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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 29, 2021 3:19:36 GMT -6
On the drive back to the Ranch, Barbara asked, "Daddy, when can I be adopted?"
"Three months. Let's let the smoke blow away from this and we'll do it three months from now. Harry already has the paperwork ready."
"We're sisters now! We're a family!" Squealed Katie.
They could hardly sit still on the way home.
That evening, Aileen, Lilley, Becky Aedan, Billy and Sean threw a party and had "Coleman Clan" T-shirts made. Imelda, Katie and Barb were in 7th heaven. They really felt like a family now.
"I spoke to Sylvio. He said you were going to ask Sophia to Marry you."
Uneasy, Cliff answered, "Yes, I am, Is there a problem?"
"Of course not! As a matter of fact, it pushes me into something I've been thinking about. You need to have a #2 take charge when you aren't around. Who would you recommend?"
"Manuel, without a doubt Manuel."
"Okay!. I agree. Now my next question…..have you asked Sophia yet?"
"No, I was going to ask her this weekend."
"Walk with me. You believe in making her wait, don't you?" Cal said, grinning.
"Well, I wanted everything to be right."
"Let's stop right here. Take a look at that view. Imagine coming out on the porch and see that view every day when you went to the barns."
Cliff stared at Cal.
"Now, it wouldn't be fitting to bring your new bride to a one-room apartment in a horse barn, now would it? What I propose is, we build you and Sophia a cabin here and let your new second in command take the apartment."
Cliff's face brightened. "Thanks Cal!"
"When you ask her, why don't you do it here, with both of you looking at the view."
"How long will it take to build a cabin?"
"Depends on the weather. It might be up to two months. That will give you two time to plan the wedding, for the women to have bridal showers…. you know how those women are going to be."
"I don't know how to thank you Cal."
"I want to thank you for the job you've been doing. You've already been leading by example and training the guys. It's time you were recognized."
"I will do you a good job Cal."
"I know you will. Now, I think you have a proposal to plan…."
Cal sat down with Sylvio to talk about the crop planting plans for the coming year.
"Señor Cal, according to the soil tests, this is what I plan to plant in the fields this spring."
Sylvio handed Cal a sheet with the soil test results and the field number and the crop to be planted there.
"Looks good. I want to plant the same amount of soybeans this year. We came out just right on making the bio-diesel."
"We can do that, But I think we should plant an acre more in case the yields are low."
"Okay, I'll go along with that. Are you still planning to do some of the work with the horses?"
"Yes…. to keep the men trained. If we start getting behind, we'll finish with the tractors."
"Sounds good. I've got to get going. I've got a meeting at the school."
Cal met Siobhan, Katie, Imelda and Barbara at the school for their meeting with Kathy. Kathy led them into the conference room and shut the door.
"Well, according to your evaluation scores, you three girls aren't that far behind as I was afraid. Barbara, with a little extra work, you'll be graduating with the seniors this summer.
Now, we've laid out a course of study for each of you. This is going to be different than schools you've gone to before. You'll be using computers a lot in class. I'll issue those to you when we finish here. You can take them home to do your homework also. Most of the math will have to be done on paper or in your workbooks. You will have books to read and an occasional paper to write. Do you have any questions?"
The girls indicated they didn't so Kathy took them to get their books and computers issued.
The next snow storm hit them before the basement for Cliff and Sophia's house could be finished being dug. It was a short-lived storm but that was the least of their troubles.
Just after the county roads were cleared, three men and a woman came into the General Store and began filling bags they had brought in with food and other items. Logan watched and tripped the silent alarm. Back in the Monitoring Room, the watch on duty alerted everyone and within 15 seconds Andy and three of his guys were speeding to the store. The men and woman filled their bags and Sally flipped the switch that locked the armored doors and waited for the people to attempt to leave. When they found themselves locked in one of the men looked back at Sally and Logan.
"OPEN THE G#D D@MN DOORS OR WE'RE GOING TO KICK THE $HIT OUT OF YOU!"
When they set down their bags and started for the two behind the counter, Sally unlocked the doors and Logan drew his pistol, causing the men to stutter-step. It was enough to give Andy and his men time to get down in front of the store.
When the four people left the store, they were immediately tasered far away enough from the door to get everything on camera. When all four were flex-cuffed on the icy ground, a call was made to 911 of a robbery at the General Store. Twenty minutes later, a Sheriff's patrol Deputy pulled up.
"Andy? What happened?" Deputy Sellers asked.
"I'll let the people in the store tell you. It's warmer in there and these four will keep." Andy grinned.
Sellers went inside and got Logan and Sally's statements. He called for a van to haul the prisoners away. Logan handed Deputy Sellers copies of the video from the security cameras and watched as the LEOs left.
"Well, they'll never have a better case of Strong Armed Robbery." Logan said.
"Yeah, it'll be hard for them to talk their way out of that with the video and audio evidence." Andy said.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 29, 2021 3:34:32 GMT -6
"Cal, we're not getting full shipments in." Casey said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, they're only sending us 60% of what we order."
"Up the number of orders. If you run out of space in the storage containers, we can have Charlie store it separately in the Shelter. Order for as long as you can. Prices are going to rise and you're going to see a lot more shortages."
Cal went back to the house and into his study. Turning on the computer, he logged in and began searching for reasons for the shortages. Fuel prices were rising due to the inane "green" policies the Administration was implementing, which was causing shipping costs to rise. This was going to cause the consumers to pay more and more for goods. It seemed as though the socialist elements in the government were trying to bring down the whole country. Even illegal immigration was on the rise and money was being wasted on them.
Inflation was coming and would bring the country to its knees.
"Sam, how many three bedroom cabins do you have in stock?"
"Let me check………. we have… three."
"Okay, I'll pay for everything now, but I don't want you to put them up until next month."
"Sure. Uh, what's the rush?"
"Have you noticed how prices are rising on everything?"
"As a matter of fact, I just got a price list with changes this morning from the mill that will go into effect the end of the month. What's going on?"
"Just good old inflation. You will probably see a downturn in business. Money will be tight with interest rates going up."
"Look, I might have a couple of deals for you. I've got a log three car garage and a 12 x 18 log cabin I'll sale to you for costs. I'm sure you'll find a use for them."
"Okay, add the garage to Cliff's build site. Throw in a potbelly coal stove to the small cabin and you've got a deal. I'll pay the difference for the stove."
"Deal. Where do you want the small cabin?"
Just deliver the kit. I'll have the men put it up."
Cal stopped by Sam's Club and noticed prices were on the rise there too. He bought 3 twenty-five pound bags of flour for pizza dough and 4 of bread flour. He wished they were frozen, but he also got 9 pounds of frozen peeled shrimp. When he got home, he put the flour in the pantry and put three pounds of the shrimp in the Shelter refrigerator to thaw.
Siobhan watched him as he put everything away.
"What are you doing?"
"Buyer's greed I guess. There is going to be a big increase in prices with the manipulation the government is doing with the economy. If you're going to buy it, you better get it now before the end of the month."
"Oh my!"
"Why don't you call the kids and invite them all over Saturday evening?"
"Why, what's going on?"
"I, my dear lady, am going to make an Étouffée."
Cal and Sylvio drove down to the fields and selected the site for the little cabin.
"This will just be a resting place for the men. We can put in a composting toilet and tap into the water line. Do whatever you want to spruce it up. Is there anything the families need while I'm on a buying kick?"
"No Señor, maybe clothes."
"Then do it."
Cal had the cabins added to those on Glade Lake Road, and as anticipated, prices were rising dramatically.
"What do we do now?" Joshua asked.
"Business as usual. Be on the lookout for barter deals. Watch for things, especially steel you can use. I think we've got plenty of horse shoes and such. If not, get them ordered now."
Cal went and checked his ingot stocks and talked with Rob. Rob had been on top of this and was trading by the hour and keeping everyone's investments safe. The Market was flip-flopping around and the price on gold and silver was steadily rising.
Diana had continued the excavations and although not recovering as much gold as before, still recovered quite a bit. A lot of suites had been added and more dormitories added and plumbed in. They had just finished up a parking area where they could put every vehicle, including the heavy equipment . He told her to stand down for two weeks and let the men rest.
He sent a message to Gillum.
Joshua, Ben and Akira cranked up the 20 ton press and began pressing pure gold ingots into sheets and started stamping out Ranch Coin "tokens." The value of the dollar was falling fast and it wouldn't take much to make it completely worthless. People on the Ranch began to conspicuously carry sidearms, especially at the General store and restaurant. They would feed people, but wouldn't tolerate blatant theft.
Gillum showed up and they went to the Facility to talk.
"I don't know how long they are going to be able to keep going. The President and the socialist lackeys in Congress have spent so much, our great-great grandchildren will still be paying for it. We are a spiderweb filament away from a depression.
Gillum took with him 643 ingots of unprocessed gold.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 29, 2021 5:35:39 GMT -6
"I...I...I'm not sure what you're trying to get at Harriet..." Darryl stammered.
"You old coot! I'm asking you to come to dinner. Have you been blowing things up so much that it's addled your brain?"
"No, it's just…well you caught me off guard. It's been a while since a woman has wanted to have dinner with me."
"Well, quit shaking and be over at my place at 7:00. Siobhan told me you loved country fried steak with gravy. Oh, and I wouldn't object if it you showed up with a bottle of wine…."
"Uh… Cal, can I talk with you a minute?"
"Sure Darryl, come on in."
Cal… uh…well…Harriet ask me to her place for dinner and …well…she said she wouldn't mind if I showed up with a bottle of wine. Can you maybe…tell me what I need to get. You know I'm a beer and pretzel kind of guy."
Cal fought to keep from busting out laughing.
"Do you know what she's planning to cook?"
"She mentioned country fried steak."
Call led him to the wine cellar and picked out a bottle.
"This should do fine."
"Is one enough? I wonder how much she drinks?"
"Are you planning to seduce her?"
"NO! She just invited me to dinner."
"Then I think one bottle will be enough."
"Thanks Cal. Well, I've got to go polish my boots."
"Okay, Darryl. You have a good time."
"Yeah, well, thanks again."
Cal saw him to the door and Darryl scurried through.
Grinning, he walked into the kitchen to a smiling Siobhan who stood there with her finger hooked in her mouth…like a fish.
Cal chuckled. "Yep, he's hooked."
The women had a mission in life…. get Cliff and Sophia's cabin ready before the wedding. Cal went ahead and had one of the new outdoor furnaces installed and the cabin had radiant floor heat. Barry had completed the power system and everything was ready for the cabin to be furnished. As Cal suggested, Cliff stayed away from the preparations. The women would do what they wanted to do anyway. Siobhan, Sophia and Margarita went into town that morning to pick out furniture. The wedding was still two weeks away, but Sophia wanted everything ready for her and Cliff's first night in their home.
The three cabins had been completed and Siobhan had made them move-in ready. They just awaited their new occupants.
Gillum had returned the processed ingots of gold and silver and Joshua immediately turned all the silver into tokens. None of the tokens were being used yet, but it would only be a matter of time.
Bartering was starting to be used though. Casey had a list of items posted in the store that could be used for trade goods. Cal would pay her for the items and they would either be added to the supply inventory or added to Joshua's steel stocks. Dehydrated and freeze-dried food was turned over to the Sheriff and Police departments and to the food bank for those who could not work.
"What's the latest from the Intel Center?" Cal asked, sipping his coffee.
Andy leaned back in his chair. "Pretty much what was predicted. Petty crime is up. A lot of CCW permits are up and capital crimes are down. Seems as though armed citizens are making the criminals think twice."
What's the judicial system doing about the petty crimes?"
"Restitution and community service. If you can't afford to pay, you get to work it off with three sandwiches and three bottles of water a day. I think some of them are doing the crimes just to get fed."
"Probably so. Earl has asked me if their was something I needed done if he gave me 20 youth offenders out here."
"What do you think?" Andy asked.
"Well, I was thinking on something like the CCC back during the Depression during the 30's. Kengo has been wanting to build some rock walls at the lake and we can rotate them around to the horse stables for a bit and maybe to the greenhouse. We've got enough free space in the Range Barracks to keep them without messing with your classes and feed them in the dining facility."
"Hell, you might cause a rise in crime." Andy grinned.
"Maybe, we'll see."
Cal ended up accepting 20 young offenders at the Ranch. Once they had been given their bed assignments. Call had them all gather in the dining facility to give them their briefing.
"Men, you all are here for various offenses you have committed against citizens of this county. If you serve your time here with no problems, the judge tells me your crimes will be expunged from the records. You are being a chance and if you decide to not go with the program, I'll have the Sheriff remove you and you'll serve your time under much more difficult conditions.
"Now, this Ranch has been supplying food to the County at no charge for the last several weeks. Because of the extra effort, some things we wanted to do here have fallen by the wayside and haven't been completed. You are here to help us. You will be given work clothes, fed three good meals a day at 0600, 1200, and 1800, and allowed the weekends off. You will not use any tobacco products and no drugs nor alcohol. You are free to leave if you want to. If you do, you'll not be allowed back here for a third chance. Some of the work will be hard, some less so. You will be rotated through all of the jobs so you aren't doing just hard work all the time. Now, you will be giving your clothing sizes to our supply representative here, Gary, and he will get you a set of work clothes to use while you are here. You, put out that cigarette."
"I don't give a $hit. I need a cigarette!"
Cal made a call on the radio and a Sheriff's Deputy pulled through the gate and pulled up building. The deputy handcuffed the young man and put him in the back of the car.
"Is there anyone else who doesn't wish to abide by the rules? There is a trash can over there. If you have any paraphernalia on you that isn't allowed here, now is your one chance to get rid of it with no repercussions. Any future violations and they will be handled like the young man in the back of that car outside. Eight people went and dumped contraband into the trash can.
"Very well, now, if you men will go with Gary, he'll see to your clothing."
Cal nodded at the Deputy, who got in his car and took the young man back to jail.
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Post by gipsy on Sept 29, 2021 9:20:38 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. You might have Cal freeze that flour to kill the bugs before he puts it in storage.
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Post by cavsgt on Sept 29, 2021 9:29:36 GMT -6
Well it just keeps getting better. Thank You
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Post by paulk on Sept 30, 2021 13:53:24 GMT -6
Next!! Please.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 1, 2021 3:36:36 GMT -6
Kengo and his crew set forms on the prepared wall foundation while Shay drove the Unimog, pulling a twin axle dump trailer hauling 8 - 10 inch stones from the quarry. Half of the young men made quick work of taking the stones and laying them within the walls of the form. As soon as they laid a single layer, another team poured the concrete into the form covering the first layer of rock. Two guys used the concrete vibrators and made sure the concrete was distributed evenly. This went on the whole morning with Kengo and his men supervising. The L-shaped wall was completed by lunch time and after the tools were cleaned up, the men jumped in the Mog and were taken to the dining facility. Aggie and her daughter exceeded the young men's expectations. They were prepared to eat cold sandwiches and drink water. However, using some of the freeze-dried meat and vegetables, she had made a delicious beef stew with loaves of fresh-baked bread and had dispensers of iced tea and whole milk. When the men came through the door of the facility, they were slammed by the smells that had the men drooling. Aggie stood behind the counter and admonished them for not eating enough, "forcing" them to come back up and get more bread and stew. Eyes went wide when Aggie and her daughter Ruth brought two big pans of Peach Cobbler and started dishing it out into 6 inch paper plates. In the kitchen Aggie had freeze-dried pork chops soaking and pans of potatoes au gratin in the fridge ready to be cooked for their evening meal.
Cal walked in while they were eating and looked at a smiling Aggie. She loved to feed people, especially hungry people and watch them as they enjoyed it.
"Are there any complaints about the food?" Cal asked loudly.
A resounding chorus of "NOs" was their response.
"You are going to work hard, but we will feed you well. Let me remind you though, if I see out here again you'll be drinking spigot water and eating dry baloney sandwiches."
They just laughed and gobbled the Peach Cobbler down.
By the end of the day the walls scheduled to be built that day were finished. The men helped Kengo's crew build frames to support tarps that would cover the walls. Although the weather relatively mild during the day, the temperatures still were dropping down below freezing at night. A forced air diesel heater was placed to blow hot air into the enclosure to help dry the concrete and keep it from freezing. Kengo's crew had finished building the forms for the next day so all the tools and equipment were cleaned and stowed away and everyone left the site, Kengo's men to their homes and the youth offenders back to their barracks until the evening meal.
Two days later Earl and the County Prosecutor came out to the Ranch to see how the young men were doing. They were still working at the little park by the lake so Cal took them out in an EV34 so they could observe. They were surprised to see the young men working and smiling as they laid the rock for stone picnic tables and benches.
"What did you do, Cal?" Earl asked.
"Gave them their parameters and choices and kept them fed, and they are learning."
I wonder if we could do something like this in town?" Ed Harper, the County Prosecutor asked.
"Well Ed. Next year, any of these guys could come out here and point to these walls and benches and declare 'I helped build that!' In town he could go to the courthouse and declare 'I raked leaves and picked up cigarette butts over there!' So, which do you think will hold a positive place in their memories?"
Ed looked at Cal. "I guess you're right."
When Kengo finished with the lake he talked to Shay and had him bring a trailer of the 3 and four inch stones up to Cliff's house. With all the manpower, they quickly laid a patio and walkway. As they went through each step, he explained why and what they were doing. Soon the young men were correcting each other when they saw something contrary to what Kengo wanted.
By the end of their ten day sentences, the young men left with a different attitudes. Some asked if there were jobs to be had there on the Ranch. Cal did give two of the group that impressed him, jobs to ride fence for Nick for a probationary period.
Hop Compton gave the two a class in repairing a fence and put them on two Rokons with a one-wheel trailer and tools, canteens and a radio and sent them on their way. They had 23 miles of fence they wanted them to check so it shouldn't take them that long. Hop knew exactly where the places were that needed to be repaired, They had run a surveillance drone over the entire perimeter fence and had the coordinates of the four places that needed repair. Tomorrow, while Nick had them doing something else, he'd fly out in Craig's helicopter and check their work.
Margarita was more worked up about the wedding than Sophia was. Sophia's mother was over at the new cabin often, rechecking to make sure everything was perfect. On the day of the wedding the Becerra family was dressed in their finest. Sophia looked like an angel as she held her father's arm and came down the aisle.
People were seeing the rising cost in fuels and began getting their vehicles converted to hydrogen cells. Rryan turned all their profits into buying materials and parts to continue operations. They were still producing hydrogen and their cost hadn't risen.
The electric versions were selling like hotcakes also, especially the charging stations. It was cheaper to run an EV now than to buy fuel.
Bill and his crew built six more armed .50 cal drones but didn't advertise them. Homeland security bought 25 of the surveillance drones but with the open border policy of the present Administration, all they were good for was to watch illegals pour across the border.
Dawn and Ellen kept the greenhouse growing as they could produce. During the winter the vegetables and fruits were canned, frozen, or dried. Some of them would be sold in the Spring and Summer but they were mostly kept for Ranch consumption. As the food was shelved the oldest packs and jars were assembled into "Care Packages" for distribution to the Sheriff and Police departments.
Surprisingly, the first Farmers Market turned out pretty low key. Cal and a couple of men went with the women to provide armed overwatch, but just about all the vendors were carrying or had a shotgun nearby. Ellen had a Mossberg with a 19 inch barrel on snap clips next to the trailer door that she could whipl out like a magician.
As Heinlein said, "An armed society is a polite society."
Selected ranchers and homesteaders in the area who had accounts at the General Store began paying off their bills with barter goods, usually a steer or a cow. What excess payment there was, carried to the next month. Cal took the cattle and pastured them separate from his cattle, fattening them up for slaughter. Sylvio brought up the solution to one of his problems. The abattoir was so busy that it was hard to get any slaughtering done. Sylvio had asked Cal if he had room for a friend of his and his small family. His friend owned a butcher shop in Stockton, but with the rapid influx of illegals and drug gangs, he was ready to move out of California. On Sylvio's word about the man's character, he told him to invite the man and his family out. By the time the Muñoz family arrived, Cal had a butcher shop built complete with butchering area, cold room, freezers, refrigerators, meat grinder, slicer, meat saw, vacuun sealer, sausage stuffer, a shrink wrap table and display cases. Charlie laid on 50 big rolls of butcher and freezer paper, food-safe shrink wrap and various size trays, and was on call to order whatever spices Arturo would need.
Margarita took charge of them when they arrived and they had more than enough help unloading the big U-Haul truck when they moved into their new home. The next day, Arturo and Hector to got down to the butcher shop early to look everything over. Cal and Sylvio met them there.
"Arturo, Hector this is Señor Coleman, El Benefactor of the Community."
"Señor Coleman, thank you for allowing my family to come here. It was getting very bad in California."
"Arturo, you are welcome here. This building is yours to use, lease free. Since we provide the animals, You can keep 40% of the profits."
"That is acceptable Señor Coleman. What about the hides?"
"Well, we usually tan them. Why?"
Mi esposa is an excellent Trabajadora del cuero… leather worker. She makes many beautiful things with the hides."
"Very well, she can keep the hides. However, if there is something we need for the Ranch, I expect that to come first. We have several hides we'll turn over to her for her work."
"Gracias, Señor Coleman, for the opportunity here."
"My pleasure Arturo. Just tell Sylvio when you need an animal and he will see that it is brought over."
Sylvio followed Cal out of the building.
"Sylvio, we need to start raising some swine. See what is needed to set up a proper area with shelter and a furrowing house. You've been here a couple of winters so you know what will be needed for the animals. Call me when you have a plan."
"Si Señor."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 1, 2021 3:47:28 GMT -6
Two days later, Sylvio came back with a rough drawn plan of the swine lot layout and took Cal where he recommended it be built. It was close enough to take care of the hogs but far enough away where the odors wouldn't be noticeable from the living areas.
They had plenty of heavy lumber to build the pens and sheds so Cal gave Sylvio the go-ahead to complete the project. It could be done in between plowings and finished up after planting. Cal had Bill Jennings sit in on the meeting and had him look over the plan.
"You'll need a bigger pen than this for the outside area. It's recommended that pigs have an outside area around 8.5 by 19 feet. That's 161.5 square feet. Multiply that by 20 pigs and that's 3,230 square feet. Inside, you will need less space. The 1600 square foot shed for winter will be fine. Are you going to heat the building?"
"Yeah, we'll put one of the outdoor furnaces with a hopper there."
"That will work. Also, pigs have a way of scratching the boards right off those posts. I'd countersink the holes and use two inch lag bolts with washers on them. If you use 2x6s, four inches apart, it will also act as a snow fence."
"Won't the countersunk holes collect moisture?"
"I can fix that."
"Well, check the building materials shed, Bill, and see what we need. I'm pretty sure we've got everything except the washers and lag bolts. I don't think we'll have enough. Whatever you need, buy double. Things aren't going to get any cheaper."
Three days later Bill was using a transit to lay out the post lines and Sylvio's men were using the ToolCat with and a back hoe to dig a trench, and an auger to dig post holes for the ten foot telephone pole sized posts. The trench was dug first and the post holes were dug inside the trench. Galvanized fence wire was attached to the post two feet down into the trench to keep the pigs from digging out. The soil was replaced and packed down then the boards went up. The furrowing shed and pig shed were built using 2x6 sawmill cut studs with foam insulation sheets for insulation. Inside walls were rough-cut 2x8 planks. The buildings were armored against any devastation the pigs could cause to the inside of the building. When the pen and buildings were finished, everyone was convinced their work would be there for generations.
Joshua looked for pigs, but could only find a hodge-podge of different breeds around the area. Bill came up with the solution, but it would take some travel. He'd found a man near Guymon, Oklahoma who raised Berkshires and was more than willing to take gold for them. Bill and Dennis took off with a large livestock trailer and supplies of water, hay and feed and to Oklahoma. The twenty hour round trip was made with no problems, They actually came back with more than twenty pigs. With the show of another 1-ounce Eagle, Bill got another 6 hogs that were ready for butchering. Arturo was in "hog heaven."
Rob was keeping a close watch on the financial markets and was about ready to pull the plug. He called a meeting of all his investment clients, which filled 2/3rds of the Community Center. He had picked up a lot of the ranchers and homesteaders in the area as clients.
"Ladies and gentlemen. I was going to do it anyway, but I wanted to make sure you, as my clients knew what was going on. Right now, you aren't making any money, I'm barely able to maintain that status as it is. I believe your accounts should be closed and when things get better, we can pick up and rejoin the markets. It might take a few months though. I'll sit down with you individually and go over your accounts, but if I see things going downhill fast I will close your accounts to make sure you aren't hurt too badly."
"You have a question Jeb?"
"Yeah. If you think it's time, then as far as I'm concerned, pull the plug. I trust you. You haven't led me wrong yet."
There was a chorus of affirmations.
"Thank you all for your trust. I don't want to assume anything, but from what I'm hearing here. You want me to handle the accounts and close them when I deem necessary?"
"All responses were "YES!"
"Alright then. I will still meet with you and go over your accounts. We have the ability to secure your funds here if you like. Some of you like to bury your treasure under fence posts but it would be more secure in the vault. You will be able to draw on your funds as needed, just like a bank, you just won't make any interest on it. Harriet and Glenda here handle the banking portion. Everyone was agreeable and went home satisfied.
In town however, the situation wasn't so rosy. The mall Cal had initially invested in was all but a deserted building. Cal ended up buying the contents of the sporting goods store, an outdoor wear store, a shoe and boot store, and a business supply store for pennies on the dollar. When he had offered gold, the mall tenants snatched it up. Even if they hadn't closed, they still would have never made their money back. The gold made them jump. Cal even bought out one of the last mom and pop True Value stores and a Tractor Supply. Charlie and Gary had to have help for two weeks inventorying and storing all of the goods. They also began picking up steel girders, plate and tube steel, flat bar and sheet metal from a local steel supplier at discount prices. Cal believed they were just selling to make payroll and pay for the location upkeep. No one was building anything and they were even calling him when they needed money. When he began to offer gold, they discounted the steel even more. Joshua even stocked up on welding supplies.
Cal took on another 5 youth offenders. Jay and Carey were turning into fine ranch hands and matured a lot. The five new ones, Cal turned over to Shay. Shay took them to the quarry and instructed them on how to use the excavator and loader. After a few knocks and bumps, the guys were sorting the loads of soil from the old riverbed into piles of sand, gravel and rocks to use for different projects on the Ranch.
Jacque even got into the youth offender program when he saw what Cal was doing. Two of the young men didn't work out but two guys and a girl enjoyed working in the vineyard. Jacque was considering hiring the three after their sentence was up.
Those with hard money weren't hurting very much as long as they were frugal, except those that depended on the restaurants, up-scaled stores and expensive items to maintain their lifestyles. It was the middle and lower classes that suffered the most. When prices went up, they couldn't afford very much. Most lived paycheck to paycheck. The government policies were completely destroying the lives of Americans and the long-termed politicians didn't seem to care.
Cal saw Barry coming out of the entrance that led to the hydro generator.
"How's it going Barry?"
"Good Cal. I was just checking the Parshall Flume for the flow rate. It can easily turn the water wheel for the 20Kw generator.
"Have you checked the water quality lately?"
"Day before yesterday Cal. No contaminants."
"Good. Kids doing okay?"
"They're fine. They can't wait for our trip to the Grand Canyon."
"I'll bet. I'll talk to you later."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 1, 2021 4:00:50 GMT -6
Cal stopped by the Butcher Shop to see how they were doing. He walked in and saw Arturo using a larding needle to insert lardons, taken from a chunk of fatback, into a pork roast.
Good morning Arturo. Are you settled in now?"
"Very much so! We are having much business."
"Is there anything you need?" Cal asked.
Arturo frowned. "Is it too much to ask for a smokehouse? I could smoke hams and sausages. I have hams salt curing now and would like to cold smoke them."
"Not at all. I'll send Bill Jennings down to talk about your needs. Do you make chorizo?"
"Certainly!"
"Well, as soon as I see him, I'll send him down."
Cal barely watched the national news anymore. It was sickening to watch the liberals driving up the debt with proposals for free food, free housing, free everything. They plan to make the rich and big corporations pay for the excess spending. They were either too stupid or just plain ignoring the fact that the people on the lower end of the pay scales were the ones who would really be the ones paying.
The Ranch was so layered in LLCs and trusts the taxes wouldn't bother them. The liberals could bitch all they wanted to, but they were the ones to put the laws in place. They poked themselves in the eye or shot themselves in the foot every time they turned around.
Everyone on the Ranch wanted for nothing. They only thing they didn't always have was something to do. Many of the people would go down to the greenhouses and help out where they could.
When the women found out that Bella Muñoz was tanning the hides, they took up an immediate interest. They had a regular schedule for quilting, now they had a regular schedule for Bella to teach them leather working. Bella had only a limited amount of tools so Cal was told he would be flying a delegation to Cheyenne to get more supplies. It was only a hour flight so it didn't take much out of Cal's day.
They almost bought out the Tandy Store. They ended up with more tools than even Bella…ten sets of them and every pattern book they could find. There were 9 hides with the hair taken off that were in storage so the women got busy.
One section of the Community Center was set aside for the heavy sewing machine they took out of storage. Two days a week were designated for on working on leather projects as a group. Anyone, when they could take the time, could come down and work on their own.
Barry and Sandy had to cancel their trip to the Grand Canyon. The AAA travel office told them that fuel deliveries was sporadic and there was no guarantee they would find any. The opted instead to go to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park for a four day weekend. They could easily go up and have plenty of charge on their EV for the weekend.
Cal had his gas tanks topped off the first of the month and added Pri-G. There was no telling when he would be able to get another delivery. They were good on diesel. The main tank was full and the filled tow bar tanker trailer was parked down at the equipment barn. They would have enough diesel to last them well past when the soybean crop was harvested. Cal, like a lot pf people, watched enough of the national new to get the gist of the ruination going on in the country, and paid more attention what the state legislature was doing. The Democrats weren't say too much about the policies of the socialists in power in Washington. They were probably worried they would be used as scapegoats. They weren't wrong. More and more voices were raised against them, demanding their resignations for supporting the socialist's agenda.
Cal read the intel report while the coffee was perking. The Phillips 66 at the corner of Broadway and Dike was robbed last night. The clerk was shot, but would be okay….at least physically. More and more crime was occurring these days. More and more stores were being robbed. There was even a break-in at the Safeway store in that area a few nights ago. You have people going hungry in the area and they only stole beer and cigarettes. Go figure.
Cal got up from the computer and went and poured a cup of coffee. Chase was trying to find a pattern in the crime, but it was too random. It was all over the map. It seemed as though it was every man, or women, for themselves outside the boundaries of the Ranch.
The "two-man" rule became the norm. Ranch residents became recluses as far as city visits were concerned. The women would go to neighboring ranches, but still didn't travel alone and always reported their destination to the Monitoring Room when leaving the Ranch area. Saturday night dances became the norm with neighbors frequently attending. Adam and Sonia extended the static drone patrols out further, especially at night, to monitor the roads and major trails leading to or near the Ranch, and it was good they did.
Two of the static drones alerted to the group of vehicles traveling west on Canyon Road. One or two together would have been able to move along in close proximity but six definitely drew their attention. The Monitoring Room was alerted and when Larry saw the group of vehicles, he warned Andy and the rest of the Immediate Security Team. The guys broke from whatever they were doing and secured their gear from a locker in the Community Center. The snipers rushed to the Facility and took up positions on the roof that overlooked the businesses across the road. It soon became apparent the General Store was their target. It was still light out but Andy was transmitted the video from the security cameras around the store and restaurant areas. They all watched as the vehicles drove up to the store and pumps and men began getting out. Andy could clearly see via the cameras they had weapons in hand. When one of the men drew back with a sledge hammer in an attempt to break the door open, Andy told the sniper to take him down. Aedan put a round precisely in the assailant's rotator cuff and he went down. The would-be thieves immediately went to cover, or what they thought was cover.
"Put down your weapons and come out into the open!" Andy transmitted through his radio channel that connected to the PA system outside the store.
No one moved. The microphones picked up the voices as they tried to figure out how to get out of the mess they had gotten themselves in.
Aedan coolly selected his next target, a foot, that stuck out from the edge of a tire and fired. Sean saw a head slowly rise near the passenger window on one of the vehicles so he took out the mirror on the door. Carl went to work with the .50 and disabled all the vehicles parked away from the fuel pumps.
The stalemate lasted for almost an hour before the men surrendered to Sheriff's Deputies.
After checking with the Monitoring Room, the men returned to the dance and after the adrenaline wore off, restarted the party, but kept their radios on with the volumes on high.
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Post by cavsgt on Oct 1, 2021 7:33:22 GMT -6
SHTF has started and Cal and company are ready. Once again my only input is WOW. Love this story and await with bated breath the next chapters.
THANK YOU Phill
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Post by gipsy on Oct 1, 2021 7:56:54 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 1, 2021 7:59:16 GMT -6
SHTF has started and Cal and company are ready. Once again my only input is WOW. Love this story and await with bated breath the next chapters. THANK YOU Phill If you would stop eating earthworms you wouldn't have that "baited breath" problem Phil
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Post by cavsgt on Oct 1, 2021 8:23:01 GMT -6
SHTF has started and Cal and company are ready. Once again my only input is WOW. Love this story and await with bated breath the next chapters. THANK YOU Phill If you would stop eating earthworms you wouldn't have that "baited breath" problem Phil But they are just so good. After I typed that it hit me that I have no idea the last time that word was used. Used to have quite a vocabulary but now I just use grunts and sighs most of the time.
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Post by iamnobody on Oct 1, 2021 10:12:39 GMT -6
Bated or baited, I will put up with either if it means more of the story.
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Post by paulk on Oct 1, 2021 11:56:40 GMT -6
Wonderful!!
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 1, 2021 12:34:27 GMT -6
SHTF has started and Cal and company are ready. Once again my only input is WOW. Love this story and await with bated breath the next chapters. THANK YOU Phill If you would stop eating earthworms you wouldn't have that "baited breath" problem Phil "Baited breath" is when a cat eats cheese and then breathes outside the mouse's hole ;-)
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Post by gipsy on Oct 1, 2021 15:08:01 GMT -6
That might work papaof2
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Post by udwe on Oct 1, 2021 15:32:13 GMT -6
Been gone a few days, and just caught up. Thanks!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 2, 2021 5:07:01 GMT -6
Darryl liked to experiment. He experimented for years with explosives, but now he took his experimentation on a whole different path. He had perfected his 148 proof vodka and now he wanted something for the ladies. His efforts were successful and had made a Strawberry Liqueur that very nice. Two ounces, if consumed too quickly, would put you on your butt. He had already tried it….well, it didn't put him on his butt, but for someone who wasn't used to it….well.
Darryl filled a 750 ml bottle with "Strawberry Sunset" and took it over to Cal and Siobhan's to have her try it. He added two ounces to a lowball glass, added two ice cubes and handed it to her, while winking at Cal. Siobhan first smelled it.
"Oh! This smells like fresh strawberries!."
She took a sip, slowly swishing it around in her mouth, as if sampling a fine wine, then took a larger drink.
"Darryl, this is quite good…and you made this?"
"Yep. I took one of my new 'experiments' and infused it with strawberries and added agave syrup. I thought it tasted quite nice."
Siobhan sat looking at Darryl for a moment, then raised her hand to her face.
"Darryl, what did you put the strawberries in?"
"Oh, it was some 148 proof vodka, but I cut it down to 48% alcohol."
"I thought so. I'm already feeling it! But it is good."
Cal took a big sip out of Siobhan's glass.
"WOW! We needed this when the kids were in the 'terrible twos'."
"We need to make sure this is locked up. I could just see the kids sitting around and passing the bottle! Are you going to make any other flavors?"
"I was thinking maybe a peach and a green apple. Maybe a blueberry."
"They all sound interesting. I think maybe though they should be served in aperitif glasses. Drinking too much of this would put you down for the count."
"Craig and I are going to Denver to a few brewer supply places and see what I can pick up. I know of one place I can pick up a couple of 26 gallon stainless steel flute stills. That way I could run three batches at a time."
"What are you going to do with that much liquor?"
"Well, of course we could partake a taste now and again of the better stuff, but it can be used as an antiseptic and as trade goods."
"What about bottles?"
"I got a lead on 78 cases of 473 milliliter bottles that one of the lesser known brew supplies distributors has and can't sell."
"What's that? A pint?"
"Yep. Just the right size for trading. I'm going to look around for some fancier bottles for my finer elixir vitaes."
Cal chuckled. "Elixir of life my ass!. That stuff could kill you."
"Be that as it may, they do deserve a finer presentation."
"You driving up?"
"No, we're taking Craig's chopper. I'll rent a Ryder and haul the goods back. Becky and Dave are going with us. Becky will fly back with Craig and Dave will ride shotgun with me."
"Okay, be careful. You carrying cash?"
"I'm carrying gold. I figure I'll get better prices. Not many people can afford a $2,000 dollar still these days."
"Good point."
Cal watched as Antonio and Hernando cut the hay with the horse-drawn sickle mowers. Sylvio wanted to get an estimate of the time it would take to cut an acre while the other men had the tractors in other fields cutting hay at the same time. When Sylvio had his times, he would have them put the horses away, clean the equipment and finish cutting their second cut of hay for the summer with the tractor mowers. Sylvio would tuck this information away for future use.
Cal rode around on a Rokon and checked the fields. The grains were all looking good. With the hayfields they had at Shire Hill, they were able free up more land to plant more soybeans this year. He had another silo installed in anticipation of having a good crop.
Riding to the pig lot, Cal was pleased with what he saw. The area was kept as clean as they could and everything looked in order. He could tell the hogs were gaining weight, some of it due to pregnancies. Five of the sows would farrow next month. Cal checked the automatic feeders and waterers; everything looked good. Sylvio had a gestation chart on the wall to use in calculating the hog breeding. It was a good thing the boars were kept in a separate pen or you could go nuts trying to set a farrowing schedule.
The next stop was at the cemetery. He noted someone had freshly painted the fence since last month. Cal walked over to Hope's grave and squatted down next to the headstone. He hoped she was seeing what they had accomplished here. He tried to blot out the horrible ending to their marriage and just remember the good times but the vision of the tile pattern of the hospital hallway floor as he had dropped to his knees and cried over-shadowed everything. Standing up, he walked over to Jonah's, Martha's and Patrick's graves and took a minute to reflect on the lives they had shared. Before he left, he took a moment to say a silent prayer for his friends and lover and for the survival of his ranch family.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 2, 2021 5:20:11 GMT -6
Darryl paid for the log building himself. Everyone pitched in to help him get everything finished so he could continue his "experimentations." Joshua even made him a sign that went on the wall next to the door that said "Brauhaus." While Sam's men were erecting the building, Darryl went to the coke mine and blasted enough coke out to last them over the winter. Preparations for winter were well under way.
Grocery stores in town were limiting purchases because of the slowness of deliveries. Everyone on the Ranch, if they needed something, didn't bother going into town, they either got from the General Store or did without. Usually what they needed was already in supply.
Saint Mary's suspended the MMU due to safety of the personnel. Tinka and Sammy were now working with Dr. Gaddy at the clinic. Most of the patients didn't need to be taken to St. Mary's so it took the pressure off the emergency room from the southwestern sector of the county, Craig offered his helicopter up as the air ambulance for critical cases. They were autonomous, but worked in coordination with county medical services. It was too dangerous for Dr. Ben Wiseman to drive in every day so Craig would fly him in and Ben would stay in town during the beginning of his four on-call days and pick him up for his three days off.
They had barely gotten the last of the hay stored when the fall rains began. It seemed like it rained for a few hours every other day. The cowhands moved the cattle to areas away from the bigger arroyos because of the flooding. Cows could get mired in mud and were too stupid to get out of the water. Cal sold the last of his cattle for the year at the September sale at the stockyards, making what seemed was a good profit, but due to inflation, the dollar couldn't buy as much as the year before. It might be better to eat the cattle themselves.
Enough Homeland security aircraft came through that a KC-130J came in to fill the aviation fuel tanks. Cal didn't see hide nor hair of Gillum until the middle of October when he got a twenty minute warning that Gillum was flying in. Cal took him down to the Facility so they could talk.
Andy closed the door and activated the security equipment.
"How are you and your people holding out, Cal?
"We're doing fine. Had a couple of incursions but we handled it. How is everything in the big city?"
"Chaos. And they refuse to do anything about it. The cop's hands are tied by liberal lawyers and judges. I brought another 500 rounds of ammo for the armed drones."
Cal looked at Gillum blankly.
Gillum grinned. "Don't look at me like that. Who do you think slid Bill the skin technology for the drones?"
"Is there any relief in sight?"
"Not as long as this Administration is in office. If you need something, let us know. Did the tanks get topped off?"
"Yeah, they were here Tuesday."
"Well, if it's any consolation, yours is the best of the sites here in the country that are maintaining their own."
"Well, we try to be ready for anything."
"Don't take any chances. Use the Paineaalto rounds if you have to. Sometimes you have to help Mother Nature clean the gene pool."
"There's a lot of them popping up and showing their colors."
"You're right about that. Well, I need to head for Montana. The rounds are on the plane so let's go get those unloaded."
Cal watched Gillum take off and wondered why he was so tight lipped. He didn't offer much more than the ammo.
The women, along with volunteers from the Hope Center, were canning part of the pumpkin crop. They stored some pumpkins in the root cellar but most were canned or freeze dried. They also had some success with freeze-drying and powdering it. An anti-caking agent was added and the powder could be used in soups, breads and pies.
Harriet slowly opened the door to the woodworking stop and stepped in. Darryl was bent over a table clamping a dovetail box together.
"Hi." Harriet said.
Darryl turned. "Oh! Hi!"
"You've been hiding from me." Harriet said.
"No not really. There's been a lot going on and I've been busy."
"Didn't you want to see me?"
"The thing is, I've got this thing going on with Christine and I accepted your offer of dinner as a friend, not as a potential girlfriend."
"Oh. Well, if you had told me I would have invited Christine also. I asked you to dinner as a friend. Maybe we can get together again some time. I uh…I'll let you get back to your work."
Darryl watched her as she opened the door and left.
Amy finished the painting and was thrilled with it. She finally had the whole family together in one painting. She had all eleven members of the family in Serenity Garden. It was the largest painting she had done so far and had kept it from view and asked the others not to disturb her while she finished it. She knew where her Momma would hang it. She cleaned up her palette and brushes and put the painting behind the wall to finish drying and closed the door.
Cal got the notification of his requested attendance at the meeting of the County Commissioners that evening at 7:00 PM. Cal took Andy with him and they left the Ranch with just enough time to get a parking space and enter the building. There were a around 40 people waiting around with the meeting room already filled to capacity. They were stopped at a security checkpoint manned by two Sheriff's Deputies.
"Sorry Cal, you all have to check your guns here."
"No problem." Call unloaded his gun and received a receipt for it. He and Andy entered the meeting room and was shown to a table. Andy gave Cal a puzzled look and Cal just shook his head.
The meeting was called to order by a hefty fellow with a gavel.
"This special meeting has been called to discuss the shortages the county is facing in these troubled times, especially food. Some are being accused of hoarding food and we're going to get to the bottom of this.
Mr. Coleman, we have been notified that you have an abundance of food at your ranch. There are people who are starving in our communities and we believe you need to share what you have."
"Well, Commissioner FatAss, I don't….."
The Commissioner banged the gavel and called order when the laughter suddenly broke out in the meeting room.
"Mr. Coleman, the name is Flatish."
"Well, Commissioner, as I was saying…I don't recognize your parliamentary procedures but let me address my observation of the ineptness of the local government."
"First, I told you, in these chambers, almost two years ago... many of you same people that you needed to prepare. All you did was take taxpayer money to spend on your 'priorities' and lifted your legs and pissed on the people's backs.
What you believe I need to do and what I need to share holds no importance to me. Why don't you first, share what you are hoarding. You look like you could stand to miss a few meals.
I won't tell you to talk to the Sheriff's Department nor the Chief of Police nor the County Food Bank and ask what we give each month. I'll leave you to your 'informants.'
Yes we donate food to the citizens of this county, and are on record doing so. Maybe we should check with those same agencies and see how much you've donated? H-m-m-m-m?
We give our extra food out at no charge but first, we provide for our families and employees, unlike this esteemed assembly who took care of their pet projects before the people.
I have neither the time nor enough crayons to explain the Constitution to a douchebag like you. If and when you decide you show up to take away those things that are rightfully mine, I'd like you to be the first one to knock on my door and you will be the first one to receive what you deserve."
Gentlemen and ladies, Commissioner FatAss, that concludes my statement. Good evening."
Cal got up and walked down the aisle, watched by the people packed in the room, and through the door to the Security Checkpoint to pick up his gun. When he was handed his weapon back, the Deputy whispered, "Way to go Cal."
Cal took his Glock from the Deputy, put it back his holster, and turned to walk through the crowd. They parted faster than a trailer tramp's legs at a NASCAR Pit Party. He heard several coughs and a few even looked him in the eye.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Oct 2, 2021 5:34:09 GMT -6
Andy was laughing when they got into the truck.
"Commissioner FatASS!" Andy was laughing so hard tears were leaking out of his eyes.
"That arrogant bastard! All that he was worried about was where to wrap his soup-suckers around his next meal."
Andy wiped his eyes. Well, I don't think you'll see him leading any delegations out to the Ranch. I can't be sure, but when you were filleting him, I think he might have pissed his pants."
"Yeah, but that little meeting has me concerned. We do what we can, but if the so-called 'leaders' in the county are starting to think about taking from some to give to others, then we better do some thinking."
They next day, Andy made sure everyone knew what had happened the night before. Later that week, Darryl called Andy and asked him to meet at the range. When Andy got there Darryl had a contraption sitting there that looked like a medieval cannon.
"What the heck is this Darryl?"
"Well, you know those stop strips the cops use to blow people's tires? This is my improved version."
Andy and Darryl moved away and when Darryl detonated the device, all kinds of debris came flying out of the barrel and then he saw a long cable string out and fall to the ground. They walked over and looked at it. Darryl had attached caltrops to a ¼ inch cable, 60 feet long.
"Why did you make it so long?"
"Haven't you ever watched the cop shows where they throw the spike strips out and the driver just swerves out and gets away? Well, this will reach across the entire right-of-way of the road, They have nowhere to go, and if they do keep going, it will be on four rims. I figure if someone did come and took stuff, then they at least owed us some tires."
Andy grinned. "How many do you have made?"
"Just this one, but I can build more."
"Can this thing be remotely detonated?"
"Sure."
"Well, make two of them. Set one up on the other side of the Vet clinic and the other just this side of the intersection with Grange Road. We can box them in in either direction. Oh, and don't forget to camo them. Get with the watch leaders and show those guys what to do. They only detonate it under my or Cal's command."
"Roger that!"
Earlier in the summer, Dawn had talked to Donna Nelson, who was just re-elected as Tribal Chairman. They had just started a project raising turkeys back in the Spring and were having great success. With a little foresight, Dawn asked to buy 25 turkeys and Donna agreed. When she told Cal, he patted her on the back.
"That goodness you thought about that. I don't think we'll be getting turkeys from Sam's this year."
The men set about building a pen and nesting building for the birds. They had extra automatic waterers and there were a couple of automatic game feeders Cal had gotten when he bought out the sporting goods store inventory. They had plenty of crushed oyster shells for the chickens so they were good there. The biggest thing they had to do was build the pen. It had to protect the turkeys from both coyotes and birds of prey. They ended up building the pen and turkey house near the pig pen, A wooden 8 foot fence was built on the north and west sides to protect from the winds and strong coated poultry wire 8 feet tall made up the rest of the perimeter fence. The space was then covered by thinner poultry netting to keep out the hawks and eagles. A two-strand solar electric fence was placed around the base of the fence to keep predators from digging under. Dawn and Dave had driven down to Ignacio to pick up the turkeys and toured the Ute's operation there. Donna was proud of what they were doing.
Once they got back, in no time the hens were laying and brooding eggs. They would have all the fresh turkey they wanted for Thanksgiving.
It surprised, and pleased, Cal when he found out Bella made her own Neatsfoot Oil by boiling the lower legs of cows her husband butchered. They had several gallons in storage, but knowing they had the ability to replenish it was good. Just the short time they had been there, Bella had almost a gallon of it made already. Bella refused to be paid for the oil. She considered it to be her donation to the Ranch. Beeswax and Neatsfoot Oil, combined together, soon became the preferred waterproofing and leather treatment on the ranches.
When the economy began going downhill, Cal had built houses for the rest of the Circle B employees and their children started school at the Academy. The people moved their whole households to the Circle B and just locked their homes up. It wasn't long before their old homes were stripped of anything that could be sold. It made the employees both sad and angry, but also grateful their families were safe and not living out among the low-life dregs that seemed to proliferate society.
Things around the Ranch remained fairly calm. One young man and his wife came by the store and wanted to barter for food. They didn't have anything worth much but the guy said they would work for their food. Logan had them sweep the parking lot and went next door and talked to Arturo. Arturo was getting ready to butcher a steer after lunch and agreed to let the young man help. Casey got in on the act and began putting a box of goods together and when they finished in the parking lot she'd feed them a hearty lunch. Cal and Siobhan arrived at the restaurant while Casey was over in the store. When Logan saw Cal's K5 in the lot he drifted over to the restaurant talk to him.
"Hey Cal, you got a minute?"
"Sure, have seat. What's up?"
"We've got a young guy and his wife doing some work next door for food. I've got a feeling about him. He might be someone who would fit in around here."
Cal looked at Logan. Logan was no dummy and didn't take to too many people. He decided to talk to the young couple.
"Have them come in and I'll talk to them."
"Casey is bringing them in for lunch in a few minutes. Cal, they seem to be down and out, but their clothes are clean, and except for being a little thin, seem to be taking care of themselves and are willing to work."
In a few minutes, Casey brought the couple in. Cal motioned for her to bring them over to the Stammtisch.
"Sean, Patty, this is Cal and Siobhan Coleman."
Cal and Siobhan stood up and shook their hands.
"Come on. Sit down you two. You won't find any better cooking than here in these parts."
"Where are you from, Sean?"
"I was raised in southwest Missouri until I joined the Army."
"The Army? What unit were you in?"
"Fourth I.D. at Fort Carson. I just got out about three months ago. I should have stayed in; at least we'd be eating regular."
"Work is kind of hard to find imagine."
"You said it. We're working our way out to California to see if we can find anything there."
"I doubt it will be any better out there. What MOS did you have in the Army?"
"I was a 12G, Quarry Specialist. I didn't have too much experience. Not many quarries around Fort Carson. They had us go out on the range occasionally, dig a hole, the fill it back up. I mostly worked as a Combat Engineer."
"Well, it just happens I'm looking for a part-time quarry specialist, but the main job would be poultry specialist."
Sean looked at Patty, then back at Cal.
"What kind of poultry?"
"Turkeys."
Patty broke out in a grin.
"Oh, I know all about turkeys! My family used to raise then back in Missouri."
Cal grinned. "Well, you want to try it out?"
Sean and Patty grinned. "Any job is better than no job!"
Casey brought over four Elk burgers with fries and iced tea.
Patty took a bite of her burger and her eyes almost rolled back in her head.
"Ohhhhh…this is so good!"
The two ate slowly, savoring the flavor of the burger. When they all had finished, Siobhan asked Sophia for four slices of apple pie. Siobhan watched Patty as she took little bites to make the pie last.
"Mr. Coleman…"
"Call me Cal."
"Cal, I have to go help the butcher with a steer this afternoon."
"No problem. We have a place for you two to stay. Siobhan can take Patty there and when you finish, have Arturo to call me and I'll come get you.
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Post by iamnobody on Oct 2, 2021 6:54:06 GMT -6
These stories are just like reading from a current newspaper - IF THAT NEWSPAPER WOULD ACTUALLY PRINT THE TRUTH.
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Post by sniper69 on Oct 2, 2021 7:34:23 GMT -6
I loved the written visual of "They parted faster than a trailer tramp's legs at a NASCAR Pit Party." I almost spit out my coffee when I started laughing. Also I'm thoroughly enjoying all of the chapters. Thank you for sharing your written work.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 2, 2021 8:03:35 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by iamnobody on Oct 2, 2021 9:32:02 GMT -6
"This special meeting has been called to discuss the shortages the county is facing in these troubled times, especially food. Some are being accused of hoarding food and we're going to get to the bottom of this.
Mr. Coleman, we have been notified that you have an abundance of food at your ranch. There are people who are starving in our communities and we believe you need to share what you have."
Aren't those “reward cards” from the grocery stores great! Keeping track of all the food you buy so that the government monitors your ever crumb of food for near future reference? Er, I mean the stores reward your purchases with discounts. Surely no one would ever use that info to say you have too much food and are required to give it up for the common good.
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