ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Feb 27, 2022 7:30:53 GMT -6
Thank you
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Post by ncsfsgm on Feb 28, 2022 8:07:51 GMT -6
Chapter 42
Gil applied the Tried and True bowl finish to the bowl and set it aside for the oil to soak in, then started on the next bowl. This one was going to be more difficult and would take much longer to make. Mary wanted an oblong dough bowl and he wouldn't be able to use the lathe. After drawing out the bowl on the block of maple, he clamped the blank on the table with dogs and began removing the wood on the inside of the bowl with a router, chisel and occasionally a Dremel tool. He stopped every few minutes to measure the dimensions and carefully eye the lines of the bowl. He only worked a few inches at a time and slowly removed the wood, being careful not to take too much off.
"Gil, there's a Mr. Dickerson at the gate to see you." Grace said over the radio.
"Dickerson…Dickerson, where had he heard that name?"
"Okay, let him in."
Gil wiped his hands on the shop rag and took his apron off. He walked out if the shop and met Mr. Dickerson next to the garage as he drove up.
"Gil Conner? I'm Ed Dickerson. Wonderful place you have here."
"Thank you Mr. Dickerson, how can I help you?"
A sudden darkness seemed to outline Dickerson, and an instant dislike to the man formed in Gil's mind.
"Well, I'd like to buy your place." Dickerson said.
"It's not for sale, Mr. Dickerson."
"Come now! Everyone has their price. You just name it."
"Mr. Dickerson, you don't understand. I can't legally sell it. It is owned by a Trust. I can only lease certain portions of the land on strict terms."
"Well, who runs the trust? I'll talk to them about buying it."
"I'm afraid that won't do you any good. The man that manages the trust takes orders from me and the land isn't now, nor will ever be for sale."
Dickerson scowled. "So it's going to be like that, hunh? I'll be seeing you later."
Dickerson got in his car and kicked gravel up as he went around the driveway loop.
Gil went into the house.
"Who was that?" Grace asked.
"Just somebody who was looking to buy the place."
"Is he trusted?"
"No."
They heard the sound of a truck and a door slam. Jacinta came running into the house.
"What's wrong? She asked.
"What?"
"I had…this feeling that something bad…"
"I had a visit from an Ed Dickerson. He wants to buy the land." Gil said. "Jacinta, when he introduced himself, I saw a dark, almost black aura form around him and developed an instant dislike to him."
"He can't be trusted." Jacinta stated.
"No, I would say not. We need to stay alert."
Gil walked over and picked up the satphone and sent Bill a text.
"INT Who is Ed Dickerson. Possibly from Indiana. Six feet, approx. 270 lbs, scar on left cheek. EOM"
Sitting the phone back into a charger base, Gil turned to Jacinta.
"Take one of the E-pickups and travel around. See if you get any feelings. If you felt him from the cottage, you should get a lock on something. You carrying?"
Jacinta lifted up the side of her shirt and he see could the butt of the pistol.
"Good. Don't do anything overt. Just monitor."
Jacinta nodded and went out the door.
"Is that man going to be a problem?" Grace asked.
"Could be, but not for long. From now on, Mr. Dickerson isn't allowed access through the gate, nor anyone acting for him."
"Okay."
Gil went back out to continue working on the bowl.
"Gil, can you come down to the forge?" Brad said over the radio.
"On my way."
Gil walked into the building and there set a trailer held up with stabilizers and had the hit and miss engine and a water pump bolted to the bed of the trailer. A steel tubular frame rose above the engine holding the beer keg fuel tank. The frame extended around the trailer and held sections of intake hoses and rolled up fire hose.
"Nice." Gil said, as he slowly walked around the pump trailer. Have you tried it out?"
"Yep. We had to add a one and half inch connector for the fire hose to the line going to the water tank and had it filled in no time. You know, if you got about four of those heavy duty agricultural irrigators on trailers you could easily water the corn fields and not ever worry about dry spells. All we'd need to do is have a manifold to run multiple lines to the irrigators." Brad said.
"Go ahead and start putting things together. You might have to get those waterline reel trailers to reach the irrigators too." Gil said.
"One other thing. Have you heard of a guy named Ed Dickerson?"
"I heard something about him buying up land. Why?"
"I had a little run in with him this morning. He's not a good guy. Keep an eye open for suspicious activity."
"Will do."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Feb 28, 2022 8:09:57 GMT -6
Chapter 43
Chet called for Gil to come over and give him some advice. Gil had Trace go with him and when they got there Chet walked them down to the stream and explained to them what he wanted to do. The small creek that ran down the edge of the woods was fenced off from the cows. The previous owner had pumps to draw water out of the stream but the pumps were no longer there and the small earth dam they'd had was washed out. Chet wanted to water the cows and the garden with the creek water if he could. Gil looked at Trace.
"What can he do?"
"Well, I'd rebuild the dam and we could use the ram pumps that are in the conex to pump water to the garden area and two or three cattle tanks."
"Know how to do it?" Gil asked.
"Sure. I need to gather up some stuff and I'll need some help when we start building. We probably need to wait until the last frost so the concrete sets good."
"Okay, your project then. Call on us any time."
Gil did the last sanding on Mary's bread bowl and wiped it down. It had turned out pretty good. He'd made the eighteen bowl and two twelve inch round bowls to use for rising dough. Grace was going over there this afternoon so he'd send them with her. Trace wanted Gil to go down with him to Don's to look through his "scrap" yard. It was a collection of pieces of rebar and pipes left over from construction projects that Don had the men toss there in an area outside along the back fence line. Gil walked into the office and Glenda smiled at him.
"Hi Gil! Don! Gil's here!"
Don walked out of his office smiling. "Man! I get back from Florida and back to this arctic mess and the first face to grace my door is yours!"
"How was the vacation." Gil grinned.
"Looked at my neck! Got sunburned! Now, I know this can't be a social visit. What can I do for you?"
"We've got a mini dam project for the dairy coming up in a few weeks. We're looking for pieces and parts. I'd like to look through your junk pile for anything we can use."
"Absolutely! Come on, I'll walk you around and probably tell you the origin of every part there."
The three men walked out the gate and down the edge of the fence to the metal boneyard. Trace zeroed in on two sixteen inch cutoff valves with about six feet of flanged, cast iron pipe extending from each side of the shutoff valve. The large wheels still intact.
"That was from when we replaced that span of bridge over Caney Creek a few years ago. Everything works. I don't know why I saved it but you're welcome to them."
Trace looked at Gil. "We could use these."
"Then they're yours." Don said.
They walked around a little more and came upon a pile of various lengths of #18, two inch rebar.
"What was this used for?" Gil asked.
"Bridge supports." Don said.
"We could drive these into the banks and streambed to secure the dam in place."
"You get ready to drive them in, give me a shout. I've got a crane with a pile driver attachment for it. It would beat a sledge hammer, hands down. If you build a temporary dam upstream and dig a diversion channel now, you could have the area dried out enough in about a month to build your dam."
"Well, this is our first dam project and we're going to have to go step by step." Gil said.
"No problem. I'll have Joe go over there with you. He's been in on s lot of reservoir projects and can tell you what to do.'
Gil looked at Trace. "What about it?"
"I'll take all the help we can get." Trace said.
Don called Joe on the radio to meet them at the boneyard. When Joe got there Trace explained to him his idea and Joe nodded,
"Yeah, if you put these cutoff valves in you can open them up enough after the dam gets full to regulate the water back to its original flow. The state don't care if you dam a stream up, they just want the original flow maintained. You can fudge it a bit when filling it. Just fill it slow. Hopefully, you'll get a good rain about that time and it won't take long."
"Okay then Joe." Don said. "You're on call to Trace here to advise him on the project. Pull any equipment available to help him out."
"Sure thing."
Gil walked into the house to hear Carmen singing.
"Oh sinner do not stray from the straight and narrow way……for the Lord is surely watching what you do….."
"CARMEN! STOP IT! DON'T YOU SING THAT!" Jacinta yelled.
"What's wrong?" Mollie said. "It sounded like an old time gospel song."
"Mollie, trust me, it's not. I won't let her sing it and don't any of you to let her sing it. If you want to hear the song, you can find it on YouTube. It's called 'Hand of the Almighty,' but it certainly isn't a gospel song. If you play it don't let Carmen heart or she'll be singing the bad parts for days."
Jacinta saw Gil and walked toward the door to the porch.
"I need to talk to you."
Gil followed her out. "What's up?"
"I went into town, and felt something."
"What do you mean? What did you feel?"
"It…it was different. Like knowing something bad was going to happen but I couldn't put my finger on it. I started driving around and the feeling got stronger as I was headed home. Instead of turning to go to the cottage I kept going and the feeling really got intense about a tenth of a mile past my road right as it curves to the right."
"Herb Parsons' place, or it used to be. It was sold to a man named Ed Dickerson. I'm pretty sure we're going to have problems with him."
"Gil, your satphone buzzed." Grace called through the door.
"Hang on a second Jacinta."
Gil got the phone and unlocked it. There was a message from Bill.
"Edward Dickerson, late of Spencer, Indiana. Was under investigation for forming an unlawful militia group but investigation was dropped after he left the state. Suspect in several illegal activities but never charged. His location is unknown at this time."
Gil sent back a text.
"HE'S HERE."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Feb 28, 2022 8:11:23 GMT -6
Chapter 44
Gil and Billy took turns at the methanol still and finished filling the barrel. After adding the corrosion inhibitor, they moved the barrel to the sawmill and put a hand operated drum pump on it to refuel the hit and miss. He'd bought four of the pumps down in Knoxville at Grainger's. There was one with the drums in C2 and he kept one in the still shelter and he was thinking about building a refueling trailer for servicing the water pump.
"Dad, why exactly are you making alcohol fuel to run the hit and miss engines? We've got those tanks of fuel here already."
"Well, I wanted to practice making fuel. How much is the price for fuel in town?"
"It was a little over $4.00 a gallon at the Marathon."
"Well, I can buy a fifty-five gallon of alcohol racing fuel right now for pennies more per gallon. We are making our own. It may come a time when alcohol is all we have."
"Can we burn alcohol in the vehicles?"
"Sure. There are conversions kits for that, but you could convert an engine without them. I've been buying up parts to convert our vehicles if we need to."
"Even the Rokons?"
"Sure."
Gil's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Gil? Gary. I've got someone here at the office I think you should talk to."
"I'm away from my vehicle. It might take me a bit."
"That's okay, we can come to you."
"Okay, I'll meet you at the equipment barn."
"See you in a minute."
Billy and Gil rode the Gator to the equipment barn and set up the rope machine. As they got the weights on the stand, Gary drove up. Gary and another man got out of the Tahoe.
"Gil, I'd like you to meet Arch Meadows. He's Avery Meadow's son."
"Yes. How is Avery? I heard he was laid up." Gil said.
"Daddy's doing better, but I don't think he'll be doing much. My wife and I are taking them back to Charlotte with us. We won't be renewing the lease for next year. We can have Daddy and Mama close to use and near the medical facilities he's going to need."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Your Daddy's a good man."
"I was discussing with Gary about selling everything Mama didn't want to take with them and Gary mentioned you might want to buy the stuff instead of having an estate sale."
"Sure, I'll do that. Just work with Gary on that, since it's Foundation land anyway. You two negotiate a price and Gary can write you a check, or give you cash. I'm really sorry to see them leave but if it helps him get better…."
"I don't think he's going to get better Mr. Conner. He's showing the symptoms of Alzheimer's and Mama's health hasn't been good lately."
"I see. Well, if there's anything you need from me , let me know. I will give you a fair price for everything.
"Thank you Mr. Conner. I appreciate it."
Gil watched them drive off. He hated to hear that about Avery. Gil and Billy went back to the house. Gil went up to his office and looked at the map on the wall of the Lands. With Avery and Martha leaving, that freed up that fifteen acres.
That night after dinner Gil sat with the twins and watched Swiss Family Robinson for what seemed like the 1,463rd time. As usual, they didn't even get halfway through the movie and they were sleeping. Grace helped him get them to bed. As they were coming down the stairs Gil said, " A good and obedient wife would bring me a mug of mead to my chair."
Grace chuckled. "I heard that God promised man that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the world. Then he made the earth round and sat back and laughed and laughed and laughed."
Gil chuckled and got his own mead.
"Avery and Martha Meadows' son Arch was by with Gary this afternoon. Arch is moving His Daddy and Mama to Charlotte to be closer to them. Neither Avery or Martha are doing good, health-wise."
"That's sad to hear. What was Gary doing here?"
He came with Arch. Arch is offering to sell me everything instead of having an estate sale. When the sale goes through, I'll need to inventory everything and have Harold and his crew to come in and fix everything up. I might need you and Mollie to go check whatever they leave in the house and see what you think we should keep."
"Okay. We can do that."
"As a good and obedient wife should." Gil grinned.
Grace laughed and threw a pillow at him.
"What are you going to do with the place?"
"Short term? Fix the house and buildings. Long term? I'm thinking of raising beef cattle. The house and buildings are sitting on fifteen acres, right next to a forty acre open field we can turn into pastures. I can fence off twenty acres and use it for a pasture this Fall and plow up and plant cereal rye and hairy vetch in the other field as a cover crop, then sow pasture grasses next Spring. I just need to find someone to manage the operation.
"I'm sure you will find someone."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Feb 28, 2022 8:12:31 GMT -6
Chapter 45
Gil went over to Harmony Hollow to check on the dam construction. They had a diversion channel cut behind the temporary dam and the large rebar already driven in and forms were being built. Don was there too, watching.
“Don, I didn’t mean to use your whole crew!”
“Don’t worry about it. These guys are salaried. They hate to sit around. We don’t have another job for another three weeks, so they offered to help out.”
“Well, it looks like this is going to be finished quicker than I thought.” Gil said.
“Yeah, they’ll have the form finished today. Tomorrow they’ll have the rebar all tied in.”
Gil scratched his chin. “I guess I’d better order the concrete then.” Gil said.
“Let me do that. I know what type of mix you need and they’ll sell to me cheaper than they will you. I’ll send you the invoice.”
“Thanks. Say, you wouldn’t know anyone versed in raising beef cattle, would you?”
“Not off hand, but I’ll keep a watch out.”
Some of the men were already tying the rebar and had half of it done before they quit for the day.
“It’ll take Noah’s flood to wash this thing away.” Trace said.
The dam was about thirty feed long and would hold about eight feet of water when finished. The cutoff valves were centered six feet apart in the dam and they had come up with extended shafts for the valves so the wheels for the valves would extend about four feet above the top of the dam.
Gil was out at Harmony Hollow the next day and watched as they finished tying in the last of the rebar. Joe came back with a truck they unloaded. There were kerosene jet heaters and a big enclosure to rig over the dam to keep the temperature between fifty and seventy degrees until the concrete was cured. The days had been in the forties and the minimum temperature the concrete need to cure was forty degrees.
Gil got in his truck and headed back to Bluff View. As he was turning into the drive, Gary called him.
“Gil, can you stop by the office?”
“Sure. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Gil walked in and said good morning to Rachel and went on in to Gary’s office.
“What’s up?”
“The Foundation now owns another twelve acres, more or less.”
“Where?”
Gary pulled out an aerial photo and showed him the acreage right next to the field at Bear Head Point.
“It looks like there are eight or ten houses or mobile homes there.” Gil said.
“All run down, no tenants, and basically a continuous eyesore along Harvey Jonston Road here.” Gary said, pointing on the aerial photo.”
“So, when do we take possession?”
“It’s a done deal. It’s been surveyed and paperwork has been filed. What do you want to do with it?”
“Well, I need to go check it out. Right now my first thought is to tear everything down, plow everything up and plant it in clover. I want it to look like no one had ever lived there.”
Gary shrugged.
“Gary, I’m considering raising beef cattle at the Meadows’ place. I’m looking for a competent manager. If you run into anyone let me know. Don’t discuss with them what I want to do. I want to meet them first.”
“Sure thing. One other thing. The foundation also owns this fifteen acre field and this barn next to these twelve acres also. It’s been leased out before but no one’s leased it in a couple of years.”
“Well, don’t lease it again until further notice.
Gil tried to browse sites on the internet to try and get some idea on what it would take to raise a herd of beef cattle. He knew he they need to be fed and have a source of water but beyond that, he didn’t have a clue. He hoped he could find someone competent.
The next morning, although he wanted to be at the dam for the pour, Gil took Brad and Don over to look at the property the Foundation had just acquired and it looked like a meth haven.
“Don, when you get a chance, I want the whole mess torn down and hauled away. I want all non-native trees and shrubs removed also. When you are through, I want this place looking like nothing had ever been here before.”
“What about the road?”
“Tear it up too. I’ll decide later if I even want a road in here.”
“Not a problem.”
“Brad, this is your baby. When this is cleared, we’ll plant some kind of cover crop on it until I figure out what to do with it.”
“You got it.”
Arch called Gary and said he had set a price on the farm equipment and furnishings. He’d already moved his parents to Charlotte and Mama had picket out what she wanted. Gary called Gil and they all agreed to meet at 1300. Gil was a little late getting there, having gone to Harmony Hollow so Arch was already there when Gil arrived. Arch handed Gary an itemized list of everything staying there and the price. Gil asked him did he want a check, or cash.
“Cash?” Arch asked.
“Yes, I can give you Federal dollars or gold, or a combination.”
“I…uh…I guess half dollars, half gold.”
“If you can wait here, I’ll go get it.” Gil said.
It took Gil almost forty minutes to go to the house, count out the paper money, get the current price of gold and count out the one ounce coins. He rounded up.
Gil handed the surprised Arch the heavy satchel and said, “Arch, I hope this helps you and your parents. If there’s anything I can do, please call us.”
“Thanks Mr. Conner. Well, I guess I’d better go. The weather is supposed get bad tonight and I want to be past Asheville before it hits.”
“Okay Arch, be safe.” Gil said, shaking Arch’s hand.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Feb 28, 2022 8:13:51 GMT -6
Chapter 46
The weather did turn bad. Freezing rain, but it only left about an eighth of an inch of ice on everything overnight. It was mostly melted off by the next afternoon.
Gil thought about the dam and called Trace on the radio.
"Are you at the dam?"
"Yeah, I stayed here last night to keep the heaters going."
"You need anything?"
"No. Sarah and Carrie brought me over breakfast a little while ago. I'll probably need fuel for the heaters today though."
"I'll see to it. Call if you need anything."
"Will do, out."
Gil had breakfast with the family and tried to help clean up but Mollie ran him out.
I'm going over to check the Meadows place out. You two want to go with me?"
"Sure." Grace said. "But I don't want to take the kids."
"I can watch them Mom." Billy said. I can study and plug in the Swiss Family Robinson DVD and they'll be glued to the TV. Probably will fall asleep too."
"Okay. Let us finish cleaning up and we'll get ready."
Instead of waiting around, Gil took the Power Wagon down to the fuel tanks and topped it off. He checked the greenhouse furnace and went back to the house. Grace and Mollie were getting on their coats and were ready.
When they arrived the Meadows farm, you could see the farm needed a little work but it still looked pretty good. Nothing a little paint couldn't take care of. When they went into the house, it didn't look like Margaret took very much. All the furniture seemed seemed to there, beds were all made, the kitchen still contained everything, there were discolored places on the walls where pictures had hung, and they even left the linens."
"This furniture is still nice." Mollie said."
"What are you going to do in here?" Grace asked.
"Complete renovation." Gil said. "This house is over seventy years old. I want you to get Becky in here and make this place…..I don't know….better. I never could figure out why the built houses like these so boxed up with all these rooms."
"Open floor plan?"
"Yeah, and a little more cheerful."
"We'll need to move everything out."
"Rent some PODS and people to pack them. It'll give you a chance to go through everything to see what you want to toss."
"The mattresses, for sure." Mollie said."
"Exactly." Gil said.
"Do you think it's a good idea to hire people, Gil?"
"Yeah, you might be right. Just order the PODS and we can move them out of the way later with the all-terrain forklift. The guys and I will help you pack them."
Grace and Mollie walked through the house guesstimating how man PODS they would need while Gil walked out and checked the detached garage. Avery's 1956 Chevrolet pickup was still sitting there, the keys in the ignition. Gil got in and cranked it and it purred like a kitten. Gil shut it off and looked around. All of Avery's mechanic tools looked to be there in tool boxes or hanging on the wall. Leaving the garage, he walked down to the equipment shed. The old John Deere and plows, harrows, a manure spreader and a trailer were sitting there under cover. The tractor looked in pretty good shape but they'd haul it down to Dobson's and have them go over it. He didn't bother to look in the barn or the two other out buildings. He'd get to that later. Walking back to the house, he noticed the garden spot was overgrown but that could be plowed up with no problem. When he got back to the house, the women were ready to go.
They let the forms stay on the concrete for a week before removing them. After applying a special sealant to the concrete, they would have to wait around twenty-eight days before they could start filling the pool. That would give them plenty of time to get the water lines in and the pumps installed. Trace had brought over the ram pumps but after discussion, Chet decided to have them as backup and use solar powered pumps.
"Gil, I think I've found you a manager. It's a long story. Can you come by the office?"
"I'm about two miles out, Gary. I'll be there in a few.
Gil went into the office and took a seat.
"Okay, What do you have?"
"Well, I got this from a friend, who lives southwest of Nashville in Hohenwald. There's a veterinarian that lives, or lived near Hohenwald. She grew up helping her father on their cattle farm raising Angus beef cattle. That bad set of tornadoes that went through the area late last summer wiped out the farm, killed most of the cattle and destroyed her clinic, but worst of all, her father was killed also.
"Her, hunh."
"Yes. She's been staying in the area, trying to decide whether she wants to rebuild or what. All she's done so far is clean up debris and bury cattle, and her father. She might be looking for a fresh start."
Gil felt a little tingle in his brain.
"Let me think about this. I'll give you a call this afternoon."
As Gil was driving home, he wondered what that tingle was all about. Was it his senses telling him the person was "safe." It certainly wasn't the same feeling he had with Dickerson.
When he got to the house, Gil looked through his aeronautical charts and found Hohenwald and Bridges Field about two miles west. He checked the distance and it was an hour and a half flight there. Gil took out his phone and called Gary.
"Gary, contact the woman and tell her of the job offer. If she is interested, have her pack an overnight bag and meet me at Bridges Field Friday morning at 0900 and I'll bring her back Saturday."
"Okay, I'll give you a call if she declines."
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Post by freebirde on Feb 28, 2022 10:50:41 GMT -6
Tell Gil not to scare the elephants when he gets to Hohenwald. www.elephants.com/elecam It is NNW of Hohenwald. If he flies west from there, he will fly over my place about five miles after he crosses the TN River. Eastern bison might be something that was native to the area and be a good meat and hide producer. Eats more roughage than cattle.
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Feb 28, 2022 11:28:28 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by cavsgt on Feb 28, 2022 11:48:53 GMT -6
Thank You phill
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Post by CountryGuy on Feb 28, 2022 15:48:01 GMT -6
Man a 5 installment fix today... my addiction only grows...
Be interesting with the bison as freebirdie suggests. I could see Gil incorporate principles of permaculture into the restoration of the "Lands" thru function stacking. Use methods like Joel Salatin has pioneered to regenerate the land with intensive, rotational grazing. for example beef on rotational paddocks, moved everyday then followed by chicken and turkey tractors, followed by rabbits and hogs. Hogs can be finished in the woods, letting them be pigs and root. Most of the animals feed would come right from the land and require minimal feed input from corn and soy. All this is down to regrow and heal the soil damaged by conventional farming. Think of the herds of buffalo that were followed by massive flocks of birds scratching thru their waste for 10's of thousands of years. It's a big reason the mid west had those massively thick and rich black topsoil's originally as those were the areas the buffalo migrated thru. Maybe that area where the meth trailer park was could be converted into fruit orchards. With all the things they are growing they haven't seemed to plant any fruit tress. Also could plant berry bushes around the perimeter and maybe have a few acres where they could plant some of the wild medicinals to allow them more harvesting ease and less.
Seems to me they need a real honest to goodness garage where they can pull in vehicles and equipment and service and rebuild equipment. Where they have tools, lifts, etc. I mean they are running a fairly large operation and seem to have a collection of a bunch of sheds and smaller structures. That is just that many more building requiring upkeep and maintenance or that take up more room but not efficiently. I don't recall specifics but thinking something along the lines that a shop like Don's would be for working on heavy equipment. Maybe a few large machine sheds to store all the equipment in rather than a collection of 4 or 5 buildings.
Maybe if they are going to get heavier into meat production running beef and more hogs and poultry they could look to build a proper slaughter house and processing area. Maybe have their German butcher take up residence there where he can do all that for them along with still having his meat market business. I mean if there are now how many dozens of people residing on the Lands and if they plan to support the area in general they need to greatly step up the amount of production. Possibly contract with larger operations in the area doing hay and grains and other things to free up theirs. I mean only butchering 2 hogs a year is not much more than feeding say a family of 4 or 5. and as often as they eat bacon and ham, they'd quickly be out.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Feb 28, 2022 16:16:04 GMT -6
Letting pigs "root" in the woods is why we have a scourge of wild pigs destroying crops throughout the country now. That’s why they kill off any they see. Those things breed like rabbits in the wild Bison would be nice, but bison go where they want to. That would have to be a whole different operation.
Fruit trees have been planted and harvested for the last three or four years. They have apple and peach trees and some miniature citrus trees in the greenhouse. Blueberries and blackberries have been planted also. I would be reluctant to plant the meth area in fruit trees. It is well away from everyone and would be subject to more pilferage than it would be worth for the time you'd put into them....for now.
This isn't one of those stories where everything gets done in a couple of months. In real life these things take time. Many of the people living on the Lands are elderly. More and new blood will have to be introduced into the "Clan" in the future. As more able bodied people come join them, they will be able to accomplish more.
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Post by cavsgt on Feb 28, 2022 18:21:52 GMT -6
Keep up the good work, you have it all planed and worked out.
Thanks phill
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Post by gipsy on Feb 28, 2022 22:11:37 GMT -6
Sounds like a good plan to me. Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 1, 2022 15:35:25 GMT -6
Chapter 47
Gil lined up on runway 20 and came in slow. There was a VFR only with no control tower so he kept his head on a swivel. There was a slight crosswind from the right to he gave it a little peddle and slide right in tires touching and sticking. He let it roll as not to give anyone the willies then turned around and taxied up to the parking area, noticing a woman with a travel pack standing beside a hangar. He kept his eye on her as he turned the plane around and shut down. Gil got no feeling at all, good or bad.
Getting out of the plane, Gil walked over to the woman who stood about twenty five yards away. He started to get a tingling.
"Mr. Conner? I'm Carla Peterson." She said, holding out her hand with a card in it. Gil looked at the card and it read, "Carla Peterson, DVM-MS" with a veterinary caduceus.
"Well Ms. Peterson, if you'll give me your bag I can get it stowed and we can be on our way. And call me Gil."
"And I'm Carla."
Gil strapped the pack in one of the rear seats and had Carla get in the front. He felt easy and knew she could be trusted. Gil made sure she was strapped in correctly and handed her a headset, explaining its operation. Doing a quick walk-around, he cranked the engine, checked the instruments and tuned to the local UNICOM frequency. Not hearing anyone, he did a quick sky check and taxied out to the threshold. Gil set the flaps and advanced the throttles for a short field take off, lifting of quickly.
"That was quick!" Carla said. "I'm not used to not running three quarters of the runway before lifting off."
"This is a STOL aircraft. Short Takeoff and Landing. Handy to have."
"So, tell me about this beef operation." Carla said.
Gil chuckled. "Well, it's not much of an operation, yet. That's where you would come in. I can feed them and water them, but running a beef operation, I don't know my hat from a hole in the ground. I wanted you to get eyes on what we have so far before you make your decision. We've got more or less sixty acres we can use for pastures. I want to replant them, or half of them in the spring and get off to a good start. I think what we will use for pasture first will suffice until we open up the rest. If you don't take the position, maybe you could give me some pointers."
Gil flew right up Cherokee Lake and dropped down just past Mooneys Shoals, setting the Maule up for landing. To Carla, the plane seemed to float down like a feather and touched down and quickly they were in front of a hangar.
"I see what you mean about short landings." Carla grinned.
Gil got her pack out and put it in the Power Wagon.
"Wow! What year is this?"
"1949."
"You rebuild it yourself?"
"No, I bought it up in Wyoming from a company that specializes in restorations."
"I've got to get something like this!"
"Well, unless you have very deep pockets, you might want to set your sights a little lower."
"Sadly, after depositing all the insurance checks, I do have deep pockets."
Gil took her up to the guest cabin and got her situated and then took her to the house to introduce her to Grace and Mollie.
Grace looked like she was about to leave when they walked in.
"Oh! Mollie and I were just headed over to Peaceful Meadows."
"Peaceful Meadows? Is that what you want to call it?" Gil asked.
"Well, we wanted the name to honor Avery and Martha, and it is peaceful over there."
Grace, I want you to meet Carla Peterson, doctor of veterinary medicine. Carla, this is my wife."
"It's nice to meet you Grace." Carla said.
Gil went to the refrigerator to pour himself a glass of iced tea.
"Carla, would you like a glass of iced tea or lemonade?"
"Lemonade will be fine."
Gil poured the glasses. "You want a glass, Grace?"
"I'll take a lemonade." Grace said.
"So Carla, Gil said you live near Nashville?"
"Southwest of there. My father had a cattle ranch there."
"Mollie and I were going…"
Mollie walked in from her suite.
"Mollie, this is Carla Peterson. She's come to check out Peaceful Meadows."
"Well Carla, welcome to Bluff View."
"Thank you. Grace, you have a beautiful home here."
"Thank you. As I was going to say, Mollie and I are going over start inventorying the house and see what we want to keep. We're meeting an interior designer and we want her input on the house restoration of what furniture would go best and where."
"You're renovating the house?"
"Yes, it's over seventy years old and needs a lot of updates."
Gil drained his glass. "You ladies ready to go?"
Everyone got up.
"Gil, Mollie and I will take the Jeep."
Gil and Carla got into the Power Wagon and stopped to pick up a trailer that held two Rokons he had Billy prepare when he left this morning.
"I forgot to ask, can you ride a motor bike?"
"Sure." Carla answered.
Gil drove 344 to 11 and made the four mile trip in about ten minutes, the traffic having held them up getting onto Highway 11. As they turned onto the drive, Carla's head was on a swivel. They pulled around Grace's jeep and Gil unloaded the Rokons.
"Let's take a look inside first." Gil said.
They walked in the back door and Grace, Mollie and Becky were walking around discussing furniture and the opening up of the space. Grace took Carla's arm and led her through the house showing her around and explaining their ideas on the renovation. Gil figured this would take a bit so he went out and was looking at a couple of cast iron butchering kettles that were in a shed when Carla came out. Gil walked her around the near outbuildings and she just observed and didn't comment. They went a got on the Rokons and went across the forty acre field and on to the new area the Foundation had purchased.
"We just recently purchased this tract. I'm having everything removed, except for indigenous trees and shrubs, plowed under and a cover crop planted for now."
"Do you own this field next to it?"
"Yes. I'm not sure whether to turn it into pasture or plant it in grain."
They rode the fence line and ended back at the house. Gil had no idea what her decision would be but it seemed she was deep in thought.
"Carla, if you should decide to take the position, I wouldn't think it would take all your time to care for the cattle. You could build a clinic right here."
"Could." Carla mumbled.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 1, 2022 15:37:02 GMT -6
Chapter 48
By the time they got back to the farmhouse, Grace, Becky, and Mollie were standing in the back yard talking. Gil and Carla pulled their Rokons up to the trailer and Carla helped Gil load and tie them down.
"When are the PODS coming?" Gil asked Grace.
"Monday. I ordered six. I might need a couple more but I want to wait. They can have them out here in no time. Oh! And I ordered a construction dumpster too."
"I was just going to ask about that. Well, are you finished here? Carla looks like she could use a glass of wine or something."
Grace locked up the house and Gil followed them out and locked the gate, following them back to Bluff View.
"Are you originally from around here?" Carla asked.
"No, I used to come out here in the summers to stay with my grandfather. He died when I was still in service. When I got out, I headed here. This land has always drawn me to it."
When they got back to the house Carla excused herself and said she had to get something out of the cabin. Gil went on in. He looked at his watch, "Close enough to the yardarm," he thought, and poured two fingers of River Bank in a lowball glass.
Gil walked into the kitchen where Grace was stirring a crockpot full of beef stew. Mollie was putting two loaves of bread into the oven. The door opened and Jacinta came in with Carmen on her shoulder carrying the perch. Carmen was whistling the six-note fanfare for "CHARGE!"
"Okay, knock it off General. Try not to embarrass me today." Jacinta said.
The door opened and Carla came in. Jacinta looked at Carla, then looked at Gil, and nodded."
"Carla, would you like an alcoholic beverage?" Grace asked. "We have homemade strawberry and peach wine, wine from a real winery, mead, vodka and then we have the River Bank whiskey that Gil makes."
"The River Bank sounds interesting." Carla said.
"On the rocks?" Gil asked.
"No, straight up."
Gil poured her two fingers and carried it to her.
"HEY DOC! Carmen said.
Gil looked at Jacinta, who just shrugged.
Carla didn't say anything, thinking the bird was just spitting out some of its vocabulary.
"I hope you like beef stew and fresh bread Carla." Mollie said.
"It smells delicious!"
"Oh! Carla this is Jacinta Velasco. Jacinta, Carla Peterson."
"Pleased to meet you Carla" Jacinta said.
"And you. You seem familiar." Carla said, puzzled.
"Well, I don't know, it's just me and my mouthy parrot, Carmen. We don't get around much.
"Jacinta, you're staying for dinner, aren't you?" Grace asked.
"Sure! It smells delicious!"
"What'll you have to drink, Jacinta?"
"A little of the Bank, please."
Gil watched the interaction between Jacinta and Carla. At first, it was like to cats meeting for the first time. Hackles almost raised, they soon seemed to understand each other and quickly settled down to pleasant conservation.
Jacinta went into the kitchen and came back with a piece of raw carrot and introduced Carla to Carmen. Jacinta handed the carrot to Carla for her to give to Carmen.
"Thank you…..Doc." Carmen said."
"How does she…..?"
"She gives practically everyone a nickname. She calls Alan and Alana 'Scoundrels'."
Carmen watched them as she gnawed on her carrot.
The evening went pleasantly, even with the twins showing off a little for the new visitor. Finally, when the twins were down for the night, Jacinta and Gil got Carla to tell them about her father's cattle farm, the tornado and the aftermath. Finally, Jacinta covered a yawn and got up.
"Well, tomorrow comes quickly around here. Are you going back tomorrow, Carla?"
"Yes, It was nice meeting you, Jacinta."
"It was nice meeting you too. Don't be a stranger." Jacinta said, smiling.
When Jacinta left, It was just Grace, Carla and Gil sitting there.
"That was some really good whiskey, Gil. Grace mentioned you made it?"
"Yeah, it's kind of a hobby. Everyone seems to like it."
The atmosphere seem to grow a little tense so Grace spoke up.
"Carla, breakfast is at 7:00. Is there anything special you like?"
"No, I'll be fine with anything. On that, I think I'll turn in. I have a lot to think about."
Gil walked her to the door and cut on the lights to illuminate her path to the cabin. One she had gone inside, Gil turned the lights off.
He closed the door and went back into the Great Room.
"What do you think?" Grace asked.
"She would be good."
"I think so too. I feel comfortable around her." Grace agreed.
They shut off the main lights and went up to bed.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 1, 2022 15:38:51 GMT -6
Chapter 49
Carla woke up, but she wasn't in the cabin in East Tennessee. She was by the pond on her father's cattle farm, the trees around the pond, broken and torn asunder. Looking around she saw a figure coming down the path the cattle had worn into the grass as they'd made their way down to the water. As the figure drew nearer, she saw it was her father.
"DADDY!" She cried out and ran to him. "Daddy, how….?"
"Carla, my child, you have a path before you that you were destined to follow. The blood of the People flows through your veins and you must accept the challenge and help those who protect the Sacred Lands. You will do well and know that I am proud of you…."
Carla's eyes snapped open and she sat up. She was in her bed in the guest cabin. Swinging her legs off the bed, she sat there, shaking the fog of sleep off. Getting up, she got her toilet kit out of the pack and the change of clothes and went into the bathroom, closing the door.
Gil set up the percolator and turned on the Weather Channel, checking the weather out across the country. It looked pretty good, for February. There was what looked like a system forming above British Columbia, but that would be days away. They needed to start checking the equipment out to get prepared for the Spring plowing. He went back into the kitchen and poured the perked coffee into the carafe and was setting up another pot when he heard a faint tapping on the deck door. Opening the door, there stood Carla.
"Come on in, Coffee's ready."
Carla preceded Gil into the kitchen. Gil got cups out of the cabinet and placed them on the island and got a pitcher of cream and a sugar bowl and sat them beside the carafe. He turned back and got teaspoons out of the drawer and laid them beside the sugar bowl. Gil poured Carla a cup of coffee and she took a sip, preferring it black.
Carla put the cup down. "What is this place?" Carla asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I had a dream. Daddy told me these were the 'Sacred Lands' and I was destine to be here, to help those who protect them."
"Well, sometimes I have dreams also. I think it is up to the individual to interpret those dreams and follow their heart."
Carla took another sip of her coffee, deep in thought. Gil got up and looked in the refrigerator and pulled out the roll of cinnamon roll dough he saw there last night and the container of Mollie's cream cheese icing. As he was about to start cutting the slicess off the roll of dough, Mollie came through the door in her robe.
"I thought I smelled coffee. Sit. I'll get these done."
She turned the oven on to pre-heat and started cutting the rolls off. Gil returned to his seat and warmed his coffee.
"We'll leave here around 0900 and I'll have you back in Hohenwald before lunch."
"Gil, I accept the offer."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, the more I think about it, the more right it feels."
"Good. Well, it will be a few weeks before the house is ready. You can stay in the guest house or I have a tiny house we can pull over there and you can live on site."
"I'll try out the tiny house. Something new. I'm on a new path now, I might as well embrace it all."
Gil grinned. "Well, it still gives you plenty of time to pack up and get your things moved."
"Everything I own and what Vet supplies and equipment I could salvage are packed in a trailer in a storage unit in Hohenwald. By the time I get back, I could be back here in six or seven hours."
Gil's eyebrows raised. "She's eager."
Grace walked in and Gil poured her a cup of coffee.
"Sounds like we'll have a new neighbor." Grace grinned.
Carla smiled. "Yes. I feel a heaviness has been lifted. I feel….free…I don't know."
"I'm sure you're making the right decision."
"Grace, I'm moving the tiny house over to Peaceful Meadows for her. Could you see that it's ready?"
"Of course."
"I'll talk to Brad before we leave and have him get it moved and set up."
"Gil, before we leave, could we go back over to Peaceful Meadows before we leave? There's something I want to check out."
"Sure, no problem."
Billy came in, got a cup of coffee and added cream and sugar.
"Billy, I've got to fly Carla back and Brad and they guys are moving the tiny house over to Peaceful Meadows this morning. Could you start checking out the equipment for Spring plowing?"
"Sure, no problem Dad."
Mollie pulled the cinnamon rolls out of the oven and let them cool a little before icing them. Billy started to put his finger in the icing for a taste and Mollie slapped his hand with her spatula.
"Keep your dirty booger pickers out of my icing!" Mollie scolded.
Carla and Grace laughed.
After breakfast, Gil told Carla to get her pack. They were headed to the hangar when Carla asked if they were going over to Peaceful Meadows before they left.
"Yes, but we're using a different mode of transportation."
After placing her pack in the Maule, Gil took her to the boat garage and did pre-ops checks on the hovercraft.
"What is this thing?"
"A hovercraft. Here, put these on." Gil said handing her a comms headset.
After making a comms check to her, he started the engines and moved the craft to the river, entering it and turning toward the northwest and the channel that went to the old highway 11 bridge. As he pulled near the Pleasant Meadows acreage, he went up a slight bank and took a faint road that went along the tree line and came out in a field about 150 yards from the house. Parking in front of the garage, he shut the engines down.
"What did you want to look at?"
"This way." Carla said, walking up the drive toward the main road. They walked past the tree line and turned to the small field on the right.
"I think this would be a good place for a clinic. There's enough for the clinic, a barn with stalls and a parking area."
"Looks good to me." Gil said. "What type of construction are you going to use?"
"I liked the metal building I had in Hohenwald. I'll probably use that."
"Well, when you get back, I'll put you in touch with a distributor I've used."
They walked back to the hovercraft and were quickly back to the boat garage. Gil did his walk-around on the Maule and they were soon in the air. As they neared Hohenwald, Gil asked Carla if there was someone picking her up.
"I'll call someone."
"Can you show me where you're staying?"
She directed him to a home a few miles southwest of the airport and pointed out a house with a large field next to it. Gil did a low and slow over the field to check for ditches and came back around. There were some trees but none over three meters in height. He could float the plane in. At just above stall speed, he landed and taxied near the house. He shut down the plane and got Carla's pack out of the back.
"I'll leave in the morning and should be back there before noon." Carla said.
"You'll see the tiny house when you get there. There will be a hand-held radio in the kitchenette area next to the sink. Call me on channel one when you get in."
"I will. Thanks."
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Post by NCWEBNUT on Mar 1, 2022 15:59:02 GMT -6
"Keep your dirty booger pickers out of my icing!" Mollie scolded. Now that was funny
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Post by gipsy on Mar 1, 2022 16:06:35 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. A Vet is a great addition to the team.
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Post by udwe on Mar 1, 2022 16:25:37 GMT -6
Thank you! They're going to need a lot of good people to hold off the bad guys like that "Ed - was that his name?"
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Post by gipsy on Mar 1, 2022 16:41:22 GMT -6
Ed Dickerson might be history soon. In a couple chapters perhaps?
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 1, 2022 16:47:39 GMT -6
Thanks again for all of your hard work and this fine story. One neat thing about your stories about the time that you think that you have it all figured out along comes a detour.
phill
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 1, 2022 17:07:02 GMT -6
Ed Dickerson might be history soon. In a couple chapters perhaps? Ecclesiastes 3
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Post by bluefox2 on Mar 1, 2022 18:50:36 GMT -6
"Keep your dirty booger pickers out of my icing!" Mollie scolded. Now that was funny In another forum I am on one of the members (who has since passed) used to say "Keep your booger hook off the bang switch."
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Post by gipsy on Mar 1, 2022 21:31:04 GMT -6
So true
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Mar 2, 2022 13:52:01 GMT -6
Thanks
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