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Post by iamnobody on May 21, 2022 18:49:08 GMT -6
Is Jenna developing an attitude?
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Post by gipsy on May 21, 2022 18:50:19 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on May 21, 2022 18:53:26 GMT -6
She's gonna have to know everything!
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Post by gipsy on May 21, 2022 18:57:59 GMT -6
Perhaps she is feeling a bit left out, but I am betting she will step up and ask for help.
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 22, 2022 18:38:21 GMT -6
Chapter 18
Jenna was eager the next morning. Brian began the run at a relatively slow pace in deference to her but she picked up speed and Brian Joe matched her. Brian had her take a left at the old Route 14 intersection which made the run a little under six miles. Jenna was breathing hard, but not exhausted when they ended up back at the Lodge. They cooled down and began training. Joe started with Brian and worked on a couple of different techniques against an attacker with a gun or a knife. When Brian got the hang of it, they practiced for a few more minutes. Brian then began working with Jenna for the next hour. She was getting pretty good. He was going to have to get some pads so she could work out at full impact. If he hadn't cross-blocked her earlier, he would have ended up with a par of aching jewels for the rest of the day.
Brian let Jenna get her shower first. He went and checked the chickens and gathered the eggs. In the kitchen, he put on a pot of coffee and reconstituted some frozen orange/pineapple juice. Oatmeal was next followed by eggs, bacon and toast. He got the water boiling for the oatmeal and began frying the bacon. Before he could turn the bacon, Jenna was back and she took over cooking while he got his shower. Everything was ready when Brian came back out. After breakfast, Brian got a 32 oz. Klean Kanteen out of the pantry with its carrier and filled it.
"What are you doing today?" Jenna asked.
"I'm hooking up the mower on the tractor and cut the trails. It's as good a time as any."
"No range training today?"
Brian chuckled. "You really got into that, didn't you?"
Jenna grinned. "Yeah, I did."
"Okay then, no P.T. on Saturday mornings. We'll go to the range. If it's raining, we go. If it's snowing, we go. Only if it is lightning will we not go."
"In the rain?" Jenna frowned.
"You can have situations pop up in any weather."
"Okay. I need to run to my parent's house this morning. I'll be back before dinner…uh, lunch. Don't come in, I'll saddle a horse and bring lunch out to you."
Brian grinned. "You be careful."
"I will."
Brian looked at the swath he had started and decided it was wide enough and just make one run. He started forward, set the cruise control and tuned the tractor radio in to KAGE out of Van Buren. Brian smiled when a singer started with "Green Eyed Texas Girl," an image of Jenna popping into his mind.
Around noon, Jenna caught up with him, riding Dolly and had a shopping bag hooked over the saddle horn. Brian shut the tractor down and got off.
"I went into town to get Daddy his dog feed and stopped by the Charbroiler to get you something to eat."
She handed him the bag that contained a carry-out container and a thermos of hot coffee. Jenna tied Dolly up and they went over to a tree and sat down on the leaves.
"You didn't get anything?" Brian asked.
"I got a cheeseburger with fries and ate it while the coffee was perking."
"What is this?"
"A brisket sandwich with lettuce and tomato and fries."
Brian took a bite and it was delicious. Jenna poured a cup of coffee for him.
"What wedding planning do we need to do?"
"Nothing really. Momma and Aunt Millie and the cousins will be over a day or two earlier and get things dressed up. She told me not to worry about anything, which worries me. I do know she's got Cousin Albert bringing his Bluegrass band for after the wedding."
"Well, I hope you don't come down the aisle to the wedding march played on a five-string banjo."
Jenna giggled. "No, I won't let that happen."
Brian finished his meal and put all the trash back into the bag.
"Do you want to keep the thermos? Jenna asked.
"No, I'm good. I still have water. I'm going to finish up this stretch and go down and do that section south to the property line. I'll be back before dark."
"Okay. I'm making liver and onions tonight."
"Sounds good."
Brian stood and watched as Jenna got on Dolly and headed back down the trail, her blonde ponytail bouncing with the gait of the horse.
That night after dinner, they cleaned up the kitchen and went into the great room. Brian turned on the radio to listen to the local weather forecast. After listening to it he turned to a news station to get the national news. After listening for a while, Jenna blurted out, "This is all so stupid! What is wrong with this country!"
"I'll tell you what's wrong. Educated and skilled foreigners go through a rigorous process to just get immigration rights into this country while some tattooed gang-banger can hop the border fence and is welcomed. We have to be okay with some mentally derange man who wants to be recognized as woman or we get ostracized. They say there are no genders but want to elect a woman president. Now it's 'un-American' to count the number of Americans in America for the census. Some foreign country influencing elections in America is bad, but letting illegal aliens vote is okay. People who have never owned slaves should now pay reparations to people who were never slaves. People who have never been to college should pay the debts of those who racked up huge debts getting a degree. We have to vaccinate our pets but they allow people who have communicable diseases to walk right over our borders. If you cheat to go to college you go to prison but if you cheat to get into this country, you get to go to college for free. We've watched countries go socialist and collapsing all over the world for decades but now it seems like a good idea for America to accept socialist ideas. Everything now is racist. The word no longer has any meaning.
Evil is gaining ground in this country. There are those who believe a civil war is coming. I'm trying to keep out of it but if it comes to my home, you'll be washing their blood off the porch steps with a garden hose."
Jenna looked at Brian and nodded, agreeing with everything he just said.
The next morning during training, Joe stayed around longer than he usually did. When Brian and Jenna had finished he called them together.
"Okay, I feel a little attitude this morning from Jenna, What's going on."
"I'm sorry Joe." Jenna said. "Last night we were listening to the news on the radio and I got pissed. Brian explained a few things to me and it has me even more pissed. All the wrongs going on in this country and I don't know what I can do to stop it."
Joe looked at her, the ground, then back at her.
"Jenna, there are four things that never lie to you, children, drunks, yoga pants and me."
"I can tell you right now there are powerful people in this country, both political and fiscal, who are dragging us toward their version of Ragnarök. They want to destroy this country to rebuild it in their version. We can't let that happen. There are some of us fighting every day to stop them in many ways. You might not think you can do anything, but just one little gesture, one little donation, one little act means something. From an individual, it might not seem like much, but added to those hundreds of thousands or even millions of people doing the same thing will add up to change. It may come to a bloody civil war but we intend to preserve and protect the Constitution from those who want to destroy it."
When Brian finished his shower and came out to eat breakfast, Jenna was scraping their scrambled eggs onto their plates.
"La tua colazione è pronta, amore mio." Jenna said.
Surprised, Brian grinned and said, "Grazie amore mio."
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Post by texican on May 22, 2022 19:06:31 GMT -6
This time Jenna put one in the head and two in the groin. Joe winced when he saw what Jenna had done.
Women know where to really hurt a guy.
Texican....
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Post by gipsy on May 22, 2022 19:34:25 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on May 22, 2022 21:10:49 GMT -6
Great story!
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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 May 22, 2022 21:51:29 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by texican on May 23, 2022 23:07:57 GMT -6
"I'm hooking up the mover on the tractor and cut the trails. It's as good a time as any."
mover should have been mower.
Jenna looked at Brian and nodded, agreeing with everything he just said.
Yep, in complete agreement.
Thanks ncs for the insight with the problems brewing in America.
Texican....
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 24, 2022 11:23:28 GMT -6
Chapter 19
Brian got the protective and practice pads in and Jenna's whole demeanor changed during practice. When she was attacked, she was the personification of a wolverine. Brian was glad he had ordered a neck pad because she liked to strike there a lot, and the eyes. She was not above trying to blind someone when her life was in danger. Joe got to the point to where it was the best part of his morning to watch her spar. It was like watching one of those old movies where the human turns into a werewolf and attacks. Brian offered, but Joe didn't want to even spar with her. Brian needed the practice in keeping his ass from being whipped anyway.
The wedding day drew near. Jenna had taken Brian to Fort Smith and got him a new suit. She, her Mother and Aunt Millie had taken a very long day in Little Rock to find the dress she wanted. Brian hadn't seen it yet, the women kept it over at the McGinna's place. As Jenna had stated, the McGinna clan showed up a couple of days before the wedding and began preparing the patio and surroundings for the wedding venue. Both days Brian saddle Buck and took off for the far ranges of the property for the day. It was on one of these days he got his first glimpse of a Howler.
He had taken a bag of apples with him the first day he went out. He put a folding camp saw in his saddlebags, along with food for the day, a machete and his Klean Kanteen slung over his saddle horn, his GPS on a lanyard around his neck and the bag of apples. He was going down to the oak and hang the apples up then ride toward the northeast part of the property and cut back limbs for a riding trail. As he approached the tree, he and Buck made little noise but it was enough to spook the Howler, or Howlers. There were two of them, one about half of the size of the other. They were moving quickly to the east and disappeared into the forest. Brian hung the apples and headed northeast.
Brian took his time and mapped out a decent trail for casual riding. Getting off once in a while, he'd trimmed limbs that would hinder a rider. Buck, in his slow walk, led him to a spring at the head of a small stream that meandered back to the southwest. Brian stopped and let Buck drink and came across some large footprints.
"The Howlers must range up to here too." Brian thought.
"He let Buck drink his fill and rested there for lunch, pulling out a sandwich, a Millennium bar and an apple. He sat there, leaning against a tree, enjoying his lunch when Buck's ears twitched. Out of the bushes stepped the little Howler, or at least one about the same size, and slowly stepped toward him, holding its hand out to Brian. Brian saw where the gaze of the little fellow, or little female was directed, picked up the apple, and held it out. The little creature slowly stepped forward and quickly snatched the apple and ran back to the bushes. A few seconds later, the bigger Howler looked from around the tree and quickly disappeared. Interesting.
Brian sat there a little longer, contemplating what happened. Buck wasn't bothered by them. Perhaps they had met before. Getting up and making sure he left no trash behind, Brian remounted and they continued their journey.
The GPS beeped when he reached his destination, a small pond filled by a spring that had been man-made for the wildlife. There were animal tracks all around, including those of the Howlers. He reset the GPS for his next waypoint, which was the firing range, about 2.75 klicks away. It would take him across a couple of streams and a low ridge. This was almost all oak forest in here. The forest floor was thick in some areas with ginseng. That was something to remember. If he ever needed it, ginseng sold for $500 to $600 pound, but he didn't see that ever happening. Besides, he wanted to keep the area as natural as possible.
When he got to the range, he went on past and stopped at Joe's trailer. Joe was sitting out next to a fire ring relaxing.
"Had to get out of their way?" Joe asked, grinning.
Brian dismounted. "You got that right!" Brian grinned.
"Jer wants to build a bunker up at the range top store those pallets of ammo. A crew will be out next week to start on it. It will just be a buried Quonset hut with a concrete floor."
"What's he holding ammo here for?"
"Just in case. You ready to get hitched?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I'm trying to milk as much time away from there as I can."
"How are you feeling, nervous?"
"No, not really. I just don't like all the parading about. I say get it done and let's get on to the next thing. I think I'll go on back, groom Buck and spread some manure on the garden plot."
Joe grinned. "You have at it."
Brian gave Buck a good currying and brushing, went ahead and fed the horses, Buck getting an extra half-scoop of oats. He loaded up the manure spreader and spread the manure on the garden, following with the tiller and tilled everything up. When he started seeing people leaving, he cleaned everything up and returned the equipment to the shed. He took his boots off on the porch and went inside. Jenna, Sally and Millie were in the kitchen.
"How was your ride?" Jenna said, kissing him on the cheek.
"Good. Let's elope."
Jenna giggled. "Not on your life! Aunt Millie has made a beautiful wedding cake!"
"In that case, I guess I'll stick around."
"We'll come back tomorrow and do final touch ups. Sally said. "The florist will be here at 10:00 on Saturday morning and that will be the last we need to do. Hiram has the meat for the barbecue of course and laid on all the beer and champagne. That will be about it."
"Thank you Momma, Aunt Millie. This is just the way I wanted it."
"Well, we best be going. We need to start supper."
"Okay, bye Momma."
They had no sooner gotten inside when they heard the sound of a helicopter.
"I'll bet that's Jeremy." Jenna said.
They went back outside and sure enough it was Jeremy with a suit bag and a suitcase coming across the field as the helicopter lifted off and flew away.
"I didn't know if you were going to make it." Brian said.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world. Jenna, where should I put my things?"
"Anywhere but the room next to ours. That's where Brian is sleeping tomorrow night."
"What!" Brian said.
"Well, you aren't supposed to see the bride before the wedding. I cut it as close as I could." Jenna grinned. "I've already moved your wedding things in there."
"Well, I guess I can do without your snoring for one night."
"I don't snore! You're hearing your own echoes!"
Jeremy came back into the kitchen.
"What do you say to some Mexican food tonight? Let me take you two out for dinner."
"Let me change clothes and I'll be right out." Jenna said.
"Are you going to change clothes too?" Jeremy asked Brian.
"No, I'll just slip on my Wellingtons and change hats."
Jeremy chuckled.
"I saw a couple of Howlers. Even gave a little one my apple."
"They came up to you?"
"Just the little one. I had spotted them earlier and I guess they followed me. When I stopped for lunch, the little one reached out, wanting the apple, so I gave it to him or her."
"They're getting used to you. You can probably expect to see more of them in the future."
Jenna came back, Brian put on his boots and got a different ball cap, and they went to dinner."
At 1:00 on Saturday, Brian watched Jenna on Hiram's arm walk slowly across the patio. The day was chilly but the patio enclosure kept a lot of the heat in from the firepit. The next thing Brian knew he was married and kissing Jenna. She was beautiful with a floor-length dress and a lace shawl. When everyone began clapping and whistling, Jenna and Brian grinned at each other and were given glasses of champagne for the first toast. A new chapter in their lives was unfolding.
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Post by gipsy on May 24, 2022 11:28:35 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by imahic on May 24, 2022 15:26:27 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on May 24, 2022 19:47:15 GMT -6
Love this!
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 25, 2022 11:31:50 GMT -6
Chapter 20
After Jenna and Brian finished getting showers and dressed after their run and workout, Brian stood on the porch and watched the rain drip off the roof. He didn't stay long, it was cold and blustery. Harley had taken a quick run out into the yard and helped water a tree then ran back to the porch. Shaking himself off, Harley pawed the door to go back in.
"Good idea boy. I'm not going to get a lot done today." Brian said.
Brian went in and still chilled, added more wood to the stove. He then went into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Jenna's waist and nuzzled her damp hair.
"Hello Mrs. Cassidy."
"Hi, Mr. Cassidy. What do you want for breakfast?"
"Something light. Looks like I won't be working outside much today."
"Eggs, bacon and toast? I've got some melon too."
"That's fine."
They finished their breakfast and together did the dishes, then Brian took a cup of coffee and went out on the porch. Jenna put in a load of laundry and went out on the porch to see what Brian was up to. Brian was leaning against a porch post just looking out across the misty pasture.
Jenna put her arm around Brian and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Me, us. I want to warn you right now, I married way below my station. I feel so lucky to have you in my life."
"But?"
"There are no buts. When I think of how I came to be here, I see how empty my previous life was. First, I didn't have you then. Second, I've always had a hankering in me to build things. Oh, I built portfolios worth millions of dollars, but it wasn't tangible. All I made then was on paper, or in some computer in a bank somewhere. I like to see and touch what I make. Don't get me wrong, money is great. It helps you get things done and lures in pretty women."
"I didn't marry you for your money, Brian Cassidy!"
'That's why I married you. That's why I didn't have any real relationships back in St. Louis. The women were so transparent. As soon as they found out where I worked, they were all over me like a duck on a Junebug, and it wasn't because I'm suave and debonaire."
"Oh but Sir, you ARE suave and debonaire!"
"Well, coming from you, that's alright to think that. Anyway, I was thinking I would have a shop built to build things in. We have enough power now I could run a table saw and other woodworking equipment, as long as I didn't have everything running at the same time. I could build something that you could lay your eyes and hands on it and say to yourself, 'I made that.' Just like the garden next summer, we will see the fruits of our efforts."
"Well, get your shop built. I'm anxious to see what you can do. By the way, we need to be at Momma's tomorrow at 10:00 so I can help finish up Thanksgiving dinner."
"Do you think your cousin Henry could build me a shop?"
"I'm sure he could. I know he's built garages and such. Ask him, he'll be at dinner tomorrow."
They arrived at the McGinna's a 9:55. Jenna went in and Brian went to the kennel where he saw Hiram working.
"Mornin' Brian. Janie had a litter of puppies last night and I was just checkin' up on 'em."
"How many did she have?"
"Six, and all doing just fine." Hiram went over to a refrigerator and took out two brown flippy bottles. Rotating the bale on one of the bottles and displacing the ceramic cork, he handed it to Brian
"Taste this, best batch I've made in a while."
Brian took a taste of the hard cider.
"This is good Hiram."
"I get six bushels of Honeycrisp apples every year from up in Michigan. This year the sugar and tannin balance was just right. I'll have to be careful and not drink it all myself."
They walked back to the house and when they went in, Sally gave Hiram a hard look.
"Kinda early to be getting' into the cider, isn't it?"
"I was just lettin' Brian here have a taste. I didn't want to be rude and let him drink alone."
"Get out of my kitchen!"
Hiram chuckled and went into the den, taking a seat in his recliner, Brian sitting on the couch.
"What have you been up to, Brian?"
"Not much, with this rain. I'm thinking of getting a shop built to do some woodworking. Do you think Henry could handle it?"
"Henry is your man for that. He could have you one up in no time, as long as the weather allows it."
"Good, Jenna said he was coming to dinner so I'll ask him." Brian said.
By noon, more people showed up. The women congregated to the big country kitchen and the men to the den and sun room. By the time they were ready to eat, tables had been set up all over to provide places to eat. Platters of food were laid out on the counters and people filed through, cafeteria style, to fill their plates. When they sat down, not much conversation was going on. They were too busy eating the delicious food. Most of the people were too full to eat any of the pies and cakes that were brought so the men drifted out to the sun room to smoke their pipes while the women cleaned up the dishes.
"Brian, what do you think about these gun control laws these people in Washington are trying to pass?" Hiram's brother Able asked.
"It's a waste of time. Those politicians who are pushing the anti-gun laws are using it to cover for their total ineptness. You can pass all the laws in the world and it won't stop the criminals. They laugh at gun laws because it disarms the honest people, making them a bigger target. Let's say they did get rid of everyone's, and I mean the honest people's guns. It wouldn't make things better. The government can't stop, or won't stop, the tons of drugs coming over our borders every year. What's stopping someone from smuggling guns over the border? Those who are willing to break the law, like every single person to commit a mass murder or violent assault, won't be disarmed. It doesn't matter what you do. On that note, there are some who want to legalize drugs to solve that problem when they should be lining up the criminals who bring those poisons into our country and shooting them."
"What about a fair trial?
Brian took a second to answer. "When a man goes around burning people's houses down and he comes to your house, as he is throwing a flaming bottle of gas into your home, are you going to wait for a fair trial before you shoot him. What he's doing is a criminal act, he knows it, you know it. He knows there are consequences to his criminal act. In my opinion, death should top the list of consequences. If a few individuals in this state were to end up missing, you wouldn't have much of a drug problem."
The conversation moved on to other things and they men finally decided to have some of that dessert. The women already had the coffee on and dessert plates were handed out and coffee poured. When they were done, the dishes were tended to and people began drifting back to their homes. Brian and Jenna were the last to leave, loaded down with leftovers.
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Post by gipsy on May 25, 2022 16:21:58 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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remembergoliad
Member
if you send friend req on FB, message me too. I won't accept if I don't recognize you.
Posts: 158
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Post by remembergoliad on May 25, 2022 17:11:39 GMT -6
Thanks for sharing your talent with us. Well written, flows naturally, all around pleasing to read. But I do have a question: Does the next installment start with Brian smacking the steering wheel, calling himself an idiot, after Jenna asks what Henry said about the workshop?
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 25, 2022 20:17:13 GMT -6
Thanks for sharing your talent with us. Well written, flows naturally, all around pleasing to read. But I do have a question: Does the next installment start with Brian smacking the steering wheel, calling himself an idiot, after Jenna asks what Henry said about the workshop? We'll have to see. Quit reading my notes over my shoulder!
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Post by bluefox2 on May 25, 2022 20:27:12 GMT -6
Thanks for sharing your talent with us. Well written, flows naturally, all around pleasing to read. But I do have a question: Does the next installment start with Brian smacking the steering wheel, calling himself an idiot, after Jenna asks what Henry said about the workshop? We'll have to see. Quit reading my notes over my shoulder! Close the shades and move away from the window and we won't read them.
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 26, 2022 1:05:15 GMT -6
Chapter 21
The next morning after their run and practice, Brian and Jenna were at the breakfast bar drinking water before getting their showers.
'What did Henry say about the building?" Jenna asked.
Brian chuckled. "I didn't even get two words out of my mouth and Henry said he'd be over in the morning to see what I wanted. Hiram had already talked to him."
"Well, Dad is always trying to help out. You're not mad, are you?"
"Oh, heck no. Let's get our shower and breakfast and get the horses out. There's something I need to do."
"Come up with me and wash my back." Jenna said, grinning.
Later, much later, they made a quick breakfast and went to the barn. Saddling the horses, they mounted and Brian rode over to the root cellar. Hooking a bag of apples over the saddle horn, Brian led the way to the oak tree. Hanging the bag on the hook, Jenna looked at Brian, perplexed.
"That's too high for a deer to get to."
"They're not for the deer. Just wait."
They waited for a while and finally the horses' ears twitched and turned their heads toward some brush about 50 meters away. Brian pulled his sheath knife out and slit the net bag enough to get one apple out. He got down from Buck and held the apple out. The small Howler came out of the bushes. Jenna gasped, but kept quiet. The little Howler trotted over to Brian and took the apple, turned and trotted back to the bushes. As it neared the bushes, a larger Howler stood up, chest and shoulders rising above the six foot high bushes. Both Howlers quickly disappeared.
"What the hell was that?" Jenna said, in shock.
Brian grinned. "What do you think it was? The common name around here are Ozark Howlers. In other parts of North America they are called Swamp Ape, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, and Wendigo. There are different names for them in different parts of the world.
"They are real!"
"Yep, they're real, and you shouldn't speak about them to anyone off this land."
"Oh, I won't! They'd take me directly to Arkansas State Hospital with my own room reserved. How long have they been here?"
"As long as anyone can remember. We kind of protect them plus feed them a bag of apples now and again. They are more afraid of us than we are of them. I guess people have chased them around for so long they don't trust many people. It seems though they are beginning to trust us."
"What do they eat?"
"I'm not sure. We know they at least eat apples. Probably local vegetation and maybe small animals."
"Maybe when the garden begins producing we could try giving them some vegetables." Jenna said.
"We could try."
They rode to the south for a while the looped back to the barn. After brushing the horses down and giving them a bait of oats, they walked over to the garden area to look it over.
"I'm going to build three eight foot long cold frames over there. We can start seeds in late February and they should be almost a foot tall by planting time. By the time we're ready to plant, the temperatures will be in the 60s during the day. We'll should start having vegetables by early June. I'll put a shed over there to keep our garden tools and such in."
"Momma's getting us a canner. How are the shelves in the root cellar? Will they hold a lot of jars?"
"Let's go check."
They walked to the root cellar and found the shelves were made out of oak. Brian couldn't bow the shelves at all when he partially suspended his weight on one.
"They should work. Are you planning on canning a lot?"
"As much as we can. I'd rather have home grown that store bought."
"Works for me. The meat down in Mena is going to be ready next week. Do we need to clear anything out of the freezer to make room for it?"
"No, we should be fine.
-Breaking News-
A moving and storage company building in Otay Mesa, a community in the southern section of the city of San Diego, blew up and burned last night. When inspectors went through the rubble, remains of six unidentified bodies were found with automatic weapons near the bodies. Further examination found a tunnel that went south into Mexico.
A company came in and poured the concrete floor for the ammo bunker. They were prepared and covered the concrete to kept it warm enough so it cured properly. The men worked like clockwork and assembled the Quonset hut, then covered it with a rubberized fabric on all but the front of the shelter. Earth was taken from a borrow pit to cover everything. The area was sloped gently and grass and native bushes were planted to help it blend into the landscape. The overhang in the front would conceal the entrance to the bunker except from the most oblique satellite photos or walking directly up to it. Joe used the tractor to move the pallets inside when everything was done and installed industrial, weatherproof electronic locks on the doors.
"Can we go to Little Rock next weekend? It's getting close to Christmas and I haven't finished my shopping." Jenna said. "Henry will be finished with the shop this week and it could give you a chance to look for equipment to put in it."
"I hate Christmas crowds, but yes, we can go. What about Harley?" Brian asked.
"Dad said he could stay with them."
"Okay. I guess we're going to Little Rock."
Jenna booked them a room at the Holiday In on the west side of Little Rock. They planned to use taxis to go around to do their shopping and keep their purchases in the room. They left early Friday morning after dropping Harley off at the McGinna's and arrived just before noon. Jenna wanted to head out shopping as soon as they got their bags into the room. They first went to the River Market District, where Jenna picked up a couple of things. Brian then realized his true purpose on this trip. Bag Carrier. They then went to the Promenade at Chenal and a couple of more items were purchased. Brian kept his eyes open because he saw several people who couldn't have afforded the $1.00 pretzels at the vendor cart. Thankfully, they left soon and returned to the hotel.
After a great steak dinner that night, they returned to their room and Jenna poured over her shopping list and planned her attack for the next day. Brian found a woodworking equipment dealer where he could probably find everything he wanted. Jenna was just going to some downtown shops Saturday morning so she released Brian to go look for his woodworking equipment. She would meet him back at the hotel and they would have lunch before striking out again.
Brian was pleased with the dealer. He was able to order a radial arm saw, bandsaw, table saw, mitre saw, router, a small planer and a joiner. He paid a little extra to have the equipment delivered outside the 100 mile limit, to be delivered on 10 January. That took less than two hours, so he had time to find Jenna a couple of more gifts and something for his Dad. He got Joe a bottle of Macallan Triple Cask and let it go at that.
After lunch, Jenna had only four more gifts to pick out so they went to another area downtown and found appropriate gifts. Thank God! They deposited their gifts in the room and went for a leisurely stroll before dinner, a leisurely as you could in a Christmas crowd. They found a little Irish pub and spent the rest of the afternoon sipping on beers and munching on Irish Potato Bites. They went to a recommended Italian restaurant that evening where they ordered different entrees, but shared. It was all very good and the bread was delicious.
Sunday Morning, Brian got a baggage cart and carefully stacked the bags, at Jenna's direction of course, and loaded everything in the back seat and floor of the crew cab. With the light traffic, it was with relief when he got on I-30 and headed home. As they entered the Ouachita National Forest, heavy flakes of snow began to dot the windshield.
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Post by gipsy on May 26, 2022 5:54:38 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 May 26, 2022 9:09:15 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by udwe on May 26, 2022 18:58:50 GMT -6
I'm so glad the snow season is done here!
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Post by ncsfsgm on May 27, 2022 5:19:32 GMT -6
Chapter 22
The truck was making visible tracks on the road as Brian and Jenna neared home.
"There isn't enough room for Harley in the back seat. Let's go home and unload then go pick him up." Brian said.
Brian pulled up close up to the door and they quickly carried the bags and packages into the Lodge to the first guest bedroom they came to. Brian built a fire in the Great Room stove before they left. They headed out again to the McGinna's to pick up Harley.
Harley was overwhelmed with joy when he saw the two walk through the door. Hiram was sitting in his chair chuckling.
"That dog heard the sound of the truck and damned near broke his neck to get to the door. It looked like a cartoon to where the feet were moving but wasn't getting any traction. Funniest damn thing I've ever seen." Hiram said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes with his bandana.
Jenna kneeled down and Harley was all over her face with kisses.
"How are the roads out there?" Hiram asked.
"Not bad; drivable. We aren't supposed to get much, are we?"
"Naw. Weatherman says around four to six inches."
"Where's Momma and Aunt Millie?"
"Down in the basement doin' something." Hiram replied. Jenna went into the kitchen and down the basement steps.
"How was Little Rock? Hiram asked.
"Busy. Everyone getting their shopping done." Replied Brian.
Hiram lowered the footrest of the recliner and leaned toward Brian.
"I hope you don't mind, but I'm takin' Sally and Millie on a 4 Night Bahamas cruise next month. Can you and Jenna take care of the dogs while we are gone?" Hiram asked at almost a whisper.
"Of course we will! Does Jenna know?
"Hell no! Else they'd be down there squawking like Starlings!"
Brian chuckled. "Then I won't mention it. You know this is going to entail a shopping trip for them to get ready to go."
"I know, but those two work hard and deserve it."
The three women came back upstairs and quickly shushed when they came through the door.
"Now, you see that Brian? That's what I hate about this time of the year. The women folk tiptoeing around with all their little secrets." Hiram grumbled.
Brian coughed to stifle a grin. You about ready to get back Jenna?"
"Just a minute. Aunt Millie baked some apple pies. I want to pack one up."
"Brian what is going on? You not feedin' her enough? She runs off down the road and I've still got to feed her!" Hiram grumbled, almost hiding his grin.
Well Hiram, haven't you noticed? I've been fattening her up."
"I heard that!" Jenna yelled from the kitchen. "I AM NOT fat!"
"You two leave her alone!" Sally said. "Although I wouldn't mind seeing her belly plump up a might."
"Momma, don't you start!"
Brian opened the doors on the truck for Jenna and Harley and they climbed in. On the way back to the Lodge Jenna asked, "Do you think I'm fat?"
"No honey, that was just Hiram and I pulling your leg."
Brian helped Jenna into the house then he and Harley went to check on the chickens and horses. The chicken feeders and waterers were full and he got what eggs there were. The horses were standing in the barn alley and Brian fed them both a whole carrot each and petted them for a few minutes. They didn't seem interested in getting out in the snow. Brian and Harley went back to the Lodge where the smell of fresh perked coffee greeted them as they walked in. Jenna poured Brian a cup and plated a slice of the still warm apple pie. Brian smiled and took a bite.
Jenna insisted on a Fraser Fir for a Christmas tree. She had pulled out what Christmas decorations she could find in the attic and frowned at the ball of old Christmas lights she found. She immediately tossed them in the trash and Brian immediately retrieved them. He could at least burn the plastic off and get the copper in them, until he trimmed the plastic back and found the were aluminum. He tossed them back into the recycle can. Leaving Harley in the house, The first went to Walmart and Jenna filled a shopping cart with every conceivable decoration they had. They stopped by the Hallmark store and she had a an ornament made while they waited, commemorating their first Christmas together. It was close to lunch so they stopped at a diner that served good rib-sticking meals , placed their orders and sat their talking and drinking coffee as they waited on their meal. Jenna ordered Chicken Fried Steak and Brian ordered Liver and Onions. They were hungry and quickly devoured their delicious meals. Jenna excused herself to go to the restroom as the waitress refreshed their coffee. As she was returning, a Latin-looking man at the table adjacent to them got up. Placing his hand on her butt and rubbing the other hand across her breast, he said, "Hola querida, ¿cómo te va?"
Jenna twirled around like an attacking cat and gave the guy a knuckle punch to his Adam's Apple then her knee smashed into his groin with enough force he partly lifted off the floor, then collapsed, groaning and holding his crotch. His companion jumped up from the table and drew his fist back to punch Jenna when Brian intervened.
Brian quickly rose, did a counter block on the guy's forearm, followed with a rapid knuckle strike to the hollow of the armpit of the attacker. This move, actually taken from Aikido, is an attention getter. Although not a disabling strike, it can be quite painful if done correctly. The man grunted and turned toward Brian enough, Brian's knee had a straight-line shot to the guy's family jewels, which wouldn't be worth much to this guy's family any more. The man quickly bent to grab his destroyed crotch and Brian finished him with a knee strike under the chin, flipping him back on the floor hard enough it knocked him out. It all happened so fast few were able to look up from their meal to see what happened, but the two waitress did.
"I'll call the police!" The waitress with the name tag "Alice" said.
The police arrived shortly as Jenna and Brian were sipping their coffee, the two men slowly coming to their senses.
Alice explained what had happened to the officers as they came over to the table.
"Do you want to press charges?" The officer asked.
"YES! I want them both hung!" Jenna blurted."
"Well, let's get them before a judge first." The officer said, grinning.
"Officer, that man over there sexually assaulted my wife then when the other man tried to sucker-punch her, I took him down."
"Well, looks like you were pretty effective. I'll need you to come down to the station and sign the charge sheet."
"No problem." Brian said.
An ambulance arrived to take the two semi-conscious men to the emergency room.
"If you two will follow me down to the station, we'll get the paperwork started."
"When they got outside the diner, Brian asked, "Are you okay?"
Jenna smiled. I'm fine, and thank you. And I don't mean thank you for helping me in there. I mean thank you for teaching me how to defend myself."
Brian gave her a hug and opened the truck door for her.
They filled out the paperwork and filed charges.
"Ma'am, which man assaulted you?" An officer asked.
"Just what I put on my statement, the man in the red and black plaid shirt."
"I'm sorry, I haven't read the statement yet. Anyway, looks like he won't be doing much anymore. Doctor says he's probably going to lose both of his….uh…testicles. The other guy isn't much better."
"GOOD! Animals like that shouldn't be allowed to breed anyway! Jenna lashed out.
The officer laughed. "What did you do to him anyway?"
"I've been teaching my wife Krav Maga, officer."
"Well, don't go and offer to teach it to my girlfriend. Jesus!"
Brian and Jenny finally were able to leave and went directly to the Farmer's Market where a Christmas tree lot had been set up. Jenna pick out the tree she wanted and the worker ran it through the netting machine and bagged it. They loaded the tree into the back of the truck and Jenna took Brian's hand and said, "Come with me."
They went inside where Jenna grabbed a little garden wagon and placed two half-bushel fruit baskets on it. Then she had Brian pull the wagon around as she filled it up with apples, melons, grapes, bananas, kiwis, plums and pears.
"What are you doing?" Brian asked.
"For our friends at the oak tree." Jenna said, grinning.
Brian paid for everything and loaded the fruit baskets into the back of the truck with the tree while Jenna stepped off to the side talked on her phone.
"I want to make one more stop to get Momma and Aunt Millie a couple of Poinsettias."
"They have them here."
"Yes, but they aren't as pretty as the ones at the flower shop."
At the flower shop, Jenna took an inordinate amount of time, it seemed to Brian, to pick out the plants for Sally and Millie. Then she decided she wanted a couple for herself, then took her sweet time picking those out. Finally, they were on their way home.
"I'll have to use the tractor and trailer to haul the baskets down there." Brian said as they were driving home."
"Maybe." Jenna said. "Why don't we carry just one down there today and then put one out for them Christmas Eve."
"Okay."
When they got to the Lodge, parked next to the steps was a green John Deere Gator with a big red bow on it.
"This is one of my Christmas presents for you. I thought I'd give it to you early. It would be easier to carry the basket than the tractor."
Grinning, Brian walked all around the Gator. "I can definitely get some use out of it!"
They unloaded everything. Brian placed both baskets of fruit in the cargo box of the Gator and stopped by the root cellar, left a basket there then they drove to the tree and set the basket out. They waited a couple of minutes and nothing appeared so they went back to the Lodge. They took the tree inside, cut the netting off and placed the tree in a stand next to the window. The rest if the evening was spent decorating the tree and drinking hot chocolate. The last ornament to be hung on the tree was the commemorative ornament with the inscription:
Brian and Jenna 2018 The Best Is Yet To Come
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Post by gipsy on May 27, 2022 6:28:28 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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