|
Post by imahic on Jun 7, 2022 10:27:17 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
|
|
ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
|
Post by ydderf2 on Jun 7, 2022 10:53:45 GMT -6
Hmm a trunk full of something illicit. No opsec by the dead makes me think they had little or no training. Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by bluefox2 on Jun 7, 2022 16:50:46 GMT -6
I do my shopping in bits and pieces scattered around different parts of my metro area. None of it comes out of my car until the garage door is closed. The wife just does the regular shopping about once a month. Even my ammo buys are done carefully in small amounts here and there. Smart thinking there... I also look for useful things at odd places as well.... Well not odd, just things that you don't usually find there.... I try to drop by Dollar General about every two weeks and pick up some canned goods plus odd snacks. I do this while on the way home from work and still in my work gear. Every couple of months I stop by a couple of gun shops in KC and buy two or three boxes of ammo. The biggest purchase of ammo was a one time buy of a case of .410 for my two grandsons range time with me. It is interesting what can be found on the shelves of dollar stores. I even admit to wandering the aisles of Walmart on occasion just to see what I can find.
|
|
|
Post by solo on Jun 8, 2022 8:43:23 GMT -6
Smart thinking there... I also look for useful things at odd places as well.... Well not odd, just things that you don't usually find there.... I try to drop by Dollar General about every two weeks and pick up some canned goods plus odd snacks. I do this while on the way home from work and still in my work gear. Every couple of months I stop by a couple of gun shops in KC and buy two or three boxes of ammo. The biggest purchase of ammo was a one time buy of a case of .410 for my two grandsons range time with me. It is interesting what can be found on the shelves of dollar stores. I even admit to wandering the aisles of Walmart on occasion just to see what I can find. I wander Walmart for that too.... Oh who am I kidding. I only do Walmart to people watch. It is a Karen attractor if there was ever one... Though I do not understand why.
|
|
|
Post by iamnobody on Jun 8, 2022 9:22:43 GMT -6
I wander Walmart for that too.... Oh who am I kidding. I only do Walmart to people watch. It is a Karen attractor if there was ever one... Though I do not understand why. Its a safe place for Karen and Kevin?
|
|
|
Post by freebirde on Jun 8, 2022 9:54:13 GMT -6
I wander Walmart for that too.... Oh who am I kidding. I only do Walmart to people watch. It is a Karen attractor if there was ever one... Though I do not understand why. Its a safe place for Karen and Kevin?Prime hunting grounds of people they can feel superior to.
|
|
|
Post by bluefox2 on Jun 8, 2022 19:25:21 GMT -6
I wander Walmart for that too.... Oh who am I kidding. I only do Walmart to people watch. It is a Karen attractor if there was ever one... Though I do not understand why. Its a safe place for Karen and Kevin?Maybe, but it is more fun than amusement parks for guys like me
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 9, 2022 8:31:33 GMT -6
Chapter 57
Hank went to the house after running the boards through the planer. He needed deck screws to finish his project and was going to ask Diane if she wanted to go into town. He couldn’t find her in the house and finally checked the cabin. She was there in her sewing room.
“I need to run in to Rogers Lumber to pick up some deck screws. Do you want to go?”
“No, I don’t think so. Maddie just went down for a nap.”
“Okay. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
Hank as building a new chicken coop and moving it to a location near the compost bin. This coop would have poop boards, two foot wide plywood strips covered with surplus linoleum tiles that he could take out and scrape the poop right into the compost bin. The only thing he would repurpose were the nesting boxes. They were old plastic milk crates. The rest of the materials were pretty old and he would have a bonfire, He was using some straight hickory saplings for roost poles.
Hank put on his signal to turn into Rogers Lumber when two guys came running out the front door and jumped into a late model car. He really couldn’t tell what kind, they all looked the same to him these days. The driveway entrance was wide enough for two 18-wheelers to pass so they had plenty of room to get out. On their heels were two men, one of them pointing a pistol at the fleeing men. In an instant, Hank flipped the steering wheel to the left blocking the exit to the fleeing car. They sped right on and slammed into Hank’s front bumper. The car crumpled like it had run into a brick wall. They probably would have been better off if they had. Hanks bumper was custom made of two railroad tracks welded together and slightly bent at the ends. It looked like a bumper but in reality it became a high-impact battering ram. Two of the guys in the car were dazed by the impact but the one in the back was hardly fazed. The culprit jumped out of the rear and started to run when he was tackled by one of the men from the store. Hank got out of the truck and watched as the fleeing guy was subdued.
“Nice tackle.” Hank said.
The guy looked up at Hank and grinned. “Cassville Wildcats, class of ’89.”
A police car pulled up with the siren screaming and lights flashing.
The manager of the store said the men had robbed the store of $1800, which was found in the front seat. An ambulance pulled up and the EMTs checked out the two in the front seat, putting them on gurneys and escorted by another police officer to the hospital. Hank just stood back and observed. Finally an officer came over to speak to him.
“What happened here?” Officer Bradford asked.
“I’m not sure. I was turning in and I guess I hit a pothole because my truck veered to the left and that car ran right into me.”
The officer went around and looked at the bumper. Other than a little paint scraped off, the bumper wasn’t damaged. Getting down on one knee, the officer inspected the bumper a little closer.
“Damn! Pretty sturdy bumper you have here.”
“I guess. I bought the truck used.”
The next thing Hank knew, Earl Atkinson was by his side.
“What have you stuck your nose into this time, Hank?” Earl asked, grinning.
The police officer chuckled. “He’s a one-man crime stopper!”
They had Hank back his truck up so they could get a wrecker in to pull the car away. Hank was released to go about his business so he pulled on in to get his deck screws. He purchased twice as many he really needed. The manager sold it all to him for half price and thanked Hank for his help.
When Hank got home, Diane had Maddie out on the patio enjoying the light breeze. Hank bent over the bassinet and Maddie recognized him and gave him a half-smile. He sat down and told Diane what had happened.
Are you going to have any further involvement in this?”
“I don’t think so. They’ve got them all for armed robbery or as an accessory. They are writing me off as a fortunate accident.”
“Did it damage the truck?”
“Nothing more than a couple of squirts of spray paint wouldn’t cover.”
Hank went back to work on the chicken coop. He wanted to get it finished so he could start working on his outdoor kitchen.
Hank finished the chicken coop and got the chickens moved just before the rain came.
The rain came from a tropical depression that had come ashore at Galveston Island and pulled a lot of moisture north. High pressure systems slowed the depression and over a period of three days, dropped almost twenty inches of rain on Arkansas, Missouri and eastern Oklahoma. Many secondary roads and a few bridges were washed out in the lower areas but the Tysons and their neighbors weren’t affected. Everyone stayed close to home until they could see what the aftermath would bring. Table Rock Dam had to open the gates to release the excess water, endangering homes along the White River. Hank’s water tank for the greenhouse was overflowing and thankfully he had built a rock-lined drainage off the top of the ridge or there would have been heavy erosion. When the sun finally broke through the clouds, the breezes dried out the earth fairly quick.
Hank and Diane decided to bundle Maddie up and take a ride to check out the local area. They got as far as the lower Flat Creek, around 5 miles northwest of the house, and you could tell the whole area had been flooded. Debris had piled up at a culvert on a small creek, stopping the water from flowing under the road, so it flow over it, washing the dirt from around the concrete abutments for twenty feet on each side, effectively closing the connecting road from highway 76 to highway 39. Hank did a 3-pointer and headed back the way they had come to see how far they could get in that direction. They were able to drive all the way into Cassville so they decided to stop at the BBQ Station and picked up a pound of pork BBQ and a container of Cole slaw to take home. About halfway home, Maddie finally woke up and wanted to be fed. Diane gave her the pacifier and that lasted until they got home when she became angry because she wasn’t getting any food. Hank put together plates and made sandwiches while Diane nursed Maddie.
Hank turned on the radio and they listened to the local news and the road closure announcements. They were fortunate to be living in high terrain because there were at least a half-dozen roads that that were impassable, but all of those were at the lower elevations. The official tally was 18 inches of rain had fallen in two and a half days. The soil drained well and the water quickly ran off or was absorbed into the soil, nevertheless, it still caused damage. State assets were brought in and road repair quickly commenced.
Gene had spent the majority of the deluge in his studio working on the mountain lion or occasionally switching off to the carving of the tired soldier. He was well ahead on the mountain lion and began spending most of his time on the soldier. He had it almost completed when his mind went off in another direction. He did a little research and finally took a trip up to Springfield to get the things he needed. He bought the items he needed to make a plastic cast of the statue and some other things. His goal would be a copper casting of the carving. It would be a long tedious project, especially finding enough copper to melt down, but he thought the final result would be worth it.
He would spend a few hours on the lion then break off and work some more on his casting. He bought scrap copper from a recycle center outside of Springfield and the forge set him back a little, but this might be another avenue for his talents.
Jaelyn loaded the boxes for UPS into the van and prepared to leave. Going back inside she went back to where Kacie was working.
“Stop what you’re doing. Let’s go into town and have lunch. I have a craving for Mexican food.” Jaelyn said.
“I don’t know. I have so many things to go through.” Kacie said, hesitantly.
“And it will all be here when you get back. It’s time to take a break.”
“Okay, let me wash my hands.”
Jaelyn drove them to the FEDEX drop-off to ship the packages before heading to the restaurant.
“So, what are you making Gene.”
Jaelyn blushed. “I thought I make him another Trifle. He seemed to enjoy that.”
“Good girl. Let’s see if the way to a man’s heart is really through his stomach.” Kacie grinned.
That evening, Jaelyn took out the frozen Angel Food cake she had made the night before and cut it into cubes. She mixed the ingredients together and added a tablespoon of strawberry liqueur into the mixture. Layering the cake cubes, strawberries and cream until the bowl was full, she then topped it off with a decorative arrangement of strawberry slices and two mint leaves. Jaelyn set the bowl in the refrigerator to chill overnight. She would take it in to work in the morning and keep it in the fridge at Kacie’s until she took it over to Gene’s.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Jun 9, 2022 11:46:52 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
|
|
ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
|
Post by ydderf2 on Jun 9, 2022 18:54:29 GMT -6
I don't suppose you could send me some of the trifle. It sounds good.
|
|
|
Post by misterjimbo on Jun 9, 2022 20:45:15 GMT -6
Where did they really go? UPS or Fedex
"Jaelyn loaded the boxes for UPS into the van and prepared to leave. Going back inside she went back to where Kacie was working.
“Stop what you’re doing. Let’s go into town and have lunch. I have a craving for Mexican food.” Jaelyn said.
“I don’t know. I have so many things to go through.” Kacie said, hesitantly.
“And it will all be here when you get back. It’s time to take a break.”
“Okay, let me wash my hands.”
Jaelyn drove them to the FEDEX drop-off to ship the packages before heading to the restaurant."
|
|
remembergoliad
Member
if you send friend req on FB, message me too. I won't accept if I don't recognize you.
Posts: 158
|
Post by remembergoliad on Jun 9, 2022 21:10:31 GMT -6
Where did they really go? UPS or Fedex The two companies were bought out by Elon, and merged into "FED UP" Thanks, NC, for the story!
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 9, 2022 22:49:16 GMT -6
Where did they really go? UPS or Fedex Cassville isn't that big. They have a a consolidate shipping center that handles FEDEX, UPS and also the DHL truck stops by on its route from Nashville, AR to Bentonville.
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 10, 2022 1:22:49 GMT -6
Chapter 58
“Ooooooo, TWO mint leaves! You brought the BIG GUNS girl!”
“Shut up. I wanted it to look nice.” Jaelyn said.
“In that case, before you go over there, take off your bra.”
“KACIE! You are awful!”
“Just kidding! When are you going over there?”
“I thought I’d stop by after work.”
“Good. You’re working only half a day then.”
“I don’t want it to seem I’m pushing myself on him.”
“You won’t. I have money for him you can deliver.”
“Oh, okay.”
They worked the rest of the morning cataloging new items.
Hank had poured the concrete base the week before. He pulled the form boards up and filled in the dirt in the spaces. Mixing up the mortar in the wheelbarrow, he began laying the concrete blocks for the outside of the outdoor kitchen base. Diane and Maddie came out to keep him company.
“What all are you going to put in there?” Diane asked.
“I’ll have a metal plate for a stove top, next to it a grill, next to it will be a smaller version of the smoker and over here will be a farm sink. Of course, everything else will be counter space. I’ve got that broken granite top I found at the salvage place I’m going to have cut to cover the counter and where the sink is going to go. It’s just the right size.”
Hank finished laying the block and went to the shop and cut the 2x4s to frame in the area within the blocks he’d laid. He would start in that tomorrow to allow the mortar to set.
“What else are you going to do?” Diane asked.
“Well, tomorrow I’ll line the firebox, smoker and grill with fire brick, and frame the rest of the cabinet. I found a firebox door at the salvage yard that I cleaned up. It has vents in the bottom half of the door so I don’t have to add those. When I put the firebrick in the smoker, I’ll add removable stainless steel rods that will act as tray supports or I can just hang the meat from the rods.”
“When you clean it out, won’t all that greasy water stain my pretty pavers?”
“Nope. I’m tilting the brick in the bottom so that water will run out the back and I can capture it in a bucket. Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.”
“What about cabinets?”
“They’ll go back here on the house side. The only view you have there is the side of the house anyway. I’ll put a couple of lights over the prep and cooking area and we can have late night snacks if you’d like.”
Diane chuckled. “Maddie will probably have something to say about that, I bet.”
“I suppose so, won’t you my little princess.” Hanks said, leaning over and tickling Maddie with a clean finger. Maddie giggled.
Hank cleaned up the wheelbarrow and his tools and they went in for lunch.
Jaelyn sat the box with the trifle bowl on the floor in the back seat. She was nervous as she drove up the road to Gene’s place. When she pulled in, she went straight to the studio and knocked on the door. Gene soon answered.
“Good, I didn’t know if you’d be here or not.”
Turning, she went back to the van and retrieved the Trifle bowl.
“You seemed to like this so Diane gave me some strawberries and I made you thing.”
“Oh my! You are an angel, Jaelyn. Please, come in.”
Gene placed the bowl in his small fridge.
Jaelyn walked over and looked over the mountain lion.
“It is so life-like!”
I’m doing fine sanding right now, buffing out any irregularities.”
“Gene, it’s beautiful!”
“Wait until I start adding the colors. That’s when it really will stand out. I’ll take a while to paint the eyes using acrylic paint. I use a pair of magnifying glasses for that.”
“What is this?” Jaelyn said, going over to the copper statue.
“That’s something I’m making for Hank. I sprayed it with an equal mixture of vinegar and salt to give it that patina. I’ll lightly buff it to bring out some of the bright copper highlights. I’ve never made a copper statue before out of one of my carvings. I’m pleased on how it turned out.”
“It’s stunning. The guy looks exhausted.”
“That was the effect I was going for. Jaelyn, would you go out to dinner with me sometime?”
Jaelyn looked at Gene, her face brightening with a smile.
“If you hadn’t asked me, I would have asked you.”
“Good! I’ve been hesitant to ask you because…”
“I don’t need explanations. When?”
“Friday? Maybe dinner and a show in Branson?”
“I’d love to.”
“We might have to leave a little early to get dinner and do a show.”
“Anytime, just let me know.”
“I’ll make reservations and give you a call. Wait! I don’t have your number.”
Jaelyn took her phone out and handed it to him. “Dial your number.”
Gene called his number and his phone one the table rang.
“Now you have my number and I have yours.” Jaelyn said.”
Jaelyn arrived back at Kacie’s walking on a cloud.
“Whoa! What happened?” Kacie asked.
“He asked me out Friday for dinner and a show in Branson.”
“Mr Big Time! What do you have to wear?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got..”
“Buy a new dress. Something with a light floral print. Stop by Susan’s dress shop. She can fix you up.”
“Kacie, I’m so nervous!”
“Don’t be. Well, I’m not you but just go out and have a good time.”
Mid-morning the next day, Earl buzzed the gate. Diane let him in and he pulled up as Hank was washing out the wheelbarrow.
“Hey Earl. I was about to get some iced tea. You want a glass?”
“Sure. I was just taking a break anyway.”
No sooner than they headed to the house, Diane came out with a tray with a pitcher of tea and two ice-filled glasses.
“Thanks Hon.” Hank said.
“How are you Earl?” Diane asked.
“I’m fine. How the baby?”
“She growing like a Greenbriar shoot. Diane cocked her head. Oops. Speak of the devil.”
Diane hurried back inside.
Earl looked at Hank, puzzled.
“Mothers have hearing like a Cheetah.”
Hank poured the tea and they sat on the patio.
“Everyone in the police department are talking about you.” Earl grinned.
“I should have stayed out of it. It’s just when I realized what was going on I went by instinct.”
“You know Hank, a marine once said, “If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither the judge nor the jury. Therefore, what he needs to be taught to fear is his victim.” I think that was from Colonel Jeff Cooper.”
“That’s my point, I wasn’t the victim. I just butted in.” Hank said.
“That’s even better. If the criminal has more to worry about other than his intended victim, then maybe he’ll be hesitant to do anything.”
“Maybe so.”
“Hank, do you know if Kacie is seeing anyone?”
“Why don’t you ask your sister. She’s closer to Kacie than I am. No. It’s none of Jaelyn’s business. Why don’t you go down and ask Kacie yourself?”
“Oh, I don’t know Hank…”
"...if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
“Hunh?”
“Teddy Roosevelt. Smart man. Come one Earl, take chance.”
Earl took a deep breath. “All right. I will. She reminds me of one of those little china dolls. I’m afraid she’ll break if I touch her.”
“Earl, that girl is smart and tough as whitleather. You go on and ask her out.”
“I’ll do just that. Thanks Hank.”
Hank smiled as he watched Earl turn the patrol car around and drive toward the highway.
|
|
|
Post by sniper69 on Jun 10, 2022 1:28:51 GMT -6
Awesome story, and thank you for the latest chapter. Your writing is excellent.
|
|
|
Post by rep1270 on Jun 10, 2022 6:47:25 GMT -6
Thank you for writing the stories. Thanks Ralph
|
|
|
Post by udwe on Jun 10, 2022 7:09:13 GMT -6
Love this!
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Jun 10, 2022 7:10:46 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
|
|
ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
|
Post by ydderf2 on Jun 10, 2022 15:23:12 GMT -6
Thanks
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 11, 2022 6:58:14 GMT -6
Chapter 59
Xena’s head snapped toward the direction of the gate and slowly got up. Diane slide her hand in the bag next to her but withdrew it when she saw it was Gene.
“Hi Gene! Want a cup of camp coffee?” Diane asked, nodding toward the coffee pot on the fire pit grate.
“Sure, Hank around?”
“Yeah, he went to put some mineral blocks out but he should be back in a few minutes. You want creamer and sugar?”
“No, I like it black.”
Gene took a sip. “Now that’s good Army coffee!”
Hank got me drinking it. I like it too. So, I heard you took Jaelyn out Friday night?”
Gene looked at Diane and grinned. “You’ve been talking to Kacie.”
“Well, Piney Creek is small, we have to talk to one another.”
“Did Kacie tell you she and Earl went out?”
“No, she didn’t!” Diane exclaimed.
They were interrupted by Hank driving up in a Gator.
“There he is!” Hank said, stepping out of the Gator. “You finish that lion yet?”
“Just about.”
Hank poured a cup of coffee and peeked over into the bassinet. Maddie was sound asleep.
Gene set his cup down. “I’ve got something for you.”
Getting up, he went over to the passenger side of his truck and brought a box out. Carrying it over to his seat, he set the box down and lifted the Exhausted Soldier out and handed it to Hank.
“Oh my God Gene!!” Those were the only words Hank could say as he stared at the statue. Taking it in his hands, Hank turned the bronze casting studying the intricate detail.”
“Gene, I thought you were going to carve this.” Hank said.
“Oh, I did. I’ll keep the wooden one for myself. I got the idea to do it in bronze to memorialize those we served with, wherever they may be. I wanted you to have this one.”
“I don’t know what to say. It’s beautiful, authentic and….. I just don’t have the words.”
“Take it my friend and cherish the memories that are favorable to you.”
Hank gently sat the statue on the table and refreshed their coffee. Hank told Gene about his little episode down at the lumber yard. Gene slowly shook his head.
“There really are societal root causes for rising violence and criminality. When it comes to fixing them, though, the problem is that the ‘do something’ liberals aren't looking in the right place or won’t look.” Gene said. “It takes a lot more than taking weapons of self-protection away from good people to try and curb criminality. Most of those people are beyond redemption and are better off behind bars for the rest of their lives or worse. Some of the younger generation can be salvaged, but like a cat, once it goes feral, society is better off if they aren’t around anymore.”
“I think you are probably right, Gene.” Hank agreed.
They sat and talked for a while and Diane wouldn’t let him leave without 5 pounds of new potatoes. Maddie woke up just before Gene left and he got to play with her for a minute. As Hank and Diane watched Gene disappearing down the drive, Diane said. “There goes a good man.”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Hank brought home a 5-gallon bucket of honey from a beekeeper he’d met down at Uncle Roy’s in Eagle Rock. Diane sterilized quart jars and they transferred the honey to them. They put two quarts in the pantry and stored the rest in the shelter. Hank dipped Maddie’s pacifier in honey and started to put it in her mouth when Diane stopped him.
“It’s too soon! Honey can cause botulism in babies under one year old. She shouldn’t have ANY honey, even cooked in foods, until her digestive system develops more. Honey contains a bacteria that can grow and multiply in a baby’s intestines. Most adults and older children have defenses in their intestines that prevent the bacteria spores from germinating and reproducing.”
“Oops, my bad.”
“Just be careful what you feed her until she’s older and make sure it doesn’t have honey in it.”
Hank picked up Maddie. “Well my little Princess, I guess Mary Janes are verboten for a while.”
Hank turned to Diane. “What about candy canes? Will she be able to eat candy canes at Christmas?”
“Diane giggled. “We’ll see.”
With the wood-burning furnace , the greenhouse vegetables continued to thrive. Hank loved having the fresh green onions to cut up in his fried potatoes and deer kielbasa. Frequently, he tool Maddie with him in the all-terrain stroller down to the greenhouse so Diane would have some time to herself. Currently, she was working on a hide from the deer he had killed a couple of weeks ago. She wanted to make Maddie a buckskin baby girl vest. She would have to tan any hides she used for clothing right now. When she was older, she could make her a white buckskin dress. White buckskin wasn’t waterproof and washing stains out would cause the leather to shrink and harden.
Hank added water to the tank on the humidifier he had jury-rigged on the furnace duct. He had tested it for a long time and finally work out a rough idea as to how much water dripped on the membrane to get a certain percentage of humidity. Maddie dozed, Xena laying on the floor beside her, while he picked the makings for salads and placed them in a basket. Before returning to the house, he added more wood to the furnace.
He was washing the vegetables in the kitchen when Diane came in from the cabin.
“Can you set up the big smoker so I can smoke the hide?”
“Sure, let me finish this.”
“I’ll do that. You take care of the smoker.”
Hank laid a fire in the firebox and checked his watch. It would take about 30 to 40 minutes for the wood to burn down to good coals. He poured water over some applewood chips he had made from limbs they had pruned off of trees down at Kacie’s place. They would give off pleasant smelling smoke to waterproof the hide. Hank went back to the house and when the coals should be ready, pushed the stroller to the smokehouse while Diane carried the hide. Diane placed the hide in the smokehouse while Hank managed the smoke and chips. Hank kept the smoke cool, which gives the nice pretty colors. Excessively hot smoke makes the leather an undesirable gray, burnt color. Diane frequently moved the hide around to ensure every inch was saturated. Once it was to the color she wanted, she would hang it in the shop for a day or two to let the color set. Hank helped her tie the hide up and by that time Maddie was hungry and started fussing, so they went back to the house. Hank made the salads and sandwiches while Diane fed Maddie.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Jun 11, 2022 7:26:33 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
|
|
ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
|
Post by ydderf2 on Jun 11, 2022 9:47:51 GMT -6
Thanks
|
|
|
Post by imahic on Jun 11, 2022 13:04:43 GMT -6
Many thanks.
|
|
|
Post by udwe on Jun 11, 2022 19:56:10 GMT -6
Thank you!
|
|
|
Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 13, 2022 7:43:31 GMT -6
Chapter 60
Earl walked into the building and saw Kacie at her work desk, He wove his way through the boxes and stopped in front of the desk.
Kacie looked up and smiled.
“Hi Earl, what can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner sometime.”
Kacie’s face fell. “Earl, I don’t date married men.”
The color drained from Earl's face.
“Kacie! Oh God! I didn’t think. Earl isn’t married!” Jaelyn said.
“But you said you were going to eat with Earl and his family at Thanksgiving.”
“Kacie. Earl's wife was killed in an auto accident 18 months ago. Jane’s sister lives with them as a Nannie.”
“I’m so embarrassed!” Kacie said.
“No need to be. It was just a misunderstanding.” Earl said. “Now, I’ll try this again. Would you like to go to dinner with me sometime?”
“Yes, I would.” Kacie smiled demurely.
“I’ll call you.” Earl said, hurrying out to his car.
“Why did he leave so quickly?” Kacie asked.
“He probably wanted to leave before you got a chance to change your mind.”
“You and I need to be more open, Jaelyn.” Kacie said.
“I’m sorry. I’ve gotten so used to the situation it didn’t cross my mind that you didn’t know.”
“Okay, no harm, no foul. God! I need to go buy a dress!”
“My God! What have you been feeding Maddie!” Hank said with disgust.
The diaper was filled with what looked like toxic waste.
Diane laughed. “I’ve been slowly introducing solid foods to her.”
“God! Maybe you should just breast feed her until she’s six or seven years old!”
“Quit whining. It’s not that bad. We’ve got to try different foods to find out if she’s allergic to anything.”
“What are you going to feed her today?”
“Just breast milk. I feed her a solid and wait for three to five days and see if there is a reaction, then try something else. She loves bananas.”
“Well, it will certainly keep her from dating anytime soon!”
Diane giggled and put the last pancake on the plate.
“Wash your hands and come eat.”
“Oh, I will definitely do that!”
“Did you wrap the apple trees?”
“Yep. All done. Probably just in time. It looks like we’re going to have a cold snap.”
“Can we go over to Branson this week and do a little Christmas shopping and let Maddie see the lights?”
“Sure. Xena’s going to have a fit if Maddie is not around for most of the day.”
“Yes, but she’ll be happy soon enough when we return.”
“I need to go see Dave at Merrill Lynch anyway. We can kill a couple of birds with one stone.”
“What’s that about?”
“Just investment strategies. I need to get rid of some of the less productive stocks.”
“Thursday okay?”
“Fine with me. I need to go into town this morning and get a resupply of dog food. Do you want to go or need anything?”
“No, I’ll stay here. I can’t think of anything we need. Oh! Wait. I need three yards of 1" Stretch Knit Binding Trim from the Sewing Center. I’m making Maddie some flannel pants. I’ll write it down for you.”
“I need to stop by the market also to pick up the bad apples Jim is holding for me. The deer love those.”
They finished breakfast and Hank helped with the dishes before he took off. Diane took Maddie with her to her sewing room in the cabin.
On the way into town, Hank stopped by Gene’s to see if he needed anything while he was in town. Gene was out in his studio putting the final touches to the eyes he was painting on the lion. Hank knocked and went in. Gene took the magnifying goggles off and Hank walked in.
“Morning Gene. I was headed into town. Do you need anything?”
“Nope. I’m good. What do you think?”
“It’s magnificent! The eyes are like real.”
“That’s what I go for. I’m delivering it this Monday.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what would this go for?”
“I told Glen I’d do it for six thousand, but in reality, it would be worth almost twice as much. It kind of like paying for advertising.”
“Wow! That a lot for advertising!”
“Yes, but it will be on display at the state headquarters and get a lot of visibility.”
“I guess it will. Well, I need to get going. You sure you don’t need anything?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks for stopping by.”
Hank drove into town, picked up the dog food and the apples before stopping by the Sewing Center. When he got home, he took the elastic to Diane first before unloading the other stuff. Maddie was in her swing, asleep.
“I’m going to take the apples down to the glade. I’ll have my radio with me.”
“Okay.”
Hank unloaded the dog food and put the apples in the cargo box of the Gator. He saw signs at the glade where deer had been pawing the ground around the mineral blocks. That was good. The blocks melted a bit in the rain and saturated the soil around them. The blocks were still good, but he would need to replace them in a week or so. Hank dumped the apples in a pile and went back to the house. He took down the shotgun above the arch in the kitchen, unloaded it and gave it a light cleaning, along with his pistol.
|
|