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Post by bluefox2 on Feb 11, 2021 16:41:11 GMT -6
I've eaten 'possum. Hope to never be desperate enough to eat it again. Unless they are kept and fed a bland diet of cornmeal mush, they are too greasy for my taste. 'Coon has a strong, gamey taste that is better in a hash. Never had groundhog/wood chuck, but heard it is good. Around here, the only squirrels are the little grey ones with hardly any meat. If you catch a coon when young and feed it the right diet it isn't bad. My Grandma used to make a stuffing like stove top for squirrels and bake them in the oven.
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Post by iamnobody on Feb 12, 2021 6:58:12 GMT -6
The next day Mike was in the small town at the store. He asked the owner about some part time work and taking payment in store product. The owner was interested and they worked out a deal for 3 hours each day and keeping a tab for Mike to spend against. So Mike did that day's work which was mostly stocking shelves and cleaning floors. On the way home he stopped at Zeb's place. “Pa” was still on the porch smoking his pipe and Zeb was sitting on the porch steps cleaning his rifle. Mike and Zeb were talking about the area. Along towards supper, Mike excused himself to head back to his parking spot. He didn't want to intrude on their scant food.
His next work day, when finished he took some product, a fresh whole chicken and a bag of potatoes. On the way he stopped at Zeb's and offered to split and stack some wood in exchange for his sister cooking the food for them all. Mike knew better than to just give them the food, that they would be offended by his charity. Zeb's sister agreed to the deal. Mike went around back to the wood pile with Zeb following along. It ended up with Mike splitting while Zeb stacked, then they switched and he stacked while Zeb split. By the time supper was ready, they had a good size pile of wood done.
After the meal, Mike and Zeb were sitting on the porch talking. Mike asked him how long his family had owned the field where Mike was camping. Zeb told him they didn't own it, they were just caretaking it, a big company owned it and paid him a few dollars and hunting rights to keep an eye on it. That the company actually was trying to sell the place but since it was in a backwoods area, no one wanted it. The place consisted of the big field plus 200 acres of woods, a total of 500 acres. It was time to head back to his camping area but he made sure to thank Daisy for cooking the food for him.
That night Mike found it hard to sleep. Some thoughts were tugging at the back of his mind but they wouldn't quite form into a solid thought. After a while he gave up on sleep and opened his laptop to read some PAW stories. A few hours before dawn, he had a smile on his face as he finally drifted off to sleep. Those thoughts in the back of his head had come together and formed.
The following day Mike told the store owner he would be gone a few days but would be back, so please hold his tab. On the way he stopped at Zeb's and told him the same thing. Mike made sure the camping spot was tidy and headed off to a bigger town.
Once he got to the big town and wifi, he looked up the field on google map and used the satellite image view. It was as backwoods as it could be. He looked up the company owning it and then the real estate listings. There were no listings for it. Mike got a lawyer and formed a new land trust. He contacted the company and found out it would be a private sale with no realtor involved. As the trustee of the land trust company, he entered negations for the 500 acres. After finding out it would be cash and no bank loan approvals they quickly settled on a price of $750 an acre for a total of $ 375,000. He even had all mineral and water rights. He paid them with a bank transfer and the deed papers were in his hands within the hour. Mike arranged for a current survey to be done so he would have boundary markers. As new owner of the property, the trust sent notice to Zeb about the change but that he could remain as caretaker if he chose. Mike headed back to the field.
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Post by bluefox2 on Feb 12, 2021 12:48:14 GMT -6
The next day Mike was in the small town at the store. He asked the owner about some part time work and taking payment in store product. The owner was interested and they worked out a deal for 3 hours each day and keeping a tab for Mike to spend against. So Mike did that day's work which was mostly stocking shelves and cleaning floors. On the way home he stopped at Zeb's place. “Pa” was still on the porch smoking his pipe and Zeb was sitting on the porch steps cleaning his rifle. Mike and Zeb were talking about the area. Along towards supper, Mike excused himself to head back to his parking spot. He didn't want to intrude on their scant food. His next work day, when finished he took some product, a fresh whole chicken and a bag of potatoes. On the way he stopped at Zeb's and offered to split and stack some wood in exchange for his sister cooking the food for them all. Mike knew better than to just give them the food, that they would be offended by his charity. Zeb's sister agreed to the deal. Mike went around back to the wood pile with Zeb following along. It ended up with Mike splitting while Zeb stacked, then they switched and he stacked while Zeb split. By the time supper was ready, they had a good size pile of wood done. After the meal, Mike and Zeb were sitting on the porch talking. Mike asked him how long his family had owned the field where Mike was camping. Zeb told him they didn't own it, they were just caretaking it, a big company owned it and paid him a few dollars and hunting rights to keep an eye on it. That the company actually was trying to sell the place but since it was in a backwoods area, no one wanted it. The place consisted of the big field plus 200 acres of woods, a total of 500 acres. It was time to head back to his camping area but he made sure to thank Daisy for cooking the food for him. That night Mike found it hard to sleep. Some thoughts were tugging at the back of his mind but they wouldn't quite form into a solid thought. After a while he gave up on sleep and opened his laptop to read some PAW stories. A few hours before dawn, he had a smile on his face as he finally drifted off to sleep. Those thoughts in the back of his head had come together and formed. The following day Mike told the store owner he would be gone a few days but would be back, so please hold his tab. On the way he stopped at Zeb's and told him the same thing. Mike made sure the camping spot was tidy and headed off to a bigger town. Once he got to the big town and wifi, he looked up the field on google map and used the satellite image view. It was as backwoods as it could be. He looked up the company owning it and then the real estate listings. There were no listings for it. Mike got a lawyer and formed a new land trust. He contacted the company and found out it would be a private sale with no realtor involved. As the trustee of the land trust company, he entered negations for the 500 acres. After finding out it would be cash and no bank loan approvals they quickly settled on a price of $750 an acre for a total of $ 375,000. He even had all mineral and water rights. He paid them with a bank transfer and the deed papers were in his hands within the hour. Mike arranged for a current survey to be done so he would have boundary markers. As new owner of the property, the trust sent notice to Zeb about the change but that he could remain as caretaker if he chose. Mike headed back to the field. Looks like Mike is making an insurance move for the future. Smart thinking
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Post by solo on Feb 12, 2021 13:52:32 GMT -6
Sounds like he has the makings of the start of a pretty decent MAG. Zeb and family seems to be on the ball and are survivors. I like how Mike's lifestyle didn't change and he still puts in an honest days work for in kind, not fiat currency!
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Post by texican on Feb 12, 2021 16:57:07 GMT -6
Sounds like he has the makings of the start of a pretty decent MAG. Zeb and family seems to be on the ball and are survivors. I like how Mike's lifestyle didn't change and he still puts in an honest days work for in kind, not fiat currency! And there is the sister Daisy which puts another spin to the story if Mike is smart enough. Texican....
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Post by iamnobody on Feb 13, 2021 11:28:26 GMT -6
Mike went back to his part time job at the small store, did the work and was done in the 3 hours. On the way back to his camping spot, he stopped in at Zeb's. Zeb was the only one home and he was skinning out a couple of squirrel he shot that morning. Mike gave him a hand while Zeb filled him in on the news that a new company had bought that piece of land and he was still caretaker. In fact when he was done skinning, he was going to go on over there to look around, would Mike like to go along. Mike agreed and they soon were headed over to look.
As they started walking over the property, Zeb explained that a survey crew had been out and he wanted to look at the markers. It turns out that the property is basically a rectangle shape. The field used to be farmed many years ago but now was just occasionally cut for hay. The field was mostly flat except for the back end which went up into a small hill for several 100 ft, then into the woods. Mike is taking it all in and is holding his excitement in. The place had lots of potential. Zeb told him the field never remained soggy after rains and that the water table was only 40 feet down. The tour over, Mike stayed at his camper while Zeb went back home.
Over the next few days Mike spent a lot of time reading his saved PAW stories and articles, looking for ideas on what to build. He also spent a lot of time sitting and looking out over the field, picturing some of those ideas. He ended up piecing several ideas from different PAW stories together and a week later he headed for the big town and wifi to get some construction companies started building. His plans were to have the back of the field dug out for an underground bunker / storage, 12ft wide by 200ft long and 8ft high inside dimensions. He would have 6ft of dirt on top as covering. The walls and ceiling would be 18 inches of concrete. There would be 2 escape tunnels in addition to the entrance, each escape going in a different direction. The bunker would be divided into 3. The 1st section would be 12ft by 20ft and be his living space. The 3rd section would be 12ft by 20ft and be for his guns and ammo storage. The 2nd section would be for food storage and other supplies. Each section would be divided by a cement wall 18 inches thick and a steel door in the middle of the wall.
He also arranged for a well and extra large septic system rated for 20 people to be put in for it. About 200ft from the side of the bunker would also be a 10,000 gal propane tank and a 10,000 gal water storage tank would be on the other side, both of them underground. The plumbing for all of these would be put in place as the bunker was built.
On top of the bunker would be a small cabin built over the entrance. The cabin would be 12ft wide and 20Ft long inside and have several inches of gravel in the walls to act as a bullet stop for most smaller calibers up to 30 caliber. The small cabin would be “rented” to Mike by the Trust with the rental fees being collected by Zeb.
Mike had emailed the blueprints to an out of the area construction company and they quoted a price and said they could start within a few days. They would set up a small cement plant on site, all they would need is 1 corner stake to mark where things were to be built. As trustee, Mike did a bank transfer of 30% payment with another 30% at the ½ way point of construction and the remaining 40% at completion. Then he went back to the field and placed the stake they needed to get started. He also sent notice to Zeb about the work that would be starting.
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Post by texican on Feb 13, 2021 19:13:14 GMT -6
Mike is getting started.
Thanks ian for the chapter.
Texican...
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Post by iamnobody on Feb 14, 2021 10:00:50 GMT -6
No new story today. Had an ice storm last evening and night. A misty rain that when it landed, kept icing things up. Roads were bad and a lot of wrecks last night because people still thought they could do 60mph. After all, why pay for life insurance and car insurance if you don't use it. (sarcasm off) So today is tidy up day after about ¼ inch of ice.
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 14, 2021 15:41:14 GMT -6
We've lived in areas with similarly stupid people :-( When the guy in the shiny new pickup spins his tires on wet pavement as the traffic light turns green, you know how well ;-) he'll do on snow/ice.
Now being retired, we rarely have a reason for being out amongst the idiots - and I have a set of tire chains for my truck so it can go and stop.
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Post by ydderf on Feb 14, 2021 20:22:45 GMT -6
I had a child in an Edmonton hospital during the winter of 1979 and was going in after work on Friday. A customer asked to go with me as his wile was there to have her first baby. I said sure come along with me I would enjoy the company. You guessed it, wind snow icy roads, but my old Blazer was handling it like a champ. Part way in my passenger, Nelson, asked why I wasn't going faster as my car was a 4x4. After I explained about having only 10 square inches of tire at each corner for braking he became quite happy with me doing 50 or 60 kilometres per hour = 30 or 40 mph.
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 14, 2021 22:25:39 GMT -6
You do much better in marginal weather if you understand that your vehicle doesn't have much more on the slick space than a handprint at each wheel ;-)
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Post by bluefox2 on Feb 15, 2021 9:10:44 GMT -6
We've lived in areas with similarly stupid people :-( When the guy in the shiny new pickup spins his tires on wet pavement as the traffic light turns green, you know how well ;-) he'll do on snow/ice. Now being retired, we rarely have a reason for being out amongst the idiots - and I have a set of tire chains for my truck so it can go and stop. I took all last week off as vacation due to weather and personal stuff. due to -9 temp currently, I took today off also. I guess I will go back to work tomorrow even though wind chills are still expected to be in the minus twin digits. I spent many years as a cop and laugh all the time when I see folks flying down the road in bad weather. However if they wreck I do stop and help if possible.
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Post by iamnobody on Feb 15, 2021 12:38:51 GMT -6
True to their promise, the company had their equipment there in a few days and started work on excavating the hole. The propane and water tanks were delivered and holes were dug for them along with the trenches to the bunker site. The well was drilled so that they knew where to plumb in the pipes from it. The septic was put in. The company started pouring the concrete slab that would be the bottom of the bunker and rebar inserted for where the walls would be placed. It would have to set up and harden for several weeks before the walls could go up.
Mike so badly wanted to start planting but he knew that it would just get in the way of construction so he limited himself to just reading about growing things and finding websites to order from. He had downloaded a lot of this info on his trips to the big town. While dreaming and drooling over what he could plant, he still continued his local part time job at the store and was stopping in at Zeb's place and helping out there. He kept his ear open to listen for who the local talents were because he wanted to use local people as much as possible for any detailed work. He was finding out that just because they were Appalachian hillbillies, didn't mean they were dumb and no skills.
The bottom slab took 3 weeks to harden and then the construction guys set up the forms for the outside and inside walls, not neglecting to put in the openings for water, propane, etc. Once the forms were set up, then they poured the concrete, running crews around the clock to get a continuous pour. It was starting to look like a bunker instead of just a hole in the ground. By the time the walls have hardened, it is already 2 months since the work started. Mike knew he wasn't going to be able to do any planting this year. Better to wait and do it right than to rush it and have a mess and get in the way of the construction.
The crew waited 6 weeks for the walls to harden before starting to set forms for the roof. But finally the roof was done and they would wait another 6 weeks before putting dirt over the top to cover it up. Then they would begin the cabin setting on the top. Everything should be done before winter set in.
Mike was at Zeb's place one evening after the day's work was done. “Pa”, Zeb, Daisy and him were sitting on the porch talking. Zeb said there was a get together this Friday night for some music and dancing. It would be at a neighbor's barn, and that Mike was invited. The local people were beginning to accept Mike as one of them. Zeb said he could go with them. Mike agreed.
Friday night finally rolled around and Mike was cleaned up. When they got there at 8PM, about 50 people were already gathered, there was food spread out on several tables, children running around playing and even several hound dogs laying around. Off to the side were some guys with jugs, pouring the contents into cups. Someone shoved a cup into Mike's hand. The fumes from it were tearing his eyes and he was glad no one was smoking nearby or the flame may of caused a fireball from the moonshine fumes. Mike didn't drink much to begin with and certainly didn't want to down much of this “shine”.
People were mingling while waiting on the musicians to start. Mike talked with some of the people he knew while munching on a plateful of food. Soon the band started. Where he used to live, he had gone out dancing often but the instruments he was seeing, he had only seen in movies. He saw several banjos, some fiddles, a mandolin, a dulcimer, one guy actually was playing spoons, another playing a jug, a washboard and a washtub bass. There was even a Jew's harp and a harmonica. Weird instruments but Mike soon found out these guys could play. He wasn't familiar with this style of dancing. He saw Zeb dancing with several different women but noticed Daisy had several men ask her to dance but she declined.
During a break Zeb asked him why he wasn't dancing and was told he didn't know how to dance this style. Zeb called Daisy over and explained Mike needed someone to teach him how to dance this way. Daisy grabbed Mike's arm and lead him to the dance area as the band started up again. She showed him the steps for the dance and soon he had it down. Mike and Daisy danced throughout the night, taking breaks and catching their breath from this fast paced dancing. This was no slow dancing music like he was used to. Nigh onto midnight things wound down and people were leaving. Mike dropped “Pa”, Zeb and Daisy off at their place and then went to his camping spot.
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Post by cavsgt on Feb 15, 2021 13:08:21 GMT -6
Good read please keep it going. Thank You
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Post by solo on Feb 15, 2021 13:36:41 GMT -6
Very nicely done. It is good to become a member of the community and not over do it trying to force your way in. He has shown a good work ethic and by hiding his wealth, insured that folks like him for him and now his bank account. Great Job!
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Post by texican on Feb 15, 2021 19:43:42 GMT -6
Mike has been hooked and does not know it yet, but it must be stroming his subconscious.
Thanks ian for the chapter.
Texican....
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Post by iamnobody on Feb 16, 2021 9:03:15 GMT -6
The construction crew finally had the bunker done, the over fill of dirt for it and had the cabin all done. The foundation posts for the cabin went down to and were tied to the top of the bunker. An electric line was run underground from the road so there would be electric power. A small wood stove for heat, a propane stove for cooking. A wood pile was delivered. The inside was spartan. The kitchen was the propane stove and sink with hot and cold water. A bathroom with a shower and toilet. The bed was a full size bed that folded up against the wall during the day. There were no dividing walls inside, just an open floor plan.
It was just in time before the winter cold started. Mike “rented” the cabin from the Trust and paid Zeb the month's rent so he could pass it along to the Trust. No one knew that Mike was behind the Trust. To everyone, Mike was just a guy doing a part time job to make some money.
The winter months in the Appalachians was snow and cold. Mike toughed it out like the other people did. When it was deep snow and ice, you stayed home, unlike the big cities where employers required workers to show up no matter what.
During one of the lulls between snows, he was at Zeb's place helping split wood. Daisy was bringing them some sandwiches and hot tea when she slipped on some ice and fell. She tried to get up but her leg gave out from the pain. Zeb said he needed to get her to the doctor in their small town, Mike said he would get the truck ready. Mike drove as fast as the road conditions allowed, the 10 miles to the small town.
Once at the doctor's office, Daisy attempted to walk on her own but started to collapse. Mike caught her and scooped her up in his arms. Now remembering Mike is 6ft tall, 200lbs and all muscle from working. Daisy is only 5ft tall and 100lbs so it was no effort for him. When the doctor saw the door open and Mike carrying Daisy, he sprang to them and started taking her pulse before Mike put her down on the examine table. Then Mike said he was going outside to move his truck so it wasn't blocking the doctor's office. In reality he wanted outside to clear his mind of the intoxicating scent of lavender from Daisy's shoulder length brown hair. He had no rights to his thoughts. He was 35 and she was only 23 years old.
Inside the office, Daisy was having her own problems. The doctor said her pulse rate was very high, was there a problem. She did a slight blush as she turned to watch Mike's back as he went out the door, remembering his strong arms carrying her.
The doctor checked her over and said no bones broken, just some bruises. She would have to take it easy for a few days and she would be fine. Zeb and Mike pooled their money and paid the doctor and took Daisy home. Once there, Zeb helped his sister limp into their home and Mike went on down the road to his cabin.
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Post by sniper69 on Feb 16, 2021 9:18:26 GMT -6
Thanks for the latest chapters of this excellent story.
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Post by solo on Feb 16, 2021 9:47:33 GMT -6
It only takes a spark to get a fire going....
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Post by brucearmstrong65 on Feb 16, 2021 16:09:52 GMT -6
Excellent chapter (or, I should say, *another* excellent chapter). I'm assuming that at some point Zeb and Daisy will find out the situation beh9ind Mike, the trust, and the lottery. I'm wondering if Zeb's nose will be out of joint - not because Mike has money but because Zeb feels misled in some way. Or who knows what twists lurk in iamnobody's mind. (And I am certainly NOT telling anybody how or what to write! LOL)
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Post by texican on Feb 16, 2021 16:59:18 GMT -6
He had no rights to his thoughts. He was 35 and she was only 23 years old.
Poor Mike, love is kicking his heart. 35 versus 23 is ok especially in the shape that Mike is in.
Inside the office, Daisy was having her own problems. The doctor said her pulse rate was very high, was there a problem. She did a slight blush as she turned to watch Mike's back as he went out the door, remembering his strong arms carrying her.
Daisy also has love kicking her heart.
They will make a good couple once ian brings them together as long as it doesn't take chapters and chapters. (Hint)
Thanks ian for the chapter.
Texican....
Had the authors mixed up.
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Post by iamnobody on Feb 17, 2021 6:31:53 GMT -6
Over the rest of the winter, Mike was reading his downloaded prepper articles, stories and videos. He needed more up to date info. The local internet service was dial up and that wouldn't handle his research. So he had satellite dish internet installed.
He kept coming across the term “BBB's” beans, bullets and band aids. He had all this storage space in his bunker and nothing in there yet. Oh sure, he had full propane and water tanks but nothing else. He had been pricing long term storage food and things online. Then an idea came to him. Why not create more Trusts and start local “BBB” stores for bulk food, guns and ammo, and an expanded medical office. He would be able to buy his supplies at wholesale prices, provide local people with jobs and make some money profits by selling local and via internet. He knew from working at the local grocery store that the owner was barely making ends meet.
So Mike made a trip to the big city and had 3 more Trusts set up. He would go back to the small town and see about land for sale around the town. The Food Trust approached the grocery store owner about a deal. The trust would provide a new building and keep him and all his employees on. He would be the store manager with a salary of what he used to make.
Mike had found several parcels of land for sale on the edge of town. So the 3 Trusts he had set up bought them. He decided that each new building would be a quonset style building made out of concrete and covered with several feet of dirt.
The food trust would carry food that the local people had been buying. In addition the store would carry bulk foods. Beans – pinto, navy, great northern, split pea, garbanzo, red beans, black beans, black eye pea . Grains – wheat, corn, buckwheat, rye, barley, oatmeal, rice. Also they would be doing their own freeze dried foods and also dehydrated foods.
The gun and ammo trust would carry guns, ammo and reloading components. They would also have a reloaded ammo division where ammo was reloaded on site. It would also have an on site gunsmith.
The medical trust would provide a building with medical equipment, xrays, operating equipment, and several sick beds. The doctor would be kept on as a salary person. In addition to him, there would also be an herbalist and a mid wife on staff.
Mike got things started and lined up the construction company to start work as soon as the weather permitted. He was glad he got the ball rolling because a few weeks later he came down with a fever. Zeb had stopped by to check up on Mike when he hadn't seen him in a few days. The doctor visited and said it would have to run its course, to feed him blended soups and lots of fluids. When she heard it, Daisy said she would do it.
Mike had the fever for several more days, wandering in and out of coherency and mumbling. Sometimes he was aware of Daisy being there feeding him and other times he was locked in his feverish induced mumbling.
By the 4th day of Daisy being there, Mike's fever broke and he was aware of things. He saw Daisy sitting on a chair reading, he also realized he was naked under the sheet that covered him. She heard his gasp at the realization and came over. She felt his forehead and said his fever was gone. Mike said he was naked under the sheet and she told him yes, that was needed because he had several bowel movements that she tended to along with feeding and watering him. Mike stuttered out a very embarrassed thank you. Daisy said that she had added several herbs to his water to boost his immune system.
Daisy pulled the chair up close to the bed and told him he was talking in his fever. Daisy asked him who Julia was, that from his talking, he must not of liked her very much. Mike got a pained expression on his face and told her Julia was his ex-wife and had been married to her for 4 years. Then he explained how she had left him to be with her “woman friend” That he had no children with her. He had left that area and was living out of his pickup truck while moving place to place until he got here. With anger in her voice, Daisy said Julia was a big pile of steaming cow manure and didn't know what she had lost out on.
Daisy stayed 2 more days while Mike gained his strength back. During that time, they talked a lot with each other about different topics. He was really impressed with Daisy. She had this inner beauty that made her glow in Mike's eyes. When she was getting ready to leave, Mike told her that he found her very wonderful and that if he wasn't so old, he would be asking her dad and brother for permission to court her. Daisy looked him in the eyes and said he was only 35, not to be slow in asking her dad and brother because that age difference around here didn't mean anything. With that, she went out the door to walk home.
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Post by texican on Feb 17, 2021 13:04:28 GMT -6
Mike and Daisy to be a pair. It only took Mike getting sick.
Thanks ian.
Texican....
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Post by iamnobody on Feb 18, 2021 7:18:09 GMT -6
Mike didn't let any grass grow under his feet. The next day he went over to Zeb's place. Pa and Zeb were sitting on the porch discussing a project. After greetings, Mike got right to the point, saying he would like their permission to court Daisy, that he was a good worker, had a place to live and would be able to take care of her. Above all, he found Daisy to be a wonderful woman. Pa looked at Mike and said that he had seen this coming, that they have seen he is a good worker and would be good for her. Pa said he had their permission to court her. Daisy must have been listening right inside the door because she came out smiling and stood next to Mike. They made plans to get together in the evening, as Mike had to go work at the store a few hours and Daisy had work to do at her home.
Over the weeks Mike and Daisy spent many an evening talking on her porch or taking walks. On one of their walks, they encountered a traveling preacher. The preacher was looking for a place to set up a tent for some preaching. Mike told him he only rented a cabin but he could stay there while he looked. The preacher accepted and followed Mike and Daisy back to his place. Then Mike took Daisy back to her home.
The preacher spent several days looking for a place to set up but wasn't finding any. The evenings he spent with Mike and Daisy talking. Many a time the preacher would open his KJV bible and show them things in there. They both were beginning to see some things. One evening after Mike had taken Daisy home, he continued talking with the preacher. The preacher was talking about a bible verse “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” How that a person could be rich or do good things or never commit a crime, but when they die, they would still go to Hell.
Mike had never heard that before so asked the preacher to explain. So the preacher explained how God had made everything, God had rules and every person was a sinner because they broke God's rules. That breaking even 1 rule, the person was just as guilty as if they broke all the rules. That God was a perfect and just God and demanded sinlessness in Heaven. That if a person lied, they were just as sinful as a person that murdered. Mike told him he would like to continue talking tomorrow night when Daisy was there.
The preacher continued the next evening when Daisy was there. He explained how God's laws were like a school master, showing people they are sinners, that there is no way they can keep the laws to earn their way to heaven. That God sent His only son Jesus Christ to pay for people's sins and He died for us. That all people had to do was believe that Jesus is who He is and that He died for their sins. All people had to do was confess they are a sinner and ask Jesus to save them. Both Mike and Daisy confessed and asked Jesus to save them. The preacher said he could baptize them both in the creek down the road. That it was deep enough to immerse them. They agreed.
Mike had a talk with Zeb about him asking the Trust for permission for the preacher to set up a tent for meetings. So Zeb asked and was given permission. The tent meetings went on for several weeks and people got saved and were baptized, including Zeb and Pa. Mike had asked Daisy to marry him and she said yes. They talked to the preacher about marrying them as soon as Mike could get a marriage license. The preacher asked them why they needed the State's permission to do something God ordained, that he could marry them in God's eyes with a marriage covenant between God and them. How the word “license” was permission to do something that was otherwise illegal to do. That a marriage license was something fairly new in history. Both of them said they wanted the marriage covenant.
Mike took Daisy off by themselves, saying he wanted to talk with her. Once alone, Mike told her he was a prepper. She asked what that was and he said it was someone preparing for bad times. She laughed and said by that definition, most everyone in the area was a prepper. Mike said he had some money and she told him she hoped it was enough to pay the preacher for marrying them. He laughed and said that it would be more than enough to pay him. Then Mike told her that he had got money from his ex-wife, her “woman friend” and his lawyer as payment for what they did. Then he had bought a lotto ticket when the prize was big, that he had been the only winner and even after taking the cash payout and paying taxes, he still had got $777 million. She is looking at him in disbelief. He tells her that through the Trust, he actually has the 500 acres and cabin where he lives. That the 3 new stores being built in town are by Trusts that he runs. He leads her into the cabin and takes her down into the bunker to show her around, explaining he wants to use the stores to cover for his stockpiling of supplies, that there is already a 10,000 gallon propane and water tank filled. He shows her his bank statement and Trusts paperwork.
Daisy looked at him and said she had only one question, up to this point he had been living a hillbilly lifestyle, now that he told her he was rich, actually filthy rich, that he was NOT going to go to a rich man lifestyle? That she did not want a rich lifestyle and would not marry him if he wanted that. Mike assured her he wanted to keep on being a hillbilly with her as his wife and he for now, wanted no one else to know that he was rich, including her family. She agreed not to tell anyone and help set up the bunker for whatever bad things may come. They sealed it with a kiss that curled both of their toes, with promises of things to come once they married. Mike said let's get topside and set a day for our wedding.
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Post by solo on Feb 18, 2021 12:17:07 GMT -6
I hope that withholding that information from her family will not come back to bite him/them. They seem to be trustworthy. I will say that after all he went through with his first wife, it is incredibly brave to put himself back into the relationship/marriage scene so quickly. Once bitten, twice shy.
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