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Post by papaof2 on Oct 9, 2021 15:41:07 GMT -6
You know that most single 20-somethings only get home-cooked <anything> when they go home to Momma, so anyone who puts that much effort into a gift does care.
One of the grands wanted to do something special for her then-current significant other, so she called my better half to ask for her red velvet cake recipe. Never heard how he felt about the cake, but a teenage girl who cares that much has to have made an impression on his parents, if not the boy - teenage boys can be dense. Been there; missed the signs...
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Post by texican on Oct 11, 2021 22:29:02 GMT -6
Never heard how he felt about the cake, but a teenage girl who cares that much has to have made an impression on his parents, if not the boy - teenage boys can be dense.
Been there; missed the signs...
pp2,
You and most dads...
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 15, 2021 23:14:52 GMT -6
Chapter 44
Thursday, 4 May, 2028, 15:20 CDT
Bee-deep!
"Jack, it's the camera on the gate."
"Hello the house!"
"Who's there, Jack?"
"Sounds like George Nicholson and I think that Stetson hat might be verification."
"From the old cowboy movies where 'the good guys wear white hats'?"
"Sounds appropriate."
'George, I'll unlock the gate for you.'
BZZT!
'You've gone high class, Jack. Intercom at the gate and everything.'
'You're also on camera, complete with a motion alert.'
'So no one is sneaking up on the house?'
'Not easily. I'll close the gate when you're through and you can tie your horse to the rail by the garage.'
'On my way.'
"Love, you have the lists?"
"Yes. First we ask what he was hauling and then what he needs."
knock. knock.
"Come in, George. Our family has grown a bit so let me introduce you to everyone. You know Susan and our daughter Janet with her new husband Dave...."
"You're the UPS guy!"
"Former UPS guy. We don't know when or if another trailer will get here from the hub so I'm Jack's apprentice farmer."
"Good job change in our current circumstances."
"Continuing, our son Tom, his wife Erin and their daughter Lily."
"Tom I remember. Ma'am, young lady."
"And this is Katie Jones. She's the only one of her family who survived the new 'flu' and she asked if she could call us Grandma and Grandpa."
"I know you couldn't say 'no' to that, Jack. The girls seem to be very close for not being family..."
"We ARE family! Katie saved my life!"
"Jack?"
"Katie's a very responsible girl so she's had gun lessons and she carries a .22 rifle whenever she's outside. A group tried to grab Lily to hold her hostage and take over the place but the first one didn't understand how effective a 'toy gun' can be in the right hands."
"The decorations out by the road?"
"Correct."
"I think Lily is correct - they are family."
"George, would you like some coffee or iced tea while we talk?"
"You have ice?"
"A little, because we have a little solar power to run the fridge."
"The tea, thank you. There's twenty of those Harbor Freight 100 watt solar kits in the trailer and about a dozen AGM golf cart batteries that were for the golf course in town. Also got some 2000 watt inverters that were headed for the auto parts store. Are there enough pieces in that to build a solar power system that can run the fridge to keep insulin cold and what can I trade for your time putting it together? Do you know how to make insulin from animals? Ellen has enough for about three weeks."
"You're in luck, George. Our granddaughter Lily is a Type 1 and Susan acquired enough to-be-junked surplus equipment from the hospital for us to make insulin for her. It's set up in the basement and we'll have sheep as soon as we can pick them up. With the typical insulin production from sheep being about one month's insulin for an adult from each sheep butchered, we won't have enough sheep to process a dozen of them this year and there's a year and a half from impregnating a sheep to having another sheep old enough to butcher."
"Our boy Jim had been raising sheep but the new flu got him and we now have about thirty sheep - plus his couple dozen rabbits - at our place. We'll only be pasturing one cow so there's plenty of space for the sheep."
"Good that you have rabbits as they can be used to test the strength of the insulin we extract."
"What?"
"Things that were figured out long before there were electronic devices which could measure insulin strength or blood sugar levels."
"She's good on the meters, strips and batteries as there's a shipment of all that for Clark's Pharmacy."
"That's good. Lily has several years' worth of testing supplies but I'm calibrating a little device that can determine the glucose level in urine based on color. You have feed for those animals for the winter?"
"Jim had a trailer load or two of feed and meds delivered a couple of months ago - almost like he saw this coming. I think he said it was about two or three years' worth."
"Sounds like you're good for now."
"Jack, you know that an owner-operator spends a lot of time on the road so we're not ready for this event. Here's a list of what's in the load I brought home and here's the list of what we need. I hope you're into bartering."
"George, I expect we'll all be experienced in bartering before get back to what we had a month ago - something our grandkids might see but probably not most of the adults still alive."
"You really think it'll be that bad?"
"The information we were able to collect before power and communications mostly failed had the fatality rate between 75 and 90%..."
"No way to support the cities with food without trucks on the road and losing power to oil and gas pipelines stops the flow of vehicle and power plant fuel - even coal. We'll be living in 1820 again?"
"With a few exceptions, that's the best most survivors can expect. We have some solar power so we'll have limited refrigeration - but better than a springhouse. I have two tractors converted to run on wood gas..."
"WWII-gasoline-rationing-inspired wood gas? I remember my grandfather talking about that."
"Same wood gas concept, but we have better filtering materials - for as long as they last - so possibly engine life similar to running on LP or natural gas."
"How much to plow two acres of garden for me? We need to ensure we have food until next year's harvest. Looks like Ellen was right about needing the pressure canners and the jars and lids that were headed for the Dollar Tree in the city. She's going through her canning books to figure out how many jars of what to feed us and the kids for months."
"George?"
"Yes, Susan?"
"The wire screening might be shelving and insect protection for a food dryer. Those can work with just sunlight."
"Thank you! I had that on my list but hadn't put the pieces together. You have instructions..."
"These sheets cover building three types of food dryers. Just work out which would work best in the space you have for them and the foods you plan to dry."
"What do I owe you for these?"
"Printer paper and ink or toner if you have it."
"There's a pallet of printer paper..."
"If there is no notebook paper, you'll need some of the printer paper for home schooling."
"And pens and pencils and..."
"We also need to see if a teacher - or someone with the skills and patience to be a teacher - survived and work out food and supplies in payment for teaching. The kids need to be able to read, write and do math to be successful farmers. They need records of what grew well, what didn't, what the weather was, how many bushels/acre for different varieties of beans, peas, corn, potatoes or whatever else was planted and the best times for planting and harvesting."
"I should ask around while I'm out?"
"Yes. Florence Worthington..."
"The 'Flower Lady'?"
"Yes, George. Her daughter is a dentist. She and her two sons have moved in with Florence so that's two kids. Katie and Lily make four and the Dobbins have four so that's eight kids we know of that survived and are school age."
"Add in our George, Jr. and Terry and that's ten kids. OK, we need a teacher, a place and lots of supplies. Any ideas, Susan?"
"Keep your eyes open for a place that's as central as possible to all the kids and that's an easy walk or horse ride distant from them. Unless someone has a horse- or mule-drawn wagon and is available every day, we won't have a school bus running."
"George?"
"Yes, Jack?"
"Do you have enough seed for two acres?"
"Maybe, if I use hybrids for this year's beans and peas and heirlooms for other things."
"You have enough heirlooms to let some go to seed?"
"I think so. You have those for trade?"
"Not a lot of varieties in quantity right now, but we planted enough to have more seed to barter after harvest. Some of those seeds will be available early enough for a second planting and a late harvest if the weather cooperates."
"I should ask in August or September?"
"Correct. Meanwhile, I need to study your list of what's in the trailer and see if I can tell you who might be the best customer for some of the things. For example, all of us might need some pipe but a plumber or well driller might need a lot of it but I don't know if either survived."
"I should be out checking?"
"Yes. For now, I'll do the plowing for three-to-one fuel - whether gasoline, diesel or firewood, two gallons of the Rotella oil and an opportunity to look through the 'assorted oil and air filters' for things I can use. I'll also include include enough seed corn for a quarter acre because I know we have plenty of that and you need it for your animals."
"With the seed corn, I think I'm on the better side of this deal. How can I contact you?"
"When you have power for a CB, we monitor channel 21 - it's on this piece of paper. If you need wiring or fuses to put together your solar power, an abandoned car could be a good source."
"Saw a lot of abandoned cars so I'll keep that in mind. I'm on my way with my 'To Do' list. Nice to have met all of you - or met you again."
---
"Jack, did you see the 'Winchester' on George's list?"
"Both places: shotguns and ammunition."
"You'll give George a heads up on their values?"
"The note I handed him with 'channel 21' on it had other notes on the back - and a suggestion to only mention one gun and one box of shells if he chooses to trade it."
"Good planning."
---
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 15, 2021 23:41:48 GMT -6
On the brighter side, getting 10 hours sleep all in one block seems to have awakened a muse. I have about half of the next chapter and an outline for the chapter that follows it - about 900 words today.
No promises, as this was house painting week and the crew was here early multiple mornings :-( Pressure washing all the surfaces to be painted, making some repairs - and using the last piece of 50-year-old fiber-cement siding that was left from the initial construction; good that I recognized it when we moved in and put it safely away as the job supervisor told me he didn't know where he could get that exact size now - and finally the painting itself: mostly spraying, but the front door opens inward, forcing that to be painted with a brush - as were the shutters - twice for them as the paperwork had "black" and someone assumed they were to be repainted in the previous green. Two guys were back out on that in maybe an hour after the better half called the company's office. It's the same company that did the painting the last time (in 2009, so the paint has stood up well) and I expect similar life from their work this time.
Not cheap, but I'm not going to be using power tools or a paint sprayer or brush when 25+ feet up on a ladder (section of soffit on the upper floor replaced, as well as the siding). Not that I don't know how, but I did that enough at the previous house ;-)
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Post by gipsy on Oct 16, 2021 9:49:30 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by 9idrr on Oct 16, 2021 14:27:22 GMT -6
Glad to see more, and gladder to know that the muse is co-operatin'.
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Post by udwe on Oct 16, 2021 21:23:28 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by texican on Oct 17, 2021 19:53:17 GMT -6
Not cheap, but I'm not going to be using power tools or a paint sprayer or brush when 25+ feet up on a ladder (section of soffit on the upper floor replaced, as well as the siding). Not that I don't know how, but I did that enough at the previous house ;-) pp2, That is what scaffolding is for. We purchased four sets for the work on the house extension and residing all of our home. The scaffolding is set up at one of three gable ends of our home waiting for that end of our home to be painted once the sealant work is completed. Glad you had the ten hours of sleep for your muse to awaken. So shouldn't you get ten hours of sleep each night so our muse also gets up with you? Texican....
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Post by udwe on Oct 17, 2021 20:34:08 GMT -6
Yep, what Texican said!
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 2, 2021 12:53:51 GMT -6
Chapter 45
Thursday, 4 May, 2028, 22:10CDT
"Jack, were all the invitations delivered?"
"Susan, I did that while I was out 'exercising' Silver. Mrs. Worthington will come with Will and Bobby so you can discuss the process of breeding sheep with her and which sheep would be best to breed, including how soon and how many times."
"The Dobbins kids?"
"Their dad, Samuel, wants to learn more about solar and water power so he'll get some of my time. They raise turkeys so that's a possible addition to our diets."
"What about the kids' ages?"
"Lisa is five - 'Almost six!' in her words. She's correct, as her birthday is the twentieth of this month. Rob is eight. Samantha - Sammie to her siblings - is ten and Michael is twelve. The boy-girl-boy-girl stairsteps someone mentioned are correct if you're stepping down. Looks like some good matches in ages across the group. As we mentioned before, this group is not our previous 'normal' for a seven-year-old's birthday party but those boys seem very protective of their sisters so probably a good mix to have here. Samantha and Michael were armed with a .22 pistol and .22 rifle, respectively. The younger ones are getting gun lessons and they both know the four rules."
"Seems their parents think as we do. How are they stocked for the future?"
"They're on a septic tank which was pumped two months ago and their well has a manual pump so they have water. They have fuel for this year's harvest and next year's planting but then they may be looking for horse-drawn equipment or renting one of my wood-gas powered tractors. Their mom, Wanda, mentioned that were looking for a dehydrator - maybe some trades for George? - and they needed more lids and rings to be able to can the rest of what their garden will produce, so they do put some amount back and we might be able to trade lids and rings for turkeys or labor - Michael is a big kid for twelve and can probably do a good day's work."
"They sound very positive in our current circumstances. You mentioned a possible MAG to Samuel?"
"Just mentioned that we'd had two confrontations with armed people and that our ten-year-old granddaughter had stopped two of them with her .22 rifle. Then I asked if he thought there were enough armed people to make up a protection/response group if needed. He said he'd think on it and bring a list of his former hunting buddies so we can see who might still be alive."
"Sounds good. You still plan to wake Lily up with 'Good morning, old lady'?"
"I think the girls might like a bit of silly in their morning - we've had way too much serious and deadly recently."
"I can't argue that. A little silly might be good for all of us. Did you decide on a flavor for the ice cream?"
"Love, we don't have a lot of vanilla, but we could use half vanilla and half bourbon instead..."
"That sounds good, Jack! What do we tell the kids?"
"That we had to substitute some ingredients so this may not taste exactly like the ice cream they used to get."
"I'd suspect that most of them haven't had any ice cream since we lost co-op power to the wind and they may just say 'It's good!'"
"That's a definite possibility, although some of the adults may have a more sophisticated sense of taste and know what the 'substitution' was."
"I don't thing they'll complain, Love."
"Me either. We have enough ice?"
"Probably enough for two batches of ice cream and ice in the fruit punch. Which version of the punch are you using?"
"One of the 'pink lemonade' group - finely chopped strawberries and red raspberries, lemon juice, lime juice, a little honey, a little molasses and a little artificial sweetener mixed into the filtered water."
"Seems appropriate for the girl who loves pink."
---
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Post by udwe on Nov 3, 2021 5:58:23 GMT -6
Such a great story! Looking forward to MORE!
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Post by ydderf on Nov 3, 2021 21:39:17 GMT -6
Thanks PP2
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 20, 2021 21:07:01 GMT -6
Chapter 46
Friday, 5 May, 2028, 06:05CDT
"Good morning, old lady!"
"Grandpa!! I'm not old!"
"You're a year older but I'm the same age so you must be older than I am."
"Grandpa!! That's not the way it works! You're still lots older than me."
"Happy Seventh Birthday, old lady!"
"Grandpa!! But I guess the kiss on my nose and your hug make up for it so I'll keep on putting up with you."
"Katie, what turned over your giggle box this morning?"
"You calling Lily 'old lady', Grandpa."
"Well, she is a year older..."
"Grandpa, you're being silly!"
"And both of you are smiling."
"You're kinda fun to be with."
---
"Can I help cook?"
"No, old ladies don't have to cook on their birthday."
"You too, Grandma?"
"You're smiling."
"I guess I am. Do I get a hug and a kiss on my nose from you?"
"I can't hug your nose very well."
"Grandma! Hug me and kiss my nose."
"If that's what you want."
"YES!"
"Happy Birthday, old lady!"
"Grandma!"
---
"Well, Dad, you and Mom certainly started Lily's day with smiles and giggles."
"Tom, I thought we all needed some silly in our day after the serious and deadly we've experienced."
"That pushed Erin to some happy tears today. When we left Washington, we didn't know if we'd all survive to acknowledge Lily's birthday, let alone celebrate it with a party and a bunch of other kids. Certainly not a new 'cousin' who's now Lily's 'big sister' in actions if not a blood relative."
"Katie does appear to be a keeper."
"That's the understatement of the day."
---
"The pancakes have faces! Where'd you get the banana pieces for the eyes?"
"We have some freeze-dried banana chips that were rehydrated with water this morning so we could make those eyes. The teeth are mini-marshmallows and the lips are rehydrated cherry halves. The noses are pecan halves."
"You grew all of it?"
"Bananas don't grow here and the mini-marshmallows are made in a factory but we grew the cherries and the pecans."
"It's yummy, Grandma!"
"It's also a lot more sugar than you usually get so you'll need to check your blood glucose twenty minutes after you eat to see how much more insulin you might need."
"I can do that. Will Grandpa want me to pee in the bottle again?"
"I'm sure he will to have a rather high sugar level among the other data points."
"Oh. Yeah. 'Cause we don't have food like this 'cept on special occasions. I'll be eating carrots and broccoli for supper to make up for it?"
"That's my smart girl."
---
"Lily, you eat your lunch or you don't get any cake and ice cream. You do NOT want a sugar high that's worse than your sugar low the other day."
"If I hafta."
"You 'hafta'."
"But there's people at the gate..."
"And you won't be part of the games until you finish the meat and veggies on your plate."
"Yes, Momma."
---
"Mrs. Worthington, your wagon can go by the barn. If you want to unharness your animal, it can go it the pasture over there."
"Boys, you heard Mr. Wilson. You get to do harness twice today."
"Yes, Grandma."
---
"Samuel, there's a hitching post over there or you can unsaddle your animals and put them in the pasture with the other horses."
"Older kids, help the younger ones down from your shared saddles and then Michael and Sammie can take care of the saddles."
"Yes, Dad."
---
"George, I didn't expect you to drive today."
"Jack, I have a trailer of things we talked about and some things you can probably do more with than I can. The trailer can stay here as long as needed. You probably know who needs some of the things in there and I know you'll be fair about distributing it."
"If you can back the trailer up to the smokehouse and drop it, we'll have a place to sort through things as we go through the trailer."
"I'll do that. There's a brief inventory sheet on the rearmost box and a sketch of where things are in the trailer to give you a headstart."
"Thanks, George. We'll start on the inventory list after the party."
"I sure am glad you're doing this. Our kids have had the mullygrumps for days about 'Can't go anywhere', 'Can't do anything' and 'Can't see anybody'. They're both excited about 'riding horses'."
"That's good. We've had so much dark and scary that we all need some fun."
"Amen to that!"
---
"Me next on Silver!"
"Me next on Buttermilk!"
Whump! Whump! Whump! Whump!
"Younger kids inside now! Everyone who's armed under cover! Move it!"
'Hello the house! This is Joe Braden and I'm looking for Bob Sanders' farm. Do you have a place I can land?'
"About 100 yards South there are no fences near the road. Land and then walk to me, unarmed. My ten-year-old granddaughter has two notches on the stock of her rifle. You do not want to be number three."
'I see the Roman warnings. I'll come with my hands up.'
---
"I'm Captain Joe Braden. Major Sanders was my boss for a while. If you'll allow me, I can show you my military ID and pictures of me with Bob."
"Move slowly. Anything threatening and you die."
"Understood. From your command tone and the instant dispersal of the people to cover, I'll assume you're Jack Wilson."
"That would be correct."
"Here's my ID and two pictures with Bob."
"Welcome to the middle of nowhere, Joe. Everyone stand down but keep your weapons at hand."
"Those kids are armed!"
"And none of them are older than twelve."
"I should assume Bob can mount a similar response?"
"You should. Let me call him on the CB and let him give you directions."
"Are those kids cranking an ice cream churn?"
"For as long as they last doing it."
"Where'd you get the ice?"
"A little bit of solar power to run the fridge and a few lights."
"Does Bob have anything like this?"
"There's an old mill on his property but there's still enough water flow in the creek to turn the waterwheel. It drives a car alternator to provide limited but continuous power."
"Something you built?"
"I designed it and Bob built it. CB's on channel 21 so let's see if Bob is listening."
'Bob, this is Jack. You have a visitor.'
'You've verified him?'
'Picture of the two of you on the beach and you're in that blindingly ugly Hawaiian shirt.'
'Good enough. Joe, grab a pencil and I'll give you directions.'
---
"Everyone, Mr. Braden was looking for Bob Sanders and he's on the radio getting directions. Kids, the ice cream needs your attention. When it's finished, there'll be cake to go with the ice cream."
"Katie, you were doing good so you finish your time cranking it."
"OK, Michael."
---
"Thank you, Mr. Wilson."
"I'm Jack."
"Jack, I'm Joe. Could you pull another rabbit out of your hat and provide power and water for a couple of RVs if I can get them here?"
"Do you have an inventory of what's at Anniston? Not having internet and Next Day Air delivery, I don't have much in the way of spare parts left to work with."
"If you have a working laptop, I have copies of the last inventory on this thumb drive and four more thumb drives which are all stored in different places for redundancy."
"I have the laptop. I need to get back to the youngest granddaughter's birthday party so if you can leave the info..."
"I know it's in good hands and you'll probably have worked your magic by morning as Bob always expected when you were handed some 'impossible' task. You go keep that little girl happy and I'll find my way to Bob's place. I saw the 'CB ch 21' mowed in a pasture but the radio is out in this chopper - that's why it was in the maintenance hangar and no one else used it to get home. The tag said 'Dead Radio' but I had folded the 'Radio' part under so the obvious part of the sign only showed 'Dead' in the head maintenance guy's distinctive scrawl so people assumed it wasn't flyable. Good that I did that as the only vehicles left are a couple of deuce-and-a-halfs, some semis and one Blackhawk. Plenty to move the remaining food, clothing and meds if there's a safe place for them."
"Talk with Bob. If you need me, I can ride over..."
"On horseback?"
"Almost as fast as by motorized vehicle because the horse doesn't need a road and we grow 'fuel' for the horses."
"I think I'm being pun-ished. We'll talk and then call. Does either of you have a stock of kerosene to refuel the chopper?"
"Between the two of us, we can probably get you enough fuel to get back to Anniston. I hope the vehicles there include fuel tankers so we can replenish the kerosene and stock up on gasoline and diesel."
"We have it all - and all treated appropriately. You can drive a semi?"
"Yes, and we have an over-the-road owner-operator..."
"The Kenworth over there?"
"Yes. We're good if you have more trailers to pull, as long as you have fuel."
"I need to talk to Bob. Good to have met you Jack and I'm sure we'll be seing a lot of each other. You have any experience with a Blackhawk or other big chopper?"
"Bob can fill you in. You're looking to move family?"
"Eight people. I'll talk with Bob. We should have wood stoves for cooking and heating?"
"Unless you have unlimited supplies of power or liquid fuel."
"Added to my list. You'll be available in a couple of hours?"
"Should be. Just need to ensure our little diabetic gets her blood sugar checked and any needed insulin injected."
"Where are you getting insulin?"
"Her parents brought several years' worth of the powder and we can provide distilled water for that. We have an insulin extraction and testing lab set up in the basement - mostly 50-year-old equipment from the days of extracting insulin from the pancreas of a cow or hog."
"My daughter needs to talk to you."
"When they get here, which I assume will be in the next 48 hours or so?"
"Probably. I'll let you know after I talk to Bob. You people sure do have things together."
"Not a well as we'd like to - a ten-year-old shouldn't be taking out the bad guys who are trying to kidnap her younger 'cousin'."
"You had her prepared to do that, so you do have things together. Not last year's 'normal' but you're keeping everyone alive."
"I guess that is a positive."
"It is. Well done, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, Sir."
"Now go back and make her birthday happy. I'll call you later."
---
"Florence, I need information on which sheep to breed and how often."
"Susan, all the sheep have numbered ear tags and here's the list of their ages and the number of times bred. This is the book on breeding sheep that Paul used and he was successful for multiple years. Your needs are more critical, so maybe ask if there's anyone alive from the feed and seed or find access to the County Library or the County Extension Agent's office for any information he may have had?"
"Thank you. I'll ask Jack about the library and the Agent's office. That may trigger other ideas as well. I don't know that we'd want to make the trip to the feed and seed, not knowing who might be watching for a running vehicle with fuel."
"That's a thought, Susan. I guess George wasn't concerned about that because he could drive through most roadblocks and I know he's always armed."
---
"If we could get everyone to come inside for cake and ice cream?"
"Yes!"
"Me!"
"Me too!"
"First, we'll sing 'Happy Birthday' to Lily and then she can blow out the candles."
"Happy birthday to you..."
"OK, Lily. Take a deep breath and blow them out."
AHHH!
Whoosh!
"You'll cut the cake, Momma?"
"Yes, Lily. You probably won't be cutting your own cake for a few years. And you know why you're not getting a side piece."
"Yes, Momma. At least I'm getting cake."
"And your Grandma will serve you a little ice cream."
"I understand."
"That's my smart girl."
"That's what Grandpa says."
"I think he's right."
---
"Bye! Thank you for coming to my party!"
"Bye, Lily."
"Bye, Sammie."
"Bye, Lily! I loved riding the horses!"
"Bye, Lisa."
"Bye, Lily. Bye, Katie."
"Bye, Michael."
---
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Post by sniper69 on Nov 21, 2021 8:03:38 GMT -6
Thank you for another great chapter.
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Post by udwe on Nov 21, 2021 8:14:30 GMT -6
Nice for them to have some "good times" for a while. (But you know it never lasts!)
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Post by gipsy on Nov 21, 2021 8:19:26 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by papaof2 on Nov 21, 2021 17:21:20 GMT -6
We all need some "good times", even if it's just pigging out on comfort food. On 9/11, my better half heard the news at work and stopped on her way home to buy chips, cookies and ice cream - the same things most of the other shoppers had in their carts.
I've added two boxes of yellow cake mix and two cans of choclate frosting to our pantry. We'll find something to celebrate when things look bad this winter, even if it's the rainy night we met - lots of rain in winter in the Sunny South ;-)
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Post by ydderf on Nov 21, 2021 21:06:23 GMT -6
Thanks PP2. I hope your muse hangs around for a while.
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 21, 2021 21:09:54 GMT -6
Not forgotten, just my muse providing inspiration very slowly. Definitely one more chapter and then maybe a closing chapter that's somewhat open-ended. Chapter 47 Friday, 5 May, 2028, 14:50CDT "I didn't open any presents." "Some of the people didn't have any way to get you a present so we put the presents which were brought on the kitchen table. Some of those presents might be a coupon or an IOU for some type of food when it's in season, such as the fall apples. You might be getting 'birthday presents' for several months. We didn't know that the people who had no way to shop for a gift would do this and we didn't have a chance to talk with you about what type of gift some of them might bring so we thanked everyone who brought something and asked them to put them on that table so you could open them later." "So I wouldn't be asking 'What's that?' about the one that said 'Bushel of Granny Smith'?" "And the other things that you might not recognize. I will help you write 'Thank You' notes to everyone who brought you a gift. For things like 'Granny Smith' we'll also ask them when harvest time is for that gift so you can learn about which crops are harvested when." "I'll get birthday presents for a long time?" "Several months. I think it's time for your next finger stick." "Me too. I feel a little funny." "You're not laughing." "Not ha-ha funny. Just not like usual." "OK. You want to do the stick and the check?" "Yes, Momma." "Ouch." "That wasn't a very big ouch." "Momma, I'm seven now. Doing a finger stick isn't a big ouch - just a little one." "OK. And the number is?" "195. I don't ever remember it being that high before." "Not since you were first diagnosed as a Type 1*. 180 is the highest you should ever be now - and that drops to 130 by the time you're thirteen. Let me get the chart for IU versus blood glucose level and your weight... OK. I have the dosage. Do you still want to try injecting yourself?" "When I feel better. I don't think I'd get it right if I did it now." "That's my smart girl..." "You just said that." "But you just did something else smart. You're aware that you don't feel right and you're not sure you could take care of yourself properly so you're asking for help - which is the smart thing for you to do." "Oh, I guess I did. Go ahead and stick me." "You're stuck. I want you to go curl up in your Grandpa's lap for a while. He can keep an eye on you to see if the insulin dose is what you needed." "And I like being in his lap, 'specially when he reads to me and does the funny voices." --- "She's asleep?" "Yes, Love. Doesn't take long when her body is out of balance and she's tired from the excitement of a party. Are her vitals OK?" "The pulse-oximeter looks good but I'll recommend another finger stick after her nap - which probably won't be a long nap, based on how much punch she drank." "I remember her 'It's pink! And it tastes good!' That probably made this birthday memorable." "That, the eclectic collection of kids, and riding horses. And don't forget the 'Red Alert' when the chopper came over. I don't know of any other kid out here who's had a chopper at their birthday party - hired or accidental." "That item should make the local grapevine." "You are absolutely correct, Jack." --- "Grandma?" "Yes, Katie?" "Michael said I was pretty. Nobody my age ever told me that before. Am I?" "Yes, Katie. You are pretty, as in nice face, nice eyes, nice hair. You are also beautiful. I see that question on your face. Those are not the same. 'Pretty' is on the outside - face, eyes, hair. The word 'beautiful' was created by combining the words 'full of beauty'. To be 'full of' something, you must have it on the inside. You care about other people - that's on the inside. You want to protect other people - risking your life to protect Lily came from the inside. People talk a lot more about pretty than beautiful, but some people don't know that the words mean different things." "I didn't until just now. You make me feel so good about me!" "That's what family is supposed to do - help you to be the best 'you' that you can be." "I love you, Grandma!" "I love you too, sweet girl." --- * US meters typically read in mg/dL. www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes-in-children/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355312Random blood sugar test. This is the primary screening test for type 1 diabetes. A blood sample is taken at a random time. A blood sugar level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 11.1 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), or higher suggests diabetes.
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Post by udwe on Dec 21, 2021 21:44:10 GMT -6
Thanks!
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 1, 2022 18:11:39 GMT -6
Chapter 48
Friday, 5 May, 2028, 21:05CDT
"What are you so engrossed in and making notes about, Jack?"
"The inventory list from the trailer George left, Love. There are four '400 watt' wind generators - probably the cheap Chinese knockoffs but capable of producing something over 200 watts in the few places around here that once used a windmill for pumping water."
"I only remember a couple of those."
"Not many places in this part of the state which have that much nearly continuous wind, but there are a few. If anyone is still alive at one of those houses, they could have limited power. At each place, I'd have to set up one of the wind generators, a battery and some monitoring equipment and see how many hours of useful wind they get over a week or so. If the wind patterns are the same as when the windmills were erected to pump water, there should be enough to power some LED lighting, a CB and maybe a small fridge."
"You don't sound very positive about the service life of those generators."
"I'm not. If they were the old Wincharger or Winpower units that were used back in the first half of the 20th century, I'd expect 20 years or more from a gen in good condition - and those were built to be repaired. However, if they're not hit by a tornado, these could last maybe five years. By then we may have a better idea of future power restoral or we'll be resigned to building small steam engines on trailers to have 'portable power'."
"You can build a steam engine?"
"I have info from YouTube and some other places on converting small gas engines to steam. I think we might find a lot of unused lawnmowers and leafblowers."
"True. What could one of those power?"
"A water pump for irrigation. A car alternator to charge batteries for lighting or a radio or maybe with an inverter to charge cordless tools."
"Not running a fridge or freezer?"
"Would anyone want to stay up 24/7 to keep feeding the firebox so they'd have 24 hour steam?"
"Use bigger batteries for longer life, Jack?"
"If you can find them."
"Literally 'find' because most people won't be driving to town to see if the auto parts store has batteries they can use. We should plan a 'salvage' run?"
"We should talk with some other people, including Sheriff Paul Tucker about the legalities and then how far we could go and how much protection the salvagers might need."
"Seed and fertilizer from the feed and seed?"
"And salt blocks, tools, work clothing and anything related to food production or preservation."
"I'm starting another list. You'll be calling Paul on the CB?"
"When your list is finished and we've merged it with my list."
"So tomorrow?"
"Yes, Love. Lily's bedtime blood sugar was OK?"
"Yes. In some ways, she's a very mature just-turned-seven-year-old, such as asking for fresh fruit for her bedtime snack tonight because of the slow release of its sugar. Smart kid."
"You think she might be a keeper?"
"You goof! We both think that!"
"Made you smile."
"So you did."
"Should the six Janome 712T treadle sewing heads on George's list go to someone with the ability to sew, Love?"
"Yes."
"Who, specifically?"
"Janet and I already have them. Florence Worthington and Ellen Nicholson for the first two, as I know both are actively sewing for family and they have kids in the house. I need to ask them who else of the survivors can use a treadle machine."
"Good answer."
---
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Post by texican on Jan 1, 2022 20:25:16 GMT -6
A New Years chapter.
Thanks pp2.
Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 4, 2022 22:27:52 GMT -6
If hell breaks loose, we'll know to blame Joe Burden and Commie Lala and their liberal/socialist/communist and/or mentally challenged followers. Would a .380 ACP cartridge loaded with a primer and thermite be under the auspices of the BATFE? It might play hob with the barrel but it should be an excellent short-range fire starter and even more effective than a buttful of rock salt ;-) See how badly things go when my muse takes these long vacations and I'm looking for another project? Interesting concept. Perhaps that could be upgraded to a larger caliber? The military has a shotgun shell (12 gauge or larger?) that is basically thermite in a small package. Makes the native American description of "fire stick" appropriate...
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Post by udwe on Jan 5, 2022 7:50:57 GMT -6
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I've missed your writing!
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 8, 2022 5:27:02 GMT -6
Chapter 49 Saturday, 6 May, 2028, 20:46AST "Muhammed!! Radar shows ten missiles incoming!" "Then I must launch these missiles against the Great Satan's only Muslim President who was our enemy. See? They are all aimed at Al Obama!" Click! "You idiot! That's not a President! It's their State of Alaba..." --- Saturday, 6 May, 2028, 12:52CDT "Jack? What happened?" "Sarah, from the Emergency Broadcast System message and then our almost immediate loss of power, I think we've been nuked. My NukeAlert isn't beeping so there's no radiation close to us - yet, anyway. There's a Geiger counter I built from parts I got at www.goldmine-elec-products.com and then calibrated with some calibration samples I borrowed from the Sheriff's Office. It's probably more accurate than the old Civil Defense meters many people still have on a shelf somewhere. It's in the Faraday cage with the radio equipment." "The yellow case?" "Yes. It's the case from an old Civil Defense radiation meter and I could adjust the output of the Arduino counting the pulses from the Geiger-Mueller tube to match the scales on the original meter. Much easier to read than a digital display that's constantly changing. I added some audible alerts at various unsafe radiation levels. At low levels, it's just a soft 'click' as each beta or gamma particle ionizes the GM tube." "So what's it showing?" "I need the plastic bag of batteries marked 'Geiger Counter'. It's used so infrequently that I don't want to risk having batteries die inside the case." "Makes sense. Here's the bag." "OK. Batteries in. Switch ON." click. "Well, when's the next 'click'?" "Whenever the next bit of radiation is sensed. Bring my old watch over here." "OK." click. click. click. click. click. click. click. click. "It's dangerous?" "No, just that the radium dial has a much higher radiation output than our background radiation level - which is at its normal level of fewer than five counts per minute." "What's normal?" "Whatever is 'normal' for your area. Minerals other than uranium are radioactive to some degree - and some of the old Fiesta Ware dishes, early to mid-20th century - were glazed with uranium oxide. The red dishes are the most radioactive but not considered enough so to be harmful. They've become collectors' items." "So ticking less than a clock is OK?" "A windup wall clock usually ticks once per second or sixty ticks per minute. Anything less than that is probably safe, but there are some laminated cards in that same drawer. They have counts per minute to REM, RAD and nano/picocurie conversions - in color, with green being SAFE, yellow having time limits and red being LEAVE THE AREA. What color is the 'Status' LED?" "It's green and the needle of the meter is also in the green portion of the scale." "Then we're safe for now. If we can find out where and what type of nuke was used - ground burst, air burst, HEMP - we'll know whether to take fallout precautions. For now, we'll start with getting everyone inside for a very short family conference and then getting animals into shelter. Then picking and then canning or drying everything in the garden that's close enough to ripe. If we know there'll be fallout, we can cover part of the garden and we may be able to harvest those things later. We could be spending weeks to months in the fallout shelter..." "Under the basement." "Lots of dirt and concrete are the best protection against fallout. First though, a hand-crank radio from the Faraday cage and we'll see if it works. I suspect that we may have had a HEMP rather than a ground burst or air burst near us as we've not heard a big 'BANG' and we've not experienced the pressure wave from a nearby nuke. It's charged a little so let it scan and..." '...and Winston Counties. A nuclear device was detonated approximately 5000 feet above Huntsville, Alabama at 12:49PM today. The yield of the weapon is yet to be determined but expect EMP damage out to about 90 miles from the center of detonation. That means cell phones, cordless phones, radio and TV may not work, your vehicles may not start or run and you may not have electricity. Municipal water systems (city or county) dependent on electric pumps may not be able to deliver water. Sewage systems which use lift pumps may not be operating. Without power, elevators and escalators will not be operating. Medical devices including dialysis machines, insulin pumps, pacemakers and CPAP machines may not work. Most stores will be closed because they cannot process credit or debit transactions without power. Local HazMat teams and military radiation cleanup teams, where available, are being called in to identify areas which are safe to be used as shelters. Stay tuned to this station for further information.' "Well, that's our answer from the Emergency Broadcast System. We're about 80 road miles but only 65 or 70 air miles from the detonation. We're within that 90 miles, depending on the actual detonation altitude. Back when we still had the internet, there was a calculator at www.ringbell.co.uk/info/hdist.htm which could tell you the distance to the visual horizon based on your height above ground. It's a good rule-of-thumb for how far an EMP can travel. There's a bit of geometry in that, but high school math can figure out the distance from the formula they use." "What about radiation and fallout?" "Our usual winds will take the fallout to the East or Northeast. That means Northeast Alabama, Northwest Georgia, possibly Asheville, NC and Chattanooga and Knoxville, TN. That totally depends on today's winds and what the weather is along the way. The fallout could go as far as New Brunswick, Canada and be spread from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The spread is totally at the mercy of the weather." "We won't get any?" "Not from Hunstville. If there has been one detonation of a nuke, there's the possibility that there were - or soon will be - other detonations. A detonation in any place West or Southwest of us - Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Mexico, maybe Arizona and Southern California - could put fallout in the air and headed toward us. For now, we need to assume that we WILL get fallout from somewhere so animals in shelter, pick everything that's even close to ripe or that can ripen in a window, then put clear plastic and tarps over the garden as far as they will go to protect things from fallout. Yes, I'm aware that we could be creating ovens or sunless places and the plants could die, but we're working with the best available information. All our vehicles and farm equipment in the best storage available or cover them with tarps. A nuke in Shreveport, LA or Jackson, MS could have fallout here before midnight. Group hug, a prayer for our safety and in remembrance of the many people who've already died and then we'll all be busy." "... Amen. Katie and Lily, you'll be helping your Grandma in the garden. She has some collection bags you can use." "Take my gun?" "Yes. Katie. Everyone is to be armed any time they are outside and no one is to be outside alone." "What about the solar power, Grandpa?" "We'll wait a while before doing anything electrical other than the Geiger counter and the hand-crank radio - there could be another detonation that causes damage. When or if the EBS..." "EBS?" "The Emergency Broadcast System, Katie, what we were listening to on the radio." "OK." "When or if they have more information, we'll have a better idea of what we need to do, but preserving food is our first priority - we won't be able to harvest anything for a long time if there's fallout here..." "So we gotta do that now!" "Yes, Lily. We 'gotta'. Guys with me; ladies with Sarah. When we finish outside, I have several copies of the book 'Nuclear War Survival Skills'. Those who haven't read it need to do that today." "The ones with the red binding?" "So you can find them when you need them. When things seem to have settled down, I'll check the solar power and maybe put just part of it in service. We could wind up using one or more of those '400 watt' wind turbines for some of our own power." --- The end.
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