|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 15:06:25 GMT -6
Ben asked, "Have you noticed the number of reports of flu-like illnesses breaking out here and there?" "I saw something on the news, but it was just one isolated incident," Cal replied." "That's the thing. I've seen several reports, and they are always isolated outbreaks. But there seem to be more and more of them. I posted on a couple of the medical forums about it. There were several responses. Mostly speculation. But there were a couple that confirmed a problem in their area." "What did they say?" asked Cal. "That the doctors weren't having much luck figuring out what it was. And it was turning out to be seventy percent fatal, even with the treatments they were trying. The thing is, there are outbreaks all over the US, as well as some overseas." "You think it is natural... or something else?" "I'm worried it might be something else," Ben said. "I know it sounds like tin-foil hat and conspiracy theory stuff, but I'm getting worried. It just seems to crop up with no warning in almost random areas. The two most common elements are that it is happening in schools and hospitals environments more than anywhere else." "You think it could happen here?" Ben nodded. "I do. With all the hospitals and schools around here it's inevitable. I recommend everyone start avoiding crowds. And take sanitation cautions. And if push comes to shove, rubber gloves and P-95 or 100 masks at when they go into town." "You're really worried!" "I just updated the latest outbreak to this map a little while ago." Cal looked at the marks on the map. "All these are outbreaks?" he asked, more than a little stunned. "Yes. Every report I get I mark. Some aren't quite as clear cut as others, but I'm pretty sure all of them are related." "Something has been bothering me the last few days and I've been stocking up on more supplies." Ben sighed. "I'll make a list of prophylaxis and treatment medicines we need to stock up on. I'll order them and have them sent to the Ranch. You still issuing the immunization packs?" "Yes. As far as I know, everyone has been taking them." "I'll order more for replacements." "I'll call everyone together tonight and brief them. Will you be out?" "Yeah. I've got a couple of more days work before I can take off, but Maria won't be coming back into town until we get a better handle on this."
"Okay, I'll see you tonight. I'm not very hungry now." Ben left and Cal started calling people on the phone. First call was to Siobhan. "Siobhan, I want you to get the word out. I'm having an emergency meeting at 7:00 this evening at the Community Center. I'll explain when I get home. Call Dale, Karen, Joanna and Jimmy also." He then called Charlie. "Charlie, I want a rush order for 500 P-95 masks and 500 P-100 masks. I think we have enough but go ahead and order 1000 sets of surgical gloves and medical safety goggles. I'll explain later. Get these orders here ASAP. Pay the premium for overnight if you can." Cal drove back to the Ranch and got with Nick and Sylvio and explained what was going on. They were to arrange for supplies that they would need for the next 8 months for the Ranch and farming to keep going. He then went to the house and explained to Siobhan and Margret the situation. The two sat down with Dawn and made a list of canning and processing supplies they would need for the next year. Cal looked over the people gathered in the Community Center. Not everyone was there, but at least on representative was on hand from each ranch. "MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!" We're facing a deadly situation. There is a pandemic spreading throughout the country and we have to take some precautions to avoid it as much as possible. I'm going to turn this over to Dr. Ben Wiseman. He's prepared to give us some vital information. Ben." "Good evening. Several weeks ago I notice a flu-like illness breaking out here and there in the country. You've probably heard a little about it if the media has reported it, and that hasn't been much. Doctors aren't having much luck figuring out what it is. There is no dependable test for the virus. The fatality rates are climbing, even with the treatments they are trying. Thousands of people around the world are now getting sick every day, with an increased death rate of eighty-eight percent, up because of the lack of facilities to care for the patients. The only sure thing that had been discovered about the cause was it was a syndemic situation with two separate elements working together. One is viral and the other bacteriological. What one doesn't do to the body, the other will. If you have been taking the immune system boosters we handed out, you'll have a greater chance of not getting the sickness. We've got plenty on hand and more coming. The best thing we can do is to stay away from the towns right now, especially schools and hospitals. Stay away from crowds. It's better to isolate here where it's safe. Cal." Cal stood back up. "You heard the doctor and I agree with him. We need to isolate here. If you need to draw cash out of the bank, I can provide it. Other items you might need more than likely can be found in supply. If you absolutely must leave the perimeters of the four ranches represented here, then get goggles, masks and surgical gloves from supply We have plenty of hand sanitizer on hand also. I think we already have this covered, but do any of the families have children attending school in town?" Someone spoke up. "Heck no! They get a better education out here." "Good. People, your lives and the lives of our families are at stake. We can weather this out. At the first sign of any illness, report to Dr. Wiseman. He will be out here for the duration. Also, every apartment and home on the ranches have positive pressure systems. If this virus is airborne, the system will keep it out. However, if anyone feels uneasy about staying at home, the shelter is available. Any questions?" There were few questions. Everyone had learned their lessons in urban survival while living at the Ranch. The biggest conversation was about Dawn's strawberry towers. Not that they weren't concerned, they were already prepared to cover most contingencies. A few days later, the illness was declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization. Already local governments in just about every country were putting quarantines on whole sections of their jurisdictions, trying to keep the illness from spreading any more than it already had.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 15:09:04 GMT -6
The food and everything they'd ordered had come in a couple of days before the quarantines came into effect. Casey didn't close the restaurant but only offered take-out meals even though deliveries of specialty meats were sparse. The General Store remained open.
Life on the ranches was normal. Cal had flown Karen and Faith out to California and they were back in rapid time before the sickness came. The two women only stopped for gas on the way back. Earl ask Cal if he and the Reserve Deputies on the Ranch could help out covering the southern part of the county. When Cal agreed, Earl activated them.
The people on the ranches remained healthy but sadly, the county ended up losing almost 1200 people, a smaller portion of the county's population than many other places. It was six months before the pandemic died away. At the church service the previous Sunday, Reverend Lambry held a long prayer thanking the Lord and his helpers in keeping them safe. The county slowly came back. More businesses opened and Casey opened the restaurant back fully. Ryan got his first call from St. Mary's Medical Center, requesting their ambulances be converted to EV power. There were some workers missing from the conversion plant but Miguel and his brothers were willing to help out until their business got better. During the quarantine, they didn't have much to do so they finished Perry's Power Wagon and turned it over to him. Cal was well pleased they had come through it as well as they had. He had Charlie check the present supply inventory against the pre-pandemic inventory and replace what they had used. They had a great corn, barley and oat crop. It was stored right now and they were slowly converting it to COB for the ranches. They had found a feed delivery truck with an auger boom and was using it to deliver the COB to the Circle B, Dale's place and the K-S. The only people they were close to them that died during the pandemic were Sid and June Johnson. Joanna said her cousin Megan and her husband had died and left two small children. She and Jimmy were making arrangements to bring the children to the Circle B and hopefully adopt them. Cal took a deep breath and thanked God they weren't hit as hard as the rest of the country.
In the rest of the country, the cities, especially Democrat controlled ones, we on virtual economic ruins. Looting and rioting had taken place and large parts of the cities had been burned down. Morgues were overflowing. The plus side was that many of the looters and rioters were now dead.
Cal slumped at the breakfast bar and rubbed his face with both hands.
"What's wrong Mo grá?" Siobhan asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Just thinking how lucky we are to get through the pandemic."
"It took a bit more than luck. I think it was Ben and you that got us through. Ben's medical knowledge and your advanced preparations were the foundation of it all."
"Well, at least the adversarial countries were hit just as bad or worse than we were. Anyone could have blasted us back into the stone age while this country was on its knees."
"We need to have a party to celebrate."
Cal cocked his head to Siobhan. "You and the ladies plan it. Invite all the ranches."
"Yes Sir!" Ryan was orchestrating a bidding war for his latest invention, a super-efficient solar panel. It would get 70% efficiency, almost doubling the efficiency of current products. After listening to the offers, he went to Cal.
"Cal, I've got the bidding war bouncing around at 1.75 Billion. I hate to see the manufacturing leave the area. This will be a real money-maker and a great boon to the county."
"How many people do you think would be employed to manufacture them?"
"I guess around 200."
"Hmmm…I know of eighty-five acres between Fruita and Redlands that's for sale. I could snatch it up and we can deal with the county to provide installation of water, power and tax rates."
"I would rather see that happen than for some company half-owned by the Chinese to get the patent."
"Okay then. Land acquisition won't take long. Don't let the word get out or the price will go sky high." Before the week was out, Cal had purchased the acreage for $860,000. The sole tenant would be off the property in days. Dale and Cyn put together a team of lawyers to deal with the county commissioners. There would be a meeting with them in two weeks. Ryan and John, working with an architectural firm, were working on a building design. John managed to find, through his contacts, someone versed in solar panel production to help with the design and possibly manage the plant.
The women had the party well-planned. Reverend Lambry would have a short sermon Sunday and everyone would move to the Community Center. Activities were planned for the kids and live music would be provided. When good people get together, amazing things can happen. Kirk asked Karen to marry him, and she accepted, Perry and Bekah got engaged.
Cal got out his guitar and he and his family play my lively songs, and even more love songs. Everyone was having a good time with good food and music. During a break, Bekah went up to Cal and Siobhan.
"You know, Perry plays the guitar pretty good, and sings too."
"Well get him up here. We have an extra guitar."
Bekah prodded and pulled Perry up to the band area.
"What do you want to play?" Siobhan asked.
Perry blushing said, "Nothing, really."
Cal grinned. "You know Perry. Everyone pitching in gets the job done out here. The people need entertainment to bleed of the pressure they've been under the last few months."
"Please Perry," Bekah said. "I love to hear you sing."
"Sighing, Perry said, "Okay, do you know 'Pancho and Lefty?"
"By Van Zandt ?"
"That's the one."
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 15:10:48 GMT -6
When the break was over, Cal began with the instrumental and Perry started singing. "Pancho And Lefty" (originally by Townes Van Zandt) Livin' on the road my friend, is gonna keep you free and clean Now you wear your skin like iron Your breath as hard as kerosene You weren't your momma's only boy, but her favorite one it seemed She began to cry when you said goodbye And sank into your dreams
Pancho was a bandit boy, his horse was fast as polished steel He wore his gun outside his pants For all the honest world to feel Pancho met his match, you know, on the deserts down in Mexico Nobody heard his dyin words, ah but that's the way it goes
All the Federales say, they could've had him any day They only let him slip away, out of kindness, I suppose
Lefty, he can't sing the blues all night long like he used to The dust that Pancho bit down south ended up in Lefty's mouth The day they laid poor Pancho low, Lefty split for Ohio Where he got the bread to go, there ain't nobody knows
All the Federales say, they could've had him any day They only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose
The poets tell how old Pancho fell, and Lefty's livin' in cheap hotels The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold And so the story ends, we're told Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too He only did what he had to do, and now he's growing old
All the Federales say, they could've had him any day They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose
A few gray Federales say, they could've had him any day They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose
Everyone enjoyed the song and applauded loudly. Rob glanced over and saw Faith sitting with Karen and Kirk and went over. "He's pretty good, isn't he?" "Yes he is!" Both Karen and Faith answered. "Faith, would you like to go out sometime?" Rob asked. Faith blushed. "I…no, I don't think so." Rob blushed. "Of course. You ladies have a nice afternoon." Rob said, and walked off." "Why did you tell him no! I now you been interested in him! What's the matter?" "I don't know. I'm confused. I do like him, but I'm afraid." Faith said. "Afraid!?! You might be throwing away a good thing." The afternoon went on with many signs the people were relieved and feeling much better. Things were getting back to normal.
Cal, Ryan, and the lawyers had their meeting with the County Commissioners. After Ryan explained what they were doing, they bent over to get new manufacturing in the area that would boost the economy. With the promise in tax reductions and the free installation of gas, water, and electrical lines, the deal was sealed. After the meeting, Commissioner Rogers went over to Cal. "Cal, we're having an open forum Wednesday night at the Civic Auditorium on letting the people voice their ideas and concerns on making the county better and to speed up growth. We'd like you to sit on the panel." "Yes, I can do that." Wednesday night, Cal and Siobhan arrived, finding the parking lot almost full. "A lot of people attending tonight," Siobhan said. Cal was introduce to the other members of the panel. Many he was already acquainted with. The Mayor of Grand Junction got up, went to the podium and adjusted the mic. "Good evening, everyone. A few weeks ago, someone, whose name he asked me to mention, approached me and he suggested a meeting where everyone could share ideas on how to make the city and county better. I jumped on the idea because none of us are the grand experts of everything. I approached the county commissioners and the leaders of the communities throughout the county for participation. We have some great people in this county and they have some great ideas. Now, not all ideas will fit every community, and that's one thing we can do here is to iron out those differences. I'm happy to see people here from Collbran, Glade Park, Molina, Mesa, Powder Mountain Resort, Palisade, Appleton, Redlands, Fruita, Mack…if I've left anyone out, forgive me. My eyesight isn't as good as it once was. We've gathered a panel of civic leaders and local businessmen here tonight to spearhead this effort. The first of them I'd like to speak is Cal Coleman. Cal…"
|
|
|
Post by biggkidd on Aug 10, 2021 16:38:59 GMT -6
Oooo the hot seat Cal doesn't seem to like the spotlight! Wonder how this is going to go?
|
|
|
Post by bluefox2 on Aug 10, 2021 16:45:09 GMT -6
Well check your cinches and make sure that they are tight. We are about to go for another wild ride. I can't wait so lets step up and go for the ride. Buckle up Buttercup.
|
|
|
Post by bluefox2 on Aug 10, 2021 16:47:29 GMT -6
I think I need to explain something. I didn't write "Falling Up" as a sit-down, write a book type of thing.
I spent 22 years, 6 months, and 7 days in the military. Then another 20 years training young soldiers to go out and come back alive. Sometimes I wasn't successful.
Growing up in a poor, isolated, area in North Carolina, I had no idea some people were so evil and hurtful in the world. Hell, at first, I didn't know there were people in the U.S. Military that couldn't speak English. (Puerto Rican National Guard.)
Further along in my career I found it hard to understand how people acted the way they did. I took some psychology related classes and began taking notes and recorded individual's stories of their joys and sorrows..
Those stories, along from recordings I made of my thoughts during my travels I'd made throughout my career, made up the fabric of "Falling Up."
Yes, some of these experiences were of mine, but the point is, all the people depicted in the story were from real life. They suffered pain, humiliation and shed a hell of a lot of tears working their way through life. I still feel the pains of those who told me their tales and hope they found their own gold mine….
My friend, you have created one heck of a story from all of those notes and recordings. I too hope they found their gold mine and Serenity Glade.
|
|
|
Post by paulk on Aug 10, 2021 17:02:00 GMT -6
Thank you so much!
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 17:47:25 GMT -6
Cal took a sip of his water and began to speak. "For those of you who don't know me, I own a ranch near Glade Park. I also have vested interests in a test and evaluation facility, security company, produce, cattle and horses, and electric vehicle conversions. We've recently converted all the patrol vehicles for the Sheriff's Department to electric vehicles at no cost to the County. I did this for two reasons; first was free advertising. The second was it would save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars that the County could use for other things, maybe hire more Deputies. The bottom line is everyone benefited from it all. I will continue that policy for any town in this county. Fuel prices won't be coming down ever again to the levels of the 70's and 80's. If you can show proof of residency in the county, we will give you a 20% reduction in the cost of a vehicle conversion or a home power system. We aren't really out to make a huge profit, just enough to cover the overhead and pass on the rest to charities we support. I'm not up here to toot my own horn. Every person has some ability or skill that can help others in your community. If we take care of each other, we'll have less national government interference because we won't need it. I am more than willing to help out where I can, and that goes for everyone on the High Top Ranch." "Mr. Mayor, may I inject something to the conversation?" Sheriff Gilmore asked. "Certainly." "Just to show you the local support we have from Cal, the other night there was a couple of RVers went missing near Pine Mountain. I asked, and quickly received, support from him. He supplied a helicopter he had that has FLIR capabilities and quickly found the kids and transported them and their vehicle back to Gateway Canyons Resort, at no cost to the county. Now, not everyone has the ability to do that but he was willing to help out. The thing is, the poorest man in the county can offer up help to someone else at no cost to the receiver, and become richer in the long run. Yes, he might not be richer in money, but he will have boosted his or her pride. That makes most people happy. Happiness is the real currency of life. Those who lead full and happy lives are millionaires, even if they don't have a penny in the bank. "Sheriff, time and time again on the streets I hear people saying, 'Cal Coleman could do this or that or he would make it happen.' What, in your mind makes Cal Coleman the man he is?" "Mr. Hartley, the first time I met Cal Coleman, he had an aura of confidence. I saw a man who could be depended on and would probably die rather than let you down. I've called on him many times for his help since I've been in office. NEVER has he EVER let me down. Cal rides his own horse. Maybe he could give us a few words." Earl looked over at a blushing Cal and grinned. "Well, I didn't expect the forum to go off on this tangent. "No, no. Go ahead. We're here to learn how to make this county better." The Mayor said. "Well, this forum is supposed to be about making this county better, so I'll address that first. To make this community better, people have to change their attitudes. Let me give you my philosophy. First, we have to start with ourselves. We build models in our minds of character types and then expect people to fit nicely into those little defined roles that we've constructed. The constructs are artificial, but the people are not. We're shocked when we discover unexpected depths to someone we classified as stupid. We're offended when we learn that some esteemed person has baser desires. Pity the upstanding citizen who has a desire to dress up like a woman in the privacy of his own home. Although they are vile in they eyes of the community, they still have some value to that community. Be yourself. People too easily accept the roles that are placed upon them and try to mold themselves into them regardless of the fact that they are uncomfortable in that role. They try to adopt the manners and beliefs of those roles. People who act a little oddly are shunned until they conform. They'll take man who does charitable deeds and vilify him when it's learned that he had an affair with a married woman. Be up front on who you are. Walk the walk and talk the talk. At first, people will be confused not believing you don't fit in the box they've placed you in. Pretty soon, they'll understand you are real.
Don't be like other people walking around thinking they are judge, jury, and executioner. If they find one little character flaw, then they condemn and punish the person. Seldom are they compassionate to those who fail to live up to the expectations that they've place upon them. It doesn't matter that our expectations are unreasonable. Once they figure they have them pegged, finished. They've boxed them up and tied the bow and now have to find someone else to condemn. None of us in this auditorium are perfect. I treat people like I want to be treated until they don't deserve it. Help and respect your neighbor, if you can. There are always bad apples in the cart, but they will wither away in time. We have those that pop up from time to time who have problems with whatever race is the highlight of the news that day. We would all be better off if we could look past the color of the skin and look at the character of the person. I don't focus on race , religion or any of those things. If I can make a positive change in a person's life, and they are happy, then I am happy. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to roll into a sermon; I just wanted to give you a brief view of my philosophy." The crowd broke out in applause and whistling. Most stood up and shouting he should run for office. The Mayor waited for the people to quieten down and get seated. "We will now entertain questions from the people attending tonight. Ugh…Mr Haines, you have a question?" "Good evening, I'm David Haines, Daily Sentinel. Mr. Coleman. I find it surprising that a man of your prestige and influence is not planning on running for office. There seems to be quite a large number in the audience who would support you." Cal slowly shook his head to the shouts of "Hear, Hear." "Although we need more people in office who are independent from political parties, I decline. Years ago, I realized we live under a one party system that wears two masks; masks which hide the interlocking stranglehold of banking, the 'so called' political parties, the mega-wealthy, and big business, I understood we live in an age of corruption. The whole system is corrupt. It's corrupt beyond redemption. We are no longer a nation of law. There are those of us who must live within the law and there are those for whom the laws no longer apply. Some politicians and their families, particularly in higher offices, believe that they are among those for whom the law doesn't apply. For all intents and purposes, they are correct in their belief. They are above the law because they OWN the law. I got as far away from government as I could. I was outraged when I recognized the full extent of the lies that flow from the power brokers to the masses with the pretext of 'helping us' when they are, in fact, robbing us blind. Plus, I would have to put up with rude people every day in Washington who all think it's about power and control. They have lost the sight that they're there to come up with mutually beneficial solutions to the problems and concerns of the country. I couldn't fight it alone. My running for office wouldn't change a thing. Getting near that political vortex of corruption created by career politicians will taint anything. I retreated and ended up building a community where I could protect my people from the eventual collapse of what America has become." The reporter was persistent. "So, you have built an anti-government enclave against the status quo?" Cal's face darkened. "Don't try to put words into my mouth Mr. Haines. The people in my community are freedom-loving citizens who love the original intent of the founding fathers. We reach out to help others and stay away from the 'help' from government and OTG entities, which also includes the media. Your handlers are as knee deep in what is wrong with this country as the people in Washington. The best we can do here in Mesa County is keep an eye on our local politicians and make sure they are working for their cities, towns, and County and not fulfilling their personal agendas and curb their self-aggrandizement. Clean up your local governments. You've got to start at the local level and work your way up. If every community, every city, every county would work at their level to clean up the mess, we'd have a better country. Hold your elected officials accountable. It won't be easy and it will be a lengthy process. It's a long way to Washington." The crowd broke out in a roar with applause, whistling and cheers. The Mayor asked the audience to curtail the applause so they could move on. "But Mr. Coleman, you seem to have weathered the recent crisis quite well when others suffered so greatly." "Mr. Haines, I also see you haven't missed many meals either. My main goal in life is to protect my family and community. That is foremost in my mind every day. I believe that is every man or woman's duty. I plan for bad things to happen and pray they don't. We were fortunate the steps we took kept them safe." More applause and shouts in support of Cal erupted. The Mayor quickly moved to other panel members for questions and ideas of local concern. When the forum was over, it took Cal a while to get to Siobhan and make their way to his truck. He couldn't, or even try to, count the number of people wanting to pat him on the back, hug him, or shake his hand. They got in the truck and snapped their seat belts. "That was a damned ambush. Somebody is pushing for me to run for office. I'd like to twist that little shit Haines's head off." "Well, why don't you run?" Siobhan asked. "Siobhan, the current political and financial climate is going to crash. I can't fix a country but I can influence what happens to the people associated with the High Top. My sense of duty points to the people there."
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 17:48:20 GMT -6
"Cal, with Kirk moving over to the K-S, I'll need a replacement hand for the roundup." Nick said.
"You have someone in mind?"
"Yep. Already ran his name by Andy. He's clean."
"It's your call, Foreman."
Nick grinned and walked away and pulled out his phone.
"Mark? This is Nick. How soon can you get here?"
"Hey Nick. I can leave tonight. I already have everything I want loaded in my trailer. It's over ten hours so I'll stop halfway and be there be 1:00 Saturday afternoon."
"That's good. Give me a call before you get her and I'll let you through the gate. I'll text you the GPS coordinates to where to meet me."
"Thanks Nick. I needed to get away from here."
"Well, be safe and we'll talk when you get here."
Nick ended the call and shook his head. He was so lucky to have found Lilly. It would kill him if she ever did to him what Mark's wife had done.
Nick saddled his horse to ride out and check the range. He was about 8 miles from the compound when he spotted smoke. He pulled out his radio and called.
"I'm seeing a lot of smoke in the direction of Burt Haskel's ranch."
The Monitor Room acknowledge the message and notified Cal. Cal immediately called Ken and told him to get the helicopter ready. Cal met Ken at the hanger and got ready to fly. They flew to Burt's ranch and circled where the ranch house used to be. It was nothing but ashes. They landed and went over to a group of vehicles gathered on the driveway. Cal saw Burt and his wife, both huddled together.
"What happened Burt?"
"I don't know Cal. We were out in the garden and saw smoke coming out of the house." We've lost everything."
"No Burt, you've just lost the house. The ranch is still here."
"Yeah, but there's a lot that's been destroyed. I was thinking about retiring, but that's out the window now."
"Well, at least you and Alice are safe, at least. Why don't you two come back to the Ranch with me and you can figure that out later."
Cal went over to the Sheriff's Deputy that had arrived.
"Hey Carlos. Sad situation."
"Yeah. It went up quick."
"Yeah, look, I'm going to take Burt and Alice back to my ranch."
"That's good Cal. I'll get everyone cleared out and a make sure the gate's closed."
Cal and Ken guided Burt and Alice over to the S-70 and got them aboard. As they were taking off, Cal called Siobhan and told her he was bringing Burt and Alice back to the house. "Siobhan, they are going to need clothes and personal items. Get Charlie on it." "Okay Cal. I'll see you soon."
When Cal and the Haskels arrived at the house, Siobhan greeted them at the door and ushered them into the family room. Martha brought Alice a glass of iced tea while Cal got Burt two fingers of bourbon.
"You two are welcome to stay as long as you need to."
Thank you Cal. I'll have to get with the insurance man tomorrow. The policy won't cover everything, but I don't even know if I want to build back."
"Why not?"
"I'm tired, Cal. Alice is too. We wanted a little rest for our last years. I don't know where we'll end up, but we'll figure something out."
Martha took Alice aside and got clothing sizes for Alice and Burt and called them in to Charlie. Thirty minutes later, Charlie showed up and had three sets of clothing, underwear and slippers and personal hygiene items. Martha and Siobhan went to the kitchen went to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner while Alice and Burt went to get cleaned up.
"Cal, what about Sid and June Johnsons place. Couldn't they stay there?"
"You're reading my mind again, woman. After dinner, we'll offer it to them."
After the dinner of country fried steak, green beans and mashed potatoes, Burt and Cal went out on the patio and sat.
"Burt, you remember Sid and June Johnson?"
"Yeah, you bought their place from them didn't you?"
"Yeah. They hated to sell the ranch and didn't want to lose ties in the area. I built them a 3-bedroom cabin for them to stay in when they weren't visiting with their children up in Boulder.
Sid and June died during the pandemic and the place is empty. I'd like to offer it to you and Alice for as long as you live. There will be no rent and utilities are free."
"Will you buy my spread? It's only around 162 acres. I ran a few cattle every year to market."
"What would you like for it?"
"I'll sell it to you for $3500 an acre."
"Well, since it adjoins the HTR, I think a fairer offer would be $4,000 an acre."
Burt looked at Cal, surprised. "I'll take it."
Siobhan and I can take you and Alice and you down in the morning and show it to you.
Aice and Siobhan came out to sit with them.
"Alice, Cal wants t buy the spread. He has a house for us to use for the rest of our lives, if you like it."
"Well, this is unexpected. We did talk about selling a while back."
"Alice Siobhan and I can show you the house in the morning."
"That would be nice."
They sat and talked for a while until Alice decided she was ready for bed. Burt decided he was ready too and after saying good night, headed for the guest room. Siobhan and Call said their good nights and told them they'd see them at breakfast.
That was good you offered to buy their ranch." Siobhan said.
"I really don't need it, but it abuts our property and is fairly cheap. I'll find a use for it."
The next morning after breakfast, they drove down to the Circle B. Getting out at the Johnson house, Alice was pleased.
"It's beautiful! This doesn't look very old."
"Sid and June spent most of the time at their children's homes before the pandemic."
They went inside and looked around, then Cal took Burt out to check out the two outbuildings.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 17:50:22 GMT -6
"Burt, this three-bay garage could be used for anything you like. This smaller building contains a couple of electric utility vehicles. They will run a long time without recharging, but it's better if you keep them plugged in when not in use."
"This is nice Cal, real nice. When do you want to get with our lawyers?"
"Any time you are ready Burt."
"Well, I guess we need to get back and get our vehicles."
"Sure. We'll drive you back over."
Siobhan and Alice came out of the house.
"Well, we won't be needing to buy anything for the house. Everything we need is already there. What do you want to do with Sid and June's clothes?"
"I'll bring over some boxes to pack them up. I'll take them to the shelter."
Cal and Siobhan drove them back to the Johnson spread and looked around.
"Cal, there are some things I want to take from here, but I'm leaving all of the equipment for you."
"Okay Burt. Here's the keys to the house. I'll talk to you later."
Cal and Siobhan drove back to the Ranch and Siobhan began to immediately packing a couple of boxes with meat and vegetables out of the freezer and some fresh flour.
"Did you add bacon to that? I'll go and get a couple dozen eggs too."
Siobhan added to slabs of bacon and got two pounds of pintos also.
Cal came back with the eggs and sat down at the breakfast bar.
"Well, they may have lost some personal stuff but they've landed on their feet."
Siobhan waited thirty minutes to allow them to get home and put the boxes and bags into an EV34 and drove down to the Circle B. Cal had also added some moving boxes to the load. They weren't there yet so she went to the ranch house and told Joanna what was going on. As they were talking on the porch, they saw Burt and Alice drive up so Siobhan drove over to meet them.
"I've got some things for you."
When Alice saw what was in the boxes she exclaimed, "You shouldn't have!"
"Yes I should have. It saves you from a grocery run."
They unloaded the boxes and bags in the kitchen and Siobhan returned to her home.
"Okay Dudley Do Right, what now?"
Cal tickled her. Nothing. Let's get some tea and sit on the patio."
Mark arrived at the coordinates Nick had text him, which turned out to be a general store. He called Nick to tell him he had arrived and Nick told him to go into Casey's Restaurant and wait for him.
Mark went in and ordered a glass of iced tea and waited. Soon, Nick walked through the door. He said hello to the lady, who turned out to be Casey, and asked for a glass of tea. Nick approached the table and shook Mark's hand.
"Welcome to High Top Ranch, Mark."
"Technically yes, but no. The Boss, Cal Coleman has a little bit of ownership in just about everything around here. Everything on this side of the road is basically commercial. You'll find this place interesting."
"How are the people to work for?"
"Mark, this is the best ranch I've ever worked on. It's like one big family. Just do your job and you won't hear a peep. Do you still have your sidearm and rifle?"
"Yep."
"Well one of the things you'll be going through is a course for a Concealed Weapons Permit."
"Hell, I don't want to conceal my weapon, I want the bastards to know I'm armed."
"Be that as it may, that what you'll be doing. Everyone this ranch has to have it. I got you a room set aside in the bunk house. I'll introduce you to Andy Monday and one of his instructors will give you your training. After your training, I'll give you a tour of the ranch. I didn't tell them that you did time in the 75th, so let it be a surprise. You'll probably get issued cammies and battle rattle."
"What is this, the militia?"
"Better. You would be surprised what is available for equipment here. They've fought off gangs, the Cartel, Antifa and done search and rescue. You'll probably be designated a Reserve Deputy for the Sheriff's Department."
"This is an unusual place."
"Yeah, but I guarantee you'll end up finding out this place is a little bit of heaven."
"What about meals?"
A lot of the guys have cooked their own. There's a full kitchen in the bunk house. Tonight, you're eating with Lilly and me. Let's get you to the bunk house."
Siobhan had gone down to help Alice Haskel pack up the Johnson's clothing. They got everything boxed up and placed in the back of the Silverado.
"Alice, if there's anything you need, you have my number. Feel free to come to church in the morning and the luncheon after."
"Thanks, Siobhan. I appreciate your help. We'll see you at church."
Mark was busy the following week drawing equipment and getting checked out at the range. Nick Issued him a GPS that already had waypoints in it. Nick showed Mark a map in the bunk house with the waypoints marked on the map.
"I want you to take this and get on your horse and get familiar with the range. If you see something that should be on the GPS, just save it and we'll get it named right when you get back."
Nick rode the range for two days, stayed overnight at the Little Spring pond and came back in mid-day Saturday. He cleaned up and decided to go down to the general store and pick up a few things
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 17:52:27 GMT -6
Mark went to the General Store to get his things, to include a can of boot treatment. When he came back out Teresa was waiting on the porch.
"Go back to wherever you lover is. I don't want to ever see or talk to you again!"
"Mark, why are you acting this way? We need to sit down and talk. I'm sure we can work something out."
"Because it HURTS!" Mark bellowed at her, losing his temper. "I married you, promising you and all our friends and family that I'd love you and ONLY you, that I'd honor you and cherish you and forsake all others for you. I DID THAT! I loved you and only you. I honored you with every action I took every day. I turned down women at the dances. I worked hard to try to provide for us. I made sure I was the best I could be so that you'd be proud of me when we were out in public and so that you'd be thrilled with me. When we were in bed. I worshiped your body and held you in my heart. There was never any ROOM for another woman in my heart or my life or my bed. If I had anything to give, I GAVE IT TO YOU! You say you love me JUST as much as always, but if that's true, that meant there was ALWAYS part of your heart I never had. You had all of me! Now I have to wonder if I had even half of you, or if there's a third of your heart waiting for your secret boyfriend or a quarter of it waiting for some other man. That's not what I signed up for. It's not what you promised me and it f hurts to know that you've been betraying me like this for a damn year, Don't contact me again or I'll get a restraining order. Just sign the papers and have fun with your lover. Our marriage is over. There is simply no way that I could ever trust you again. You have anything else to say, talk to my lawyer."
Casey had been sitting and talking to Aibhilín when they heard the commotion outside. They opened the door to see what was going on, startled by what they had heard.
Mark shoved his way past Teresa and went into Casey's. Casey guided him over to a corner table and got him a glass of iced tea.
"Want to talk about it, Mark?"
"Nothing to talk about. She says she loves me, but wants to have a boyfriend on the side and expects me to condone it so she can be happy. I'm divorcing her cheating ass."
Aibhilín sat and watched the upset man for a few minutes, then went to his table, pulled out a chair and sat down.
"I've never ridden a horse before. Could you teach me?"
Mark looked up from the table at her. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I said…I've never ridden a horse before. Will you teach me?"
"Look Ma'am, I've got a lot on my mind right now…"
"Yeah, I overheard. Cheating wife. If she gave up her lover, would you give her another chance?"
"NO! NEVER! My grandmother once told me to never beg someone to love or be with you, because when you do, you give them the power to use and walk all over you. When someone truly cares for you, their actions will show and prove it to you, and you will never have to convince or beg them to love or be with you."
"Wow! That's deep. Are you feeling better now?"
"A little."
"Good!" Aibhilín smiled. "So when are you going to teach me to ride?"
Mark sighed. "I guess Sunday afternoon, let's say 3:00."
"I'll see you then."
Mark sat the for a few minutes then looked around. He didn't see her anywhere. He didn't know her name or where she would meet him. < "I'm going crazy"> he thought.
"WAKE UP MARIPOSA! TIME TO RISE AND SHINE AND EAT! IT'S 12:00!"
"What the hell Nick!"
"Hey, do the 3 S's. This afternoon is a community lunch. Best food you ever had!"
"Whew! I can't believe I slept this long. What's this about food?"
"Every other Sunday, all the ranch people get together down at the Community Center and throw together a huge buffet. Now get moving."
Mark got up and did his SSS and got dressed. Nick drove them down to the center in a UV.
"This thing electric?"
"Yep. All the EVs are electric and soon all the vehicles, except for heavy equipment, will be converted to electric."
"Isn't that expensive?"
"In the long run, no. These things will run forever before charging. The savings on fuel are astronomical, and all our power comes from solar, wind, or hydro. I'm getting my truck converted soon."
They got to the center and went in. Nick saw Cal and introduced him.
"Welcome to High top. We're glad to have you."
"Thank you Sir."
"No sirs and no saluting around here. Call me Cal."
"Okay Cal, thanks."
Nick introduced Mark to other employees of the Ranch and stood silent as Reverend Lambry said grace.
As the people moved toward the buffet, Mark decided to wait to let the crowd thin and took a seat at a table. He felt someone come up behind him and sit down beside his chair. When he turned to see who it was, Aibhilín sat grinning at him.
"You!"
"Yes Mark, it's me."
"How do you know my name."
"That's what Casey called you."
"Look, you caught me at a bad time yesterday. I was so messed up I didn't even get your name."
"It's Aibhilín Ó Cuilinn, SuperSOL office manager. Are you still going to teach me to ride?"
"Look, I have a lot on my mind and…"
"Then do something to clear your mind…like teaching me how to ride."
"I…."
"Mark, you just got to keep putting one foot in front of the other until life gets normal again."
"That's profound."
"My grandfather was a wise man."
"Okay, I'll teach you to ride."
Mark looked down at her feet.
"At least you have on the right boots."
"I asked Casey. The line is down now. Let's get something to eat."
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 17:54:30 GMT -6
"Gianna, who is that girl in line?"
"That's Aibhilín Ó Cuilinn, office manager at SuperSOL. I've been helping her out this week getting her settled in."
"She's Irish?"
"You wouldn't tell by the accent, but you can almost smell the peat, but she's smart and hell on wheels organizing."
Cal and Siobhan finished their meal and were talking with Gianna. Gianna looked around and saw Aibhilin sitting at a table, talking to a man.
"Just a second. I'll go get Aibhilin and introduce you."
Gianna soon came back with Aibhilin in tow.
"Cal, Siobhan, this is Aibhilín Ó Cuilinn. She's the new office manager at SuperSOL."
Cal smiled and held out his hand. "Fáilte roimh an bpobal, Aibhilin!" (Welcome to the community, Aibhilin!)
Siobhan giggled. "Gaeilge Dubh?" (Black Irish?)
Aibhilin stood there with her mouth open. "Tá Gaeilge agat?" (You speak Irish?)
"Yes, and our children are learning also." Siobhan said. "Come sit and talk."
Aibhilin sat down.
"So, were you born in the States?" Siobhan asked.
"Yes, but my mother and grandmother were sure to teach me Irish."
"How long have you been working for SuperSOL?
"Oh, just since Tuesday past."
Cal chuckled. "Now that's a telling phrase if I ever heard it. Well, it's great to have you here. I see you met Mark."
"Yes. He is a troubled man. I coerced him into teaching me to ride. I was a hoping it would take his mind off his troubles."
"Oh? I wasn't aware he had any troubles." Cal said.
"Well, it's not my tale to tell, but his wife took on a lover and they're getting divorced. She came here to try to get him back but he practically hung her out to dry."
"Well, he will be getting busy. I believe he has weapons training this week."
"For sure? Perhaps we'll be in the same class. I'll be taking the course this week also."
Cal noticed Aibhilin glancing at her watch." "I assume Mark is giving you your first riding lesson this afternoon?" Cal asked.
Aibhilin blushed. "Yes."
"Then go and have a good time. Be safe."
"Thank you."
Cal and Siobhan watched her go back over to Mark and watched them leave together.
"She seems sincere." Siobhan said.
"Yeah, sincere in getting her hooks into Mark."
"She could do worse." As the solar panels were being manufactured by SuperSOL, Ryan was allocating half the production to the Ranch. Barry Martin and Jerry Sweeney, along with Eric Mayes were busy replacing the older panels with the higher rated ones. Barry couldn't believe the output. The panels were cleaned up and were put back into stock for Mesa Electric to use on the cheaper installations that some people wanted. Ryan had held off on an advertising campaign of the solar panels until the Ranch was done. The 50% he was holding aside were for building inventory. A local fabricating shop was contracted to build mounting frame parts for the panels. They had to hire more workers for the job. Many employees were coming from the homeless shelters and turned out to be some of the best workers. A team of women from the women's shelter had been trained to assemble the frames prior to an installation. A wholesale hardware distributor in Grand Junction saw an increase in business also. Ryan's people were now training four 6-man installation teams to be prepared to begin installations. Ryan and John had built the kilns that turned the hemp plants to carbon. The entire process was highly secret so the process of building the silicon wafers was under tight security. Anyone going into the area was highly scrutinized. They'd already been under observation of industrial spies. Ryan laughed when Cal asked about someone reverse engineering a panel.
"They can reverse engineer all they want. The secret is in the process and the type of carbon I use. It's undetectable. By the way, can you plant another field of hemp? That's what the carbon is made from."
Cal had Sylvio plow and condition another field.
With the new children coming in, they either had to add on to the school or build a new one. Cal talked to Cathy and the other teachers and it was decided to opt for a new school. It would be four times as big and had to move to a different location. When they had all agreed on the location, which was off Kinsale Road, on Glade Lake Road. Cal decided to use steel buildings. They worked with Sam and Gary to come up with the layout of offices, bathrooms and classrooms. Cathy came back to Cal and asked about a recreation building. Understanding the need, he told Sam to add a 100x100 recreation building. Six more teachers were hired and trained in the school's methods of teaching. The old school would be turned into a Pre-School and staffed by two degreed teachers and three of the Ranch women that wanted something to do.
Cal was sitting on the front porch when Burt and Alice driving up in a EV34 . "Siobhan, we have company!"
Burt and Alice got out and climbed up the steps.
"Good morning Alice, Burt. You want some coffee?"
Siobhan came out.
"No thanks. Alice wanted to take a look at the greenhouses."
"I'll take you down. I think they might be making currant jam this morning."
Alice and Siobhan got in the EV34 and drove off.
Burt grunted. "I think is was Heinlein that said, 'Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.'"
Cal chuckled. "What have you been up to Burt?"
"Nothing much. Messed around with reloading some ammo. I'd like to take an elk this fall."
"There aught to be plenty of them. There wasn't much hunting done last year.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 17:57:30 GMT -6
"I wanted to ask you something Cal. When I open the door in the house, There is a rush of air coming out from inside. I cut the air conditioner off but it still does it." "When we built that cabin, we had a positive pressure put in. It keeps the air pressure greater on the inside than it is on the outside. This keeps dust and pollution out of the dwelling. We have the same system in all the houses here. "Come with me, I want to show you something." Cal led Burt to the study and activated the hidden door into the Shelter. Burt felt the same burst of air as the door opened. "Burt, years ago, when I built the first cabin here, I found a cave under the mesa. I cleaned an entrance, covered and hid it, intending to use it for storage. Later, I found the cave system was more extensive than I first imagined. With the help of some custom excavation equipment, We've excavated hundreds of feet of tunnels and rooms here to shelter every here on three ranches in case of a calamity. You and Alice have a place here also. Siobhan will soon be talking to Alice about outfitting your rooms. Everyone keeps their rooms pre-stocked with clothing and personal items so if you have to drop everything, you have everything you need." Burt looked around in amazement. "This must have cost a fortune!" "Yes, it did. One other thing I found was gold. That is what has paid for 95% of the improvements. We've got years of gear and food stored here. We didn't have to leave the Ranch for anything during the pandemic, we didn't need to. We already had it on hand." "Cal this is amazing! I would never have known. You know, I'm a pretty good heavy equipment mechanic. If you ever need any help, feel free to call on me." "We have some pretty good mechanics already, but if you feel bored, come on down and give a hand. Let's grab this cart and I'll take you down to the garage area." They found Barry and Jon working on one of the trucks. "Jon, Barry, this is Burt Haskel. He gets a little bored and would like to keep busy. He know heavy equipment so if there is something you can give him to do, I'd appreciate it." "Sure, Burt! Stop by anytime. Most of our work is done on the smaller stuff, but you're welcome to come by." "Thanks." Burt said. "I'll try and not be a hindrance." Cal walked Burt outside so he would know where the entrance was. They walked back in and they rode the cart down to Level 3. "Burt, this is our supply area. I have two people working here full time just to keep things squared away. Right now, they are ordering and storing items we used during the pandemic to bring stocks up to inventory level." "Cal, I never knew." "Charlie, would you get me two radios and chargers out?" Charlie handed Cal the radios. He turned them on and saw were both at full charge." "Burt, these radios are our primary means of communications on the Ranch. There's one for you and one for Alice. If you leave your house, take it with you. I could mean the difference between life and death. The Circle B's frequency is listed on her and the main Monitoring Room. If you need help, just start squawking and someone will answer you. My fréquency is Channel #1." They rode back up to the entrance of the house and went back in. Siobhan and Alice were in the kitchen drinking tea.
"Burt would you like a glass of iced tea?" Cal asked.
"Please."
"Burt, I'm going to start coming down and helping out in the Processing House. I'll need you to bring me down."
"Why does he need to bring you down? You have to two EV34s at your house." Siobhan asked.
"I can drive, but I don't have a driver's license."
"You don't need one. All the roads on the Ranch are private."
Alice's eyes brightened. "Land Sakes! You'll be seeing me more often then! Let's go Burt. I want you to show me how to operate the cart."
Siobhan and Cal walked them out. As they watched them drive off, Cal told her about Burt working Barry and Jon occasionally. That evening, Mark was sitting in a chair out on the porch of the bunk house when he heard a car drive up. It was Aibhilin.
"Hey, whatcha doing?" Aibhilin asked.
"Just enjoying the evening." Mark replied.
"Want to take a walk?
"Sure."
They walked to toward the Community Center until Aibhilin took a path off the left side of the road. It went around the back of the building and to a gate that was inscribed with the word "Serenity."
Aibhilin took his hand and pulled him through the opening, keeping his hand in hers.
"This place is nice." Mark said.
"Nice! It beautiful!" Returned Aibhilin.
They walked until they came to a pool. Mark could see, in the dwaining light, fish swimming around. Aibhilin led them to a stone bench and sat down.
Aibhilin quietly spoke, "When I first saw you in Casey's…I don't know how to explain it. It was like Kismet. All of a sudden I realized you were the piece of me that had been missing for a long time ... maybe forever." Mark took a deep breath. "Words have been swirling around in my head for days. I didn't know how to put them together. You just did. That is how, even in my befuddled state, how I felt when I first saw you. But I can't do anything about it right now. I made an oath when I married Teresa. Even though she broke it, I won't." "Aibhilin squeezed his hand. "I would never scald my lips on another woman's porridge." Mark looked at her questionably. "It means I will I will honor your wish. A little hand holdin' is not beyond the pale, is it? "No, I don't consider it right now." "Mark?" "Yes?" "Two people shorten the road to happiness." They sat until it was almost dark and walked back to the bunk house. "Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night at my place? I make a wicked lasagna. I promise not to go 'beyond the pale' and seduce you." Mark chuckled. "Sure. What time?" "Is 7:00 okay?" "Sure, I'll see you then." Mark watched as she drove away. "Jesus!" Cal's call tone on the radio beeped.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 17:59:13 GMT -6
"Cal, meet me at the airfield."
"Something must be coming in," Cal thought.
When Cal got to the airfield, Andy was waiting for him.
"Augustine called. He's coming in on the bird. I called Gary to bring a truck."
They waited a few minutes and a C-130 appeared to the south. They watched as it landed and taxied to the hardstand. As soon as the engines shut down, first one off the aircraft was Larry Augustine.
"Larry."
"Cal. You have somewhere we can talk?"
"Yeah, let's go into the maintenance office."
Gary was moving the forklift to the ramp of the C-130 and the loadmaster was unstrapping the pallets.
"Cal, I was told to move this stuff out of Virginia. The Administration is putting some dubious characters in charge so the boss said move it to keep it out of the fellow traveler's hands. I couldn't think of a safer place. None of it is on the books, so if you need to use anything, feel free. We might need a little from time to time."
"What's on the plane?"
"A little bit of everything. Subs, sniper rifles, assault rifles, pistols, AT, Anti-air, and lots of ammo."
"How are things looking in Washington?"
"It's a damn mess. No common sense, just ideology. When things crash, they'll crash hard, and that's not 'if,' but 'when.' They are doing nothing but unravel the things the last administration had in place to keep the peace. Now we have open borders and God only know who is getting through. They're backing out of a lot of agreements with friendly nations and giving support to those that have not been friendly to America. Our old allies are stepping away from us because of this administration."
"That's because they believe that when we get tired of fighting a war that they are going to be hung out to dry. I gather that every world leader of battleground countries are saying straight out that America was not a good and consistent ally. The 'Peace At Any Price' crowd has destroyed America's reputation."
"You're right."
"Well, if you need some place to lay low, the door is open."
"I appreciate it Cal. I've got some hidey-holes in place, but if it gets too bad, I'll keep you in mind."
"Oh, another thing, a Red horse Team will be here next week to build another hanger and storage facility. I'd like to put it on the other side of the runway."
"You really need to do that?"
"Cal, your airfield is the most secure because it isn't government controlled. I don't like where the present one is going."
"Okay Larry, try and keep us in the loop."
Gary was loading empty 468L pallets back on the aircraft so they went back outside.
Gary was helping the loadmaster take a couple of large pelican cases off the plane.
"Cal, these cases contain a secure satellite radio, telephone, and secure fax. Put them in your communications room. They key generators and codeword books and instructions are in the cases. This is how we'll communicate from here on until things calm down, probably when this administration is run out of Washington. Be sure to challenge any caller."
Larry got back on the plane and they watched as the plane took off.
"It's getting serious." Andy said.
"Check around and see if you can pick up on anything from your contacts. Go over our security plans and see if any changes need to be made."
Gary came over and stood with them.
"Gary, get with Del and get this stuff inventoried I'll talk to Del about where we store the guns. Inventory the ammo and put it with the rest."
"Okay Cal. I'll get started moving this stuff."
Cal went to the arms room to talk to Del.
"Del, Gary is on his way with a bunch of weapons. As he inventories them, go over them and do your thing. Most of them will be stored, but set aside twelve of each for our use."
Cal called Eric and had him come to the Monitoring Room. Gary had delivered the pelican cases there and placed them to the side of the room.
"Eric, I need these set up and get everybody versed in them."
"Well, let's see what we have here." Snapping the cases open, he went through the equipment. "Oh, I've worked with these before."
Vern walked over. "Wow, it's got the code generators too."
Eric stood up. "No problem Cal. We'll have these up and running in no time."
"Will the code generators work for my satphone?"
"Sure will, Your phone can use multiple codes. All you have to do is select it. You'll still be able to talk the Marshalls. As soon as I get the equipment set up I'll program your phone."
"Okay set the equipment up. I've got some things to do.
Cal could put his finger on the nagging feeling he had in the back of his mind. On the way to his study, he called Nick and had him get as much hay as he could find to last them until next summer. He also called and had 60 cords of firewood delivered on pallets.
"You want to go to Sam's and COSTCO with me?" He asked Siobhan.
"Sure. Let me tell Martha."
"Meet me out front. I'm going to hook up the trailer."
Cal picked up Siobhan and headed out the gate.
"What are you getting?"
"Well, for one, Pool Shock. We've been using two drums a year. I want to pick up ten drums. Look for things that would be a real inconvenience if you couldn't get them for a long time. Things are going to get expensive real quick."
Cal and Siobhan each got a flat cart. He got the chlorine and went ahead and ran it through checkout while Siobhan continued shopping. When he came back, he loaded up with 50# bags of salt and sugar, several big cans of baking powder, a dozen 5# bags of baking soda, several big cans of powdered Gator Aid and Lemonade, aluminum buffet pans, and six twin packs of lemon juice. Siobhan had thirty-six 57 oz. cans of coffee, a dozen boxes of brownie mix, a dozen bags of pancake mix, large canisters of black pepper and other spices, They checked out and loaded everything in the trailer. Siobhan waited while Cal went back in and bought bags of dog food for Ranger. After loading the dog food, they went to COSTCO and filled up the rest of the trailer and truck.
Siobhan chuckled. "Think we got enough?"
"Well, it makes me feel a little better. I don't know what's going to happen, but we may have to go to ground for a few months. Something doesn't feel right."
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 18:01:30 GMT -6
After they had unloaded everything, Cal grabbed a glass of iced tea and went to his study. He went to his computer to access the weapon's database and look at their latest acquisitions. He was surprised to see what they had gotten.
FN Scar 50 ea. / 600 mag. Glock 17 50 ea. / 300 mag. Heckler & Koch MP5 50 ea. / 400 mag. Heckler & Koch UMP (.45 cal.) 50 ea. / 400 mag. ATN PS15-3A Gen 3A NVG 50 ea./ 1200 bat. M3 Carl Gustav 20 ea. M136 AT4 200 ea. M72 LAW 300 ea. M141 Bunker Busters 200 ea.
WHAT THE HELL! This is a major arsenal! You could take over a small country with this stuff. He checked the new entries for ammo and saw listed ammo for the M3 Carl Gustav were flechette, HEDP, smoke, HE, ASM, illumination, practice, and HEAT. No wonder the aircraft was fully loaded. He'd have to talk to Andy to integrate these weapons into the security plan.
Cal jumped through internet news sites to see if anything pinged his mind. Nothing. He moved to the supply database to see what was on hand. Gary and Charlie did an outstanding job keeping everything stocked and he could see no shortfalls. He shut down the computer and went down to the lumber shed to see what was there. Making a list, he called the building company they used and ordered various sized lumber and plywood to fill the shelter, along with different sized nails and fasteners. He even ordered specialty woods for the woodworking shop. Cal walked back to the house and sat on the porch. Siobhan came out, bring him a glass of iced tea.
"Cad é atá tú ag smaoineamh, Mo Ghrá?" (What are you thinking about, My Love?)
"Níl ann ach iarracht a dhéanamh cinnte nach dtiocfaimid suas go dteastaíonn rud uainn má théann rudaí go dona." (Just trying to make sure we do not come up needing something if things go bad.)
Cal called Dawn and asked her to go ahead and order enough supplies for the Processing Building to last two years. He couldn't think of anything else. The fuel tanks were topped off…what else? The only thing he could think of was to get all the vehicles they could converted to EV. He'd better talk to Karen also.
Cal got in his Silverado and drove down to Mesa Electric to talk to Ryan. When he walked in the building, security personal scrutinized him, even though everyone knew him. Good job! Cal thought. He went to Ryan's office, Ryan, John and Kayleigh were having a discussion when he entered. "How's business guys?" Cal asked.
"We're doing great! We're getting a lot of orders from local clients for home, off-the-grid installations."
"Well, I'd step it up, if I were you. Prices are going to skyrocket before long. Those that haven't converted will wish they had."
"Kayleigh hired a team to go around to all the ranches and homes in the southwest part of the county and offering a 20% rebate. That's brought a substantial rise in sales.
"How are conversion sales going?"
"We're doing the city police vehicles right now, a few private conversions, and some of the other counties are inquiring."
"Any way you can work in a couple of our vehicles a day?"
"That wouldn't be a problem."
"Okay, we'll round the last of the vehicles up and send two a day. One other thing. We're about to be hit with some heavy inflation. You need to be buying up as much raw material and prefab material as you can. Things are going to get really expensive."
Leaving Mesa Electric, he stopped by the General Store. Logan was talking to Betty, one of the clerks.
"Betty, is Casey around?"
"Yes, she's in the back, making an order list."
Cal went into the store room in back and found Casey.
"Casey, triple order you best-selling non-perishable goods and order half a trailer of toilet paper and half paper towels and forty gallons of vegetable oil for the Ranch. You may want to order a trailer for the store too."
Casey looked at him with an arched brow. "Anything I should know?"
"With all this big spending in Washington, inflation is going to hit us like a ton of rocks. Order as much as you can. Stock your overflow with Charlie and she'll keep it separate until I get shipping containers in here. I'm getting six of them for you to store everything that can stand freezing temperatures. We'll set them out back. The ranchers around are going to be hit hard and I want to keep the monkey off their backs for as long as we can. What do you think of adding on a Farmer's Market at the end of the store. We can get one of Sylvio's families to run it."
"A Farmer's Market sounds good. You've just made my list a hell of a lot bigger. What do we do about prices when this hits?"
"Only raise them 1/3 of the price rise for as long as you can. That will still be cheaper than the box stores. I believe we'll still make money. If you buy enough surplus, we may weather this."
Cal rode by Andy's office and reminded him to get people schedule for weapons familiarization with the new weapons.
The long-term food came in from Emergency Essentials and Cal helped Gary get it to Level 3. Two cases of Red Star Active Dry Yeast were in the shipment. Cal immediately unboxed it and placed the packets in zip-lock bags and placed them in the freezer. He took the empty boxes to Charlie to make sure they were added to the inventory.
Later that week one od Sam's crews was out to do the foundation for the Mesa Farmer's Market. The logs were being pre-cut and assembled in Sam's yard. It was a simple extension that could be quickly built. One of the Latino families had agreed to run the market and were on hand as the structure was built. Cal was able to buy coolers from a local store for some of the vegetables and had the two boys in the family to pre-cut lumber to build display tables. It only took four days to reassemble the market on site and wire, plumb it, and add solar panels. Dawn supervised the stocking and kept tabs on what was selling the best. They charged the same prices as their mobile market.
Martha and Siobhan ere baking bread when Cal came in and went immediately to his study.
"Cal seems tense lately. What's going on?" Asked Martha.
"Something's bothering him and he isn't sure what it is. One thing about Cal you can depend on is his insight. It was almost as if he has a crystal ball. When Cal says things are going downhill soon, you can believed that it is or soon would be. If Cal has a sinking feeling down deep inside that someday in the not too distant future, TEOTWAWKI would occur, I have no doubt that he is correct. I just hope that we have plenty of time to get ready."
"What is TEOTWAWKI?" Martha asked.
"The End Of The World As We Know It." Siobhan said, soberly.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 18:02:44 GMT -6
The Red Horse team had finished the building of the new hangar and the "storage building" turned out to be a disguised bunker. The night of the day all the paving was done, Larry showed back up, followed by an RQ-9.
"Cal, if we ever have to use this, We'll send the operators here. A plane will show up tomorrow with support equipment and ammo for it."
"Are things really that bad in Washington?"
"The media isn't saying anything, but you'd better be ready to lock down." "Cal, I need to talk to you ASAP."
"Come to the house Rob."
When Rob arrived, Cal took him in the study and closed the door.
"Cal, the markets are starting to look shaky. I recommend pulling out for a while. You can always get back in and pick up some deals."
"Well, let's start to liquidate and buy gold coins and bullion."
"My thoughts exactly. I want to hold a meeting of all investors here on the Ranch and get their instructions. I'll make a PowerPoint Presentation to explain my reasoning."
"Okay, send it out on the RanchNet and probably need to do it soon. I want to show you something."
Cal led Rob into the shelter system and after a couple of turns, came to a heavy wooden marked "Waste Treatment." Cal unlocked the door and lights came on illuminating a large bank-like steel door. Cal dialed in the combination and slowly swung the door open. Another bank of lights came on showing what looked loke a 20x20 foot room with a series of recesses cut into the rock walls. Each recess in the wall was numbered and contained what looked like safety deposit boxes. On the floor at the far end of the room was a stack of, what looked like, gold ingots.
"What…?"
"Rob, I don't really trust banks to store money, especially gold. The government has access easy to it. I built this a few years ago and what I don't invest, I put in here. As each of your clients liquidate their assets, they can store them here if they wish. Of course, if we go this route, we'll need to find someone to do the accounting and banking work."
Rob stared around. "I know just who to get. Can I take a couple of pictures for the presentation? I won't include the ingots."
"Sure."
"Just curious, but how much are those gold ingots there on the floor?"
"Those are unprocessed, but it's around $7.5 million. There's also that much in gold Eagles and Ranch Eagles."
Rob took a couple of pictures of the vault room and one of the vault door. They returned to the study where Rob used Cal's computer to put the notice of an emergency meeting of the investors the next evening. When he finished the noticed, Rob called and let her know.
Cal and Rob talked a few minutes about their concerns, Cal telling him about the preparations he had been doing.
"I think we both are doing the right thing at the right time. If it doesn't pan out, it will just be a reset with nothing really lost." Rob said.
"I hope I'm wrong," Cal said, "But I don't think so."
Rob held the meeting the next night, explaining his concerns using the presentation and pictures. This would be temporary until the markets settled and they would lose their investments. Cal even spoke about his concerns and some of the preparations he had been doing. He told them not to be too concerned, but to be prepared to weather the situation. The people were grateful, and told Rob to go ahead with his plan.
On the way back to the K-S Ranch, Faith sat silently in the truck.
"Why are you so quiet?" Karen asked.
"He didn't even look at me."
"Who?"
"Rob."
Karen sighed. "Well, you did say you wouldn't go out with him."
"Yes but…it was so soon after.."
"Well, I'll get the word out.."
"NO, DON'T!"
"Why not? I think he was just being a gentleman…giving you your space. There's nothing wrong in letting him know you are interested."
Faith sat silently, that giving Karen, in her mind, the go ahead.
Rob called Cheryl and had her to meet him in Serenity Garden. They sat on a bench and Rob told her his plan.
Harriet and Glenda have been around banking for years. I think they would be perfect for this."
"Well, Glenda, not so much. I think she's only been in it about five years, but she's smart."
Let's give them a call tonight and ask if they'd be interested."
"Okay. I'll test Glenda and make sure she and Harriet at 8:00 pm." Miguel and his brothers were converting vehicles for Ranch members as rapidly as they could. The conversions didn't take that long, but they had the problem of what to do with the engines. Cal provided them space in a large rook in the shelter near the garage. They hired a couple of the younger men who had moved there from California to drain the oil and clean the engines and shrink-wrap them to be kept in storage.
After talking with Harriet and Glenda, Rob went back to Cal and told him his plan.
"They know banking and they're family, so I'll trust you on this. There is an empty cabin. You and Cheryl take a look at it so you can tell them what of their things will fit."
After talking with Rob, Cal followed up and called Sam for two more cabins to be built. It always followed that if one cabin was used, he'd need two more.
Cal took the elevator to the top of the mesa. He sat on the bench he had placed there and looked over the Ranch. Going over the checklist in his mind, he went over the things they had accomplished and things he had to do. He needed to go on his bank run and draw more cash out. He had been doing this for a while. He had accounts in several banks and credit unions and each month he'd draw out $8500 from each account to keep in the vault. If banks did close for any reason, he would have access to cash, and if need be, use gold. If economic calamity did come, they had cash, gold, and even barter, if need be. Food would probably be in great demand. They had sold some cattle this year, but kept back a lot to butcher. They had 10 deep freezers in the shelter filled with beef. He had told Dawn to accumulate as many jars, lids, and other canning supplies for as long as she could. Diana had finished Level 4 in the shelter and they had plenty of storage space. Dozens of cases of hot sauces, spices and other condiments were on hand or ordered except for mayonnaise and catsup. Those they could make. Dawn had perfected making freeze-dried tomato powder by adding an anti-caking agent and ¼ of their tomato crops went into making that. They could make several different tomato based sauces from it.
All the fuel tanks were topped of, including aviation fuel. Other than aviation fuel, they didn’t use much because of the conversions to EV, however the heavy equipment still ran on diesel. There were things he was probably missing, but they were pretty well prepared for just about anything.
…or so he thought…
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 18:04:33 GMT -6
Perry finally let Rebekah drive his Dodge Power wagon. She loved it! She had packed a picnic lunch and they had gone down to the lake on Friday evening.
"I bought a new car…well, not really new. It's a restored 1951 Willys Station Wagon." Rebekah said.
"Why a Willys Station Wagon?" Perry asked.
"My father had one when I was a little girl. He called it his fishing car."
"Are you getting it converted?"
"Yes I've already talked to Miguel. If they can't do it at the plant, he said he would take care of it for me."
Perry laughed. "I can picture you driving it here to go fishing,"
Bekah, feigning anger said, "I have you to know I'm a good fisherman…woman!"
Perry laughed. "Come here."
He drew her into his arms and kissed her.
"Ooohh, do I need to get angry for you to hold and kiss me?"
"Not in the least. Just tell me you love me."
"I love you Perry Ashton. Let's eat."
Perry uncorked the wine and poured it into two plastic goblets. Bekah handed him a small plate with a sandwich and chips. They sat quietly and ate for a few minutes, only speaking about the food. When they had finished and packed their trash back into the basket, Perry laid out a blanket so they could watch the stars. Bekah laid her head on his shoulder and murmured "What are you thinking about?"
"Wondering if I asked you to marry me, would you?"
Rebekah jerked up into a sitting position.
"Are you serious! Of course I would!"
Perry wiggled around, pulling something out of his pocket. Opening the small box he said, "Bekah, will you marry me?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Perry slipped the ring on her finger and she grabbed him around and gave him a long kiss.
"I love you so much, Perry!"
"Bekah, I've love you since the first time I saw you. I just figured being a cripple.."
"Stop it! You're only crippled if you let yourself be. My God! Look what you have accomplished! Perry Ashton, you are more of a man than I could ever wish for. Yes I will marry you and YES I WILL have your children!"
They got up, Perry folding the blanket and Bekah picking up the picnic basket. Bekah drove them back to her apartment. Harriet and Glenda finally made it to the Ranch, or rather Rob met them at the General Store and got them onto the Ranch. Cheryl was going to put them up until they got their cabin ready.
"How was your drive?" Rob asked.
"It was beautiful. We just drove each day until we were tired. This is a beautiful area."
"This area is beautiful." Cheryl said. "The High Top Ranch is a friendly place. We are basically self-supporting here. Basically all the food is grown here on the Ranch. Cal, the owner of the ranch, keeps the fuel tanks full and billed, pro-rata, to the users. Now that the conversions had been done, there was very little fuel used except for farm and . Water is free. Electricity is free. Cal wrote the panels and energy equipment off on his taxes through a for-profit, subchapter S corporation. He also depreciated the water tanks and the fuel tank and since the real estate development corporation's only income was expense reimbursement, it is a perpetual loss."
"Smart for his taxes. What was that about conversions?"
All vehicles here are being converted to electric, except for heavy and farm equipment. They can take your car and convert it to an EV in a matter of hours. The cars can go twice as far as a Tesla before being recharged.
"Well, with gas prices going up the way they are…
"So, what made you two take the leap and leave Chicago?" Rob asked.
"Quality of life, basically…and crime. It's getting worse and spreading. I think we're lucky to get out. Since they made deep cuts in education. The way it is now, all you had to be able to do was spell your name to be able to graduate and they gave you three chances to get it right. Crime suddenly shot up even more as a generation of ignorant youngsters began to graduate from High School. Unable to get jobs because they couldn't read, write or compute, the young people began to resort to criminal activities to pay for the food and shelter they needed to live."
"We have our own school here on the Ranch. It out-performs any school in the state." Cheryl said.
"So, tell us more about this job we have." Harriet said.
"I'll let Cal do that. We're having dinner with them tomorrow night. You two just get settled in. You're going to love living here. AP Newswire:
A group of BLM protesters in Amarillo, blocked a major intersection earlier this week, a video tweeted by one of the residents on Friday shows. The video shows many of the protesters wearing body armor, black bloc, and helmets. They were soon confronted by motorists armed with shotguns who opened fire with shotgun rounds loaded with rock salt. Police arrested the BLM protesters and charged them with domestic terrorism.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 18:06:06 GMT -6
Curt, Cheryl, Harriet, Glenda and Rob arrived for dinner at the Colemans.
Cal said, "You all find a comfortable seat while I pour some wine. I hope white is o.k. It's what my darling wife and I usually drink."
Murmurs of assent while he brought around a tray with 7 glasses and a newly opened bottle of Chardonnay.
"Rob tells us you are from Chicago?" Siobhan asked.
"Actually, out in Westchester. However, a lot of my work in finance took place in Chicago." Harriet said.
Cal brought in the wine and set the tray on the coffee table.
Taking a sip of wine Harriet asked, "So Cal, what is this work you wish for us to do?"
Cal explained what he had been doing and their financial situation, and his concerns for the future.
"Harriet, I need you, with Glenda's assistance to basically be my banker. When things go south, it will be quick. You and I both know the banking industry will keep this quiet as long as it can, but when the markets crash, everything will shut down."
Harriet nodded. I see what you're saying. I've just never run across anyone who could do without a bank and have all the assets you have here."
Cal grinned. "Well, we have been fortunate. I just need some assistance with our financial inventory. If you will walk with me, I'll show you what we have."
Harriet and Glenda were agog when Cal led them into and through the shelter hallways. When he opened the vault door, they were stunned.
"What is this place?" Harriet asked.
"You are in a place where I can shelter our little community in case of calamity. Everything is set up for survival in the dark days to come. I want you to be a part of the effort to save a small piece of America."
Harriet saw the stacked ingots and walked over and picked one up.
"Is this REALLY gold!"
"The ingots on the pallets are unprocessed gold. That's around $7.5 million you see there. I have more in different dominations of Gold Eagles and bullion in those safe deposit boxes. Others here on the Ranch also have their liquidated assets here also. I guess you'd call it an impromptu bank. Under Rob's advice, we all liquidate our investments and have them stored here. Of course, we'll go back to investing once the situation stabilizes."
"Okay," said Harriet, I understand. So how do we do this?"
Cal grinned. "That's your job to work out. Between you, Glenda, Cheryl and Rob, I think you'll come up with a viable solution."
"All right. We'll take that on. We'll need.."
"Just ask Cheryl. She'll make sure you're set up with office space and equipment. Whatever you need."
Cal walked them back into the house and rejoined everyone in the family room. Siobhan announced dinner was ready and everyone adjourned to the dining room. They thoroughly enjoyed the meal of Boeuf Bourguignon.
"Cal? Rob. RBC Capital Markets has folded."
"When do you think it will be announced?"
"The first official announcement will more than likely be tomorrow. The banks probably won't open in the morning."
"Okay, I think everyone is ready. Let's do a meeting tomorrow night in the Community center. I'll have you get up and explain what's going on and what to expect in the near future."
"Can do. I'll put it out on the RanchNet and make a few calls."
"Okay Rob, thanks."
The first call Rob made was to Karen, while he was typing up the meeting notice on the RanchNet.. He explained about the meeting and told her everybody who ws in the investment chain should be there.
The next evening, it looked like everyone was there. Cal went up to the podium.
"Good evening, everyone. We wanted to get this out before any panic set in. I assume everyone heard what the President and the Treasury Secretary had to say, which was an optimistic nothing. I'd like to call Rob up to tell us what is exactly going on. Rob"
"Good evening. What we have is an investment bank failure. Basically, investment banks trade with each other. They trade derivatives with one another or more than one bank at a time. A derivative is a financial security with a value that is reliant upon or derived from, an underlying asset or group of assets-a benchmark. The derivative itself is a contract between two or more parties, and the derivative derives its price from fluctuations in the underlying asset. Sometimes these derivatives are traded at a lesser value that what they were exchanged for. In other words, they are betting the derivative will reach a certain value, or not reach that value. As you probably well know, there are plenty of bad bets. This is the perfect storm. If one of those banks fails to pay then the whole chain collapses because no one bank can handle the debt. RBC Capital Markets, an investment bank in Canada, and one of the top 10 investment banks in the world, has folded, defaulting on trillions in derivatives. They didn't officially announce it, just refused payments to others in the chains. It happened 12 hours ago, and in that time Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citibank had all called the Treasury Secretary to tell him they were insolvent.
Derivatives being what they are, unregulated bets on profits and losses, with several parties taking a part of the risk, in theory they balance out to zero. The problem being the danger of one major party finding themselves upside down in bad loans, and unable to pay their portion of a bad bet. The same derivative might have signatories spread from London to Singapore, with RBC in the middle. When RBC doesn't pay, the chain is broken. I'm looking to see the stock market drop at least 1000 points in the near future.
A hand went up. "But what does this mean to us? We've liquidated our investments."
Cal went back to the mic. "Exactly, and I'd like to thank Rob for giving is a heads-up. What does this mean for you? Well, today, the banks were closed. Tomorrow, they will open, but the customers will be limited in the amounts they can draw out. ATM machines will operate, but with the same limit. Social security, SNAP, EBT, SSID checks will still be deposited by the government as scheduled, but will be under the same restrictions as standard bank accounts. People will start getting angry. Because of the lack of funds, deliveries of essential goods will be delayed or not come at all. You will here about looting in food stores that will go on to other establishments. Things are going to be bad a long time before they get better. We're sitting good here. We just have to maintain situational awareness. I recommend, if you leave the Ranch, to go armed, and never go alone. We have a lot more here than many will have, and they'll try to take it from us. If there is something you think you need from town, check with Charlie or Gary in Supply. We probably have it."
The meeting went on a little while longer with only a few more questions. Everyone seemed to understand the situation. As people started leaving, Faith walked up to Rob.
"Rob, you said you have a secure place to store money."
"Uh…yes we do. If you want to bring it over tomorrow, we can store it for you and give you a receipt."
"Thank you, I uh…I…Rob, when you asked to take me out, I wasn't ready yet I.."
"I understand Faith. I was a little forward…"
"No, that's all right."
"So, now, we really don't have anywhere to go, except Casey's."
Faith's eyes glimmered. "That would be fine with me."
"Then, tomorrow night? Pick you up at 7:00?"
"Yes, that will be fine."
They parted and Rob rejoined Cal.
"Well, there didn't seem to be anyone overly concerned." Cal said.
"That's because of the preparations that were made." Rob agreed.
Cal and Rob were the last two out, cutting off the lights and shutting the door.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 18:10:53 GMT -6
The Main Stream Media were discrepant in what they reported. Mostly it was blaming the previous Republican administration.. The broadcast networks were downplaying the violence and looting, while couching their opinion segments in accusatory political spin, i.e. the Republican administration should have seen this coming. FOX is presenting it as an international crisis, explaining that in a sense we're victims of foreign banks, and nobody could have seen this coming. They feature on the scene reporters at supermarkets and ATM machines, one gets robbed during a live broadcast." "Earl, how are you doing?" Cal asked. "We've got our hands full here, backing up the city police. The smaller towns in the county are taking care of their own. There's been some instances of people from outside the county trying to come in and take what they want. In most cases they only got an aluminum grave marker. Your people doing all right?" "We're doing fine. We're just staying out of the turmoil." "Don't blame you there. Listen, can I call on you if we have any problems in the southern part of the county?" "Of course you can Earl. We'll help out as much as we can." "Thanks, Call. I'll talk to you later." Carmen Chavez had become the expert in food preservation. Dawn had asked Cal to put Carmen in charge of the Production House. "That's not my call." Cal said. "You are in charge of that part." So Carmen became manager of the Production House and she went full tilt in experimenting. She was always ready to process anything they had ready.
They weren't taking anything to the farmers market in town because of the violence so what wasn't processed in one way or another was sold at the Mesa Market. The surrounding ranches and homesteaders were grateful they didn't have to go into town for fresh vegetables. A couple of the women working at the market had started making net shopping bags woven out of hemp fiber to give out. One of their sons who worked at leather crafting, made custom labels advertising Mesa Market. If a customer brought the bag back to shop, they were given a 10% discount on their purchase. Things were relatively quiet until one day Sheriff Gilmore call, asking for their help. A group of people had stopped and hijacked a truck on 70 and the police and Sheriff's Deputies were in a stand-off with the gunmen. The driver had been killed. Cal called Ken, Andy Curt, Bill and Mike Whitehouse and told them to report to the hangar in full battle rattle. Cal was there first and drug out the M134 guns and was getting them mounted on the S-70. Everyone came fully prepared, including NVGs. They were off in minutes and were at the hijacking site in a matter of minutes. They stayed at 1000 feet while Cal talked to Earl. Andy, seeing gunmen, started taking them out with a M24. A van drove up and more gunman poured out after it. Curt riddled the men and the van with an M134. Soon, the police SWAT team was able to move in and secure the scene. The helicopter moved back and Cal told Ken to head back to the Ranch before they had to be involved with the paperwork. Overall, over the next few months, Mesa County faired well. A few times Cal or some of his people delivered food to those who just couldn't make it. It did bring about some of Dawn's people going out and teaching people to grow food for their own use and providing heirloom seeds. A mobile canning trailer was set up and went around to help people can their vegetables. A certain percentage of the crops were used to pay for the service and then donated to the county food bank. The farmers market in Grand Junction opened again and sales were brisk, although there was some bartering. On the national front, Congress were looking at banking laws to limit the investment banks to just how far they could stretch themselves. There would no longer be any "too Big To Fail" banks nor companies. They had to be insured or bonded to cover their mistakes. As the stock market picked back up, Rob was busy getting people back into investing. The investors on the Ranch still kept back enough of their gold for a "rainy day." As things started calming down and slowly moving to something resembling the old "normal", the women decided to organize a celebration. It would take place the next month to give everyone time to react and to plan who was going to cook what. Ranch families and homesteaders adjacent to the HTR were invited also. Sheriff Gilmore and those that would be able to attend were invited. Cal and Joshua were going to BBQ a yearling and two hogs. As the celebration was in the planning stage, Cal, Sheriff Gilmore, and Commissioner Hudson were requested at the State Capital to attend hearings on what they did to bring Mesa County through the economic calamity that had befallen the state. There were a week's worth of hearings to attend. While Cal was gone, Siobhan launched her long thought out plan to upgrade his outdoor kitchen in the Gathering House, except it wouldn't be in the "Gathering House," per se. Siobhan had the Gathering House dismantled, moved next to the Community Center patio, and re-erected. The outdoor kitchen she had built on their expanded patio was all brand new. It was just a duplicate of what they had in the old Gathering House. At the first hearing, Commissioner Hudson spoke first. "Commissioner Hudson. We've been reviewing the statistics and reports from your county and it looks like you did very well compared to other counties in the state. Can you tell us how you achieved this?" Commissioner Hudson cleared his throat. "Basically, from the start, we did not depend on outside help that had been promised. What did finally show up in dribs and dabbles, we considered it icing. We quickly rationed fuel, however, many were already prepared. With the help of many of the residents of the county, food was shared when deliveries slowed and even stopped at times. Foremost, we didn't condone lawlessness. Force was used against force until the threat was eliminated. We had only two buildings burned and that was because the owners were going to demolish them in the future anyway so the fires were controlled as not to endanger nearby structures. We used the resources available to us and monitored them carefully. No one got fat or rich, but they came out slimmer, smarter and tougher. It's not a diet I'd recommend." "Why did you not ask for state resources, Commissioner?" "Well, yes, about that. It seems any help from outside of Mesa County came with strings. We heard about Douglas County and you people pressuring them to declare an emergency and confiscate guns. We, as a county, believe in the Constitution and its Bill of Rights, and I believe we came out better for it. Now I'm sure that it's not that our government representatives don't care, but they are hamstringed with bullshit government rules and regulations. When someone finds a way to squeak in their own agendas, nothing gets done. Our community plan takes into account those failures in government and makes sure we aren't effected too much by government incompetence." The Representative's face turned red and he turned the questioning over to another representative. The questioning went on for another hour and they recessed until the next day. Cal, Earl, and Bill had a late lunch at Guard and Grace. "Well, Earl, what did you think about the hearing?" "It was a waste of time. They should be figuring out how to keep things from falling apart again." Cal grinned. "They are doing the politician thing. They'll gather information and in their own time come up with some bi-partisan agreement that only pleases a few and is nowhere near a solution." "You may not even have to testify before the hearing, Cal. Too many have heard of you and don't want the chance of embarrassing themselves." …or so they thought.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Aug 10, 2021 18:32:30 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by bluefox2 on Aug 10, 2021 20:00:33 GMT -6
^^^ Yup Cousin cliff done come to visit.
|
|
mlhj
New Member
Posts: 16
|
Post by mlhj on Aug 10, 2021 21:17:17 GMT -6
I am astounded by how fast these chapters are coming. I haven’t gotten a lick of work done in days!
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 22:39:25 GMT -6
The next morning Representative Singer call on Cal.
"Mr. Coleman, you come here today as a mere citizen of Mesa County. How do you believe your county is being governed?"
"Pardon me." Cal said, looking around. "I have no idea to whom I am addressing."
"As you can see by my nameplate MISTER Coleman I am Representative Christine Singer, 9th District."
"Well, Representative Singer, as a MERE citizen of Mesa County, I think they did an EXCELLENT job during the past economic crisis. You see, they LISTENED to the citizens. You probably wouldn't believe the experience MERE citizens have in our district. The leadership acknowledged that just because of a fancy title, they don't know everything and depend on the people to keep them straight. Let's see, 9th District. I believe that covers Aurora. I also believe that's where the theater shooting took place and the knee-jerk reaction was to ban certain guns and magazines, therefore limiting your citizens of the right in protecting their lives and property.
Our leadership in Mesa County is careful to make decisions so as not to violate the rights of its citizens. They are also heavy into disaster preparedness, especially calamities, caused by or partially caused by government ineptness, and they think about the citizens. As for being a MERE citizen, to include being a Reserve Deputy of the Mesa County Sheriff's Department, and one of several Deputy U.S. Marshals within the county, I, and the citizens of the county, ensure self-aggrandizement is curtailed within our local government. In fact, I don't recall meeting ANY MERE citizens who reside within Mesa County boundaries. They work with each other, they support each other and are quick to run to the sound of gunfire. THAT is what makes Mesa County different. We take care of our own people because the State and Federal governments are quick to promise, but want to wrap those promises in red tape and liberal agendas. I had hoped I would be long gone before ignorant people of this country voted in Democrats to lead us into a socialist hell we are starting to experience, that will take decades to recover from. Listening to what you have said and inferred today, we are well on the road."
The chairman of the committee pounded her gavel to get order after the clapping that exploded after Cal's remarks. They moved on to other people who had tales about lack of fuel and supplies and economic refugees. After the day was done, the group from Mesa County were told they would not be needed any more.
The men decided to do a little shopping while Cal called home. He told Siobhan they would be back early. She told him that Casey was running low on game meat, so Cal called Casey and told her to call in her order, have a representative 500 pound bundle set aside, and he would pick it up on the way back. The rest she could truck in. Cal caught up with Bill and Earl and they had an early dinner. It took them an hour out of the way to pick up the meat, but they pretty much talked all the way back.
"You two know you're going to have delegations coming to check things out to see how you managed the crisis." Cal said, laughing. "I'd have copies of your Emergency Management Plans made to give out."
Bill sighed. I know, and the problem with that is they will take that knowledge back and not tailor it to their communities. Too many think every solution is a 'one-size-fits-all."
"Well, policing isn't either. What we have in the county is unique. Until they pull their heads out of their asses, they'll continue to be screwed up."
"So, when is the County Commissioner's conference to go over 'lessons learned?" Cal asked.
"Week after next. Town and city officials, The Commissioners and LEOs will all meet in the civic auditorium. We've got all the input from the communities, so all we have to iron out is how to fill in the gaps that occurred." Bill replied.
"I hope you are taking into consideration that we could be hit by other disasters other than man-made."
"Yep. We're looking into all scenarios and trying to come up with possible solutions. When we've got it put together, I'd like your people to look it over." "Be happy too. The more we plan now, the fewer that will be hurt in the future."
Cal landed in Grand Junction and let Earl and Bill out. When he got to the Ranch, Casey was waiting with a truck to haul the meat to the restaurant. Cal took an EV34 to the house and parked it in the underground garage. The crew had finished Cal's outdoor kitchen no more than two hours before Cal arrived at the airfield. The next morning Cal saw one of Sylvio's men towing one of the John Deere 35KW Diesel Generators toward the fields. He went down to the equipment hangar and got out one of the Rokons and rode down to the fields. The generator was already running and supplying power to the water pumps. Sylvio drove up in a pickup and got out.
"Good morning Señor Cal."
"Good morning Sylvio. How are the fields?"
"Very good Señor. It is time to irrigate the fields again. We should only have to water this week. Hopefully, the weatherperson is correct. We should be getting rain next week."
"I wouldn't bet on it. I can't believe they pay people to be wrong 50% of the time."
"Señor, what are your plans for the Haskel property?"
"Haven't really thought about it. You have an idea?"
"Yes, Señor, we could put in hay fields on most of the property. The soil gets enough moisture so we wouldn't have to irrigate much."
"Good idea. Is the road good enough for travel over there?"
"It is sufficient for tractors, but it is rough."
"I'll have the guys improve it then. When you have time, go ahead and prepare the fields."
"Sí Señor."
Cal rode back to the house and saw Siobhan and Brigid coming back from the greenhouses. Brigid had pink stains all around her mouth and on her hands. Cal picked her up. "What have you been eating? "
"Stwawberry."
Siobhan giggled. "I was talking to Ellen at the strawberry towers and I turned around and Brigid had strawberries in both hands, grazing."
"Let's get you washed up before you turn into a strawberry."
They three walked to the house and Siobhan went to work with a washcloth on Brigid's face and hands.
"Brigid, take Daddy and show him his present."
Brigid took Cal's hand and led him to the patio door. Cal opened the door and Brigid pulled him out.
"What…..?"
"I did a little renovating while you were gone!"
"I'll say! This is great!"
"Oh, by the way, the Gathering House is no longer there. That has been moved to the Community Center patio area."
"Great Scott! I hadn't even noticed it was gone!"
"There's nothing left but the slab, which I'm sure you'll find something to use it for."
Cal inspected the outdoor kitchen. The patio had been extended about 10 feet and one third was covered by a timber frame structure. The outdoor oven was beautiful along with the stainless steel cabinets covered in barnwood. The covered grill and smoker were a lot better than what they had before. The steel on them was a ¼ of an inch thick! The grill cover was heavy so it had pistons to help raise and lower it. Cabinet-level refrigerators provided storage for drinks and food. There was a huge farm-style stainless steel sink with long granite countertops. There was even a recessed tub with a cover for iced drinks.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 22:44:46 GMT -6
"How did you get this all done so quick"
"Sam and Gary helped design it. Sam arranged for the crews. I think at one time, there were six crews working here."
"This is amazing! Thank you Sweetheart!"
"Don't forget the celebration is on the twentieth. Sam said the school would be ready by then. We can have a ribbon cutting and get to the celebration. You wanted to let the beef hang a few days?"
"Yeah, I'm planning on putting one on the rotisserie, and have the other one cut up. I'll smoke the brisket, have steaks, roasts, and ribs cut, then make sausage out of the rest and smoke them. I'll have that one processed a few days before the beef we'll have on the rotisserie so it can hang too."
"We should have plenty of buffet pans."
"More than enough, and twenty-five stands plus plenty of Sterno for them and plenty of take-out boxes for people to take food home." Matt had done a survey of disaster equipment several months ago and the decision was made to mount a CD V-717 and a CD V-700 were mounted inside each blast door leading outside. The V-717 has a removable hermetically sealed chamber that can be attached to 25 feet of cable, giving the ability to make remote readings, e.g., outside of the shelter wall. More NBC suits and masks were purchased and newer filters ordered to replace those reaching their usable lifetime Because of the deep recession, and because they would take gold, they got them dirt cheap. Most of the stuff came out of Utah and Texas so Cal flew there in the Otter with Matt to bring the equipment back.
Dennis and Shay began improving the older road that connected the HTR to the old Haskel place. They cut in road ditches and smoothed the crown of the road then laid rock and gravel, then sprayed it down with water. Using the drum compactor, the moist rock and soil were compacted down for a durable road.
Cal went over and inspected what they were doing, then rode the Rokon around looking at the areas where Sylvio said they could put hayfields. It looked good for that purpose. There was a six inch well next to the drive and if push came to shove, they could still irrigate. When he came to the drive that ran from the main road, Cal drove down it until he came to a bridge that went over a small ravine. It was a Bailey-type bridge and only posts were holding it in place on each corner. The old crane they had should be able to handle it. He'd have Shay lift the 25 foot span up and move it to the farm side of the ravine, keeping people from driving vehicles in any farther. They could always put it back in place if needed.
Riding back to the Ranch, Cal thought about the upcoming weekend. The Casper Cowboy Fly-In was taking place. Cal and Matt had talked about it and decided they would take Billy and Becky, letting them fly their own plane. Billy had recently soloed and gotten his license. Becky still had 10 months to go. Cal and Siobhan would fly in one of the SuperSTOLs and Billy and Becky would fly in the other. Matt was bringing Andrea with him. They would fly in early Saturday morning, camp overnight, and fly out on Sunday afternoon. The kids couldn't wait and were already packed.
Eric had done a little "re-engineering" of the radios in the SuperSTOLs thar allowed one channel for plane-to-plane comms. Cal and Siobhan took off at sunrise on Saturday first and looped around to be behind the rest during the flight. Mat took off next, to be the lead of the flight. Billy and Becky were right behind Matt. They arrived at Casper/Natrona County airport at 9:00, with a little tailwind. The were directed onto an old runway no longer used and parked in the grass, lined up side-by-side. They laid on blankets on blankets the rest of the morning, watching the aircraft arrive for the fly-in. There were Beavers, Cubs, Ultralights, and several different types of experimental aircraft arriving. Billy and Becky got up and went to a concession trailer and brought back drinks.
That Afternoon they walked around and looked at the different planes. One enterprising man had set up grills and was cooking burgers, dogs and BBQ chicken. Rather than taking a shuttle into town, they ate that for dinner. Billy saw a poster announcing a short distance landing and take-off contest.
"Dad! Can I enter the contest?"
"Hmm. Looks like fun. I think I'll enter it too."
"Matt made it three so Cal went ahead and paid for all of them to enter.
The next day they got their take-off positions. And watched as people made their take-offs and landings. Matt was the first from their group to go. He was recorded at 53 feet for take-off and 23 feet for landing. Billy went next. He was recorded at 48 feet take-off and 21 feet landing. Billy landed and was grinning like a mule eating briars. He had beaten Matt! Cal's turn came and he got lucky. The wind had picked up a little and he stepped on the brakes and fire-walled the throttle. The tail lifted up while he was standing still and he released the brakes. He lifted off in 37 feet, did his loop around the airport, floated in and stopped in 19 feet.. He wasn't the best, but he was the best from their group.
"Hey! That wasn't fair! The wind picked up for you!" Billy yelled.
Cal grinned. "Be that as it may. My plane is heavier than yours. I've got you by 100 pounds.'
They joked around and talked with other pilots until people started leaving. After loading their gear, Billy and Becky took off first, then Cal and Siobhan, then Matt and Andrea. This time Matt picked up the tail position.
When they got back to the Ranch they unloaded their gear and pushed the planes into the hangar.
"Becky, did Billy let you fly any?" Siobhan asked.
"Yes Ma'am. He let me fly all the way back and land."
While driving back to the house Cal told Siobhan, "I'm going to have to order another SuperSTOL."
"Why?"
"Well, Becky will be getting her license soon and I don't want to be seen flying around in a pink plane."
"Dad! I don't want a pink plane! I want Miguel to paint it fire-engine red with 'Baroness Becky' painted on the sides."
Siobhan laughed. "You heard it! Right from the Baroness' mouth!"
Cal shook his head. "Okay, you take 49 and you tell Miguel what you want."
Siobhan smiled at Cal.
"Dad. Can we go to another fly-in sometime?" Billy asked.
"Sure. Why don't you go on the internet and make up a list. We'll go if it doesn't interfere with anything."
"Grandma Martha, when I get my license you and I can go flying together."
"Heavens no, child. I'll keep my feet on the ground, thank you."
Cal chuckled. "Becky, she gets enough flying on the EV when she runs around."
"Hush! Martha said.
They all helped clean up the kitchen after dinner, making it short work. Becky and Billy went to their rooms and Martha, Siobhan and Cal went to the family room.
"What else needs to be done for the celebration?
"We've pretty much got everything done, When are you going to start cooking the beef?"
I'll start Saturday night. Joshua said he'd take care of the spit so that cuts my work in half. Bill, Curt, Shay and Nick said they'd spell us."
"We've got twenty-six RSVPs so far. The Reverend is going to have a ten minute sermon Sunday morning at 10:00, give grace and the festivities will begin. Lilly and Chip Logan are organizing kids games. Hugh is getting one of those bouncy house things and offering rides in the SuperSTOL. Matt and Andrea are organizing the kids pizza building. We've got gallons of iced tea and lemonade to make. Dawn said she'd do that and fill the dispensers. Gary and Charlie are in charge of the beer."
"Has anyone turned on the ice machine in the Center?"
"Yes, I had Billy do that."
"Well, other than getting out the folding picnic tables and placing them around, I guess everything is covered."
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 10, 2021 22:47:00 GMT -6
Saturday evening, Cal pulled the meat out of the cooler room and put it on the tables in the Processing House to let it get to room temperature. Joshua came down and helped spit the yearling carcass. At 9:00 that evening, they moved the meat to the Community Center. Cal applied the rubs and hung the sausages and ribs in the upper part of the smoker. The briskets were placed on a lower rack. Nick came in and started mixing up the brisket and mop sauces. By 10:00 the meat was smoking and the spit was turning. "Cal, Shay and I will be back at 2:00 to spell you two. Bill and Curt will spell us at 6:00.' Cal nodded. I'll be back up at 8:00." "I will be too." Joshua said. "You want to leave the meat on the spit or put it on a table?" "It'll be easier to cut up if it's on a table. I'll set one up and we can put a plastic table cloth and butcher paper down." The school dedication took place at 9:30. To Cal's surprise, there was a sign in front "Coleman Life Academy." When the crowd gathered Reverend Lambry blessed the school and held a prayer and Cal and Kathy did the ribbon cutting. A tour was held for the people to see where their children would be getting their education. A couple of members of the local Board of Education and a state Board of Education were present also, Kathy was introduced tom them. Jane Lockhart of the county Board of Education introduced the state representative, Sheila Jones. "Mrs. Knight, I have reviewed the end of grade test results of your children and find them remarkable. What do you do different from what is endorsed by the Colorado Teacher's Union?" "Mrs. Jones, public school personnel sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between an inability to concentrate and being bored to tears. In all fairness I have to admit that many of the symptoms were similar, particularly in a classroom setting. However, we changed our approach to teaching and can customize teaching to fit each student. Because of the larger classes in government schools, they use a 'one-size fits-all" plan and that leaves some students behind. We also start teaching them at an early age how to manage money, how to maintain their selves, and how to cook. Older children get classes on how to do short and long term financial planning. These children are far beyond others in their age groups and are being educated to face real life instead of liberal indoctrination supported by the union that is prevalent through schools taught by unionized teachers." "I take it none of your teachers are union members?" "No, none. What do we need a union for? They take your dues and when they don't get their way, despite what it does to the children, call for strikes that can curtail the education process for sometimes weeks. We all are getting paid above average salaries, the community assures that we don't go lacking in resources to give their children a better education than they would get in a public school, and we personally know and socialize with their parents and they are all active in the education of their children. What could a union possibly improve on? Another thing we do is teach social graces. We teach the child to respect and receive suspect humbly. When discipline is needed it is administered and not discussed until infinitum and then give them a slap on the wrist. We don't bend over backward to bend the minds of these children to support the radical ideas of a very minor few." That shut Mrs. Jones down. She and the two county board members walked around to look at the classrooms then left. People started filtering in about 10:15 to the Community Center. The meats had been cut up and transferred to buffet pans and the Sterno was keeping everything warm. At 10:00 Reverend spoke about coming together as a community and helping people during bad times. He said grace and blessed the celebration and everyone started mingling. The women from Sylvio's families acted as servers on the food line.
Three men walked up to Cal. "Fred. It's good to see you here." "Hello cal. Cal this is Rory Mason and Joe Benson. We wanted to talk with you about how we can get better prepared for a bad situation like we had. We made it through, but only by the skin of our teeth." "Well, we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We don't look for help from the government for subsidies or anything else. If we don't depend on it, we won't be disappointed when it doesn't show up. We grow our most our own food and grains for feed. He have fuel stored to get us through at least six months. We are completely off commercial power. We use wind generators and solar panels and hydro for our power. We haven't lost power since we went off-grid. Also, all of our vehicles, except for the heavy equipment and tractors, are all converted to electric." "I don't know, how would you recharge them if the power went out?" "Again, the power comes from our own off-grid system, plus they have solar/wind powered chargers available for the vehicles. You know, I can drive my Silverado to Denver and back without recharging." "How much did it cost you to go off-grid?" "Depends on what you want powered. If you talk to Ryan or John down at Mesa Electric, they can help you figure out what you need. It really isn't as expensive as you might think." "Well, I guess getting prepared is going to have to be a long term goal." Joe said. Cal nodded. It was for me. At first, it was just me preparing for my family, then my employees. It took years to build up to what we have now. Just take one step at a time. Our only problem is every once in a while some people want to take what you have, Be prepared to defend what is yours."
"Cal can we come to you for advice sometimes?" "Why don't we all meet once a month. We can do it here. We can exchange ideas and I'll offer what advice I can. Mind you, what works for me might not work for you, But I'm sure between all of us, we can come up with solutions." "I'll talk to the rest of the ranchers here. Will the second Tuesday of each month be all right with you Cal?" "Sounds good to me. Now let's eat some of that beef. It's been cooking all night." Within months, the gathering of ranchers and homesteaders became known as the "Mesa Cooperative." Kirk and Karen brought their plates over and sat down with Faith and Rob. "This turned out great!" Karen said. "It's like a Thanksgiving celebration, without the Thanksgiving." Faith said. "Oh, there is a lot to be thankful for." Karen said. "If it weren't for Rob and Cal giving us a heads up, we could be in a mess right now." "Yes, Thank You, Rob." Faith said. "I was just doing what I thought was right for family." Karen and Faith quickly looked at Rob. And Rob noticed. "Since I came out here from New York, the people here on the High Top have all become like family. I've become used to thinking of the K-S the same way." Karen grinned. "Well, nothing is stopping you from making it real." "KAREN!" Faith said. Rob took a sip of tea. "I guess you're right, Karen. But this isn't the time nor place." Faith looked wildly between Rob and Karen. Both ignored her. Earl and his family and the Deputies and their families showed up. Everyone greeted them and made sure they were taken care of. Siobhan told Earl not to leave without the meal boxes prepared for all his people on duty. Chipeta and Logan were having a ball with the kids and exchanged meaningful glances several times during the day. Cal ended up at a table with several ranchers talking ranching. They exchanged experiences dealing with shortages and what they did to overcome them.
Cal sat and listened. "Gentlemen, this was what I was talking about to Fred, Rory, and Joe. If we get together, we can iron out most problems each of us might have and dam the dike quickly. Let's continue to get together and keep doing this." While the men were rubbing elbows the women were also getting to know one another. They mostly talked about the food and recipes. The ladies of the HTR promised to share their recipes and the idea came up about putting together a recipe book of everyone's favorites recipes. Martha volunteered to put it together with Becky's help. A lot of friendships were formed that day and a tighter community was expanded.
|
|