Post by papaof2 on Oct 8, 2019 12:10:32 GMT -6
Chapter 6
Sunday, 3 Aug, 5:20AM
"You too, Jack?"
"Can't sleep, Jesse. Spent a couple hours making paper notes about what we might need in an SHTF event and how we might acquire those things. Even the rails for mounting the solar panels are sometimes a special order item unless you're at a big home center. Slept maybe three hours and woke from an unpleasant dream and I don't see any reason to try to go back to sleep now. Maybe a nap in the afternoon?"
"Sounds good. You think Smithville Hardware might know a source of those rails?"
"Wouldn't hurt to ask. I'm sure they've been involved in the design and building of many things out here. I'll add that to my paper list and call when they're open. On the bright side, the LP, gasoline and diesel tanks are all full…"
"That's very good."
"I also found a 1000 gallon potable water tank under that pile of tarps in the root cellar when I was tracing where the pitcher pump by the kitchen sink draws from - there's even a float arrangement to turn off the well pump when that tank's full so you can just let the pump run until the tank is filled. Might not be a bad idea to flush that tank with bleach and then fill it so we'll have a hand-powered source of water."
"We can put up the solar panels you brought?"
"We could put those on the roof but better to see if we can get the additional rails so we're only up on the roof once."
"I'm all for doing things once and correctly."
---
"Carl, since you're also up early, grab both the griddles and we can start on pancakes for all. The oven's at 150 so we can keep the pancakes hot and moist in the covered casserole dishes."
"Better than stewing about the reports on foxnews.com."
"Which are?"
"Some of the liberal Dems are talking about martial law to 'keep the armed citizens from killing the immigrants'. There are at least rumors that this infection came out of Mexico so anyone named 'Pedro' or 'Jesus' had best keep a low profile. That probably means those that are infected will NOT go the ER until they're so bad someone has to carry them in. By then, then entire family could be infected and the first patient in the group may not survive. The available treatments also seem only marginally effective. Like the bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant, this 'flu' appears to be Tamiflu-resistant. Not many other treatment options that are available in large quantities."
"Carl, are you saying that if it's more than a mild case, they'll isolate the patient and wait for it to burn out?"
"Not that they're using those words, Jack, but that is the consensus of the comments from doctors, hospital management, mayors and governors."
"Which states?"
"My paper list, with initial infection dates and the trends in number of patients by day and the number of 'very sick' each day."
"Here's a printout of the three-day national weather history. If we write in the dates and numbers on each state…"
"It is tracking that storm system that moved up from Mexico! We have masks?"
"N95 and P95 masks and nitrile gloves are in my trailer. I'll go…"
"Jack, no one outside alone with Mark's whereabouts unknown. I'm with you."
"OK, Jesse."
---
"Good morning, sweet girl."
"Good morning, Daddy. We're going to church today?"
"Maybe. There are some things we need to talk about and we can do that while we eat."
"I can help?"
"You can help eat the pancakes Carl cooked for everyone. He was awake very early and looking for something to do so I had him cook."
"I get to help next time?"
"Yes. Up, potty, wash hands and to the table."
"Not feeding the chickens or getting dressed?"
"Feeding the chickens and collecting eggs will be something done with a bodyguard until Mark is located. Not dressed until after you've finished sticky pancakes and maybe I've turned the hose on you."
"I'll try to do better this time."
---
"Daddy, this mask feels funny."
"Maybe because you've never worn one before?"
"Maybe."
"Plan on wearing it any time you are outside for several weeks."
"Do I hafta?"
"We all 'hafta'. Here are some pictures of the people who are the sickest…"
"Yuck! Are they zombies?"
"No zombies, just a new 'flu' that can also cause some deterioration of your skin and hair. I don't think you want to catch whatever left them looking like that."
"No way!"
"Then mask and gloves because you don't want to touch anything a sick person touched."
"The gloves are kinda big."
"Those are the smallest I could find. They won't work well for eating peanuts but I think you'll be fine going to church today."
"We're going?"
"Yes. I put out a dress for you, with princess underwear and socks that match the dress. And your white shoes."
"Do I hafta?"
"This time. I want to enjoy having my pretty girl all dressed up for a little while."
"You'll braid my hair? With a ribbon at the bottom?"
"How else would a pretty girl in this dress wear her hair?"
"Yes!"
---
"Where does Lisa's gun go, Jack?"
"In her purse, Sarah. The purse has a shoulder strap and she can wear it cross-body so it doesn't fall off her shoulder when she's not being a princess and just being her usual seven-year-old-tomboy self - but in a dress."
"You chose well for her."
"Thank you, but I do have a bit of experience."
---
"Jack, the three of us - Carl, Sarah and I - will be here until you return. Jesse is your bodyguard. Willie will be at church with Sharon if anything happens there. When will Harry get here?"
"Luigi, he said he'd text when they got to the Welcome Center and I could add the hours for driving a 24 foot box truck that's towing a Suburban, plus time for lunch, to get his arrival time. Since I haven't heard from him yet, probably no earlier than 6PM."
"He's armed?"
"Always and probably a 12 gauge in the truck."
"Any keywords?"
"He'll phone if he has coverage. Otherwise, he'll radio for 'Jack' when he's in range. Using 'chariot' in his ID means things are clear and the response for all clear here includes 'junk man'. Using 'ice wagon' means there is a problem and 'How many pounds?' is the number of people times 25."
"A hundred for four people, Daddy?"
"My smart girl does know her times tables."
"I like it when you tell me I'm smart and not just a useless…"
"Never useless! Always my favorite Lisa!"
"I love you too, Daddy."
"Park him behind the barn?"
"Ask where the solar stuff is in the truck. If it's near the door, park the truck at the barn and we'll unload that. If their furniture is near the door, park at the house and we'll unload their things first."
"Will do."
---
"Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 10:25. I'm sure you're all familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. In the story, the injured man would not have survived had it not been for the help rendered by the last of multiple passers-by. But what if, instead of multiple people or groups of people, there had been only one? Would the ending of the story have been different? Yesterday, the first person - more correctly the first group - to hear Tyler Atkins' accident was also the one that cared for him so the first ones there did not pass him by. They did not have to ask 'Who is my neighbor?' because they lived the moral of that story. Doc Brown told me that their immediate action prevented further injury and that they gave comfort to Tyler. Thank you, new neighbors, and we're glad to have you in church with us today."
---
"Daddy, I think my hand is gonna fall off and my dress is all wrinkled! All the men wanted to shake my hand and all the women wanted to hug me. Did I get the lipstick off where all of Tyler's aunts kissed me?"
"There's still a little here and here. We probably need soap and water but maybe I can get some of it with a handkerchief."
"OK. Why's it such a big deal that I held Tyler's hand while you and Mister Willie lifted the bike off him and I helped you tie the stuff on the splint? Doesn't everybody do that?"
"Jack, may I answer that?"
"Go ahead, Reverend Keifer."
"Lisa, being a loving and caring person is who you are but not all people are like that. Considering how badly you've been treated in the past, people are surprised that the 'loving and caring' part of you survived because that part doesn't always survive bad treatment. Sometimes it changes people to be like the people who hurt them."
"I'm just being me."
"You are a very strong person that your 'me' is still who she is. I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Thank you. You too."
---
beep!beep!
"Text from Harry."
[At the Alabama Welcome Center. You've driven this so you can estimate travel time from here. Lacey wants to know if there are swings.]
[Two tire swings. Real tires with board seats.]
"They'll be here for supper, Daddy?"
"Maybe. We should go home and eat lunch and come up with ideas for supper that Harry and Lacey might like. Did anyone hear Willie mention whether he was going to Sharon's for lunch or bringing her here?"
"If he did, I don't remember."
"Then we'll make enough for them at lunch and we'll just have some leftovers of they don't join us."
"Can we make ice cream?"
"Can you crank the churn?"
"Until it starts getting hard - but we got you and Mister Carl and Mister Jesse and Mister Luigi and maybe Mister Willie…"
"So you'll do the first minute or so and then pass it along?"
"So all of you get a turn."
"Jack, are you sure she's only seven?"
"That's what her birth certificate makes her."
---
Sunday, 3 Aug, 5:20AM
"You too, Jack?"
"Can't sleep, Jesse. Spent a couple hours making paper notes about what we might need in an SHTF event and how we might acquire those things. Even the rails for mounting the solar panels are sometimes a special order item unless you're at a big home center. Slept maybe three hours and woke from an unpleasant dream and I don't see any reason to try to go back to sleep now. Maybe a nap in the afternoon?"
"Sounds good. You think Smithville Hardware might know a source of those rails?"
"Wouldn't hurt to ask. I'm sure they've been involved in the design and building of many things out here. I'll add that to my paper list and call when they're open. On the bright side, the LP, gasoline and diesel tanks are all full…"
"That's very good."
"I also found a 1000 gallon potable water tank under that pile of tarps in the root cellar when I was tracing where the pitcher pump by the kitchen sink draws from - there's even a float arrangement to turn off the well pump when that tank's full so you can just let the pump run until the tank is filled. Might not be a bad idea to flush that tank with bleach and then fill it so we'll have a hand-powered source of water."
"We can put up the solar panels you brought?"
"We could put those on the roof but better to see if we can get the additional rails so we're only up on the roof once."
"I'm all for doing things once and correctly."
---
"Carl, since you're also up early, grab both the griddles and we can start on pancakes for all. The oven's at 150 so we can keep the pancakes hot and moist in the covered casserole dishes."
"Better than stewing about the reports on foxnews.com."
"Which are?"
"Some of the liberal Dems are talking about martial law to 'keep the armed citizens from killing the immigrants'. There are at least rumors that this infection came out of Mexico so anyone named 'Pedro' or 'Jesus' had best keep a low profile. That probably means those that are infected will NOT go the ER until they're so bad someone has to carry them in. By then, then entire family could be infected and the first patient in the group may not survive. The available treatments also seem only marginally effective. Like the bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant, this 'flu' appears to be Tamiflu-resistant. Not many other treatment options that are available in large quantities."
"Carl, are you saying that if it's more than a mild case, they'll isolate the patient and wait for it to burn out?"
"Not that they're using those words, Jack, but that is the consensus of the comments from doctors, hospital management, mayors and governors."
"Which states?"
"My paper list, with initial infection dates and the trends in number of patients by day and the number of 'very sick' each day."
"Here's a printout of the three-day national weather history. If we write in the dates and numbers on each state…"
"It is tracking that storm system that moved up from Mexico! We have masks?"
"N95 and P95 masks and nitrile gloves are in my trailer. I'll go…"
"Jack, no one outside alone with Mark's whereabouts unknown. I'm with you."
"OK, Jesse."
---
"Good morning, sweet girl."
"Good morning, Daddy. We're going to church today?"
"Maybe. There are some things we need to talk about and we can do that while we eat."
"I can help?"
"You can help eat the pancakes Carl cooked for everyone. He was awake very early and looking for something to do so I had him cook."
"I get to help next time?"
"Yes. Up, potty, wash hands and to the table."
"Not feeding the chickens or getting dressed?"
"Feeding the chickens and collecting eggs will be something done with a bodyguard until Mark is located. Not dressed until after you've finished sticky pancakes and maybe I've turned the hose on you."
"I'll try to do better this time."
---
"Daddy, this mask feels funny."
"Maybe because you've never worn one before?"
"Maybe."
"Plan on wearing it any time you are outside for several weeks."
"Do I hafta?"
"We all 'hafta'. Here are some pictures of the people who are the sickest…"
"Yuck! Are they zombies?"
"No zombies, just a new 'flu' that can also cause some deterioration of your skin and hair. I don't think you want to catch whatever left them looking like that."
"No way!"
"Then mask and gloves because you don't want to touch anything a sick person touched."
"The gloves are kinda big."
"Those are the smallest I could find. They won't work well for eating peanuts but I think you'll be fine going to church today."
"We're going?"
"Yes. I put out a dress for you, with princess underwear and socks that match the dress. And your white shoes."
"Do I hafta?"
"This time. I want to enjoy having my pretty girl all dressed up for a little while."
"You'll braid my hair? With a ribbon at the bottom?"
"How else would a pretty girl in this dress wear her hair?"
"Yes!"
---
"Where does Lisa's gun go, Jack?"
"In her purse, Sarah. The purse has a shoulder strap and she can wear it cross-body so it doesn't fall off her shoulder when she's not being a princess and just being her usual seven-year-old-tomboy self - but in a dress."
"You chose well for her."
"Thank you, but I do have a bit of experience."
---
"Jack, the three of us - Carl, Sarah and I - will be here until you return. Jesse is your bodyguard. Willie will be at church with Sharon if anything happens there. When will Harry get here?"
"Luigi, he said he'd text when they got to the Welcome Center and I could add the hours for driving a 24 foot box truck that's towing a Suburban, plus time for lunch, to get his arrival time. Since I haven't heard from him yet, probably no earlier than 6PM."
"He's armed?"
"Always and probably a 12 gauge in the truck."
"Any keywords?"
"He'll phone if he has coverage. Otherwise, he'll radio for 'Jack' when he's in range. Using 'chariot' in his ID means things are clear and the response for all clear here includes 'junk man'. Using 'ice wagon' means there is a problem and 'How many pounds?' is the number of people times 25."
"A hundred for four people, Daddy?"
"My smart girl does know her times tables."
"I like it when you tell me I'm smart and not just a useless…"
"Never useless! Always my favorite Lisa!"
"I love you too, Daddy."
"Park him behind the barn?"
"Ask where the solar stuff is in the truck. If it's near the door, park the truck at the barn and we'll unload that. If their furniture is near the door, park at the house and we'll unload their things first."
"Will do."
---
"Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 10:25. I'm sure you're all familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. In the story, the injured man would not have survived had it not been for the help rendered by the last of multiple passers-by. But what if, instead of multiple people or groups of people, there had been only one? Would the ending of the story have been different? Yesterday, the first person - more correctly the first group - to hear Tyler Atkins' accident was also the one that cared for him so the first ones there did not pass him by. They did not have to ask 'Who is my neighbor?' because they lived the moral of that story. Doc Brown told me that their immediate action prevented further injury and that they gave comfort to Tyler. Thank you, new neighbors, and we're glad to have you in church with us today."
---
"Daddy, I think my hand is gonna fall off and my dress is all wrinkled! All the men wanted to shake my hand and all the women wanted to hug me. Did I get the lipstick off where all of Tyler's aunts kissed me?"
"There's still a little here and here. We probably need soap and water but maybe I can get some of it with a handkerchief."
"OK. Why's it such a big deal that I held Tyler's hand while you and Mister Willie lifted the bike off him and I helped you tie the stuff on the splint? Doesn't everybody do that?"
"Jack, may I answer that?"
"Go ahead, Reverend Keifer."
"Lisa, being a loving and caring person is who you are but not all people are like that. Considering how badly you've been treated in the past, people are surprised that the 'loving and caring' part of you survived because that part doesn't always survive bad treatment. Sometimes it changes people to be like the people who hurt them."
"I'm just being me."
"You are a very strong person that your 'me' is still who she is. I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Thank you. You too."
---
beep!beep!
"Text from Harry."
[At the Alabama Welcome Center. You've driven this so you can estimate travel time from here. Lacey wants to know if there are swings.]
[Two tire swings. Real tires with board seats.]
"They'll be here for supper, Daddy?"
"Maybe. We should go home and eat lunch and come up with ideas for supper that Harry and Lacey might like. Did anyone hear Willie mention whether he was going to Sharon's for lunch or bringing her here?"
"If he did, I don't remember."
"Then we'll make enough for them at lunch and we'll just have some leftovers of they don't join us."
"Can we make ice cream?"
"Can you crank the churn?"
"Until it starts getting hard - but we got you and Mister Carl and Mister Jesse and Mister Luigi and maybe Mister Willie…"
"So you'll do the first minute or so and then pass it along?"
"So all of you get a turn."
"Jack, are you sure she's only seven?"
"That's what her birth certificate makes her."
---