was Jim I be figuring out a way to have Ana and her mother housed on site, if for no other reason than to have someone to help around the farm, and maybe companionship of likeminded people.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 19, 2024 11:59:31 GMT -6
Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks for the update.
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Post by iamnobody on Mar 21, 2024 9:46:04 GMT -6
Jim was doing more chores and researching. Knowledge AND EXPERIENCE in doing those things increased a person's odds of making it through rough times. He was looking around at the SO MANY projects he wanted to do, it was a lot for one person. He was thinking that he needed someone to help him but who could he trust to be with him. He ended up not even having a trustworthy wife before and the people he was seeing and hearing of, they weren't someone he wanted with him in the troubled future that he saw. Li would be a good person but the LORD had him in a different calling and was preaching the Gospel of Christ. He would start praying for God to bring the right person to help him.
He wanted a pond put in to be able to raise fish to eat, maybe an acre in size. Jim was thinking he could grow catfish because they were good eating. He called another out of State construction company and was having them come to build a pond. The company told him it wouldn't take long to build one that size for him and it should be able to be filled by next Spring with rains and snow melt off. It was a small company and the workers stayed in a travel camper they brought along. In 10 days they had it done. Right now it just looked like a hole in the ground but he knew in time it would be a pond.
He knew he needed a way to preserve food for future use. From his research he was looking at a freeze dryer for now when electricity was available for him to use. The food would last 25-30 years if stored properly, he planned on storing it in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. For when the electricity was no longer available, he would use glass canning jars. He would also need the pressure canners and water bath canners to do it. Jim placed some online orders for what he needed. He went with 3 commercial grade Harvest Right freeze dryers. He ordered 2 All American pressure canners because they did not require any gaskets to keep replacing. The orders should arrive at the company in the city he used to receive online orders since UPS didn't deliver out to his area.
Jim saw on the internet about how companies were “laying off” their citizen workers and then hiring “asylum seekers” at lower wages. It was found out that the US government had a program called Work Opportunity Tax Credit that gave the companies an almost $10,000 tax incentive for every “asylum seeker” they hired. He saw that the food warehouse he used to work for had also started this too. Most of their normal work force had been laid off and was being replaced with the illegals. The warehouse employed 1,000 workers, so 1,000 x $10,000 = $10,000,000 a year in savings from just that alone. Then they were only paying the illegals ½ of the wages and offering assistance on the court days for the illegals hearings on their cases. He could see how this was going to destroy the US.
Saturday he was set up at the farm market, he knew there would be maybe another 4 weeks of markets before the weather would be turning cooler and crops would be dying off and the farm market would be done for the year. Ana and abuela showed up shortly after he arrived and helped him set up. Business picked up as the city customers slowly got out of bed and came to the market. During a lull in customers, Ana told him that with the colder weather that would soon be coming, they would soon be slowly moving south to be warmer as soon as the farm market was done in a few weeks.
Jim sat there mulling that over. He had been thinking that he needed help and had been praying for someone to help. He knew Ana and abuela were good workers but would they be open to living at his place and the fact that it was way out in the boonies. Sometimes during the winter cold and snow, he didn't leave his place for weeks. Plus they had ran away from a situation like that before he met them. Would they think he was like that guy. Jim told Ana that he wanted to talk with her and abuela when they were done for the day.
He was sold out by 2PM, a lot earlier than normally. Everything put away in his truck, he drove with them a little bit away from the market to a little park. They got out and sat at a table. They were looking at him as he was collecting his thoughts. Then he started. He told them about living way out away from any town and he needed help doing all the things he wanted to do. He would give them “room and board” plus $300 cash each every week. They would be free to leave any time they wanted. He warned them the neighbors were few and far in-between. He told them his place wasn't fancy but kept him warm and dry. He told them they already knew he was what is known as a prepper, preparing for bad times. He stressed that he expected them not to tell anyone about anything he was doing. He asked them to think about it and give him an answer in the next couple of weeks. He would understand if they chose not to come with him. He had already paid them for their work and asked if he could drop them off somewhere. They said they were fine here.
Jim stopped at the gun store on his way home. The man from last week saw him and walked over to help him. Jim asked about 22LRs, what did they have. The employee said they didn't have any used ones right now but would show him the new ones. He pulled a new rifle off the rack, checked it to make sure it was unloaded, then handed it to Jim. It was a Savage Mark II F, bolt action, open sights, 21 inch barrel and a 10 round detachable magazine. It had the AccuTrigger and was able to have a scope mounted. Jim liked the feel of it.
Then the clerk showed him a Ruger 10/22. A semi automatic with open sights and 10 round detachable magazine. It was also capable of taking an aftermarket 30 round magazine. The clerk pulled out a 30 round magazine and inserted it into the rifle. The clerk couldn't remember how many 10/22s he had sold by showing the long magazine in the rifle. It was working with Jim too. He told the clerk he would take both rifles and wanted Tasco 3-9x 40mm scopes on each one. He wanted 10 extra magazines for the Savage bolt action and 10 of the 30 round magazines for the Ruger. He had read enough reviews on 22LR ammo that he knew what he wanted. He asked the clerk for 10 cases of 2,000 rounds of CCI 40 grain target ammo and 10 cases of 2,000 rounds of Winchester 40 grain Hollow Point Hyper Velocity. The clerk told him no problem. Jim told him that while he was mounting the scopes, he would also get another 5 cases of IMI 5.56 ammo. The clerk was very happy with his sales commission off the sale.
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