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Post by ydderf on May 8, 2021 1:24:03 GMT -6
Thanks PP2.
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Post by papaof2 on May 9, 2021 16:46:28 GMT -6
Chapter 34
Sunday, 30 April, 2028, 19:40 CDT
'Breaker, breaker 21. You there, Dad?'
'I am, Tom. How far out are you?'
'About two miles. You have hookups for the trailer or are we in the house?'
'In the house. Susan's been holding supper based on your time estimates from last night.'
'Looking forward to… Me too, Grandpa!'
'I'm sure you are, Lily. We'll be watching the road and will open the gate when you get here.'
'Power gate is still working?'
'Alabama Power may be mostly powerless but the sun is still working normally.'
'You just can't beat that always reliable nuclear fusion power.'
'Except when we have clouds, rain or snow.'
'The sun is still there. You just need your solar panels in a better location.'
'So at an altitude of 10,000 feet?'
'Sounds reasonable.'
'You get to climb the ladder for that installation.'
'No. I'm the engineer, not the installer.'
'I hope you still remember how to farm.'
'Plowing with horsepower or horses?'
'Possibly either, depending on circumstances. I have some "practical engineering" for you to examine.'
'I think that means "shadetree mechanic work".'
'You can decide that after you've used it. I see dust on the road. Gate's opening.'
'I see the gate. Nice solar installation for power there. If I hadn't been looking for it I wouldn't have seen… Where Daddy? We can walk back out after supper and look, Lily. OK. On our way to the pole barn to park under cover.'
'Gate closing.'
"We can go meet them?"
"Katie, in mask and gloves until we know what they may have been exposed to. No hugs until we've talked…"
"But…"
"No 'buts'. We need to know that they are safe to be around. They need to know that we are safe to be around. Remember about 'keeping people safe'?"
"That's why Uncle Dave is at my farm watching that the fire burns the house completely but doesn't spread. OK. I wanna hug them but I'll wait."
"That's my smart girl."
"I like being your girl for anything."
---
"Tom, Erin, Lily. This is Katie Jones whose family died of 2028NK and she's claimed us as 'Grandma' and 'Grandpa'."
"Momma, that means we're cousins?"
"Yes, Lily. Having the same grandparents means you are 'cousins'."
"Momma, can we hug everybody?"
"Lily, I think I answered that before we got here."
"Yes, Momma. Your 'We need to know who's been exposed'."
"Erin, Katie had the same question and she received the same answer. Susan and I appear to be in the 5% that are immune, which also applies to Janet, Tom and Rob because of their mitochondrial DNA from Susan. You have a maternal ancestor from the area of Central Europe where that 5% originates so you may be also. Lily has a maternal ancestor from the same area so she may also be in the 5%. Susan was planning to check the ancestry of Janet's new husband Dave from an old family Bible earlier today but we've been putting out or setting fires much of yesterday and today. Katie is either in the 5% or accidentally receiving double the high dose of Tamiflu worked for her."
"Whoa, Dad! 'Putting out fires' I recognize but 'setting fires'?"
"The funeral pyre for Katie's family yesterday and their house that we can't clean today - which is where Dave is on firewatch to ensure nothing else burns, plus a gunfight with Katie's uncle and his cronies over him trying to take Katie's farm earlier today…"
"I got shot!"
"What?"
"Look at my bruise!"
"Katie, how'd you get shot but just get a bruise?"
"Lily, it was the bulletproof vest Grandpa made me wear."
"You need a hug?"
"Un huh! Just not on the bruise."
"Dad, I think it's good we all appear to be immune as their hug just wiped out any 'social distancing'."
"Tom, I think they're off to a good start as 'cousins' but do I include Lily in the 'gun lessons' and the other self defense that Katie wants?"
"For whatever you think she's mature enough to handle, Dad. She saw more than one gunfight as we were traveling and asked about 'gun lessons' several times. Having large NRA stickers on the van and the trailer and shotguns visible in both driver and passenger windows seems to have made us a less desirable target. You're not armed?"
"Not visibly. We have larger weapons than the concealed ones but generally don't wear them in the house. We do have shotguns over each door."
"High enough to be out of the kids' reach but immediately available?"
"Correct."
"Janet, let's put supper on the table."
"I'm right behind you, Mom."
"Can I help?"
"Me too?"
"Yes, Katie and Lily. Wash your hands and you can finish setting the table. Katie, plates and glasses. Lily, knives and forks."
"Yes, Grandma."
"Show me where they are?"
"This drawer, Lily."
"Thanks, cousin."
"Tom, I think Lily is enjoying having more family."
"Erin, she has a lot more people to tell her adventures to - and to share the stories she's written with."
"Tom, I knew she was a chatterbox but she's already writing stories?"
"Yes, Dad. Probably a dozen pages every day we were on the road. We answered 'How do you spell <something>?' probably ten times an hour."
"Then Lily has an excellent spoken vocabulary and her reading and writing vocabulary have been expanded this week."
"Sounds like a teacher talking."
"Dad sounds like that a lot, Erin, but he makes learning as easy as Lily's vocabulary expansion - it's just part of your day."
"Speaking of Lily: status of her insulin stock and testing supplies?"
"First, she's very proud of now being able to do the finger stick and check her blood sugar level with the meter. We could get large stocks of the meter strips and the color changing strips but not the continuous glucose monitor sensors so we opted for what we could get the most of. She's good for maybe three years if we can get batteries for the meters - we have three of the same meter for backup. The liquid insulin from the pharmacy typically has a 30 day 'Use by' date if kept refrigerated. We were able to find cases of the non-dissolved insulin - what they add sterile water to and mix to make liquid insulin for injection - so we have perhaps a three year supply of that. The strength depends on a thorough mixing so…"
"Vibratory mixer?"
"You have one?"
"Along with a macerator and a number of other pieces of lab equipment that Doc Barton offered Susan when she mentioned having a Type 1 grandchild headed here. We now have the 'diabetes' lab in the basement with what we think is enough fifty-plus-year-old equipment to extract insulin from an animal pancreas - that's a long and detailed procedure - and to do the urine test for blood sugar level but I have a microprocessor-based color sensor which can be calibrated to read the color of the Benedict's Reagent after the specified time and we can set some values by comparing the glucose meter readings to the color of the reagent. The urine blood sugar reading won't be as fast as the glucose meter but we can get an accurate value for what it was when that urine sample was taken. We have the powdered chemicals to make more of the Benedict's Reagent as needed."
"I think you might like this kid."
"You might be correct, Erin."
"Grandpa, Grandma says to come eat."
"Then we should do that, Lily. You've checked…"
"It's 102. See?"
"I see. Good for you that you can do some things to keep yourself safe."
"Your words are like a hug."
---
"Dad, I'd like to see your 'lab' setup…"
"Me too!"
"It's for you, Lily, so you should get to see it - and as many others as are curious."
"Jack, I think that includes all of us."
"I thought it might, love."
---
"All the instructions are laminated?"
"Part of my 'only print things once' philosophy. I know that the processes can be messy so the 'how to' documents need to be able to survive long term usage."
"He's right, Tom. Look at this 'insulin from sheep pancreas' sheet…"
"I wanna see!"
"Me too!"
"OK, girls. Where this has 'macerate', you girls can think 'grind it up for hamburger'."
"Eww!"
"Yuck!"
"That's how all insulin was produced until about fifty years ago when they were able to create an equivalent in a laboratory and then a factory."
"Really, Momma? I woulda needed a cow or pig or sheep to get insulin?"
"Yes, Lily. We'll be talking with someone about getting a dozen sheep to have some available to make insulin and others to breed to replace the ones that are used to make insulin and the rest of them for roasts and other things."
"They won't be pets?"
"No. Not pets. They are farm animals and will be used for food and to make insulin as needed. The only animals that might be pets are the milk cows and the horses…"
"Horses!! Can we ride?"
"That's a definite maybe. Your daddy and I will be discussing which things you may do and which chores you will have."
"Chores, Katie?"
"Sure. I feed and milk the cows and you can feed the chickens and bring in the eggs."
"I gotta?"
"It's a farm. We all have some kind of work that we do."
"I guess."
---
Sunday, 30 April, 2028, 21:15 CDT
"Lily, bedtime."
"Do I hafta, Momma?"
"You napped in the van today as you did the previous couple of days but you know you crashed by ten last night."
"(yawn) I know, but I wanna spend time with my new cousin!"
"Katie?"
"Yes, Grandma?"
"You think you could manage jammies, brush and floss now?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Lily, you wanna sleep with me? The bed's big enough."
"Can I, Momma?"
"If you go do the jammies, brush and…"
"I'm going!"
"Mom, you still have that touch with kids."
"Tom, I just encouraged Katie to do something I thought she probably wanted to do but wasn't yet comfortable asking for. She's only been here a day and a half."
"I'd expect her to be in tears a lot."
"Erin, she has four laps and four sets of shoulders and they've gotten frequent use; mostly about her older brother and the twins who were six. I expect we'll do more of that but tonight she has the excitement of new family and Lily's the same age as the twins were."
"Well, six for a few more days. She'll be seven on May fifth."
"Then we need to have a party. Jack, do we have power for making ice and running the electric ice cream churn?"
"Yes, love. My five day weather outlook has mostly sunny skies so we should be OK on power. Indoor or outdoor party? We have indoor games or we could have the girls on horses with us leading them around the yard."
"Dad, from Lily's earlier comment about horses, I don't think you could do anything she'd like better. Does Katie ride?"
"She's told me that she rode a little but I'm sure she'll probably just as willing to be led around as she was to take the lead in getting ready for bed tonight."
"She definitely sounds like a 'keeper'."
"We think so."
---
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Post by 9idrr on May 9, 2021 20:45:14 GMT -6
Thank you. Just what I needed to top off a good weekend.
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Post by ydderf on May 11, 2021 10:13:10 GMT -6
Nice chapter, sans cliff, thank you!!
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Post by udwe on May 12, 2021 20:27:24 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by papaof2 on May 16, 2021 21:08:38 GMT -6
Chapter 35
Monday, 1 May, 2028, 06:00 CDT
'This is the morning news from WWWH-FM. Remember that we'll only be on the air at 6AM and 8PM to conserve fuel. Sheriff Paul Tucker came by on horseback this morning to inform us that County General Hospital will be out of fuel for their generator later today or early tomorrow and that their available treatment will decrease to the level of a battlefield medic without power. Also, their staff is currently at less than 20% of normal so no specialties are represented, just basic care. The Sheriff was riding a horse because they no longer have fuel for their vehicles or the generator that powers the Sheriff's Office so they no longer have radio communications other than solar powered CB. They monitor channel 21 for any emergency traffic but the fastest emergency care will be from someone near you who has had First Aid or better training. If you can't contact the Sheriff directly, there are a few people in the county with limited solar power who have a CB and can relay a message for you.
'At WWWH-FM, we have no communications other than local word-of-mouth and the very limited shortwave broadcasting from elsewhere. The few countries we've heard from are suffering as badly as we are, except for reports about China which indicate it is becoming a land of the dead with satellites showing bodies in the streets everywhere.
'The last CDC estimate of US fatalities was at least 75% fatal infections from 2028NK and a possible 90% near-future die-off among the survivors and the immune because water and sanitation have been lost in urban and suburban areas plus the lack of medical care, no medications for those on some long term therapies, no power for medical equipment from CPAP to dialysis and food not being available in most urban and suburban areas with loss of power for refrigeration, no fuel for farming or trucking and no people to drive the trucks. For those still alive in our area, we wish you good farming for the year and hope that you have options for farming without future fuel deliveries.
'We'll be back at 8PM.'
"Momma, is insulin a 'long term therapy'?"
"Yes, Lily. It's something you'll need all your life."
"Then I'm gonna die soon?"
"No, sweetheart, not soon. Do you remember seeing your Grandpa's lab last night?"
"The stuff that makes 'hamburger'?"
"And all the other 'stuff' that goes with it. We'll be able to make insulin and we have power for the fridge to keep it cold - or didn't you notice that your glass of milk was cold?"
"We have stuff nobody else does?"
"Correct."
"Then I can't tell anybody that's not family 'cause they might want it!"
"Also correct, smart girl."
"This is a good place to be."
"We like to think so, Lily."
"It is, Grandpa. You'll teach me to shoot so I can keep us safe?"
"Katie has also asked about that and I think we can start on those lessons today. You want to learn about feeding chickens and collecting eggs?"
"Un huh!"
"Katie, would show Lily how we do those things?"
"Yes, Grandpa. C'mon, Lily. It's fun!"
---
"That has them off to a good start, Dad, but where will they find a spouse in ten years or so?"
"Tom, we're already planning to take care of at least one other family. It's Gertrude Worthington, her daughter Elizabeth Bradley and Elizabeth's sons Will, who's ten and Bobby, who's twelve. Gertrude has a big garden, some goats for milk and she makes goat cheese. We're hoping to find others who survived that we can help become self-supporting. That will be limited to people on a property with a spring or hand-pumped well or maybe a large rain cistern and either a septic tank or an outhouse. They will need space and tools for a large garden, they must be able cook and heat with wood and possibly they will be raising chickens or some other food animal. Collectively, those things limit the possible properties to those either poor enough to only have wood for cooking and heating or those prepared enough to have wood for a backup. It certainly won't include any of the McMansions built in the next county, other than someone using parts of them for firewood or animal shelters. If Janet and Dave have children, we'll be looking for even more spouses but their son wouldn't be a blood relation to Katie or Lily."
"I have to keep reminding myself of who has what relationship to whom. Are you the only one with fuel for farming?"
"No. Bob Sanders probably has fuel for this year and the 'practical engineering' I mentioned is wood gas generators for two tractors I have - both now doing real work on wood gas - and Bob will have one somewhat larger tractor running on wood gas when I finish building and testing the wood gas generator for it. We can ride Silver and Buttermilk over there today. I'll drive the tractor back and you can lead Silver. Then you can help me put that wood gas gen together and adjust it to work under load."
"Your tractors are the little Fords out in the pole barn?"
"Yes."
"Kinda small for serious farming aren't they, Dad?"
"Tom, can any farmer get 5000 bushels of anything to market?"
"Well, no. Not without fuel and the number of deaths tells me we'll be living an 1820 lifestyle except for the bits that you and other shadetree mechanics can put together."
"So people will only be growing the limited acres of what they need plus a little more for barter?"
"Sounds like 1820 to me. What about those who don't want to barter?"
"They are why we have more pre-65 silver than we can carry."
"You'll offer silver in 1820 prices?"
"Might have to use First Depression prices but we're covered for that. We'll probably have something they want and they'll have to agree to our prices to get it."
"They can't shoot the place up and burn you out?"
"The Skousen walls are good up through .308, the laminated wood and steel 'storm shutters' for windows and doors are probably better than that, maybe up through .50, there's the equivalent of a 'roof and soffits sprinkler system' installed on each building and we can run the well pump from the solar power system. Plus, we can see them coming."
"On your phone?"
"On any device on the wi-fi network. There's a laptop for central monitoring and, for now, all the cameras are set for 'alert on motion' and 'record on motion'. The phones are no longer useful for person-to-person communications or accessing the no-longer-there internet but they can display the security cameras or my weather station and they're useful as cameras when you're working on an unfamiliar piece of equipment with no reference information."
"You always know how to put something back together."
"Exactly."
---
"Grandma?"
"Yes, Katie?"
"We need the stuff for milking but I don't know if I can milk all three cows and I don't think Lily's hands are big enough 'cause mine just barely are."
"You show Lily how we wash the eggs and I'll get the udder washing and milk pails."
"Just the wash pail and the wash cloths 'cause there's warm water out there?"
"Correct, smart girl."
"I sure do like bein' here."
"Why, cousin?"
"Lily, nobody ever called me 'smart girl' before."
"I like that too."
---
"Katie, you start on your cows with this pail while I introduce Lily to Petunia and then we'll see if her hands are big enough."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"'Introduce'? The cow needs to know me?"
"If you're going to be touching her udder, don't you think she'd like to see you and smell you first?"
"That makes sense."
"Petunia, this is Lily. Lily, rub her head right here."
'Mooooo!'
"I think she liked that!"
"She did. Remember to speak to her, using her name, and to rub that spot before you start washing her udder."
"How do you have warm water out here?"
"This little hot water tank…"
"It's tiny!"
"It is, but we only need enough hot water to warm the cold water from the spigot out here. That little tank is electric and it is powered by the solar panels when the batteries are charged enough to allow some of the panels to be used for that."
"We got lots of stuff that other people don't have!"
"We do."
"I gotta remember to forget those things when anybody else is around."
"That's a very good way of putting it, smart girl. I'll wash her here so you can see what I'm doing."
"OK."
"Are your arms long enough to do that?"
"Maybe."
"You try right here."
"I can't see what I'm doing. Maybe if I sit…"
"Never sit under a large animal, Lily. It's OK if you can't reach in to do this. Remember that Katie is ten and she said that her hands were just barely big enough do the milking so that probably means that her arms are just barely long enough to wash the udder. I'll finish the washing and then you can watch me milk her and put your hands over mine so you can see and feel the motion I use."
"OK."
Squirt!
Squirt!
"Now your hands on mine."
Squirt!
Squirt!
"You kinda squeeze and pull?"
"Good enough description for your first time. Think you can do that?"
"Maybe."
"Now your hands in place."
"Like this?"
"This hand up a little higher."
"OK."
"Now my hands over yours and we do it like this."
Squirt!
Squirt!
"You try now."
"OK."
dribble.
dribble.
"It's too hard!"
"I think maybe your hands aren't as big as mine and we'll probably have to wait until you're older…"
"But…"
"Remember that Katie is ten and she says her hands are barely big enough."
"I guess I gotta wait."
"You 'gotta', but you can learn to feed Petunia and do some other things. The horses…"
"Horses! Yes!"
"They also need attention. I'll finish milking Petunia. Katie is already milking her second cow and we might both finish about the same time."
"Your hands are bigger than hers so you can milk faster?"
"My hands are bigger and stronger so I get more squirts per minute than she does. Even if it takes her longer, Katie always does a good job milking."
"So not doing it fast but doing it right?"
"Correct. Anything that isn't done right the first time must be done over and that takes twice as long."
"Better to get it right the first time."
"Yes, smart girl."
---
"Love, I see straw in both girls' hair so they were milking?"
"Katie milked. Lily tried but her hands just aren't big enough."
"I gotta grow some to do the milking but Grandma said the horses needed attention and I can do some of it."
"Katie, is that smile because of the horses?"
"No, Grandpa. Grandma told Lily that I always do a good job milking."
"It makes you feel good when someone notices that you did a good job, doesn't it?"
"Like being told I'm smart. They both make me smile."
"That's a nice smile. We need to find ways to keep you smiling. Maybe if I tickle you where your shirt's pulled up…"
"No! I gotta go!"
"You know where it is. Remember 'If it's yellow'…"
"'Let it mellow' - even if it does smell bad after a while."
"We don't flush, Grandpa?"
"Not every time, Lily. The well pump uses more power than anything other than the central air so we try to limit how many times a day that pump runs. If we 'let it mellow', we eliminate about 80% of the flushes."
"You may hafta remind me about that as Momma just stopped reminding me to flush this year."
"That's a big change when it's the opposite of what you've been hearing for a long time. That's why there are little red signs by the flush handle to remind you to 'let it mellow'."
"Grownups don't always remember to not flush?"
"Not when they've been in the habit of flushing for more than fifty years."
"That's a long time."
"It is."
---
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Post by texican on May 17, 2021 8:45:36 GMT -6
How quickly civilization will fall back to the 1900's life style once it falls apart.
Thanks pp2 for the chapter.
Texican....
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Post by ydderf on May 18, 2021 9:59:51 GMT -6
Thanks Papa 2.
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Post by papaof2 on May 19, 2021 12:27:49 GMT -6
The Occupational Therapist took measurements yesterday (strength, range of motion) to provide a progress report to the surgeon before he saw me today for the last scheduled time. He's available if I have problems but is satisfied that the hand has healed well enough that it will continue to improve over time (recovery from CMC Arthroplasty averages 10 months to a year for "good as the other hand" recovery with the ends of the range being 8 to 15 months). My OT thinks 8 to 10 months for me - which is good time for an old guy who is 70+ ;-)
The surgeon said I could stop the therapy if I wanted to, but I think I'll discuss a long term plan with my OT tomorrow and maybe go to once a week appointments and adding more to the at-home exercises. Maybe having different sets of exercises on odd- and even-numbered days because there is just so much that hand can do at the moment?
I'll know more tomorrow.
I'm still working to get back to typing with both hands - but there's been VERY little input from my muse(s) this year. Maybe the girls will again be productive when we can find someone willing to vaccinate Musians who are 9 and 16 and at higher risk than humans for Covid-19 and its vaccines? Best day so far this year was 531 words - last fall had some 2000 word days - and they've added a grand total of ONE chapter this year. You might find a "To be continued..." entry instead of the next chapter in another month or so.
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Post by ydderf on May 20, 2021 9:09:06 GMT -6
Take the time to heal your hand, it is important for much more then satisfying our curiosity.
After my wife's operations she needed help wiping her butt. Thankfully she has healed to the point she is now capable of looking after herself.
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Post by papaof2 on May 20, 2021 11:52:52 GMT -6
At least I could do that with my left hand when I had rotator cuff surgery on the right shoulder ;-)
I still keep trying to do more but keep running up against "Can't do that much squeeze/twist/whatever yet". The 4" battery chainsaw from China arrived yesterday but the bar had gotten compressed in places in transit so I used a knife blade (table knife, because it was the right thickness so nothing sharp) to spread the channel enough for the chain to run easily - now I just need to remember to oil the chain and bar each time before I use it. What use is a 4" chain saw? I can cut with one hand the 1/2" - 1" limbs that I'd otherwise be using a lopper which needs two hands - it's a concession to the "another 4-6 months to be where you were before surgery".
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Post by texican on May 20, 2021 13:20:58 GMT -6
After my wife's operations she needed help wiping her butt. y, Me thinks your dear wife might be a little annoyed if she read this. Texican....
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Post by papaof2 on May 30, 2021 13:15:52 GMT -6
Chapter 36
Monday, 1 May, 2028, 13:50 CDT
"Mom, where's Dad?"
"Tom, he's out behind the barn with the girls working on 'What's in your hand and where is it pointed?'"
"Then I won't disturb them. Knowing 'where it's pointed' is of major importance in Dad's 'shooting lessons' - about at the level of the 'not shooting' lessons."
"Those lessons seem to have worked for all of you. I've seen any of you handle a weapon carelessly."
"Maybe because every time I have a weapon in my hand I hear Dad asking 'Where's it pointed?' Having you use the slap board for a sharp report and then fall down with ketchup on your shirt made believers of all of us."
"It's a different way of impressing the importance of knowing what is in your hand, how you are holding it and where it is pointed. He also has Katie to speak about how much it hurts to be shot with a .22 even when you're wearing a Kevlar vest and Lily has already seen that bruise."
"That's an example none of us ever saw at home."
"Tom, we didn't test the Kevlar vests with live contents then. This time we were trying to keep those live contents alive."
"It seems to have worked but we should all be glad it was a small caliber round."
"That's the most common rifle out here because so many use one for varmint control on their farms."
"What if he'd had a .30-06?"
"Jack or I, maybe both of us, would have shot Bo before he got the rifle in position to fire it."
"Always good to know what weapons your enemy has and to be ready to respond."
---
"Hello the house!"
"That you, Jack?"
"Yes, Bob. Tom's with me."
"You're here for the Farmall?"
"I'll be driving it; Tom's leading my horse back."
"How much?"
"80% of what I gave for the Fords."
"I have 40 cords of cut and split hardwood so that's a good deal for me to have a bigger tractor. You'll be finished today?"
"Bob, I'll say noon tomorrow. Did you get your power working?"
"Almost. The belt keeps jumping off."
"Let's go have a look."
"How much power does this produce, Mr. Sanders?"
"Meter says 16 amps when it's running good, Tom, but that doesn't last more than a couple of minutes."
"Bob, did you drop this pulley?"
"Landed on one of the spare grinding stones, Jack."
"As I thought. The belt's a little loose and if the loose part gets caught on this burr, it'll throw the belt off. You have a file?"
"Toolbox in the barn."
"Easiest to walk back and get a file, a couple of wrenches and a pry bar for tightening that belt."
---
"Those few strokes with a file and that little adjustment on the alternator are all it needed?"
"Open the gate and let's see how long it makes power."
"It's at 18 amps."
"That's 432AH in 24 hours which is the best this wheel and its water flow can produce. You should be good running the fridge, freezer and the motion sensing lights I mentioned."
"I owe you anything, Jack?"
"Part of the service, Bob. Heirloom seed for a custom machined pulley and installation. It seems I did wind up doing part of the installation."
"So you did. I'll have the CB on channel 21 now that I have continuous power."
"I'll call you when the tractor's ready."
---
"Wood gas will work on this bigger engine?"
"Tom, it's about 220 cubic inches which is smaller than the 239 cubic inches of the Ford flathead V8. It may need some tweaks because the compression ratio is a little higher but the wood gas production should be adequate. We'll know for certain in a few hours. I put the four bottom plow on the tractor before I drove it here because it's a good test of the engine's power."
"You do work stuff out in advance, Dad. You'll have all the controls marked for various loads and speeds when you take it back because it's been tested at those points."
"It's not useful for farming unless it works as well as the original."
---
Whir! Whirrr! Whirrrrr! Pop! Chug! Sputter!
"Sounds pretty good for the first attempt, Dad."
"Remember what I said about the amount of change in the valves on that side and I'll adjust over here."
"They're done."
"Once more."
Whir! Whirrr! Pop! Roar!
"And bring it down from full throttle to about 1200RPM… Sounds good. Now in first gear. Clutch out slowly. It's moving smoothly. Brake gently on both rear wheels… It needs the valve on the wood gas cooker open about another 30 degrees."
"That's done. Try it now."
"Clutch out. Brakes on gently. It's lugging but still moving. Now to try with four plows."
"That three-point hitch works smoothly for an old tractor."
"Bob planned to use his 'collection' if the need ever arose so he did serious maintenance on all the machines. Plows are down. Open the throttle a little. Clutch out. A little more throttle - and we're plowing at a reasonable speed."
"It even sounds good, Dad. You'll get it back over there today?"
"No, Tom. I used a marker for the 'S' and 'R' of Start and Run and the 'L/M/H' of engine speed but those need to be permanent. The valves are brass so they can be stamped with the proper markings and those will be permanent."
"And you don't want to have a vehicle on the road after dark."
"Not even a tractor older than I am. We're reasonably sure that the population is small but we don't know how many vermin also survived."
"Good way to keep us all safe. You'll have Lily and Katie out shooting tomorrow?"
"If Susan is happy with their memorization and 'where it's pointed' skills."
"I've seen them quizzing each other on the four rules so they're serious about this."
"That's good, as it's the only way we can be sure they are always protected."
"You'll be doing more with the unarmed self-defense?"
"We're not likely to be in a 'Gun Free Zone' at this point but they might be surprised by someone they trusted."
"Hunger and greed can be strong motives."
---
"We get to carry a gun, Grandma?"
"I put several 'ifs' with that, Lily"
"You did. If we remember the rules and if we get 'where it's pointed' right and if a bunch of other things. Do we gotta?"
"Katie, pull up your shirt on this side."
"OK, Grandma."
"Lily, do you want to do that or worse to any of your family?"
"NO!"
"Then are all the rules and 'where it's pointed' important?"
"Very important! What do I gotta do next?"
"What's rule number three?"
---
'Hello the house!'
"Who's there, love?"
"Camera shows a boy with a shotgun riding a mule."
"I'll try the intercom."
'Who are you and why are you here?'
'I'm Bobby Bradley and Grandma Worthington said I should ask about getting Mom's dentist office moved.'
'Wait while I saddle up and I'll ride back with you.'
"Me too, Grandpa?"
"This trip, Katie. You have your notebook and pen and your GHB?"
"And my rifle is by the door, if I can take it?"
"You may. You can't lift the saddles but you can manage the bridles so you can help me with the horses."
"Yes, Grandpa."
---
"Katie, mount up and then I'll hand you the .22."
"Yes, Grandpa."
"A GIRL has a gun?"
"Bobby, I've been in one gunfight. This is the mark a .22 leaves when you're wearing a bulletproof vest."
"Really? You got shot?"
"Grandpa?"
"She did, Bobby. Her uncle was trying to take over her farm that's down the road and when she told him 'No!' he shot her. He and his cronies didn't know there were four armed adults with her. Those bodies are now up on stakes by the property's front gate and Katie is armed. Her cousin Lily is six but she's also in the self-defense and gun lessons."
"I should say 'Ma'am'?"
"Unless she tells you otherwise."
---
"Elizabeth, how much of the office needs to be moved?"
"There are two dental suites with chairs and Xray equipment. The Xray is the digital kind but it isn't useful without power for the machine and a computer."
"I don't know when we might be able to get you even a small amount of power, but the equipment should be protected in case of future need. You have a stock of anesthetics and other meds?"
"Yes to both but some need to be refrigerated."
"How cold?"
"Below 50F."
"Don't know that we can do that but an evaporative cooler will provide some cooling if the humidity isn't too high and you do have a hand pump on the well."
"Worth trying, I guess. You have a truck and fuel?"
"Yes. I think the first thing to do is move the spinning and weaving equipment out to make room for people and then make a one room dental office. Will that work?"
"Good start, anyway. Where will you get enough people for the move?"
"Janet's new husband, Dave, and I will do the heavy work. You can provide direction, you and the boys can box things and carry some boxes and Janet will be on watch while we work."
"Armed guards?"
"Mom, Katie's uncle shot her when he tried to take her farm."
"Her farm?"
"Elizabeth, Katie's the only surviving member of her family so it's now 'Katie's farm'."
"OK, Jack. The world is changing faster than I can keep up with it. A ten-year-old owns a farm?"
"It's on property donated by her mother's family so it's appropriate that it goes to her."
"And she'll be working it alone?"
"No. We'll be working it and she'll be benefitting from the crops grown there. We've moved her animals to our place and she and Lily are doing the collective animal chores based on their ages and sizes. That's what family does."
"But armed guards?"
"Any pain killers or gold at your office?"
"Both."
"And those weren't targets before things started falling apart?"
"And next you'll tell me that there were survivors among the bad guys?"
"Katie's uncle tried to kill her to get the farm."
"OK, the vermin also survived so I should have someone teach the boys and me about Dad's guns?"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
"Katie's right. You have food, water, a garden that's producing and wood for cooking and heating. You're richer than many of the survivors - certainly better off than most of those living in town."
"When do we start?"
"Katie, what are the four rules about guns?"
"Rule one: All guns are loaded…"
---
"Jack, you'll drive the cab-over with the box trailer and the ramps and dollies are already loaded. You and Dave load big things, Elizabeth packs boxes, you, Dave and the boys move the boxes and Janet is on watch?"
"Yes, love. Other than getting the chairs unbolted from the floor and the Xray machines unbolted from the wall, it's mostly just moving pieces from Point A to Point B - after we've made space in the Worthington house for a one-room dental office."
"So a trip over there first to get the spinning and weaving equipment which we'll put in the smokehouse for the moment and then a trip to the dental office for the things which are to be moved. What about refrigeration for meds?"
"Unless we luck up on something else, that might be an evaporative cooler for as long as the meds last."
"And that cooler won't be useful in a couple of months because of the humidity."
"Correct. Dental care will soon be back in 1820 or 1860. At least we have good toothbrushes and anti-cavity toothpaste for a few years."
"Think you could find and salvage a Wally World or CVS delivery truck?"
"Maybe, if we lived within a few miles of an interstate highway. Don't think we'll find that this far out unless an owner-operator brought the trailer home with his Kenworth as 'payment' for hauling the load."
"George Nicholson, if he made it home?"
"A place to swing by and check when we have some free hours. What's a quart of lima beans worth in toothpaste, ibuprofen, rubbing alcohol or sanitary napkins?"
"Good question. The answer probably depends on how hungry you are."
"I think you may be correct.
---
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Post by 9idrr on May 30, 2021 20:00:58 GMT -6
Unless I'm really hungry, a can of lima beans ain't worth much.
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Post by papaof2 on May 30, 2021 21:48:33 GMT -6
If the driver has false teeth, he doesn't need the toothpaste and he can gum the limas ;-)
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Post by NCWEBNUT on May 31, 2021 4:55:52 GMT -6
I like Limas a little bacon grease and a piece of cornbread yummy, add mashed taters and a slice of baked ham I'd be in food heaven.
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Post by iamnobody on May 31, 2021 9:46:58 GMT -6
I like Limas a little bacon grease and a piece of cornbread yummy, add mashed taters and a slice of baked ham I'd be in food heaven. YUM! I'm drooling already at the thought of such good eating! Simple food, tasty and nourishing and healthy
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Post by texican on May 31, 2021 23:44:55 GMT -6
Unless I'm really hungry, a can of lima beans ain't worth much. 9, In total agreement about lima beans which are at the bottom of the bean list. Even as outstanding a cook my maternal grandmother was, wouldn't eat her lima beans. Tabasco sauce couldn't make lima beans worth eating. Texican....
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Post by ydderf on Jun 1, 2021 8:26:38 GMT -6
Thanks PP2. Baking soda has more usefulness then toothpaste. It cleans teeth as well as leavens biscuits and cleans battery posts.
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Post by papaof2 on Jun 1, 2021 15:56:56 GMT -6
I have about 10lb of baking soda put back. Aluminized Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers and the shelf life might be longer than mine ;-) You might have to get past the taste of baking soda to be able to use it for toothpaste ;-)
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Post by gipsy on Jun 1, 2021 20:05:08 GMT -6
Been there done that and yes it's really bad
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Post by iamnobody on Jun 1, 2021 20:24:20 GMT -6
I have about 10lb of baking soda put back. Aluminized Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers and the shelf life might be longer than mine ;-) You might have to get past the taste of baking soda to be able to use it for toothpaste ;-) Adding some mint to the baking soda on your toothbrush will help.
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Post by ydderf on Jun 2, 2021 9:13:48 GMT -6
14 or 15 years ago I went to a wedding in Peru. In a museum in Arequipa there was a display of false teeth made by Aztec's from stone if I remember correctly they were all single teeth. Sadly my Spanish is/was not good enough to ask how they were held in place.
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Post by millwright on Jun 2, 2021 16:49:37 GMT -6
Lima beans?
MEH
Now, a bowl of fresh butterbeans is a whole different story.
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Post by eyeseetwo on Jun 5, 2021 22:00:31 GMT -6
Made hamburger gravy for dear husband tonight.
He had not had it for nigh on forty years.
He kept saying “What! You making Hamburger Helper!” I had never cooked him Hamburger Helper. That was his first wife, not I.
I jazzed it up with fresh from the garden garlic and onions, assorted spices and dehydrated mushroom gravy.
Served the gravy with smashed spuds and an artichoke from our garden.
And a delicious fresh from the garden salad.
After almost forty years of marriage I am use to his curmudgeon manner and balking at new recipes.
I did not tell him my dad’s Air Force slang name of s*** on shingle for the dish. Since I did not serve it on toast.
Turns out he judged it a O.K, which for him is a high compliment.
Now I need to figure a Lima bean recipe, hee hee.
It took twenty years to get him to eat beets and now he loves them.
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