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Post by texican on Nov 23, 2019 22:23:44 GMT -6
pp2,
Thanks for the chapter....
Keep after the meds for they owe you answers....
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 25, 2019 11:50:49 GMT -6
Chapter 31
Sunday, 10 August, 2:20PM
"Daddy, read me some more about Hiram Bonner's family."
"Me too, Uncle Jack."
"OK. Book in my lap. One girl on each side of me. Do you remember where we left off?"
"The pink ribbon."
"I'll back up a few entries as a reminder of what they did."
'September 1718. Completed cabin on land near Smithville.'
"And then he started on the house?"
"Yes."
'April 1719. Placed foundation for larger house. Stopped to build hog pen when I caught two wild pigs. Used most of my fence posts to make a wall they can't dig under. Will need to cut more small trees for fence posts before doing more work on house. Garden coming along nicely.'
"Then what?"
'August 1719. Placed foundation for barn which needs to be finished by spring to house the horses I'll get then.'
"Like you planning for stuff that's gonna happen, Uncle Jack?"
"Yes, Lacey. All of us have been doing planning for things we know will happen and for things we think might happen."
"The 'might' being so many people sick that we don't get power or diesel for a long time?"
"Correct, other smart girl. Want to know if he did get the barn finished in time?"
"Un huh!"
'April 1720. Used new horses to haul in last logs to finish barn. Mary Ellen wants me to work on the house if I'm serious about having lots of children. Back on the house tomorrow.'
"How many kids did they have?"
"That's a question for the family tree chart in the back of the book. Hiram lived to be almost 100 which was unheard of back then. He had 12 children by three wives and he out-lived all the wives and some of his children. His son Aaron was born in 1723 which was just after the original house was completed in 1722. Then there were Adolphus, Algernon, Alice, Amy and Mary Ann. Aaron married when he was 20 and had Edward, Ellen, Eugene and Ellie May. His wife then died in childbirth and it was almost 15 years before he remarried and then had James, John, Julia and Jason. He lived to be 81. Jason married around 1800 and had Robert, Rachel, Randall and Charlotte. Here's an interesting bit. Jason had a son, Edwin, by his second wife in 1830. Edwin went West in 1853. They lost touch with him but saw in a newspaper in 1864 that an Edwin Bonner had built a ferry in Idaho to get people to the gold rush in Canada. They always wondered if their Edwin was the person Bonners Ferry, Idaho was named for."
"There's somebody in my family who's famous for doing a good thing?"
"Lisa, that's a definite maybe. He had the right name. He was about the right age. He had gone West to seek his fortune. Without a photograph or some document which gives that Edwin Bonner's date and place of birth, it's just a might-have-been."
"Daddy, I like reading these old books! They tell about real people."
"Just like the 'Little House' books?"
"Un huh!"
---
"Jack, should we all be keeping diaries or journals or whatever?"
"I am, Sarah. Somewhere in the future, I think Lisa will want to tell her children what things were like during the 'Dark Days' or whatever name this period gets in the future. I'm sure she'll remember many things but having some paper documents for reference never hurts, which is why I've been making pictures of events and using paper and ink that I may not be able to replace to have paper copies. I think documenting events for future generations is worth that expense. I'm also printing a summary of events each week. Pigmented ink or toner on paper is much more time-durable than anything stored electronically."
"My journal is pen on paper for that same reason."
"Nice that we think alike."
"It is. Even nicer that your daughter has adopted me as her 'Aunt Sarah'."
"I think she might consider another role for you."
"She has come out with 'Mo… Aunt Sarah' more than once."
"Is it too soon for me to ask?"
"No, but it's too soon for me to answer. Give me a month or so to get my head straight after all that's happened this week. And I certainly don't want to infringe on Willie and Sharon's time in the spotlight."
"Good things are worth waiting for."
---
End of Book 2
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Post by gipsy on Nov 25, 2019 13:10:11 GMT -6
The family is growing some more.
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Post by texican on Nov 25, 2019 14:20:42 GMT -6
Bad times coming....
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 27, 2019 14:51:57 GMT -6
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Post by texican on Nov 27, 2019 19:37:14 GMT -6
pp2, Part 3 coming soon we hope.... Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 28, 2019 17:40:39 GMT -6
Part 3 had just started when we had the late evening incident with the drunk neighbor, which scared the younger of the two muses I now have. Anyway, the younger one was my inspiration for "The Waif" and she has almost completely shut down on the story because of the "bad feelings" thinking about the story and that incident bring up. Maybe, in the future, but no promises right now. I have another tale that's stalled mid-story ("Sudden Silence") and neither muse is contributing to it. There'll be more details when I publish "Care and Feeding of a Fiction Writer's Muse and Other Stories" in a month or two. Much more has been happening with the muses than I have mentioned on the forum so it deserves its own platform.
Just need to get back to semi-normal functioning after surgery. I am managing my days without a late afternoon nap and most of the night sweats are gone (at most one a night and not always the pajama soaking variety). Meanwhile, I'm writing when the girls provide inspiration and tweaking things for publication when they're not being inspiring. If I keep progressing at the current rate, I'll be on the riding mower Saturday for at least a while to corral some of the incessant flow of leaves coming down. Maybe only an hour the first time but that would be progress. My "lifting after surgery" limit is 30lb for 30 days and a filled grass catcher bag is about 25lb so it's within the allowable limits. Things should be dry enough Saturday.
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Post by texican on Nov 28, 2019 18:16:13 GMT -6
Part 3 had just started when we had the late evening incident with the drunk neighbor, which scared the younger of the two muses I now have. Anyway, the younger one was my inspiration for "The Waif" and she has almost completely shut down on the story because of the "bad feelings" thinking about the story and that incident bring up. Maybe, in the future, but no promises right now. I have another tale that's stalled mid-story ("Sudden Silence") and neither muse is contributing to it. There'll be more details when I publish "Care and Feeding of a Fiction Writer's Muse and Other Stories" in a month or two. Much more has been happening with the muses than I have mentioned on the forum so it deserves its own platform. Just need to get back to semi-normal functioning after surgery. I am managing my days without a late afternoon nap and most of the night sweats are gone (at most one a night and not always the pajama soaking variety). Meanwhile, I'm writing when the girls provide inspiration and tweaking things for publication when they're not being inspiring. If I keep progressing at the current rate, I'll be on the riding mower Saturday for at least a while to corral some of the incessant flow of leaves coming down. Maybe only an hour the first time but that would be progress. My "lifting after surgery" limit is 30lb for 30 days and a filled grass catcher bag is about 25lb so it's within the allowable limits. Things should be dry enough Saturday. pp2, Remember your doc's words.... TAKE IT EASY AND DO NOT OVER DUE IT.... We need you and Jack Wilson around for several moar decades.... Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and take it easy and complete your healing.... Happy Thanksgiving to all.... Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 13, 2019 12:56:01 GMT -6
I probably overdid it that first time, but I was trying to get as much as possible done before the rain started again. I came in and collapsed in a comfortable chair for a couple of hours. The area near the house that was clear of leaves was clear because of the wind patterns - it had all been blown around in front of the house - 5-6 inches deep in places. Yesterday was dry enough to blow leaves but having 12MPH winds makes that impossible. Had some very hard rain during the night - not unusual to hear rain on the chimney caps but very rare to have rain hard enough to hear it hitting the roof on the upper floor when I'm on the main level. That puts any yard work out two or three days.
My little muse (Lee Ann) has started over on Book 3 of "The Waif", with this start following closely after Book 2 instead of the two years out the previous version was to be set in (maybe she feels more confident keeping the storyline closer to a known success?). That's OK. I'll take whatever works for her. We're maybe halfway through the first chapter and, while it's moving much slower than usual, she's delivering the same quality of inspiration. Looks like she's mostly gotten past the "scary" of the drunk neighbor at the door late in the evening (YEAH!)
No promises on when Book 3 will start posting. I've had too many fits and starts from both muses to make any assumptions until I see the path to "End of Book 3".
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Post by bluefox2 on Dec 13, 2019 21:28:45 GMT -6
I probably overdid it that first time, but I was trying to get as much as possible done before the rain started again. I came in and collapsed in a comfortable chair for a couple of hours. The area near the house that was clear of leaves was clear because of the wind patterns - it had all been blown around in front of the house - 5-6 inches deep in places. Yesterday was dry enough to blow leaves but having 12MPH winds makes that impossible. Had some very hard rain during the night - not unusual to hear rain on the chimney caps but very rare to have rain hard enough to hear it hitting the roof on the upper floor when I'm on the main level. That puts any yard work out two or three days. My little muse (Lee Ann) has started over on Book 3 of "The Waif", with this start following closely after Book 2 instead of the two years out the previous version was to be set in (maybe she feels more confident keeping the storyline closer to a known success?). That's OK. I'll take whatever works for her. We're maybe halfway through the first chapter and, while it's moving much slower than usual, she's delivering the same quality of inspiration. Looks like she's mostly gotten past the "scary" of the drunk neighbor at the door late in the evening (YEAH!) No promises on when Book 3 will start posting. I've had too many fits and starts from both muses to make any assumptions until I see the path to "End of Book 3". I have some Baileys Cream with ice if that will help the muses.
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 13, 2019 21:39:49 GMT -6
I probably overdid it that first time, but I was trying to get as much as possible done before the rain started again. I came in and collapsed in a comfortable chair for a couple of hours. The area near the house that was clear of leaves was clear because of the wind patterns - it had all been blown around in front of the house - 5-6 inches deep in places. Yesterday was dry enough to blow leaves but having 12MPH winds makes that impossible. Had some very hard rain during the night - not unusual to hear rain on the chimney caps but very rare to have rain hard enough to hear it hitting the roof on the upper floor when I'm on the main level. That puts any yard work out two or three days. My little muse (Lee Ann) has started over on Book 3 of "The Waif", with this start following closely after Book 2 instead of the two years out the previous version was to be set in (maybe she feels more confident keeping the storyline closer to a known success?). That's OK. I'll take whatever works for her. We're maybe halfway through the first chapter and, while it's moving much slower than usual, she's delivering the same quality of inspiration. Looks like she's mostly gotten past the "scary" of the drunk neighbor at the door late in the evening (YEAH!) No promises on when Book 3 will start posting. I've had too many fits and starts from both muses to make any assumptions until I see the path to "End of Book 3". I have some Baileys Cream with ice if that will help the muses. Might help me, but at almost 9 and almost 16, neither muse gets alcohol.
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Post by bluefox2 on Dec 13, 2019 21:53:27 GMT -6
I have some Baileys Cream with ice if that will help the muses. Might help me, but at almost 9 and almost 16, neither muse gets alcohol. well in that case, How about some cake and ice cream. I might be able to scare up some of that.
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 13, 2019 22:03:24 GMT -6
Given all the other things that have been going on in their lives (not everything gets posted), I'm quite happy with their progress. For now, they're good with the two kinds of ice cream in the freezer - and there's Hershey's Dark Syrup for topping.
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 28, 2019 12:57:50 GMT -6
My muse and I are two chapters into Book 3. MUCH slower than previous stories. My younger muse (Lee Ann) is still dealing with the 'scary' of being awakened by a drunk neighbor at the door after 10PM and that was while Book 2 was in progress. Some references in Book 3 remind her of that event and she just freezes up, as in a half dozen sentences and then the well of inspiration is dry. She is still trying so I'll accept the inspiration she does provide as she is able to provide it. I've told her that it's OK if we stop on this book for a while but she said "I'm your muse. I'm s'posed to give you stories and I'm s'posed to finish what I start." If she's that committed, I'll let her work things out on her own timetable. At the rate Book 3 is moving, don't expect any of it to be posted for several months. As hard as it is for Lee Ann to continue with the story, I won't add the pressure of posting and the MOAR hounds.
Meanwhile, I'm polishing and formatting a group of short and short-short stories - including one about life with muses - and that book might be up on Amazon in March or April. Those stories are all completed and some of them have been posted here but there are also some new ones.
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Post by bluefox2 on Dec 28, 2019 17:01:01 GMT -6
Make sure you take VERY good care of your muses. Some day they will be picking out your nursing home.
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 28, 2019 21:59:40 GMT -6
Make sure you take VERY good care of your muses. Some day they will be picking out your nursing home. My wife or children might pick it out but the muses' efforts might be paying for it. Although we do have long term care insurance, at the time of need it may not match the current level of inflation :-( Let's see: 100 books written, selling 20/day for $2 royalty each = $40/day * 30 days = $1200/month. Looks like I might need to at least triple the number of books and double the number of sales ;-)
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Post by texican on Jan 3, 2020 22:54:55 GMT -6
pp2,
You have many more years to please your muses and make the Moar Hounds ecstatic....
Texican....
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Post by griz375 on May 4, 2020 14:13:02 GMT -6
PP2, Thanks for the two chapters.... Now as to Mexico, 24 hours to have the the Chinese troops back on their ships or nuke all of their west coast ports.... Prevention is always better that fighting a war.... Once it is determined that China is responsible for the flu and seeding the storm, then rain hell down on China.... Texican.... On the money -- 72 hrs allows way too much time for infiltration teams. If they want to bring it, they should expect a 'return of service' in a timely fashion
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Post by griz375 on May 4, 2020 18:06:07 GMT -6
Make sure you take VERY good care of your muses. Some day they will be picking out your nursing home. My wife or children might pick it out but the muses' efforts might be paying for it. Although we do have long term care insurance, at the time of need it may not match the current level of inflation :-( Let's see: 100 books written, selling 20/day for $2 royalty each = $40/day * 30 days = $1200/month. Looks like I might need to at least triple the number of books and double the number of sales ;-) I for one prefer to bookmark this & will watch diligently for Part 3
BTW -- thanks for the investment of time and the kindness of sharing. We often forget to say thank you at the right times so, on behalf of the rest of the lurkers -- Thank You for this and the rest of your portfolio -- all of which I've read online.
Take care & stay healthy
G
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Post by papaof2 on May 4, 2020 19:20:13 GMT -6
You're welcome.
There's a long story about my muses and what's happened to "The Waif" series (the story about the muses will be published in the next Kindle book "The Care and Feeding of a Fiction Writer's Muse") but basically "Waif" is on hold for an unknown period due to events that affected one muse. (Sneaky way to work in a teaser? ;-)
There are other stories in progress but none are ready for prime time and progress is VERY slow, such as the 100 words I added to one story a couple of days ago. In a typical month, it's not unusual for one of the muses to provide 1000 or more words a day multiple times a week. However, Musians are especially sensitive to new strains of human flu so both muses are scared - not the best circumstances for them being creative. Eventually (Maybe?) their creativity will be back and I'll be complaining about my hands hurting from so much time at the keyboard - and assuming Covid-19 doesn't return as the Spanish Flu did with a much deadlier second wave in a matter of months. That's historically documented and I think the adage "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" could still be true.
As I read somewhere: "The drop in Covid-19 infections doesn't mean it's over. It just means there's a bed for you in the ICU." which also could be true.
Although our state has relaxed (not eliminated) the social distancing, we're still in masks when out and although I look like a shaggy dog it'll be another couple of weeks before I go for a haircut. See the connection? Waiting more than 14 days after the rules are relaxed to see if the infection rate - with an average incubation period of 5 days - starts back up. Nice to be retired and able to do that but the last three jobs I had were work-from-home software development so we could have isolated then as well.
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Post by texican on May 6, 2020 1:22:20 GMT -6
You're welcome. There's a long story about my muses and what's happened to "The Waif" series (the story about the muses will be published in the next Kindle book "The Care and Feeding of a Fiction Writer's Muse") but basically "Waif" is on hold for an unknown period due to events that affected one muse. (Sneaky way to work in a teaser? ;-) There are other stories in progress but none are ready for prime time and progress is VERY slow, such as the 100 words I added to one story a couple of days ago. In a typical month, it's not unusual for one of the muses to provide 1000 or more words a day multiple times a week. However, Musians are especially sensitive to new strains of human flu so both muses are scared - not the best circumstances for them being creative. Eventually (Maybe?) their creativity will be back and I'll be complaining about my hands hurting from so much time at the keyboard - and assuming Covid-19 doesn't return as the Spanish Flu did with a much deadlier second wave in a matter of months. That's historically documented and I think the adage "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" could still be true. As I read somewhere: "The drop in Covid-19 infections doesn't mean it's over. It just means there's a bed for you in the ICU." which also could be true.Although our state has relaxed (not eliminated) the social distancing, we're still in masks when out and although I look like a shaggy dog it'll be another couple of weeks before I go for a haircut. See the connection? Waiting more than 14 days after the rules are relaxed to see if the infection rate - with an average incubation period of 5 days - starts back up. Nice to be retired and able to do that but the last three jobs I had were work-from-home software development so we could have isolated then as well. As I read somewhere: "The drop in Covid-19 infections doesn't mean it's over. It just means there's a bed for you in the ICU." which also could be true.PPw, Lots of truth in this. Now as to haircuts. Haven't had one since January and sure could use one, but will have to wait a couple more weeks to see what happens. Would let the dear wife try a trim job, but only when I am sure she is not teoed about something would hate a reverse mohawk, but it would only show on the neck. Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 23, 2020 11:13:53 GMT -6
For anyone who wonders whether the idea of fooling grid tie inverters with the output of a pure sine wave inverter actually works, there's a (so-so quality) Youtube video of someone doing that on a small scale: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyJ9cs9W0Z8The other research I've done indicates that the inexpensive grid tie inverters (those Ebay, Amazon and banggood.com units intended for the DIY market) work more reliably with some load always on them. No idea of what the minimum safe load is (maybe some 10-20% of the inverter's rated output?) and I don't (yet?) have even a small grid tie inverter for testing. Maybe in the future and maybe provide that inverter with a dedicated solar panel for more accurate test results? First I need some tree work done and one part of that work will give me more sun for the existing solar panels - might actually be able to have some days of solar-only power in the fall and spring or maybe just half the usual things running on solar power. Remember that once purchased, the primary expense of a solar power system is battery replacement. The LTO batteries do show promise of possibly being 20 year batteries but they're currently very proud of those batteries and they're well out of my price range. Some of the other lithium-based batteries (LiFePO4) are coming down in price and a string of four LiFePO4 cells is a direct replacement for a lead-acid battery but with an estimated ten year life. Maybe the next time the battery bank needs to be replaced? That's five to eight years out, based on the life I got from the previous AGM battery bank but I'm probably OCD about taking care of those batteries ;-)
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Post by udwe on Aug 14, 2020 7:02:47 GMT -6
I'm really looking forward to #3!
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Post by papaof2 on Aug 14, 2020 8:34:07 GMT -6
Please tell my muse - we're about 3 chapters in on that one and the snails are zipping past us :-(
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Post by texican on Aug 14, 2020 20:01:13 GMT -6
Please tell my muse - we're about 3 chapters in on that one and the snails are zipping past us :-( PP2, Your Mistress Muse has run off again. You must not be kissing and complimenting her sufficiently or often enough. Like in marriage keeping the better half happy. Texican....
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