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Post by gipsy on Apr 28, 2022 7:21:30 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by solo on Apr 28, 2022 10:47:07 GMT -6
Thank You!!
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Post by kaijafon on Apr 28, 2022 11:05:58 GMT -6
awe! a puppy!!! Max!
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Post by texican on Apr 28, 2022 18:31:36 GMT -6
Until Max finds the raised beds, his favorite piece of furniture to lay on and chew on and and and. Texican....
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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 28, 2022 18:43:00 GMT -6
Chapter 25
Thanksgiving day, Diane was up early getting the turkey prepared.
Hank's new regimen was to get up, go out with Max to let him do his business while Hank checked the battery house. Tony had showed him what to look for and everything was in the green. Max ran a squirrel up a tree and in a squeaky howl ran around the tree, looking up.
"Let's go boy! Good boy! Come on Max! Max ran over to Hank and followed him up the steps. Hank added some kindling to the cook stove firebox and got it going enough to add bigger pieces of wood. Max sat and watched Hank from the end of the island as he worked. Hank sat the frying pan on top of the stove and went to the pantry and got Max a Milk Bone biscuit and a cup of puppy chow, then a bowl of fresh water. Max immediately ate the dog food then laid down on the floor in the middle of the archway going to the Master Bedroom with the dog biscuit between his paws, keeping his eyes on Hank. Laying strips of bacon in the hot pan, the sizzling bacon gained Max's attention. Lifting his nose and sniffing, drool was dropping on his biscuit. Hank saw the turkey was ready to go into the oven and heard the toilet flush and a few moments later, Diane came out from the bedroom.
"Good morning!" Hank said smiling.
"Looks like we have a chow hound." Diane grinned.
"Well, he definitely likes the smell of bacon!" Laughed Hank.
Diane got the eggs and butter out of the fridge and cut slices of bread to toast
"What's on for today?" Diane asked.
"Other than helping you get dinner prepared, I'm cutting notches for the last planting bed. I think just in time too. Weather radio says we're going to have three days of steady rain. It's going to be miserable weather with the temperature in the low 40s."
"Yuck!" Diane said. "Don't worry about the preps, I've got that. You go ahead and get that last bed done. Later, we've got some thinking and planning to do."
"What?"
"If we have to use the shelter for any length of time, what is Max going to do about using the bathroom?"
"I guess he'll have to learn to use a litter box." Hank said.
"Well, now is a good time to teach him. I'll look it up on the internet and see what I can find."
Hank cooked a couple of extra strips of bacon for Max and occasionally gave him quarter pieces. Max liked buttered toast too. After they had cleaned up the breakfast dishes, Hank went out to cut the notches on the logs. Diane put on a Dutch oven of frozen green beans with a piece of side meat, then got out the computer to search internet sites on dog training, Max sitting by her side.
Diane was slicing up carrots when Hank came back in.
"Done?" She asked.
"Yep. That turkey is smelling good! What kind of bread are we having?"
"I've got dough for yeast rolls."
Hank checked the refrigerator and filled the tea kettle with water to boil."
"What are you doing?" Diane asked.
"Making tea."
"Look, I found an internet site on training a dog to use a litter box. They even show an example box."
Hank went over and looked at the computer screen.
"Nah, I'd have to make Max's box different."
"Why?"
"That looks like a cat litter box. My dog is NOT going to squat to pee. I'll build a box with a little tree trunk for him to pee on."
Diane rolled her eyes and laughed. "Him squatting to pee will not take away from his dog masculinity."
"Well, MY dog is going to get a choice. He's getting a tree trunk in his litter box so he doesn't have to embarrass himself by squatting to pee."
Diane shook her head and continued laughing. She finally got up to check the pot of beans. Moving them to a slightly cooler area, she placed the carrots on and watched the water. Once the water began roiling, she set a timer. Hank looked at the woodbox and brought another arm-load from the porch in to replenish it.
"If you don't have anything for me I'm going to go get a trailer of wood and fill the rack on the side porch so I don't have to do it in the rain."
"Go ahead, I've got a handle on everything."
She checked the turkey and the clock and made the pie dough for the apple pie.
Late that afternoon Hank woke up from the nap he was compelled to take after that wonderful meal. He had to eschew the apple pie, he was just too full. Now, he wanted a taste of that pie. Diane had anticipated Hank's desire when he woke and already had a pot of coffee ready. She got up, cut Hank and slice of pie and brought it and a cup of hot coffee. Hank took a bite of the pie and nodded in pleasure. It was good!
"I sure am glad I talked you into marrying me!"
Diane grinned. "Well, I'm glad you did too."
Hank reached over and turned on the radio and tuned into the local NOAA weather band.
"You know, you can go to the National Weather Service and get a written version of that." Diane said.
"Show me." Hank said.
Diane sat the computer on the coffee table and pulled up the URL. She typed in "Cassville, MO" as the location and the oriented forecast appeared on the screen.
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Springfield MO 338 PM CDT Thu Nov 25, 2021
KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-292045- Bourbon-Crawford-Cherokee-Benton-Morgan-Miller-Maries-Vernon- St. Clair-Hickory-Camden-Pulaski-Phelps-Barton-Cedar-Polk-Dallas- Laclede-Texas-Dent-Jasper-Dade-Greene-Webster-Wright-Newton- Lawrence-Christian-Douglas-Howell-Shannon-McDonald-Barry-Stone- Taney-Ozark-Oregon- 338 PM CDT Thu Nov 25, 2021
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Missouri Ozarks and extreme southeast Kansas.
.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight.
Weather hazards expected...
Freeze warning in some areas. Excessive rainfall risk.
DISCUSSION...
Showers will continue moving east across the area through the remainder of this afternoon and evening. Some additional scattered storms may develop over far southeast Kansas into western Missouri this evening and could produce freezing rain and brief gusty winds.
Additional storms develop tonight across extreme southeast Kansas and the Missouri Ozarks, with highest chances along and north of the Highway 54 corridor.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday.
Lingering showers and storms could persist into early Friday. No severe weather is expected with this round. Gusty non- thunderstorm winds up to 30 to 40 mph will also be possible on Friday, especially over southeast Kansas and far western Missouri.
Additional storms are expected to develop along a cold front in eastern Kansas on Friday evening and move into the area overnight. Some of these storms may become strong to severe. Strong to severe storms are also possible over the eastern Ozarks on Saturday afternoon.
An unsettled pattern returns for late Sunday night into next work week. Repeated chances for showers and thunderstorms next week could lead to excessive rain and flooding.
"Hunh. Looks like it's going to be worse than I thought." Hank said. "I'm glad I brought in the extra wood."
"With the rain and winds, the rest of the leaves will be gone from the trees." Diane commented. "They were so beautiful this year."
"Ah, but they being gone only enhances your beauty."
"Come over here you sweet talkin' devil and give me a massage."
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Post by gipsy on Apr 28, 2022 19:26:17 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 29, 2022 3:25:36 GMT -6
Chapter 26
Hank trimmed the meat off the rest of the turkey carcass then using the heavy duty poultry shears, cut the carcass up to fit into the black Speckleware stock pot. Diane added eight chicken bouillon cubes, dried minced garlic and onions then filled the pot with water.
"That's going to be a lot of turkey soup." Hank said.
"Not after it boils down. I'll add the potatoes and carrots later today after we pull the bones out. It's going to go really good on a day like this."
Hank looked out the window. It was still a cold, steady rain. He thought he saw a little ice on the tree limbs but wasn't sure. When Max had gone out earlier with Hank, he was very quick to do his business and get back in. Diane was waiting at the door with a big fluffy towel and dried Max off before he tracked all over her hickory floors. Max immediately laid down next to the stove in the Family Room with a big sigh, enjoying the warmth from the stove.
"I'm going to go over and build a fire in the cabin. I want to clean guns today."
"Would you clean mine too?" Diane asked.
"Sure. Just leave it on the island."
Hank built the fire and brought the gun cleaning equipment out of the shelter and laid the cleaning mat out on the table. He went back into the house and got Diane's PPK off the island and returned to the cabin. He had run electricity to the cabin and had a rustic, but powerful light over the table. Sitting down, he cleared the weapons, field stripped the PPK and the Glock and inspected them carefully, wiping both guns down. Adding s little graphite powder to where gun oil was normally used, he wiped the assemblies down with a clean rag and reassembled the guns. It really wasn't something he needed to do here but he had gotten into the habit of switching to graphite in winter since the time he spent three harsh, winter months with members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, conducting counter-terrorism operations along the C52 pipeline (also known as the Alaska Gas Pipeline that ran from Prudhoe Bay to Edmonton Alberta) near Fort Nelson, B.C. Hank quickly found out oil didn't work very well in those frigid conditions and used what the Canadians used, graphite powder. He had learned a lot about winter warfare from the Canadians.
Pulling the protective pad from one end of the table, Hank set the two pistols on the bare table and return the mat and cleaning equipment to the shelter. Reloading his Glock, Hank returned it to his holster. Hank set the outside air control on the wood stove so it would burn slower and closed up the cabin.
"Here's your pistol." Hank said, going into the kitchen and laying the gun, magazine and one round on the counter.
Diane was stirring the stock pot and checking the bones.
"Thank you. It wasn't very dirty, was it?"
"No, I wiped it down and lubricated it. You need to recharge it though."
Diane inserted the magazine, pulled the slide back and released it, chambering a round and placed the gun on safe. She then ejected the magazine and inserted the loose round into the magazine, then reinserted the mag. Checking the gun's safety again, she slipped it into her holster.
"How's the soup?"
"Another hour to simmer. I have baguettes rising."
"I'm glad I married you for your money and not for your cooking." Hank grinned.
"How's the weather outside?"
"A few icicles forming on the roof edge, but I don't think it will amount to much. They aren't forming very fast. I need to get a thermometer."
Diane looked at him "Stay where you are." She said, then went upstairs. She returned with a box in her hands.
"I got this for you for Christmas, but I think you could use it now," Diane said and handed him the box.
Hank read the outside of the box. It contained a weather station.
"It is a Davis Instruments Weather Station with LCD console. It reports current weather conditions, including indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, and rainfall. It's also solar-powered with stored energy backup."
"Well thank you Honey! This will be helpful. When it quits raining I'll put it up."
"The rain gauge is also self-emptying. The anemometer might be a little off because of the ridgeline, but it should be in the ballpark."
"We'll figure it out." Hank said. "I'm going to sit down and read the manual."
Hank went over to his chair and sat down. Opening the box, he pulled the manual out and started reading.
Davis 6250 Features:
- Displays indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity - Displays wind speed, wind direction, highest wind gust and wind chill - Displays heat index and dew point - Displays rainfall and rain rate - Displays time, sunrise and sunset and moon phase - Updates every 2.5 seconds (up to 10x faster than the competition) - Records wind speed as low as 2 mph (3 km/h) and as high as 150 mph (241 km/h) - Records indoor temperature from 32 to 140 degrees F - Solar-powered with stored energy backup - Sealed electronics in the integrated sensor suite provide protection against the elements - Glow-in-the-dark keypad for night viewing and domed buttons for better feel - Easy-to-read and use, backlit LCD screen at 3 x 4.38" - Frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio for reliable data transmission - 50 on-screen graphs for comparing current and past weather - 22 alarms to warn of dangers such as high winds, possible flooding and more
This would come in handy, when the weather cleared and he could install it, of course. Hank took the pieces and parts out of the box and laid them out, separating the mounting kit. It should be simple to install. It was wireless so there were no cables to run. He could mount the receiver console on the wall next to the back porch door in the Family Room.
Hank put everything back in the box and left the installation kit on the top. Going into the kitchen, Diane was making the baguettes.
"Can you separate the bones from the broth for me?"
"Sure."
Hank to the pot off of the stove and got a large bowl. Taking a long pair of tongs, he began lifting the bones out of the pot. Most of the meat would fall off when he shook the bones as he lifted them out. He'd get the rest of the meat off once the bones had cooled.
"Take a spider strainer and see how much meat is left in the pot. You may want to add some from what I took off this morning." Diane said as she placed the bread in the oven.
Diane tasted the broth then added salt, pepper and basil. She took a bowl of diced potatoes, carrots and celery from the fridge and dumped them in the pot. Hank added more white and dark meat and placed the pot back on the stove. He removed a set of plates from the stovetop to get more direct heat to bring the pot to a boil. Setting another timer, Diane sat at the island. "Twenty minutes and I can add the bowtie pasta."
Hank nodded, checked the firebox on the stove and went into the Family room and added more wood to the stove there. Max got up off his bed and stretched, then started sniffing the air, walking toward the kitchen.
"Look out!" Hank called out. The chow hound is headed your way!"
Hank heard Diane laugh as Max walked over to her.
"Do you need a snack Max?" Diane asked, and went to get a dog biscuit. When she came back, Max gently took the dog biscuit and lay down, slowly eating the treat.
The two timers beeped about the same time. Diane quickly added the box of bowtie pasta to the soup and gave it a stir, then pulled the baguettes out of the oven.
"About eight minutes." Diane said. "Could you get bowls out for us?"
Hank opened the cupboard and took down two soup bowls, bread plates and tea glasses. As he was getting silverware out, there was a knock at the door.
"Are you expecting anyone?" Hank asked Diane.
"No."
Hank moved to the front door and looked out the sidelight. A young woman, drenched from the rain, was standing there. Hank quickly opened the door.
"Sir, I could use some help. My truck hit a patch of ice on the curve and I slid off the road."
"Please, come on in!"
Diane came out of the kitchen. "Get her over to the stove and I'll get some towels."
Hank led the shivering girl over to the woodstove and Diane quickly returned with the towels.
"We need to get you in some dry clothes. I think I have some things that will fit you. Come with me. Hank, watch the soup."
Hank went to the kitchen and checked the soup as the timer buzzed. Sliding the pot over to a cooler area of the stovetop, Hank got down a bowl, plate and glass and set another place. Getting out the butter, he began slicing the baguettes and placing them on the plates.
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Post by gipsy on Apr 29, 2022 5:47:29 GMT -6
Taking in strays now. Thanks for the update.
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Post by kaijafon on Apr 29, 2022 6:08:25 GMT -6
Ok, now why did I IMMEDIATELY go to the idea of a "gorefest" movie with that knock on the door and a 'poor girl' standing there???
Thanks for the moar!
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Post by freebirde on Apr 29, 2022 8:02:27 GMT -6
Ok, now why did I IMMEDIATELY go to the idea of a "gorefest" movie with that knock on the door and a 'poor girl' standing there??? Thanks for the moar! I'm more paranoid then you, I was expecting the Ex. Hope it is not someone from the Ex.
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Post by freebirde on Apr 29, 2022 8:05:56 GMT -6
They make flushable clumping pet litter. Check to see if the shelter's septic system would handle this before going this route.
Since dealing with some physical issues, I've changed the way I deal with my cat's clumping litter. First, I dump the used litter into a couple of other containers. I put some fresh replacement litter in the bottom of his box. Using a wire waste basket I got at $1.25 Tree as a sieve, I sift the clumps out of the old litter back into the litter box, discarding the lumps and clumps.
As needed, I will dump the whole load and start fresh.
Tip for cleaning food and water bowls/dispensers: Moist table salt will remove the crud and slime without leaving a harmful residue.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 29, 2022 17:04:36 GMT -6
Chapter 27
Hank heard the bedroom door open and the women came out.
"Hank, I'd like you to meet Kacie Thorne. Kacie, this is my husband Hank."
"I'm pleased to meet you Mr. Tyson. I really appreciate your and your wife's help."
"First, It's Diane and Hank. We're not that old, I hope."
Kacie grinned. "No, not at all. Thank you anyway."
"Well, this turkey soup is best eaten hot with warm buttered bread, so take a seat." Hank grinned.
Diane and Kacie sat down at the island and Hank ladled out the soup to the two women. Kacie followed Diane in buttering a piece of the baguette and taking a sip of the soup.
"This is delicious! You make a great soup Hank!"
"Not me. This is all Diane." Hank said, pouring glasses of tea for the women.
Hank took a spoonful of the soup and silently agreed it was delicious.
"So what happened on the road earlier?"
"Well, I was headed to Cape Fair and when I came around the curve there was another car coming from the other direction. They were a little over the line and I corrected, maybe a little too aggressively, and slid off the road."
"Do you think it was intentional?" Diane asked.
"No,…I uh, I don't think so." Kacie said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't think they started coming across the line until I came into view."
"Do you have any quondam boyfriends or girlfriends?"
"What kind?"
"Any ex-boyfriends or girlfriends that might be trying to get back at you?"
"No, no boyfriends and I don't swing that way."
"Well, it might have been just someone distracted for a moment."
"Well, they could have stopped!" Diane said.
"Probably didn't even know anything happened. There isn't that of long of a field of view on that curve."
"Well, you are safe now." Diane said. "Where do you live Kacie?"
"Just about three miles down 76 toward Cassville. I live there with my grandfather."
"Oh! Do you need to call him?" Diane asked.
"No, he's in the county hospital right now. I was headed to Cape Fair to see about a job."
"Is he going to be all right?"
"Oh yes. He fell off a ladder and broke his femur. He should be getting out next week."
"Have you lived with him long?"
"Since I was 13. My parents were missionaries. They were killed in a plane crash in Africa."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"I'll be 18 in a few more months then I can find out how to get access to my Trust Fund. The hospital bills are going to be huge. That's why I was going to look for a job to tide us over until I got money from the Trust. The only money coming in is Grandpa's Social Security."
You don't have a lawyer?" Hank asked.
"No, I have no idea how all that works."
"Okay, I'll get you to a lawyer tomorrow and get this all ironed out. There should be a way for you to get access to the Trust under emergency situations."
"Thank you Hank. Like I said, I have no idea what steps to take."
"No problem. Well, it's too late to do anything about the car tonight. We'll take care of it in the morning after breakfast. For tonight, Diane can set you up in one of our bedrooms."
Kacie sobbed and shuddered. Diane immediately put her arm around her.
"I'm sorry. It's just….I've been overcome with worry about what I was going to do."
"It's okay Kacie. We're here when you need us." Diane said.
"Well, I'm ready for some of that iced Lemon Pound Cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!" Hank said.
The next morning Hank got the Kaiser Jeep out and Diane and Kacie followed him down to the accident scene. The car was hard to spot at first but Hank finally saw it. There was still a little ice around but the five-quarter ton truck was having no problems. Diane got into Kacie's 2000 Audi A6 and Hank slowly pulled the car up the slight embankment and onto the road. There were a few scratches but no real damage. They all returned to the house.
"Kacie, if you want to go home and change clothes, we can meet you there in about an hour. You can follow us in to the lawyer's office."
"Thank you. I'd like to do that. Diane, I'll wash and return your clothes."
"That's no problem. Then we'll see you in about an hour." Diane said.
Kacie left and Diane turned to Hank.
"Well, Dudley, you done good."
"I just did what was right. I don't mind helping where I can."
"Well, I love you for it. She is so stressed…my heart went out to her too."
"Get $500 in twenties out of the safe and put it in an envelope. Give it to her tomorrow for groceries and such. It might take her a few days to get access to her funds."
"Hank some people wouldn't pay you back. What if she doesn't?"
"Then I've bought an education on who I can trust."
They saw the Audi sitting in the intersection as they got closer to where Kacie and her grandfather lived. Hank flashed his lights and Kacie flashed hers, pulling out behind them as they went by. Hank drove straight to Mr. Hollings' office. Hank ushered the women in, gave his name and asked the receptionist to see Mr. Hollings, and that it was an emergency. Within ten minutes they had an audience with Mr. Hollings.
"Come one in Hank, ladies. What can I do for you?"
Hank gave him the story and Mr. Hollings took a lot of information from Kacie. He said he would start work on it. Mr. Hollings shook everyone's hands and Diane and Kacie went into the waiting room.
"Mr. Hollings, I'm footing the bill on this; do what you need to do. If you need to hire investigators, don't bother calling me for permission, just do it. Let's give this girl some relief."
"Hank, I'll give it my all."
Hank walked out into the parking lot where Diane and Kacie were waiting for him.
"Will ya'll come by the hospital and meet Grandfather? He'd be delighted to meet you."
"Of course we will!" Diane said. "We'll follow you."
They left the lawyers and in a couple of minutes were in the hospital parking lot. They went up to a semi-private room on the third floor and met Jerome Taylor.
"Grandpa, this is Diane and Hank Tyson. They live on Jarvis' old place."
Jerome held his hand out to Hank.
"I knew Jarvis for many years. Good man. A mite standoffish, but a good man. I'm glad he found a good man to take care of the land. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"It's good to meet you to, Mr. Taylor."
"Aw, just call me Jerome. I ain't much on social stuff. You doin' all right Kacie?"
Kacie told him about sliding off the road and being rescued by Diane and Hank. Jerome looked up at Hank and studied him."
"That's something Jarvis woulda done. Thank you for helping her. She's all the family I got left."
"Jerome, it was an honor to help her."
"Well, you've proven to me you're a good man. God knows there are few around these days."
"Well, we'll let you two visit and go do some shopping. It was nice meeting you Jerome. If you need anything, have Kacie get in touch with us."
"Thank you Hank. Ya'll be careful out there."
Diane hugged Hank's arm as they rode the elevator down.
"Now, doesn't that make you feel warm inside." Diane grinned.
Hank looked at Diane. "Yeah, it does."
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Post by gipsy on Apr 29, 2022 18:43:57 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by texican on Apr 29, 2022 20:23:05 GMT -6
n,
You can take milk bones and coat with a little bacon grease and the furr buddies just love them.
Will take the bacon frying pan after frying up a bunch of bacon and pouring the grease off into a container and then a little water into the pan to loosen up the bacon crust and soak bread with the grease water and the furr buddies will patiently sit and wait for their next snack. You have to get all of the bread made up before feeding it out.
Texican....
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Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 30, 2022 19:17:06 GMT -6
Chapter 28
They got in the truck and Hank looked at Diane.
"I feel good. What do you say to going to the house and picking up Max. We can do our shopping in Springfield. We need to get Max's things for the shelter at PetSmart and we can stop by Schuchmann's and pick up some cowboy steaks and grill them over the fire. Max will love to gnaw on the bones."
Diane smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
They stopped and got Max, who was more than ready for a road trip, and headed out. The sun was peeking through the clouds and the temperature had warmed up to 52 degrees. For a few miles, Hank let Max ride with his head out the window with his ears fluttering, just taking in all the changing smells. Finally, Diane put a stop to that and turned up the heater and had Hank roll Max's window up. Max moved to the middle of the rear seat and stared through the windshield.
They put Max on his leash and walked him into PetSmart where they got another bed, water bowls and four pails of litter. They filled the shopping cart so Diane walked around with Max inside the store wile Hank went out and unloaded their purchases in the back of the truck. Going back in, he bought another 35-lb of puppy food and two of the 50-lb bags of the recommended adult food he was to transition to next. They stopped by the collar and leash section and Hank picked out a more "manly" collar and leash for Max and Max picked out a couple of squeaky toys. They paid for and stored the items in the back of the truck except for the leash and collar. Diane took off Max's collar and transferred the tags to his new collar. Max seemed to like the fresh leather smell of the new collar and when Diane put it on him, Max held his head up and looked around, seemingly proud of his new collar. They went over to one of the Schuchmann's locations, but left Max in the truck with all four windows cracked a couple of inches. Max seemed disappointed. He smelled some interesting smells coming out of that market.
The place was a meat-lovers delight! They got a couple of cowboy steaks, Some sirloin and rib eye steaks, a couple of roasts and an an assortment of Schuchmann's dried and smoked sausages. Diane pawed through the selection of cheeses and got several blocks and some fancy spices she wanted to try. It was good Hank used a credit card. He didn't normally carry that much cash. Max was overjoyed at seeing them return and eagerly awaited Hank putting the bags on the seat with him, but with sorrowful eyes watched him deposit the bags in the back of the covered bed. Hank had pocketed a few pieces of the samples available throughout the store. Hank opened his door and held out a piece of sausage to Max and he wolfed it down with drool flying. Hank handed the rest of the samples to Diane to feed to Max on the way home.
On arriving at home, Max took off to water the trees while Diane and Hank unloaded the back of the truck.
'I'll put this away and get the baking potatoes and steaks ready. Go build a fire."
"Yes ma'am!"
Hank got kindling and wood from the covered stack near the firepit and after taking the cover off the pit and swinging the grill and rods out of the way, built a fire. He uncovered two of the chairs and sat and watched the flickering fire. Diane soon joined him with two camper's goblets of wine.
"I love this! Diane said, it's just chilly enough for a fire."
"Well, the sun hasn't gone down yet. When the breeze picks up, we might have to uncover that love seat and move over to it." Hank replied.
"And the problem with that is….?"
"No problem for me, but my hands might get cold."
"I'll see what I can do to warm them up for you."
Max, laying by the pit, cocked his head and looked at them, not understanding what they were talking about.
The fire had died down some so Hank added more wood to get a good bed of coals.
"I'll go in and get the potatoes." Hank said.
"I need to go put together the salad." Diane remarked.
Hank brought the potatoes and a dog biscuit back out to the fire and sat the dome cover over the potatoes and sat back down. Max gratefully took the biscuit and quickly chewed it down. Maybe the quicker he ate the more food he would get.
Hank picked his wine back up and took a sip, gazing into the fire. Diane soon returned and sat down beside him.
"How much snow do you get here in the winter?" Hank asked.
"Not that much. If we get snow at all, usually it's in January, February and March, and then only a dusting. They get more up around Springfield and the northwestern part of the state. Although last year we got six inches of snow, but it was gone in three or four days. I'm leery of this global warming thing. It seems like we're having harsher winters more every year."
"Well, I'm sure it's getting warmer somewhere on the planet. The Earth is about cycles and balance, Ying and Yang. The Earth balances itself out. The problem is people's concept of time. It is all out of pace with the universe. They can't see the cycles and have a doom complex over something that is a simple phase of Earth's breathing."
Hank took a stick and raked the coals to an even level.
"I'll get the steaks," he said.
Hank came back out with a tray containing the two steaks, the bacon grease can, a pair of long tongs, a wooden skewer and a basting brush. He set the tray down on a table and used a grill brush to clean the grill. Taking the basting brush, he coated the grill with bacon grease and swung it over the coals to heat up.
"Five minutes." Hank said.
When the grill was smoking heavily, Hank laid the on and looked at his watch. Taking the wooden skewer, he punched through the aluminum foil on the potatoes and found them not quite ready. Flipping the steaks and checking his watch, he sat back down.
"How long are they going to take to cook?" Diane asked.
"I'm not sure. That's a two pound steak, bone in, that's two inches thick. I'll know when I've have flipped them twice."
"How?"
"I'll feel them. How do you like yours cooked?"
"You chooch!. I like mine medium."
"I'm cooking you a wonderful steak and you dare call me a chooch?"
"Just kidding. Really, how do you know when they are done?"
"I actually feel the heat of the steak with my fingers. You'll see."
Hank flipped the steaks the second time then waited a minute. Touching the steaks with his fingertips he said, "One minute."
Diane checked the potatoes and they were done. Picking up the steaks with the tongs, Hank laid them on a clean platter on the tray. Adding the potatoes to the tray, they walked back into the house, followed by a salivating Max. Hank trimmed the meat from the bones and set them aside to cool. Diane unwrapped the cling plastic from the salad bowls and set out the salad dressing and butter, then got the bread from the warming oven. They sat down at the table and Diane took her first bite of the steak.
"Perfect!" My compliments to the chef!"
They enjoyed each bite and finally, when the bones had cooled, Max got his share. He took the bone after briefly sniffing it and laid down to chew the bits of meat off the bone.
When they had finished eating, Diane sighed. "It's just as well I didn't make any dessert. I couldn't eat any more."
They got up and cleaned up the dishes and kitchen, refilled the wine goblets and returned to the firepit, Max following them with the huge bone in his mouth. Hank swung the grill out of the way and added a couple of pieces of wood to the fire.
"What's on for tomorrow?" Diane asked.
"I need to build a couple of litter boxes and we need to get the stuff down into the shelter."
"A couple? Why do you need two?"
"One to train him on up here. I'll put it on the porch and have him use it when it's raining."
"We should be getting some of the I food I ordered in soon." Diane said.
"How is it coming?"
"UPS."
"I guess one of us needs to stick around for the next few days then."
"Good. You can stay here while I go get a deer." Diane said.
"If you don't get one, then I get my chance."
"Oh, I'll get a deer all right." Diane grinned.
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Post by gipsy on Apr 30, 2022 19:42:30 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on Apr 30, 2022 20:18:13 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by CountryGuy on May 1, 2022 10:14:32 GMT -6
Was out of town last 2 weeks and couldn't wait getting back to catch up. Didn't disappoint as I just got to devour several new chapters. Thanks! Not off to Saving Grace to see what I've missed there.
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 1, 2022 10:55:00 GMT -6
Chapter 29
Diane left the next morning before daybreak. Hank persuaded her to take a radio but she said she wouldn't turn it on until after she had a deer. Since UPS would be delivering until after 10:00, Hank took Max's new bed, bowls the dog food they wouldn't be using and three of the pails of litter down to the shelter. With nothing to do until daylight, Hank poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the computer to looked at the National Weather Service Site. Nothing was brewing so he drifted over to some of the preparedness sites and was reading through them. Just after daylight he heard a distant shot and walked out on the porch. Max's ears shot up and he followed Hank out. Hank sat down in a chair on the porch with his coffee and waited for Diane got back.
About thirty minutes later he saw her coming up the trail.
"I need your help! Diane said. "I got it dressed out but that doe must weigh 130 pounds!"
"Will a Gator make it there?"
"I think so, but I don't know about pulling a trailer."
"No problem. It will probably fit in the extended cargo box."
They got a Gator out and Max jumped in the back. Diane drove them to the site and they loaded the doe in the cargo box and returned to the house, or rather the lean-to roof on the side of the shop. It was tall enough to hang the deer up to skin. The two of them quickly skinned the deer and began cutting the deer up. Diane went to get a bus pan to carry the cuts up to the house while Hank used the bone saw. When they had the deer cut up, Diane asked Hank to open up the skull so she could get the brain out.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"I'm going to use it to brain tan the hide. If you can go and bag the meat for the freezer, I need to get started scraping the hide."
"I'll handle it."
Hank got the meat bagged with the vacuum sealer and put into the freezer. After he'd gotten the kitchen cleaned up, he went out and checked on Diane. She was putting the hide in a plastic garbage can and filling it with water.
"What's up?" Hank asked.
"I need to soak this for two or three days, at least until I can start pulling the hair out. Can you build a smokehouse?"
"You know, that's been on my mind. Yes, I'll make one."
"You're probably not going to get it built before I need it but I can improvise. I would like to have a smoker though."
"I'll get right on it and starting trees."
"Wait! There's something else I want to talk to you about." Diane said.
"Yes? What?" Hank said.
"Do you remember helping me drag that elk out of the road?"
"Of course I do! You were the most beautiful thing in drag I have ever seen."
"Quit it! I'm serious. That elk is from some transplants that were put in east of here in 2013. They've just started migrating to this area. Elk like glades and open areas. I was thinking if we cleared out a 2 -3 acre area next to a stream, and planted food plots, we could lure more elk into the area."
"Do you have an area picked out?"
"Yes. There's mostly poplar trees though."
"Poplar still makes firewood. Burns a little fast but we can use it."
"It could also be used for a smokehouse if someone had a chainsaw mill."
"I keep saying you are not only beautiful but smart too. Do you think True Value has one?"
"Well if not, they'll order you one."
"I probably should get another chainsaw just to work with the mill."
Diane rolled her eyes. "Then get another chainsaw! But you're going to have to kiss me!"
Diane took Hank to the area that would make a nice food field for the elk and deer. There was an abundance of popular until you got up the slope of the hillsides then you started running into oak and hickory. It would take some time, but now was the time to cut the trees while the sap was low in them. As Hank looked around, thoughts ran through his head of what he would need to turn this bottom land into a food field for wildlife.
Heritage had just what he was looking for. Hank wanted a small diesel tractor and found just what he needed in the model 4052M. After getting the options installed, he also selected a disc harrow, plow, auger, rear blade, 4-in-1 bucket, land plane, rotary tiller, pallet fork, spreader, wood chipper, rotary mower, and they threw in a self-leveling cup holder for the cab. They would deliver the equipment the next week, now Hank had to build, or have built, a storage area to keep the equipment. Diane took care of that. She knew of a small company in Cassville who could put him up a pole barn. She took the reins on that project after he showed her where he'd like the barn. Hank began cutting and trimming trees, moving the unused limbs to the side to be chipped up later.
Diane had the pole barn shelter up before the end of the week while Hank spent all his time cutting, trimming and moving logs. He did take the time to go into town to the True Value Hardware and order another chainsaw and a chainsaw mill. They came in overnight from Springfield and Hank stopped logging and began his preparations to cut the logs into planks to build the smokehouse. It only took him a day to do the actual smokehouse itself, and another day for the firebox and to install the pipe for the smoke. It was just in time too because the hide was ready to be smoked. He'd helped Diane wring out and soak the hide in the brain solution yesterday and spent a long time stretching and getting the fibers moving around. Enough time that their hands were sore last night. The hide was now dry and ready for the smoke to help waterproof it and keep the hide soft. Hank built a fire in the fire box and while waiting for the fire to burn down to a good bed of coals, went and gathered punky wood that would make good smoke. When the coals were ready, Hank called Diane on the radio and she brought out the hide. Laying the hide on the wire rack Hank had made, Diane shut the door and Hank began putting the punky wood on the coals. Immediately, smoke began blooming up and Diane adjusted the air vents at the top of the smoker to get the maximum draw of smoke into the smoker. They turned the hide every thirty minutes and kept it up for almost three hours. When Diane decided the leather was sufficiently smoked, they stretched the hide a little more. It turned out soft as a baby blanket.
The tractor and implements arrived later that afternoon. There wasn't room for the trucks to turn around up at the house so they parked in an open area next to the road that went up to the cell tower and offloaded the implements using the tractor. Each implement was attached to the tractor and driven to what Diane had started calling the "Tractor Barn," disconnected, and the tractor driven back to get the next implement. One of the drivers had the idea of attaching the pallet forks and hitch one of the implements up on the 3-point hitch and carry another one with the forks. It sped up the process but it was still taking longer this way, but it was better than the drivers having to back down a winding ¼ mile drive. The drivers didn't mind, especially after Diane delivered hot coffee and Carrot Cake. It was dusk before they finished getting the implements and the tractor under the shed. Diane took care of tipping the drivers and sent the on their way with the rest of the Carrot Cake, which almost peeved Hank until he saw an iced pan cake sitting on the counter.
"I knew you'd pout so I made two." Dian grinned.
"I would not have!" Grumbled Hank.
"Liar!" Diane giggled.
The next day Hank got back to cutting and trimming trees. Diane used the tractor to move the logs out of the way and used the grapple ability of the 4-in-1 bucked to move the limbs and brush to be chipped up. When the last tree was finally down, Diane shut the tractor off. The silence was deafening. It was moments like this they loved about living out there.
Hank took a break from logging to build a litter box for Max. After cutting and trimming the poplar boards with the chainsaw mill, he caulked the seams and painted it with enamel paint. This was his training box. He would make the one for the shelter a little nicer. In one corner of the box was a two foot section of a three inch tree trunk Hank had screwed to the bottom of the box. He hoped Max would use it as a pee pole.
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Post by gipsy on May 1, 2022 12:23:45 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by bluefox2 on May 1, 2022 18:31:49 GMT -6
So like a lot of us Hank married out of his league with Dianne. Good to se those two making a go of it
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 1, 2022 21:08:32 GMT -6
Chapter 30
Hank and Diane place the Christmas tree in the northeast corner of the Family Room and decorated it. Diane had overbought the decorations because they had gone to Bass Pro and the had such beautiful ornaments she just couldn't resist. Hank went out and cut a couple of 18" nicely shaped cedars and made bases for them so Diane could display her seasonal treasures. Walmart had decoration storage boxes so Diane made sure her ornaments would be safe for many Christmases to come. They made eggnog and when the other wasn't looking, slipped another present under the tree. Since they didn't have a fireplace, Diane hung three stockings on the wall next to the Family Room stove. The local radio station had switched over to Christmas music, somewhere around July the 6th it seemed, and music played throughout the day. When they needed a break, they took long walks and enjoyed the wildlife flittering around.
The day before Christmas they loaded up the back of a Gator and road down to a spot in the cove that had a lone cedar tree near a spring that emptied into a creek.. They decorated the tree and hung suet cakes, seed bells and other tasty bird treats for the birds, fruit for the raccoons and possums, dried corn on the cob for the squirrels and apple scented mineral blocks for the deer. Hand and hand, they stood back and looked at the results and smiled. The squirrels had already began biting the kernels off of the cobs. They got back into the Gator and went back home to have their afternoon eggnog.
That evening, they were sitting in the Family Room together on the couch sipping eggnog and reading when they heard a car drive up to the porte-cochère and stop. Hank got up and went out on the porch and saw that it was Kacie.
"Merry Christmas Kacie! Come on in."
"I wanted to get this to you before Santa came." Kacie grinned."
Handing the wrapped gift to Diane, Kacie accepted a glass of eggnog from Hank."
"I wanted to give ya'll this for helping me out."
"You didn't have to do that Kacie!" Diane said. "Oh! I've just got to open it!"
Diane opened the present and pulled out what was essentially a knife attached to a decorative base.
"Grandpa is a picker, but he never sells anything. I convinced him that I owed you something nice and he allowed me to paw through his this treasures. That is a vintage French Antler Handle Baguette Cutting Knife."
"It's beautiful! And practical too! I love making baguettes!" Diane said. "This will have a prominent place on my counter."
"There's more in the box." Kacie said.
Diane moved the tissue aside and saw an envelope in the bottom of the box. Inside were twenty-five $20 bills.
"Oh Kacie! You didn't have to pay this back so soon, I'm sure there…."
"No Diane. It's all right, everything is all right. Mr. Hollings got me in touch with the Trust lawyers in Springfield and they have allotted me a generous monthly income until I reach my 21st birthday, then I'll have complete control of it. My first order of business was to pay back your kindness and generosity."
"Well, we're glad everything worked out. How is your grandfather?"
"Ornery as a wet cat, but he's anchored to his recliner with the leg cast. As long as I keep him in apple dumplings, he's manageable."
They sat and talked about what they had been doing around the homestead and finally Kacie said she had to go. They walked her to the door and watched as she left.
"Well my Benevolent Knight, it looks like you got a free education."
There was no planting a cover crop now in the glade. They would plant grass see there in the Spring. For now, they wanted to get the limbs and brush chipped. Hank attached the chipper implement to the tractor and Diane followed him down to the first brush pile with a Gator and Dump trailer.. Hank positioned the tractor and set the PTO. Hank and Diane spread a tarp under the chute and started feeding bush and limbs into the hopper. They quickly disposed of that pile, scooped the chips into the bucket, and dumped them in the trailer. They would fill the trailer and dump them in a pile near where they would have the raised beds. They could use the chips later for mulch after the chips had seasoned. It pretty much took the rest of the day to get everything chipped up. When the last trailer of chips was dumped, they put the equipment away and went in to begin preparing supper.
The next day they began putting together the planting beds. They would have a total of eight beds in two rows. They'd build the first four beds, the fill them with dirt before building the last four. Loading their tools in the trailer behind a Gator, Hank drove the tractor down to the area they had cleared. On the edge of the clearing next to the beginning of the oak and hickory trees, was where they'd find the best dirt. Hank had made a frame with half inch wire mesh to hang over the bucket. Shovelfuls of dirt could be thrown against the screen , sifting the dirt from the woodland vine roots that were prevalent in the soil. The worst were the Greenbriar. If they got into the garden beds, they were hell getting out if they were buried too deep. Hank positioned the tractor then took a rake to scrape back the leaves to get to the naturally composted soil. Then taking a mattock hoe, Hank began scraping up the rich black soil into a pile which Diane would shovel onto the screen on the bucket. They filled the trailer with dirt and Diane hauled it up to the planting beds. She positioned the trailer so she could slowly dump the soil, filling the bucket of the tractor then Hank would dump the bucket into the bed. One trailer load would fill one bed.
"When they finished filling those beds, Hank began putting the other beds together. As they finished one, Diane would drop out and staple the landscape fabric in the bed while Hank began building the next bed.
After the fabric for the last bed had been stapled in, they put away their tools and equipment and headed for the house.
"What about eggs and biscuits and gravy for supper?" Diane asked. "I have Angel Biscuit dough in the fridge."
"That sounds delicious. I'll do the gravy." Hank replied.
They both took showers and changed into sweats for the evening. Hank added wood to the stove firebox and got a jar of dried beef out of the pantry and started to slicing and dicing it. Taking the 10' chicken frying pan down, he sat it on the stove to heat up. He got out a cup of flour, the butter and the milk and sat it on the counter next to the stove. When the pan was hot, Hank added the butter to melt then added the flour. Once he had the butter and flour combined he began to add the milk, slowly stirring and breaking up any lumps. When he had the gravy to the thickness he liked, he added the chipped beef, stirred it in and set the pan off the heat to let the gravy absorb the flavor of the dried beef. A couple of turns with the pepper grinder finished the gravy. Hank then placed a cover on the pan to keep the gravy warm. Diane had finish cutting out the biscuits and placed them to the oven. When the biscuits had been cooking for ten minutes, Hank took another pan and got it hot. Splashing a little bacon grease in the pan he scrambled four eggs and separated the eggs onto the two plates Diane had ready. Diane pulled the biscuits out of the oven and carefully split two hot biscuits on each plate, Hank generously ladled the gravy over the biscuit halves. Pouring cups of coffee, they sat down and dug in.
"That hit the spot. It was just what I needed." Hank said, as he scraped what little was left of the gravy in the pan over a crumbled up biscuit for Max.
"You're spoiling that dog!" Diane said.
"Maybe, but have you noticed he doesn't come beg at the table. He stays back a respectful distance and watches and waits." Hank said.
"Yes, he does, but he's waiting because he' trained you to share your food with him. It's a given."
"Maybe." Hank said, thoughtfully.
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Post by gipsy on May 2, 2022 5:17:38 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 2, 2022 17:12:32 GMT -6
Chapter 31
Hank looked up from the computer and took a sip of coffee.
"We've got some wet weather coming. I want to get the beds covered with 6 mil plastic so the soil in the beds doesn't get packed down too much this winter. Are you expecting any shipments in today?"
"No, we got everything I ordered, which is still stacked in front of the blast door. We need to get that inventoried and put away."
"Let's leave it for now. Let's go to Springfield and do any shopping needed and we can come back and get the beds covered before the rains start."
"Well, I do have a wish list…."
"Come on, let's get dressed. The quicker we get there the quicker we'll get back."
They were out the door by 8:00 and parking at Lowe's at 9:15. Diane pulled a sheet of paper out of her purse and handed it to Hank
"What's this?"
"It's a materials list for you to make front dispensing can racks."
"Where did you get this?" Hank asked.
"I ordered the plans from canracks.com."
"You're sneaky."
"It gives you something to do during inclement weather."
Diane stayed with Max, who was upset because he couldn't go with Hank. Hank found the roll of six mil plastic and began gathering the plywood, screws, nails, boxcutters and a hundred blade pack, permanent markers and carpenter pencils, glue, paint and brushes, then got way-laid when he saw a DeWalt portable table saw on display, and there were battery powered nail and brad guns too. When Hank came out thirty minutes later and loaded his purchases in the back of the truck, Diane just shook her head. Boys with their toys.
"Okay, where do you need to go?" Hank asked.
"Sam's."
They pulled into a parking space in Sam's where Diane got out and looked into the back of the truck to see how much room was left in the bed."
"Just how much are you getting?" Hank asked.
"Enough to go back with a full load. It's a waste of gas to come all the way here and leave without a full load."
"Hank shook his head, grabbed a flat cart, and followed Diane in. The first thing she picked up was a twin pack of 40 oz bottles of Ranch Dressing, two 20 oz bags of bacon crumbles. Two gallons of white vinegar, two 48 oz bottles of chocolate syrup, four liters of extra lite olive oil, two thirty-five pound containers of frying oil, four 32 oz bottles of maple syrup, two twin packs of Worcestershire sauce, a twin pack of 48 oz jars of creamy peanut butter, a 64 oz jug of soy sauce, and two three packs of catsup. To keep the things on the cart, she added two cases of sweet corn and two cases of sweet peas. The last thing she picked up from the pantry items was coffee, six cans of Colombian.
"I'll have to repackage this in vacuum sealed mylar bags or it doesn't last." Diane said.
They rolled the cart over to the spirits section and got a selection of red, white and rose wines and two cases of Dos Equis, which would last them well into spring. They checked out and loaded the truck. Hank put Max on the leash and walked him around to water a couple of light poles.
"One more stop. We need another cutting board. When we're working together we're always having to share the board." Diane said. Hank buckled up and drove them to Bed Bath and Beyond where Diane got another large cutting board and two smaller ones. When she returned to the truck, Hank shook his head and Diane stuck her tongue out at him.
When they got back they unloaded the truck, putting the groceries on the kitchen counter then moving the truck down to the shop and unloading the rest. Hank set the portable table saw up and began cutting strips from a board to nail the plastic over the beds. They unrolled the plastic, covered the beds, and secured the plastic with the furring strips. After storing everything away, they went back to the house to put the groceries away. They carried everything but the coffee down to the shelter storage room. Hank brought back some of the smaller mylar bags, a quart jar of oxygen absorbers and the vacuum sealer up to the kitchen. They made individual one pot serving packs and emptied the six cans. After writing the pack date on the packs, they filled the cans back up with the packets, needing two more cans for the overflow, and carried them to the storage room.
"Whew! That's done. It's a little early to begin dinner. Let's hook up the SiriusXM radio that you have been procrastinating on." Diane said.
"I'll need to go get my drill and bit, a claw bar and hammer then. I want to bring the antenna cable through the edge of the window and will have to take the molding off the window." Hank replied.
"Is the antenna cable going to be long enough?"
"Yeah, it has a twenty-one foot extension."
It took about an hour set everything up. Hank finally put the batteries in the remote and handed it to Diane. "Here ya go, Mistress of the Airwaves. Find us some music."
Diane clicked the remote and turned the power on. She could only get one channel, Suddenly Diane started giggling.
"We have to set the account up. Here, you do that." Diane said, handing him the instructions.
Hank read the instructions then got his computer out. He logged on to the SiriusXM website and set up an account.
"I need the radio ID number."
Diane read him the ID and Hank finished setting up the account. Going over to the radio, Hank pressed the refresh button.
"It should begin receiving in a couple of minutes. When you start getting a channel lineup, you're on. I'm going to get a glass of water."
"Would you bring me one?"
"Certainly."
The lineup on the radio populated and Diane tuned to a soft rock station.
Hank brought Diane her water and sat it on the end table beside her. "What about Salmon patties, mashed potatoes and corn for dinner?"
"Do you have green onions?"
"Freeze-dried."
"I've never had freeze-dried dried onions."
"I found them in the storage room. I thought I'd re-hydrate some and try them in the patties."
"That's fine. I'll crush some crackers for you."
"Just don't use Pilot Crackers."
"Why not?"
"They are so bland. There's no taste to them." Diane frowned.
"Ahhhh! But you haven't tried Hank's Special Seasoned Pilot Crackers."
"Well, you season them up. I want to taste them before using them."
They sat there reading for a while when they heard the rain start. Hank added wood to the cook stove firebox and they began to prepare supper.
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Post by gipsy on May 2, 2022 19:46:05 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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