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Post by imahic on Mar 2, 2022 14:10:02 GMT -6
Well, I am caught up now. Eagerly awaiting the next chapter. Thanks for your hard work.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 3, 2022 17:14:51 GMT -6
Chapter 50
Gil got back to Bluff View at 1400 and Grace told them they had stocked the tiny house with food. Everything else was ready. Brad, Trace and Colt were over at Peaceful Meadows getting it set up. Gil took a Gator to the boat garage and took the HL over to the farm arriving as the men were hooking up the water, electric and sewer. That reminded him. Pulling out his phone he called Drake and asked him to come up and inspect the house for a solar installation.
"Thanks guys." Gil said.
"Easy peasy." Trace replied. "So, we're getting a Vet?"
"Yep, and to manage a beef herd here."
"That could be a lot of work at times." Colt said.
"That's what I'm thinking. I'm going to look for a hand to help her out. I'll need everyone back over here Monday morning. The PODS and a dumpster will be delivered and we need to start moving things out of the house. Don is having the forklift delivered so we can move the PODS around as needed. As they are filled, we'll move them down by the barn. As soon as we get the house emptied, Harold and his crew will start tearing out walls."
"Well, we're done here." Brad said.
"Okay, let's go home. I'll see ya'll at Church tomorrow."
Carla arrived at Peaceful Meadows around 1400 on Sunday. Billy, Gil and Grace went over to welcome her and for Billy to show her how to maintain the composting toilet in the tiny house. Carla was moving in a few clothes when they arrived. After they gotten the few things moved that she wanted and she understood the toilet, Grace invited her over but Carla declined, saying she was tired from the drive and wanted to rest. Grace said she understood and reminded her they would be clearing out the house the next morning. The Conners left to let her rest.
There was a complete turnout Monday morning. Everyone, including Jarrod and Glen were on hand to start carrying things out and packing the PODS with the exception Carrie. Her job was to keep the twins corralled at the Conner's house and out of trouble, plus, they like Carrie. The men soon became adept at packing every little space with something and quickly moving the filled POD out of the way. It was beginning to look like they wouldn't need any more than the six PODS Grace had ordered. There wasn't much that went into the dumpster. Of course the mattresses and pillows went in but what usable clothing and bedding was kept to be cleaned, inventoried and added to their stores. The last POD they loaded didn't get filled. It was mostly kitchen things. The women conducted a walk-through and found nothing else to store away. Every room was stripped bare for the restoration work to begin. Colt took the last POD down by the barn and put it in line with the rest. They all found seats on the porch and drank tea that Grace had picked up from the diner with their lunch.
"How many cattle are you going to run, Carla?" Brad asked.
"Well, once the twenty acres is fenced off, we can run ten cows, two acres per cow. You can buy more if you are going to butcher some before the other pastures are ready. You can run more but you'll be spending more money on feed, hay and grain."
"Looks like we'll be putting up a lot of fence." Trace said.
"Nope. I've got a fence company coming up and putting in a four strand barbwire fence. They'll be here Wednesday. They have all the equipment and can put in a lot of fence a day." Gil said.
"Well, let's go home. I'm tired." Mollie said.
They locked up and everyone took off, except Jarrod who went to his Rokon and got a bottle of the Willow Bark Extract and knocked on the tiny house door. Carla opened it and smiled.
"Yes Jarrod?"
"Carla, here's some Willow Bark Extract in case you have sore muscles. Just rub it on and it will give you some relief."
"Why thank you. I might just need this a little later. Thank you."
"No problem. Good evening."
Carla watched as Jarrod got on the bike and went through the trees toward his camp.
Gil emptied the Jerry can into the drum and quickly recapped it. One more run and he'd have the drum filled. He would come back down in an hour, giving the still time to cool off, to empty the still and rinse it out. He couldn't wait until tomorrow because the fencing crew was coming and he wanted to make sure they got started okay. He, Colt and Trace had used the transit and drove in marking stakes for the fence line so all the crew would have to do was follow the stakes. The crew said they could install the 3,500 feet of fence and install the gates in about three days. Gil decided to have them come back the following week and do the rest. It would take them that long to get another 450 posts.
It would be another two weeks before Don's people could start demolishing "Meth Lane," as Brad called. He'd already gone over and marked the trees and bushes they wanted to keep with marking tape. Everything else was going to go.
Harold's crew was making rapid progress on the house. The walls were stripped and/or removed and the electricians were in replacing the wiring. While the electricians were working, Harold had the men doing repairs on all the outbuildings. One of the men wanted to buy the pickup but Gil was going to keep it for a farm truck. It was in excellent condition except for the boards in the truck bed and he was going to get Billy to help him replace those. Maybe the women could come up with a logo and he'd get the truck painted with the logo on the doors.
Gil went to the forge and checked the acetylene and oxygen supplies, He'd get more bottles tomorrow after he checked the fencing crew. He wanted the axles and frames from the older mobile homes. They built the older ones with pretty good steel and he could build trailers and other things with the frame steel. He looked at the bags of charcoal. That would probably be the last he bought. He'd order a charcoal kiln back in October. It was going to take six months to get it, but he wouldn't need to buy charcoal any more. You could turn any wood into charcoal and they had plenty of scraps.
Gil went back to the methanol shed and dumped the sawdust into a big garden cart. He would dump the boiled wood into a pile he had made for it to decompose. Going back to the shed, he leaned the cart against a wall, went back in and set the still on its platform. He'd put the sawdust and water when he had a chance to run another batch. Closing up the doors, he headed to the house.
When Gil got back to the house, he quickly checked the Weather Channel and looked like the polar jet stream was developing wrinkles. If one of those wrinkles dipped south far enough, they could be in for extremely wintry weather, freezing precipitation, or both. It looked like Father Winter was going to make one more unwelcomed visit.
Grace came up and put her arm around him. "What's happening?"
"Looks like we'll have another blast of winter."
"Snow?"
"I don't know yet. We'll have to see how the jet stream develops."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 3, 2022 17:17:01 GMT -6
Chapter 51
Carla set her laptop on the little dining table and did a search for vintage vehicle restoration companies in Wyoming. She checked through the list and came upon the one Gil must have used, and yes, he paid a pretty penny for his truck. She looked and found the for sale area and they only had three trucks there. Then she saw it, a 4 Door 1942 Dodge WC53 Carryall with a Cummins 6BT engine. She fell in love with it immediately. Clicking on "Contact" on the menu, she dialed the number listed and heard it ringing. Finally, after the fifth ring, someone picked up.
"Good day. Do you still have the Dodge Carryall for sale?"
"The '42 Dodge WC53? Yes ma'am we do."
"Can you ship it?"
"Yes ma'am we can."
"Okay, I'll buy it."
Gil brought Billy with him get the pickup at Peaceful Meadows. Gil drove the farm truck while Billy drove The Power wagon. Billy lifted up the garage door at the shop and Gil backed the '56 Chevy pickup in. Billy pulled the floor jack over and jacked the rear end up while Gil set the jack stands in place.
"Do you want to jack the front up too?" Billy asked.
"Yeah….I think I'll put new tires on it as well. I'll just pull the wheels and take them in."
Gil got two more stands while Billy jacked the front up. When the weight of the truck was on the four stands, Gil sent Billy to the garage to get the mechanic's creeper while he got the WD-40 to spray on the nuts. Putting on a pair of safety glasses he slid under the truck on the creeper and sprayed all nine bolts. They would let them set for the night and remove them in the morning.
"So, what is your Spring Semester looking like?" Gil asked.
"I know that to graduate with a four year degree, you need to accumulate 120 credits with an average of around three credits per class. That breaks down into five classes a semester, but I'm going to load up and maybe finish sooner.
"Don't take on too heavy of a load." Gil said.
"I think I'll be fine. The classes will be pretty much a refresher after all the studying I've been doing."
"All right, but back off if it gets to be too much."
"Okay Dad."
"Well, I'm going to go over and check on the fencing crew then go and pick up some more oxygen and acetylene tanks."
The fencing crew were half way down road frontage already when Gil got there. He sat in the truck as he watched them string the wire and set the posts. One guy was on a tractor digging holes with and auger, Another three men were placing posts in the holes and packing the dirt in. Every one hundred feet or so, an 8x8 post was put in and dry concrete mix was poured in followed by a guy who ran water from a water tank hose. They were placing in the 8x8s even before the other holes were dug, he guessed to give the concrete time to set up. Gil got out of the truck and walked over to the crew leader.
"Did you add something to the concrete mix?"
The crew leader grinned. "That's supposed to be a secret. We add an additive to make it set up quickly. That way, by the time we reach the post it's set up enough from which to stretch the wire."
Gil watched the men attach the wire strands to the metal posts with wire ties, He bottom strand was twelve inches above the ground and he rest were ten inches apart, Gil pulled on one of the top strands that had been tied. Tight as a drum head. Satisfied, he went to pick up the tanks.
Glen pulled in the last of the jugs and headed to the landing. Pulling the boat well up, and covering it with the cover and strapping it down, he looked at the sky, sniffing. He picked up the cooler and placed it put it in the Rokon trailer and drove up to his fish cleaning station. After filleting the big catfish, he pulled out a large plastic bag from the 20mm can he kept there and placed the fish fillets inside. He took the carcasses down to the edge of a gully and tossed them in. The 'coons and skunks would eat well tonight. Unhitching the trailer, Glen rolled it under the shelter next to the hovercraft and rode the Rokon back to the cabin. He put the fish in the refrigerator and went out to get more firewood. He even stacked a half cord at the far end of the porch. Harsh weather was coming.
Gil unloaded the tanks and looked at his watch. He went down to the equipment barn and hitched a trailer to the truck and headed for Morristown, to the Home Depot. He bought two pallets of calcium chloride crystals. Hopefully, this would be the last he would have to buy this winter. Returning to Bluff View, he parked and unhitched the trailer, covering it with a tarp. While he was down that way, he went and filled the furnace and adjusted the damper for a slower burn. Returning to the house, he first went to the house furnace and filled it.
When he went into the house he checked the Weather Channel and it was about as he expected. A heavy storm system was pulling moisture up from the Gulf Coast and the two would meet over mid Tennessee. Gil did a radio net call and told everyone to prepare for a winter storm this weekend and that extra ice melt crystals were next to the equipment barn.
Carrie came down for dinner and she and Billy helped Mollie make the breaded pork chops and cooked the fresh spinach out of the greenhouse, insisting that Grace stay in the Great Room with Gil. Grace just grinned and relaxed, listening to some Yanni music and reading her book.
Dinner was delicious and Carrie had made a surprise of Mini Strawberry Tarts. Billy and Carrie took over the kitchen cleanup and Mollie came out and sat with the twins in the Great Room watching that dog movie "Beethoven." Gil went to his office and check the NOAA weather site on his computer. Nothing new and good coming from what he was seeing. He went out and put his Power Wagon in the garage and made sure the Gators were in the shed . He might be a little premature, but the storm system could speed up or slow down on its own accord. Whatever, he would be ready.
Jacinta came by the next morning to pick up some ice melt crystals.
"Can you drop off a couple of bags at Marty's place and Six bags at Chet's?" Gil asked her.
"Sure. Anything on Dickerson?"
"No, not even a whisper." Gil replied.
"Well, there have been several different vehicles in and out of there.
"Keep monitoring and if you feel anything let me know immediately."
"Will do. Later." Jacinta drove off to make her deliveries.
Gil noticed others had been up to get bags of the crystals. He went over to the Aging cellar and did a taste testing. He marked two barrels that could be bottled but he would have to find the time to do it. He hoped the system wouldn't hit before Friday. The fencing crew only needed one day more to finish that pasture.
Carla came out of the tiny house and went to the farm house. The renovation crew had done a lot of work. The rewiring had been done and they had put in new insulation and were putting up sheet rock. She noticed they had added what looked like a good sized pantry in the kitchen. Upstairs had been six small bedrooms, now there were four Jack and Jill bedrooms with a bath between each. She went back outside and drove her truck to check out the fencing crew. They were just getting started but only had about five hundred feet to go plus putting in a gate. Well, one step at a time. They probably wouldn't be getting any cattle until the Spring. She was contacting her list of Angus raisers and seeing about buying a few. She felt good about what they could do and it should provide Gil's needs. She still needed to meet with the steel building distributor and work out her needs.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 3, 2022 17:18:15 GMT -6
Chapter 52
Jarrod rode slowly through the forest toward Potato Hill, looking to see what was there. He would be able to identify more plants in the Spring, but right now he was mostly looking for a route to the end of the peninsula. Jarrod came across a spring and stopped to check it out. He had started carrying the old style military surplus entrenching tool with a wooden handle and a small rake he cut the handle off a little on. He took both out of their tool holders and cleaned out the spring. Beau came running up and got a drink. Beau didn't fall over in spasms so the water must be good. Jarrod dipped a handful of water and took a drink. Good water. He stood up and looked around and saw the signs of ginseng growing not far away There was a nice sized oak that had grown some pretty good size acorns. The squirrels had left their shells all around. Jarrod secured the tools on the bike and walked a spiraling route around the spring. He finally stopped and went back to the bike. He come back later in the Spring and get a better handle on this area. On the way back he kept to the western side of the ridge lines, scouting around.
When he got back, he built a fire in the fire pit and went inside to get his small Dutch oven. Emptying a half pound of pinto beans into the pot he added some smoked pork neck bones and water and a couple if dashes of black pepper and put the lid on the pot and took them outside and hung the pot on the pot hanger over the fire. He went back inside and got his tablet. He had a video he wanted to view on about pioneer medicine by Master Herbalist Kim Welborn. Beau came up and lay down on his bed by the fire.
Gil got the last nut off with the heavy-duty nut splitter. The nuts on the bolts holding the wood floor in the truck were just too rusted to get off so he had to use the nut splitter. He had taken the first bolt into town and picked out replacements. Sliding the creeper out from under the truck, Gil got up and threw the nut into a #10 can and pried the bolt out of its hole. He pried up the metal clamping strips up and laid them next to the wall, out of the way. Next, he took the boards out. They wouldn't be good for anything except firewood. He'd cut them up later. He called Billy on the radio to come out and help him. When Billy arrived, they began running the oak boards through the planer to get them to the original thickness of the bed boards. Then Gil had Billy cut them to length while he mixed the pure Tung Oil with some of his grain alcohol so it would penetrate. Gil wanted to give them at least three coats, letting the oil penetrate as much as it could. After the third coat, he'd let them sit for a week before installing the boards back into the bed.
Friday night, Billy took Carrie to the movies in Rogersville but ran into snow flurries just as they were going by the funeral home, so they turned around and returned to Bluff View. The snow was already sticking to the pavement as they turned off the main road. They spent the evening watching a movie in Billy's room while the kids watched the National Geographic channel and Gil and Grace read their books. An hour later the kid's heads were beginning to wobble so Grace and Gil took the up and got them settled in bed. Coming back down, Gil looked out the back door and estimated about three inches of snow had fallen. He went to Graces computer and checked the weather site that showed the jet stream and the center of the bulge protruding south was just about centered on Nashville. Closing down the computer, he went back to get his glass and poured another two fingers of Bank.
"What's it look like?" Grace asked.
"Snow. Maybe quite a bit. It depends on how fast this storm moves through. Nothing I'm going to worry about."
"Cracker Barrel put in an order for baskets today."
How many?"
"Practically all in the container, but that's good. They were running out of space. They'll have time to make enough baskets to fill the next order for Yoder's."
"I wonder what Yoder's is going to think when they find out the same baskets are being sold at Cracker Barrel too."
"Well, there is no exclusivity agreement. They should buy more baskets for their other stores."
The next morning Gil was up early to put on the coffee and checked the snow stick he remembered to put out the night before. Ten inches. He turned on the Weather Channel. The system looked like it was right over them and was starting to move a little faster. It should stop snowing later that day. Nothing he could do but wait. Grace got up at six and had a cup of coffee and watched the local news. The county trucks were already out clearing the roads and spreading salt and sand. More robberies in Kingsport. The stock market had lost more points and livestock theft was on the rise. A normal day, now, in east Tennessee.
Grace, Carrie and Billy came down and poured cups of coffee. Carrie had slept in Billy's bed while he had rolled out his sleeping pad and bag. Grace was okay with it. It wasn't much different than "bundling" in the old day except they weren't sleeping in the same bed and Grace trusted them t do the right thing.
That afternoon Jarrod and Beau trudged down to Glen's cabin.
"What are you doing down here in this mess?" Glen said, adding another stick of firewood to the stove.
"I thought I go over and give Carla some help digging out."
Glen grinned. "Yeah, Right. Well, let the engines warm up a bit before you start out and take it slow when you come out of the lake, It'll blow up the powdery snow so bad you can't see."
"Okay, come on Beau, let's go."
Jarrod let the engines idle for three minutes and came out from under the shelter. Glen was right, it did blow up a cloud of snow. It got better as he increased speed. He moved quickly over the water and turned up the channel, Just before reaching the bridge, he turned toward the left and went up the bank. Seeing the opening in the tree line where the trail went through he headed for it. He was up high enough he could see the roof of the farmhouse and once he broke out into the field, he headed for it.
Carla heard the roaring of the hovercraft outside and threw on a coat. Opening the door, she saw a black dog scampering in the snow and someone enter the garage and come out with a shovel. It was Jarrod.
"Good morning!" Jarrod said. "I came over to see if you needed digging out. I'll clear out around here so you can get to your truck." "Thank you Jarrod. I'll make something hot to drink. Do you prefer coffee or hot chocolate?"
"Coffee is fine, but don't go to any trouble."
"It's no trouble."
Jarrod started removing snow from around the steps with the aluminum scoop shovel. Soon he had a path to the truck and removed the snow from the cab area. Clearing away the snow from around the truck out to four feet, Jarrod called it good. Returning the shovel to the garage, he knocked on the tiny house door.
"Oh, that looks fine." Carla said. "Come one in and have some coffee."
Jarrod knocked the snow off of his boots and cleaned the snow off Beau's feet with a handkerchief, tying it around Beau's neck. Opening the door, Beau pushed by him and went in first.
"Hey boy. I've got a treat for you too!" Carla said, giving Beau a dog biscuit.
"You have a dog?"
Carla chuckled. "No, but remember I'm a Vet. I keep a supply of them around."
Carla poured coffee into two cups on the small table and they sat down.
"How much snow did we finally get?" Carla asked.
"Around ten inches." Hopefully the last we'll see this winter. Usually March is pretty mild."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to getting the operation going and my clinic set up."
"I suppose there's still a lot to do."
"Yes, I've got to get hay and grain feed, buy the cattle and get the barn ready. There's equipment to be purchased and put up and water lines put in."
"Well, good luck with that. If you need anything, I'm on the radio net."
"I wanted to thank you for the liniment. It really worked!. What is in it?"
Just willow bark, grain alcohol and I added a little wild ginger to give it a nice smell."
"Well, it certainly is effective. Do you know much about medicinal plants?"
"I know a bit, and am learning more every day. I've got different mixtures put together for different ailments."
"A regular medicine man!" Carla smiled.
"Well, I don't know about that. I'm just a guy who has time on his hands and is interested in the plants around here."
"Well I guess I'd better get going." Jarrod said.
Carla walked out with them.
"Beau, get your protection!" Jarrod commanded.
Beau bounded through the snow and grabbed the ear protectors off the seat where Jarrod had placed them, and brought them back. Jarrod fitted the muffs on Beau's head as Carla watched.
"That is a really clever idea. A lot of people wouldn't think of protecting a dog's hearing around loud noises."
"Yeah, Gil has them for his dog and Glen has a set for Jack."
"Well, thank you again for coming over. Don't be a stranger."
"Not a problem. It's what neighbors do. Remember, if you need anything, give me a call on the radio."
"Okay, thanks."
Carla watched as Jarrod started the engines and turned the hovercraft and moved toward the river, enveloping her in an icy blast of wind. Hurrying back to the house, she quickly went inside.
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 3, 2022 20:52:22 GMT -6
Thank You!!!!! Can't get enough of this story but am going to have to put together a players list. OLD minds don't keep names straight easily.
Thanks again phill
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Post by udwe on Mar 3, 2022 21:09:36 GMT -6
This a great story, but CAVSGT is right. Need a list of names and who they go with. You'd have to update periodically As couples get together and babies come!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 3, 2022 22:51:02 GMT -6
Thank You!!!!! Can't get enough of this story but am going to have to put together a players list. OLD minds don't keep names straight easily. Thanks again phill Gilliam (Gil) Conner Steve Courtney, wife Angela Bill Hasty -Farmer, Mollie Boyd Haskell - Builder rep Becky Tatum - Home Decorator Jack Dickson -Foreman Jimmy Knight - friend Doris Brad Palmer - SF Engineer Colter Bennigan - SF Wounded Trace Carter -Ex military Sarah (Miller) Carter Carrie Miller- Sarah's daughter Glen Smith - hermit Tate & Glenda Gibson - Heavy construction Lynelle Johnson - Deputy Sheriff Officer Shay Hayes - Rogersville Police Rachel Gaddy - Gary's PA Gary Gates - Gil's Lawyer
Chet Arthur - Dairyman
Mary Arthur - Chet's wife Jerry Arthur - 13 Alice Arthur - 13
George Arthur - 15 Sarah Arthur - 15 Larry and Rose Sherman - Mary's brother & SIL Marty & Gale Griggs - Beekeeper Grace (Collins) Conner Able Gates - Lawyer, retired Don Gray - Construction; wife Annie Drake Simpson - ALT Energy Reverend Jim - Pastor Bluff View Christian Church Angie Maker - Social Services Allison (Allie) Benton - Mollie's niece Shannon Foster (Bennigan) - Mollie's great niece Chief Ray Dalton - Police Chief Officer Glen Wells - Rogersville Police Officer Ray Hanscom -Rogersville Police. Bill Casey - Handler Dave Gibson - County Sheriff Deputy Jarrod Smith - Glen's nephew. Glenda (James ) Gibson Sheriff Will Tatum - County Sheriff Harold Davis - Carpenter supervisor George Stillman - Pres. First Community Bank Jacinta Velasco & Carmen the Parrot Carla Peterson, DVM-MS - Veterinarian
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Post by gipsy on Mar 4, 2022 9:09:15 GMT -6
Did you forget Billy and the twins? Thanks for the update.
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Post by solo on Mar 4, 2022 9:26:08 GMT -6
Glen and Jarrod are my favorite characters. I don't know why, I guess because I really like my solitude they resonate with me.
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Post by bluefox2 on Mar 4, 2022 18:30:26 GMT -6
Carla may soon have a partner named Jarrod.
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 4, 2022 19:43:36 GMT -6
Not too bad only a couple of names that I had forgotten.
Thanks
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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 4, 2022 20:17:00 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by udwe on Mar 4, 2022 20:23:19 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 5, 2022 10:19:50 GMT -6
Chapter 53
They had cleared the snow away from the houses and the drive. The county trucks had already been along the main road so all they had to do was clear the end of the drive. Gil took one of the E-pickups and plowed the road to Jacinta's cottage. She came out when he blew the horn.
"I didn't even hear you come up!"
"Just getting rid of some if this snow for you. It'll melt quicker.' Gil said.
"Oh, in these hollows it will be around for a while."
"Well, the temps are supposed to rise some so it should melt soon. You need anything?"
"No, but thanks for asking." Jacinta said.
Gil turned around and went back to Bluff View. When he went by the drive to Harmony Hollow, Gil noticed the drive had been plowed. Chet or his boys had been busy. Gil turned in and when he got hear the farm, saw Chet and his boys down by the damn. They were filling in and packing the diversion canal with the tractor.
"The melt off will make this fill a lot faster." Gil said.
Chet nodded. "That's what I was thinking. I've got the valves closed three quarters. It should fill quickly. We should be able to fill it up before we get the original flow back. The fish have congregated in the deeper pools and will have enough oxygen until we get the flow regulated right. We should be able to pump water next week."
"You need any help?"
"Naw. It'll keep the boys out of mischief." Chet grinned.
"Okay then, I'm headed for home."
As he was pulling through the gate, Jacinta called him on the radio.
"Gil, that individual must have left town, I don't have any indication he's been at home. His truck is gone and the snow isn't disturbed around his house."
"Okay, keep monitoring. He might have taken a trip out of town."
"Roger"
Gil parked the truck and plugged it into the charger then walked back to the house.
The snow had mostly melted in four days so Don, having completed the last project began moving equipment over to "Meth Lane." They started at the front of the property and kept dump trucks busy hauling the debris to the landfill. Don had the county water turned off at the road and brought in a bulldozer with a soil ripper to rip up the concrete slabs and occasionally a water line. The power company came in and removed the wire and transformers from the poles and left the poles, The excavator and a chain easily removed the poles and they were set aside for use later. Trace and Colt were cutting up trailer frames after the excavator had ripped the wood and siding from the frames. While they were cutting up the frames, the excavator tore out the trees and shrubs that weren't marked. Because Don's crew was moving faster than they could cut up the frames, after the structure was removed from the frame, Trace started pulling the frames into the field to the southeast, and cut them up there. On some of the trailers, they had to take tires off of a trailer they had moved to move a trailer they wanted. Gil came over and was helping them with changing the tires and moving the frames. They were almost at the back side of the property when Gil spotted a vehicle behind the last house. Walking up to it, recognized it as Dickerson's. He look around and there weren't fresh tracks. Trace and Colt came over to look at the truck.
"Who's this?" Colt asked.
"Ed Dickerson's. Spread out and see if you can spot any tracks."
They got in a wobbly line and walked toward the back of the property. Not seeing anything when they reached the pond, they took an old road the went around the north side of the pond and into the forest, they'd gone about 300 meters in when Colt yelled "Gil!." Gil walked over and looked to where Colt was pointing. Two bodies were laying there.
"Stay here." Gil commanded.
Gil walked carefully over and looked down. He recognized Ed Dickerson but the other guy he didn't know. Walking back carefully to Trace and Colt, he told Trace to stay there and make sure no one got near. He headed back to his truck to get his cell phone and called the Sheriff's Department.
The Sheriff's Department cars came out, including Will Tatum.
"What do you have Gil?"
"We were cleaning the junk off of the property and found Ed Dickerson's truck down there behind the last house. There were no fresh tracks to so we started a search to look for tracks and found Dickerson's and another guy's bodies down in the woods."
Will turned to one of the Deputies.
"Adams, call the meat wagon and the crime scene people. Gil take us there."
They walked down the road and didn't go near the truck. Will had the other Deputy put crime scene tape around the area. Gil led Will down to where Trace was standing guard.
"Did you go near the bodies, Gil?"
"Just close enough to identify Dickerson."
"Okay. Trace, can you stay here and keep guard until a one of my men can come down here and mark this area off?"
"Sure thing Sheriff." Trace replied.
Don's people weren't allowed to do any more so they went home. Crime scene investigators were all over the place so Gil, Trace and Colt went home also. Gil called Jacinta and told her what they had found.
"He stepped foot on the Lands. The Sagartotiso took care of the problem."
"Or the Sagartotisa. Result is the same." Gil replied.
"I will keep monitoring the property, just in case."
"Okay. I'll talk to you later."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 5, 2022 10:21:05 GMT -6
Chapter 54
Gil took the old John Deere down to get it checked out. Gary told him that it was a real antique and parts would be hard to get for it. Gil took the tractor back to Peaceful Meadows and put it back under the shelter. Carla came out and Gil told her they'd need a new tractor and asked what attachments she needed. She gave him a list and Gil went back home. He'd run down to Greeneville tomorrow.
Gil took a chance and trusted the Farmer's Almanac again and went ahead with the Spring plowing. With the temperatures in the high fifties and low sixties, it really felt like Spring was here.
The Coroner could not state the cause of death of Dickerson and his cohort, Jarvis Pendleton. Final cause of death was listed as "unknown." Don's crew were finally able to get back to work and all that was left now was freshly turned soil that was starting to show green as the cover crop sprouted. The fencing crew came back and was now fencing the other forty-seven acres with cross fences. The first six cows and a bull were due in before Thursday and Carla was busy getting enough hay in to last until the summer cutting and a silo was ordered for storing mixed grain. One other thing they had to do was get a water line run to water the cattle. Carla and Gil were out looking for a place to set up the water tanks when Jarrod rode up on his Rokon.
"Hey Gil, Carla. Looks like you're about ready." Jarrod said.
"Yeah, we were just picking out a place to put the cattle tanks and to set on a route to run the water line."
"Why don't you use the spring?"
"What spring?"
"Come on, I'll show you."
Carla and Gil got into her Gator and followed Jarrod around the fence line and stopped around 400 feet down the east side of he pasture. Back about twenty five feet into the trees a spring bubbled up out of pool and ran into a ditch dug along the tree line and on toward the river.
"If you look out into the pasture, you can see where the water ran down into the pasture and kept it partially flooded. If you built a pond here you could use the ditch as an overflow and have more than enough water for the cows." Jarrod explained.
"Yes, and over there would be a good place to put a shade structure to get the cattle out of the sun and harsh weather." Carla said.
"And we have the power poles from the demolition site we can use for the pole shelter Thanks Jarrod. How'd you find this spring?"
"Well, this ditch wasn't natural so I followed it up and found the spring. I cleaned it out and it's running twice as fast as it was. I've found about twenty springs so far in these hills. I even went and cleaned around the Healing Place."
"Healing Place? What's the Healing Place?" Carla asked.
"I'll explain later Carla." Gil said.
Jarrod took off back to his camp and Carla and Gil headed back to the farm house.
"Let's see what they've got done." Gil said.
Harold was doing a walk-through making a list of things to be done.
"Hey Harold. How's it coming along?"
"Doing well. We're a little ahead. Of course we'd be further ahead if a certain two ladies would get off their keisters and get the light fixtures and fans picked out." Harold grinned.
"I know, I know. We're going tomorrow to pick them out." Carla grinned.
"Well, as soon as we get those in we'll get the appliances in and the floors done and she'll be ready." Harold said.
"We really should get that pasture plowed." Carla said.
"I know you've got your hands full." Gil said. "I'll get Jarrod to do the plowing. He won't mind, and I'm hiring you a foreman to assist you on the farm."
"Does he have any experience?"
"He was the manager at an Angus farm in North Carolina. The owners sold out and the new owners are making their son the manager."
"Well, I'm going to need the help once the clinic is up and running."
"Okay, I'll give him a call and he could be out by next week and I'll get Jarrod started on the plowing."
"Gil called Jarrod and he was willing to do the plowing. Gil told him he'd meet him over at the farm at 0900 the next morning. His next call was to Jerry Farmer."
"Jerry? Gil Conner. How are you doing?"
Jerry chuckled. "Looking for greener pastures. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine Jerry. Say, how'd you like a greener pasture?"
"I can be hooked up in ten minutes."
"Well, don't be so fast. I need to run a water line, get a septic put in and run electricity."
"Don't need electricity. I have a PV setup."
"Well, be here by Monday then. I'll send you the coordinates."
"Hey, wait, where is this place and will I be able to use the dogs?"
"East Tennessee. Right across the river from me and yes, the dogs are in on this too."
"Roger that. I'll start putting my ducks in order."
Gil called a septic tank company to have a septic tank and drain field put in then went on to the house. He called Trace and had him come to the equipment shed. Gil got a box and threw in what PVC connectors he had and the couple of cans of PVC cement. He'd go and bring back the PVC pipe on a trailer for the water line. Trace helped Gil attach the trencher to the tractor and got it loaded on a trailer, ready tow it in the morning. Gil went ahead and picked up the pipe and extra connectors he would need and left the trailer connected to the Power Wagon overnight.
The next morning Gil met Trace and Jarrod at Peaceful Meadows. First, he marked out a trench line to where Jerry's fifth wheel would be parked. Then he helped Jarrod hook up the moldboard plow and got him started.
Carla met with the metal building representative and worked out the same design as her old clinic. Gil said Howard would take care of the barn. All she had to do was tell him what she needed.
Don had a crew coming to build a bentonite lined holding pond to pump water into cattle tanks. Things were moving quickly.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 5, 2022 10:22:47 GMT -6
Chapter 55
When Jarrod was about a third through with the plowing, Gil brought another tractor over and the Firminator RT and started planting the seed for pasture grass. Carla kept him supplied with seed and Gil stayed up with the plowing. The Firminator would till up the soil and dirt clods, plant the seed at the correct depth and then pack the soil down with a roller. It was much faster than the way he had been planting his feed plots. As soon as they finished the pasture, he would start planting his feed plots for the wildlife.
Gil had a lot of irons in the fire and he had to do a lot of prioritizing. The charcoal kiln had come in and he let it sit for now. Billy was flying every day for practice and building his hours. His 17th birthday was coming up and he wanted that pilot's license, plus he started school at Walters State the middle of April. While Billy was making flights, he was also picking up bags of junk silver on every trip. Gil had several bags that needed to be sorted and rolled, when they got the time.
Jerry showed up in the afternoon on the day they were seeding the pasture and Gil stopped seeding to help him get set up. Jerry's two Border Collies, Bud and Sally watched from the edges of a bush. Gil introduce Carla and Jerry and went back to seeding. Jerry rode in the Gator Carla was hauling the seed in with Bud and Sally riding on top of the sacks of seed while the two adults had a lengthy conversation on what Carla wanted to do. Jerry was impressed with her knowledge of raising Angus cattle and she was spot on with what she wanted to do. They would work well together.
It was a festive atmosphere when Harold announced the house complete. Drake had completed the finishing touches to the PV/Wind Turbine system the day before. All the major appliances were in place and running. The women gather like a church home coming in August and the men were carrying in furniture, unloading new mattresses and doing what they were told. The quicker they got done the quicker they would be free.
The six foot deep holding pond was completed, taking most of a day to pack the bentonite into the sides and bottom. Th water was diverted to the pond and it was already two thirds of the way to the top of the overflow pipe. Galvanized stock tanks were purchased from Tractor Supply and installed. The solar pumps were ready to pump water as soon as the cattle were delivered. Two heavy duty round bale pasture feeders with covers were place in the pasture with hay so they were ready to receive the thirteen head of cattle.
The cows were delivered on Thursday and settled right down. Carla had bought the bull from another breeder making sure the bloodlines were pure. As soon as the bull was let into the pasture, it didn't take him long to get busy. Three of the cows were ready to breed.
Gil look on with pride. Next spring they could double the herd. Gil already had plans to open up the pastures at Bluff View and triple their size. The grain mixture he fed his cows put a little extra fat on the cows but they used the tallow for everything from cooking to conditioning leather, lubrication, seasoning cast iron, you could make soap and Jarrod used it in some of his salves. Carla planned to only feed grain to her herd when they had several days of extended wintry weather to give them some energy.
Carla and Jerry were working well together. She didn't even realize yet he had a prosthetic foot.
April the 3rd fell on a Saturday this year so Grace held a big birthday party for Billy. Before everyone came over Grace, Gil and Carrie had a little private gift giving. Grace gave Billy an expensive pair of Ray Ban aviator's sunglasses, Carrie gave him a leather bomber jacket and Gil gave him the SuperSTOL. Billy gave them all each a big hug and a "Thank You." He was eager to go Monday and take his FAA test and get signed off on his ride. He wanted to take Carrie up for the first time alone.
Everyone had a wonderful time at the party and the steaks were great. The women were feeling pretty good or the wine was making them pretty, it was a toss-up. Gil got Billy alone after a while and handed him a 3x5 card. On it was printed:
Pilot's survival kit SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger Mylar sleeping bag (2) Mylar tarp 550 cord energy bars (8) 10/22 take-down rifle 100 rounds .22 HP ammo Lightning Strike fire starter BIC Lighter Lifeboat matches Impregnated cotton balls (film canister) K-Bar knife 4 Lifestraws
"This is already behind the seat. Remember, when someone is flying with you, their life is in your hands."
"Yes Sir, I'll always remember that."
Jacinta came up to Gil.
"I believe the Sagartotiso took care of our annoyance."
"I think so too. The coroner never could find a reason for their death. They land they came in on is not part of the Lands. Once they went further, they were doomed."
The party went on into the evening with the men adjourning to the fire pit and seeing who could tell the most lies. Glen pretty much kept the record. Finally, the group began melting away. They said their good byes and again wished Billy a happy birthday. Gil, Billy and Carrie helped Grace bring the last of the glasses and set them on the counter. Gil rinsed and Billy loaded the dishwasher. Billy and Carrie went back out on the deck and Grace and Gil went to the Great Room.
"It turned out to be a nice party, and I didn't even cry." Grace said.
"Yeah, save it for our first grandchild."
"Hush! Don't talk like that. It might be bad luck."
Gil chuckled. "I don't know. I think grandkids would be nice. They make a great couple."
"I know, but they don't need kids just yet."
"When do you want to change the soil in the greenhouse planting beds?" Gil asked.
"Let's do it Monday. We only have six to do. I want to leave the herb beds until the new ones come in, then we'll change those out."
"Can't you just transplant them?"
"Yes, the rosemary we could. Those need to be trimmed back anyway."
"Well, I'll clean out the beds if you mix the compost." Gil said.
"We can do that. Can you set up the sifter for us?"
"Sure. Once I get the beds cleaned out, I want to get started tilling the garden. We need to start planting this week."
Yes, the starter cups are ready. Have you filled the water tank?"
"I'll unlock the windmill Monday morning."
"Are you ready for bed? I'm tired."
"Let's go. I'll chase you up the stairs."
"You keep your hands to yourself Sir, at least until the door is closed." Grace said, grinning and running for the stairs.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 5, 2022 10:25:39 GMT -6
Chapter 56
It was a 36% slope between the cottage and the top of the ridge and Jacinta's lungs were at their max capacity and her thigh muscles burned as she trotted her way to the top. As she crested the ridge, Carmen flew past her and landed on a budding tree branch to Jacinta's front.
"TIRED!" Carmen said.
Jacinta, hands on hips, paced up and down the ridgeline, cooling down. "I'll bet you are my loquacious avian friend." Jacinta panted.
Finally cooling down, Jacinta drank water from the tube of her CamelBak.
"THIRSTY." Carmine said with a croaking sound.
Jacinta smiled and took the CamelBak off and sat on the ground cross-legged. Patting her thigh, Carmen flew down and landed.
"Ouch! Don't massage my thighs!" Jacinta scolded Carmen.
Holding the hydration pack above Carmen's head, Jacinta squeezed the pack and held the tube clamp open, allowing the water to flow. Carmen tilted her head and took a drink, then again until she ruffled up her feathers and shook herself.
"AAHHHHHH." Carmen said, flying back to the branch.
Jacinta stood up and put the CamelBak back on.
"Come, my feathered harlequin, our journey is not complete."
Jacinta continued northeast along the ridge until she came to the game trail that went down the western slope of the ridge toward the spring pond on the other side of Taylor's Bluff. Game was abundant. It was almost a Macy's parade of wildlife all converging on the pond. It reminded her of those Nat Geo films of the waterholes on the savannas of Africa where all types of wildlife would congregate around the waterhole. Of course it didn't hurt that Gil had a feeder, mineral blocks and food plots nearby. As she came out of the forest, she walked the tree line to the greenhouse to where people were working at the mulch pile, sifting mulch. Carmen landed on a garden cart and looked around.
"Good Morning!" Carmen said, announcing her presence.
"Well, good morning to you too Carmen!" Grace said, looking around and spotting Jacinta walking their way."
"Morning Jacinta. Beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Yes it is. A beautiful day to exercise."
"You walked all the way here?" Grace exclaimed.
"No, only a little. I ran part of the way."
Jacinta watched as Grace and Allie took sifted mulch from a pile and added it to a concrete mixer then shoveled in soil from a garden cart and mixing it all thoroughly then dumping it into another garden cart.
How can I help?"
If you'll take this filled cart over to the greenhouse to Gil, I'd appreciate it."
Jacinta nodded and wheeled the cart to the greenhouse where she found Gil shoveling dirt out of a planting bed and putting it into yet another cart.
"Fresh soil Kemo Sabe."
Gil look up at her and exchanged the shovel in his hand for his Klean Kanteen water bottle and took a drink.
"Good, start filling that bed over there."
Jacinta grinned and wheeled the cart over and started throwing the soil into the raised bed. When the cart was about half full, she and Gil picked the cart up and dumped it into the plant bed.
"Nice jog this morning?" Gil asked.
"It was adequate. I have had no bad feelings lately."
"Good, but don't let your guard down."
"I am astonished at times at the greed of some people." Jacinta said.
Gil took another drink from his bottle.
"There is a constant in nature. If you have something in life worth having, someone or something's going to try and take it. That's with animals or man."
"Man's cruelty far exceeds those of the animals."
"Yes, you are quite right. Where's Carmen?"
"Supervising Grace and Allie."
Jacinta took Gil's full cart out to the mulch station and brought another in. They continued until all the beds had been refreshed with the rich soil. Gil picked up the debris pile at the mulch screener and scattered it in the forest. After washing up at a water hose, they all returned to the house and fixed sandwiches for lunch.
"Billy is taking his FAA exam today?" Jacinta asked.
"Yes, he flew down with Brad early this morning."
"Why didn't you go with him?"
"I didn't want to put any pressure on him. He seemed to be relieved I didn't go."
Jacinta nodded. "He will do quite well. He has the sight."
Gil looked at Jacinta. "What do you mean?"
"Billy remembers everything he sees. When I showed him how to secure the arrowheads to the shafts with sinew, he did it perfectly every time after that."
Gil nodded. "That's probably why he's so good at schoolwork too."
"He gets that from my side of the family." Grace said.
Jacinta giggled.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 5, 2022 10:27:07 GMT -6
Chapter 57
Colt and Brad got into Colt's truck and were leaving the Tractor Supply parking lot when Brad saw a Deputy get out of their car next to the movie theater and said "There's Lynelle." Colt tooted his horn and Lynelle half-turned and waved. At almost exactly the same time, a man came running out of Food City with a bag in one hand and a gun in the other. Colt laid his hand down on the horn to warn Lynelle but it was too late. The man saw the uniform and shot at her, spinning her around. He continued to run toward a tree line between a group of apartments behind Food City and Tractor Supply. Brad and Colt jumped out of the truck, Brad pulling his pistol and Colt grabbing a first aid kit. Brad ran about twenty-five yards, stopped, aimed and fired, hitting the shooter in the lower right back. Colt ran to Lynelle and rolled her gently over, checking her for wounds. The bullet hand had hit the outside of her waste, a through-and through.
"Damn! Twice in one year! Lynelle cursed.
Holding a compression bandage over the wounds, Colt said, "Now, now Lynelle, cursing won't make it any better."
"It makes ME feel better. Am I hit bad?"
"Lynelle, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're going to have rebuild your love handle on this side."
"I DON'T HAVE LOVE HANDLES, YOU ASS." Lynelle said, trying not to laugh because of the pain.
Colt heard sirens in the distant and looked around, spotting Brad standing guard over the shooter in the corner of the parking lot. Quickly, a police car pulls up, followed by an ambulance. Officer Shay Hayes ran up to Colt and Lynelle.
"Shay, the shooter is over in the corner of the parking lot. Lynelle is going to be fine."
The EMTs took charge and secured the compression bandage on Lynelle and lifted her onto the gurney. Sheriff Tatum drove up.
"Colt, how's Lynelle?" Will said, as the EMTs closed the door on the ambulance.
"She'll be fine. Just a through and through at the waistline. Didn't look like it even left the fat layer."
"You better not let Lynelle hear you say that." Will said.
"What happened?" Will asked.
"Brad and I were leaving Tractor Supply when I saw Lynelle and tooted my horn. She turned to wave at me and the shooter came out of Food City with a gun in his hand. Lynelle didn't see him in time and he just gunned her down and was running to those trees over there when Brad tapped him."
"Is he alive?"
"I don't know. I've been with Lynelle."
Will walked over to the other ambulance to check the shooter. The EMTs were already loading the shooter's gurney into the ambulance. Brad was standing by a grocery bag that showed some money sticking out of it and a snub-nosed revolver laying on the ground.
"How's Lynelle?" Brad asked.
"Colt says she'll be all right. A flesh wound. The shooter?"
"Sorry. I think I got him in the kidney. I was aiming for his spine."
"Well, I won't whine if he has to go through life with piss bag hanging from his leg." Will said.
Crime scene investigators were securing the area and marked and bagged the money and gun. Brad and Will moved out of the way and let them do their thing. Colt walked over to them with the first aid kit in his hand.
"Lynelle going to be all right?" Brad asked.
"Yeah, but she might look a little whop-sided with one love handle a bit diminished."
Will broke out laughing. "That's the first thing I'm going to do is carry her a box of Hershey bars and tell her what you said!"
Brad grinned. "Colt, you'd better stay at Bluff View for a while and keep the gate locked."
The police got Brad and Colt's statements, the fired casing from Brad's gun, which they found on the ground and they were released. On the way back to Bluff View Brad commented, "You know just when things get pleasantly dull, somebody stirs up your day."
Gil forced himself to stay away from Peaceful Meadows to allow Jerry and Carla to get things in hand. He didn't want to be a micromanager. He went down to where the boxes for the kiln sat, broke open the shipping cases and started taking out the parts to the kiln to figure out what tools he was going to need. Brad and Colt came up and told him what happened.
I don't know why they don't have armed security people there!" Gil said.
"I think the manager is squeamish about that." Brad replied. "Those cheap rent-a-cops he has don't know how to pour piss out of a boot."
"Yeah, I'd probably be squeamish too." Colt said.
The three of them put the kiln together and ripped a stack of slabs and cut them up into blocks on the chop saw and filled the kiln per the instruction manual then lit the fire under the kiln.
"How long does this have to burn like this?" Brad asked.
Until the fire goes out in the firebox, maybe seven or eight hours. Then the fun begins, sorting the charcoal that is ready from the stuff that didn't burn completely. Messy. We'll have to wear masks, goggles, coveralls and gloves and still come out looking like a white man in a minstrel show."
They left the kiln burning and Gil went back to the house. He told Grace what happened in town.
"Is Lynelle going to be all right?" Grace asked.
"Yeah, Colt said she'd be fine. Laid up for a few days healing, that's all.
"Well, let's go see her during visiting hours. We can stop by the florist and get her some flowers."
"She'd probably prefer a box of fried chicken."
"Oh hush!"
They did stop by the florist and got her a nice flower arrangement, and Gil called ahead to the diner and got a takeout order of eight pieces of fried chicken, four biscuits and four packs of honey. Lynelle appreciated the flowers and Grace had to squeeze it in with all the other flowers in the room. When Gil held up the bag with the chicken and biscuits in it, it was like a cat snatching a bird out of the air. Lynelle, had a biscuit in one hand and a chicken leg in the other, chewing dreamily with her eyes closed.
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Post by cavsgt on Mar 5, 2022 11:15:36 GMT -6
Once again I am in awe of your skills.
Thank You phill
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Post by gipsy on Mar 5, 2022 15:12:53 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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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 5, 2022 20:51:52 GMT -6
Thank you
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Post by ncsfsgm on Mar 6, 2022 8:58:29 GMT -6
Chapter 58
Gil heard the SuperSTOL fly in and land but didn't go down to the airfield. He and Grace waited at the house. Soon, a grinning Billy walked through the door.
Gil got out of his chair and shook his hand, congratulating him while Grace gave him a big hug.
"How did it go?" Gil asked.
"I aced the written test and the Examiner was more interested in the STOL than my flying abilities. When I landed, the wind couldn't have been more perfect to do a really short landing but I just let it roll to get any distance." Billy said excitedly. "Can I go pick Carrie up and take her for a ride?"
"No, I don't think so, not today. Let's wait a day. What I'd like you to do for the rest of your first day as a new pilot is to calm down and think of your responsibilities as a pilot. I want you to take tomorrow to thoroughly go over the plane and get it ready for your excursion with Carrie Saturday. Plan you flight and fly your plan. You have all day tomorrow and when Carrie comes home from school tomorrow afternoon you can finalize your plans with Carrie. Take Saturday to fly to your heart's content."
"Okay Dad. Thanks for helping me get this far."
Gil, Jerry and Carla walked out of the bank together and got in Gil's truck. Gil had just set up an operating account for Peaceful Meadows Angus Farm and was taking then to lunch at Oh Henry's.
"We're supposed to get some rain tomorrow so we should see some grass sprouting soon." Jerry commented.
"Yeah, on average, we'll get around three and a half inches of rain this month." Gil replied. "When are they starting on the clinic, Carla?"
"Mr. Harrison said they'll come up and start the earthwork next week."
"Have you got your equipment and supplies ordered yet?"
"Everything but the bigger stuff. I don't want to have to move it twice."
The waitress took their order and served everyone the iced tea they'd requested.
"Do either of you have carry weapons?" Gil asked.
"I've got a Colt Defender and a license to carry." Carla said.
"I carry a Glock G43 but I'll need to get a carry license." Jerry replied.
"I'll set it up for both of you to attend a class given by the State Patrol. It gives you more privileges than the regular carry licenses. I'll let you know the date. It will be an all-day class over in Fall Branch. I recommend both of you start carrying either open are concealed, at least on the farm right now. Do either of you have a long gun?"
Carla shook her head. "I don't."
"I've got an AR-15 and a M&P 10 in .308." Jerry relied.
"Okay, this Saturday is our once a month range day. We bring out our personal weapons, practice and confirm our zeros on the long guns. Carla, I can provide you one of your choice." Gil informed them.
Jerry looked ar Carla. "We'll be there."
They ate their food and Gil paid the bill. As they were leaving, Jerry asked Gil about where he could purchase a Rokon.
"I don't know if they are even making them now. I had to go to New Hampshire and buy them directly. I'll send you one over."
Gil dropped them off at Peaceful Meadows and Carla went into the house. Jerry headed down to the barn to check some things out.
Gil added mulch to the garden and using the rotary tiller attachment on the tractor, tilled up the garden and dragged the harrow over it. He used the single moldboard plow attachment to make the rows and beds, a couple of the women with garden rakes completing the form of the planting beds. The available people were bringing out flats of plants started in peat cups and planting the first week's plants. With all the help, the first of the planting season was started. Gil went inside the greenhouse and looked at the plants that were waiting for planting the next week. Grace had ordered hundreds of the pots. What would happen when the pots were no longer available? It was something he needed to look into.
During the rest of the week, the men hauled logs from Bear Head Point to the sawmill and cut the logs up into various dimensions. The slabs were cut up and palletized, exchanging the pallets with the slab wood they had palletized the year before. That wood would be cut up and made into charcoal. They worked three days a week on the logs, the first of the week dedicated to planting. The corn and oats had been planted so they could spend more time getting the logs processed.
The charcoal had been a success. Few pieces had to be re-burned. They bagged it up in to burlap sacks and added it to the charcoal stored in the forge building. They had several pallets of seasoned oak slabs so Gil decided to make a batch just for grilling. They cut the wood up and started another burn in the kiln and continued to process the logs.
Gil pulled one of the peat pots apart and studied it. Apparently the used wet peat and put it under pressure and let them dry. He could visualize a press he could do that with. Going to the forge, he selected different pieces of steel and laid them on heavy metal table. Taking a tablet, he drew a rough sketch of what he wanted. The drawing showed a rack with four metal cups to hold the cup material mixture in, a disk with a spike in to press the soil in and punch a planting hole for the seed into the center of the cup. He wouldn't have to use peat. They could use a mixture of compost and ground up leaves, which were readily available as a medium to hold the pot together. He had stock he could cut the three and a half inch cups out of on the metal lathe and had screw shaft and wheel he could mount to press the mixture in the cups. He would have to experiment on how long they would have to be pressed, taken out and dried.
Gil worked on his pot press for several days, opting to forge the pots instead of turning them out on the metal lathe. Taking beef tallow, he seasoned the pots several times to build up an almost Teflon like coating on the pots so the pressed pot could be easily removed. He also drilled a hole in the bottom of the pot to center it on a stud he had placed in the press frame base. Now he had to figure out the mixture ratio. He built a number of failures. The leaves just didn't have enough binding properties. The a grinning Trace came to him, along with his other partner in crime, Colt. Gil didn't know where they got the parts to build it, except for the small hit and miss, but they rolled in a strange looking agglomeration obviously powered by the hit and miss and all mounted on a 4x8 trailer made from parts of the mobile home frame pieces and cut down axles with the wheels and hubs mounted.
'"TAH DAH!" Trace said.
"What in the world is this?" Gil asked.
"If you will allow us to demonstrate." Colt said and bowed.
Trace started the hit and miss and Colt dumped in a couple of buckets of wood scraps. You wouldn't want to run this thing with a hangover. The pounding reverberated throughout the immediate area and out the chute cam a rat's nest of pounded up wood fiber.
"Give this fiber a test in your mixture." Trace said.
Gil added the wood fiber at the same ratio and mixed in the proper amount of water. Gil pressed four cups and set them aside dry. Two days later he found out he needed to reduce the amount of wood fiber and use more dried leaves. He soon had a dozen test cups made and planted collard seeds in them. They turned out great! They held moisture well and they found out the cups needed watering. Roots could easily work their way through the compound as the plant grew. The peat cup problem was solved. Trace made a tongue for the mulcher cart that could be attached to a Gator and they could take the cart out when they cut trees and mulch the small limbs trimmed from the downed trees.
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Post by gipsy on Mar 6, 2022 11:17:40 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by freebirde on Mar 6, 2022 13:15:34 GMT -6
"Dirty Jobs" cowpots: www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0vyfgo42AI The fibers could also be added to a binder, like wax, and pressed into sticks for fire starters or fire logs. Fat wood would be extra good. Replace coconut fiber mats and pots. Made into large mats for animal stalls/milking stalls and a biodegradable mat at the clinic.
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Post by udwe on Mar 6, 2022 21:08:29 GMT -6
Great addition! Poor Lynelle.
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