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Post by gipsy on Aug 28, 2022 7:40:32 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by bluefox2 on Aug 28, 2022 7:45:44 GMT -6
Matchmaker, matchmaker, Make me a match.
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Post by CountryGuy on Aug 28, 2022 8:40:03 GMT -6
Those scheming women... they get you every time.
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Post by freebirde on Aug 28, 2022 12:52:56 GMT -6
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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 Aug 29, 2022 17:03:39 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by gipsy on Aug 29, 2022 18:39:23 GMT -6
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Post by ncsfsgm on Aug 30, 2022 3:20:14 GMT -6
Chapter 14
Mitch called DASolar and had them put together a power system for his 2400 sq. ft. hangar. They said they had everything on hand and they would be down the first of next week to install it. Mitch began his pre-flights and was about finished when Glen and Michelle drove up.
“Glen, can you go down to the cabin and pick Saoirse and Bridget up?”
“Sure, no problem,” and Glen and Michelle took off down the trail.
Mitch was checking the weather on his phone when they got back. Michelle crawled into her seat first, followed by Saoirse and Glen in the two back seats. Bridget and Mitch got in and Mitch started the engine. When the temps were right, Mitch taxied out to the strip and began his roll. He let it roll and the plane lifted off in about 500 feet without Mitch pulling back on the yoke. Mitch talked to K.C. Control and got permission for 5000 feet and took a southerly track toward Springfield but would stay to the left of the city to avoid the traffic patterns at Springfield-Branson National. They weren’t so high that Saoirse couldn’t enjoy the view of the verdant forests with hills, rivers and streams.
When Mitch got landing instructions at Clark Downtown airport in Branson, Bridget called and hired a van and driver for the day to pick them up. As soon as Mitch had the plane tied down, they were off to the visitor center to pick up brochures. Mitch and Bridget left it completely up to the other three on where they wanted to go and do. Glen deferred to Saoirse and Michelle. Most of the shows started at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Michelle wanted to see Dublin's Irish Tenors and The Celtic Ladies for the 10:00 show so they let Michell pick somewhere to go until it was time to leave for the show. Michelle decided on WonderWorks, an indoor amusement park that lets kids and adults explore hands-on science activities. Glen quickly saw she could spend the rest of the week in there and decided it would take frequent trips here to see everything Branson had to offer. Saoirse picked out the Petersen Family Bluegrass Band to see that afternoon because she had seen their videos on YouTube. The shows lasted two hours each so they decided to go back to the airfield after the last show in order to be able to get home before dark. Mitch didn’t have a lighted runway, something he was going to fix in the near future.
After the Celtic show they went to lunch at the Cracker Barrel near the IMAX Complex where the next show would be. While they waited for their meals to be served, Saoirse asked Michelle how she liked the show.
“It was good, but they didn’t sing a good as you do.” That got a thank you from Saoirse and laughter and agreement from the others. They talked about the entertainment venues and that one would definitely need at least a week to touch on even some of the things to see. They ate their meal and killed time until the Blue Grass show.
The show was enjoyed by everyone. Saoirse was amazed at the talent of the whole family. They got back to the airport and Mitch gave the driver a big tip and did his pre-flights while everyone went to use the facilities. Once everyone was strapped in Mitch got permission to taxi to the threshold and take off. He took off and flew down the lake and headed home.
Flying home, Bridget glanced in the back seat and saw everyone was asleep, Saoirse’s head on Glen’s shoulder. Without saying anything over the intercom, she used sign language to get Mitch to change the intercom so just she and he could talk. Mitch punched a couple of buttons.
“Did you see them today?” Bridget asked.
“Who?”
“Saoirse and Glen!”
“Can’t say as I did. Why, something wrong?”
“No, they were meant to be with each other.”
“Oh, come on!”
“I’m serious! You should see the way they look at one another.”
“I’m not getting involved with this. What will be, will be.”
Mitch reached over and opened all the intercom circuits again.
The back seaters woke up as Mitch gently landed. The installation crew was just packing up for the day as Mitch taxied to the tie-down area. It looked like the only thing they had left to do was put the front and the doors on the hangar. Mitch turned the plane around in the tie-down area and got it close enough this time. Everyone got out and Glen helped Mitch tie the plane down. The women took the Gator down to the cabin while Mitch and Glen went over to talk to the Installation Crew Chief.
“Looks like you’re about done.” Mitch said.
“Yes, We are a day ahead of schedule. We didn’t have one hiccup. We’ll be finished by noon tomorrow.”
“That’s great. I appreciate the hard work.”
“It helps when you have good people.”
They said their good-byes and Glen drove them down to the cabin. Supper wasn’t quite ready yet, so Mitch and Glen went and sat on the front porch.
“Man, it’s so peaceful out here!” Glen said.
“I don’t miss the city at all.” Mitch said.
“I don’t know why, but a question just popped up in my mind. When you put the plane in the hangar, do you just drive straight in or do you stop outside, turn around….or what?”
Mitch chuckled. “Well there are a couple of ways. First, I could pull in far enough, shut down, then take the airplane and pull the tail wheel round until the nose is facing the door, or I could shut down the plane outside and drag it in using tow bar. I’d prefer to use a tow bar, but I’ll need to fly to K.C. or St. Louis to get one; which brings to mind it will probably be St. Louis because there is a dealer there I can get pilot controlled solar airfield lights from. We could have stayed in Branson longer if I had some runway lighting.”
“How hard is it to land at night?” Glen asked.
“It’s really not hard at all. You just need to know your plane and have reference points, which at night would be the lights.”
Michelle came out to get them for supper. Raelene had made a delicious pot roast and Jerome had worked hard that afternoon to make hand-cranked strawberry ice cream, which everyone praised him for. Saoirse helped the women clean up the kitchen after the men had been run out. Jerome, Mitch and Glen went out and sat on the porch.
“So Jerome, Mitch says you are saving up money to go to college. Have you applied for any scholarships?” Glen asked.
“No sir, I haven’t.”
“Please, you calling me sir makes me feel older than I actually am. It’s Glen. Anyway, you really should apply for scholarships and grants. With a couple and maybe a part time job, you could easily attend. Especially the University of Missouri in K.C. What are you planning on studying?”
“I’d like to get a degree in computer science.”
“Good field. How were your grades in school?”
“I had a 3.8 GPA.”
“SAT?”
“1275.”
“Jerome, you need to apply for some scholarships. With those GPA and SAT scores you’d surely get some.” Glen said.
Jerome grimly chuckled. “Well, I’m a little far away to do anything right now.”
“Nonsense!” Glen said, looking over at Mitch.
“Jerome, If you want to apply, don’t use the remoteness of this place as an excuse. I’ll fly you down to do any paperwork.”
“And I am six blocks from the University. I’ve got s guesthouse that no one hardly stays in you could use. There IS a way if you want it bad enough.”
“I want to go really bad!” Jerome said, excitement in his eyes.
“Then that’s that. We should be able to get you into the fall semester. Michell and I will be heading back this weekend and I can start getting the ball rolling on my end.”
“I can’t believe it!” Jerome said. “Thank you so much! I need to tell Mama!”
Jerome went inside. Glen looked at Mitch.
“I’m serious about this. I’ve got the two bedroom guesthouse that just gather’s dust and if I have to pay the whole way myself, I want to see him get his degree.”
“No you won’t, I’ll go halves with you. We can set him up a bank account to so he has some spending money so he doesn’t have to work. He’s a good kid and I want to see him succeed. Mitch said.
The ladies came out to sit with them after cleaning up the kitchen.
“Bridget, would you go and ask Raelene to come out here?” Mitch asked.
When Raelene came out, Mitch motioned for her to take a seat.
“Raelene, Glen and I want to make sure that Jerome gets into college this Fall.”
“Mitch, we can’t afford it.”
“Maybe not, but Glen and I can. We don’t do anything but make money. Hell, we SIT around and make money on our investments without doing anything except buy or sell a few stocks here and there. No, we want to do something and we believe Jerome will be successful.”
Tears were slowly rolling down Raelene’s face. “I just want him to have a chance in this world.”
“We’ll make sure he has that chance. Glen is going to start working on it at his end and we’ll make it happen.”
Saoirse sat there, listened to what was going on and studied Glen. She was coming to understand more and more about this man.
The next morning after breakfast Jerome and Raelene were both still excited, especially after Glen and Michele came down while they were still eating.
“Oh, we’re sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt.” Glen said when they walked in.
“No! Sit and have some breakfast!” Bridget said.
“We’ve already eaten.” Michelle replied.
“Well sit and have a glass of juice or a cup of coffee.” Mitch said.
Michelle looked up at her Dad and he smiled and nodded. She then quickly sat down next to Saoirse. Raelene brought Glen a cup of coffee and Michelle a glass of orange juice.
“I wanted to come and tell you that I made a couple of calls and have Jerome an appointment with someone at the University on Thursday. You’ll need to bring your transcripts and there is around a ninety-nine and forty-four one hundredths percent chance you’ll be starting school in the Fall.”
Raelene’s hands flew to her face and tears formed in her eyes.
“I don’t know what to say.” Jerome said, his eyes misty also.
“We don’t need words, Jerome. We need you to go and show the world you can succeed. Make us all proud.”
“Thursday! Oh my gosh! We have so much planning to do!” Raelene said.
“Well, I don’t know what planning you’re thinking about. You can drive down Wednesday. You’ll be staying in our guest house as our guests. You’ll make the appointment and an come back on Friday or even stay for the weekend.” Glen said.
“Mitch, this will give us a chance to go get my things. I’ll need to clear the apartment by the end of the month anyway.” Bridget said.
“Okay then. A road trip it is!” Mitch said as Raelene refilled his coffee mug.
Bridget noticed Saoirse was looking a little dejected. “Saoirse, can you come with us and help me pack my things?”
Saoirse grinned. “Sure!”
“Well, we have a plan then!” Bridget said.
“We’ll have the guest house prepared for you when you get there.” Glen said.
“You’re leaving early?” Saoirse said?”
“Yes, unfortunately, I have to be into work on Monday, little as it is, but I can help with the packing.”
“Can’t I help?” Michelle asked.
“We’ll talk to your tutor. If she says you are caught up, then you may.” Glen replied.
“Saoirse, Daddy and I are going fishing! Do you want to come?”
Saoirse looked questioningly at Bridget.
“Go fishing!” Bridget giggled.
Saoirse got up and went to her room to change.
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Post by gipsy on Aug 30, 2022 6:30:29 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 Aug 31, 2022 17:21:10 GMT -6
thanks
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 1, 2022 10:36:40 GMT -6
Chapter 15
Mitch, Bridget and Saoirse headed out in the Rover pulling the box trailer, followed by Jerome and Raelene in the van. They wouldn’t have to go into Kansas City. Bridget’s apartment was actually in Liberty Court, northeast of K.C. That made the trip only two hours. Glen’s house was down in Crestwood, just off the campus of the University of Missouri, on the other side of the river and 23 miles from Bridget’s apartment. When they got outside of Liberty, Saoirse called Glen and he said he would meet them there.
Thankfully, Bridget didn’t have that much furniture, much had come with the apartment, but all her things would fit into the trailer. Her clothes hanging in the closets were laid in the back of Raelene’s van. Three hours later, Bridget did a final inspection and Matt walked with her to see the apartment manager. She forfeited the cleaning deposit and turned in her keys. When they returned to the front of the apartment building Glen and Saoirse were seemingly arguing.
“Careful boyo! Arguing with an Irishwoman is a lot like getting arrested: everything can and will be held against you!”
“Good. Then let’s argue about your perfect figure.” Glen said grinning.
Saoirse blushed then tossed her hair. “You’ll not be needing an argument for that!”
When Saoirse saw Bridget and Mitch walking up, she turned an even darker shade of red. Michelle was giggling at the two adults.
“Are we about ready to go?” Mitch asked.
“Yes. Just follow me and I’ll lead you all over to my place.” Glen said.
“Saoirse, can you ride with me?” Michelle asked.
Saoirse’s eyes darted to Glen, then to a grinning Bridget. “I suppose I could.”
So Glen headed out, followed by Raelene and Jerome and then Mitch and Bridget. Mitch had Glen’s address so he had Bridget enter it into the GPS in case they fell behind because of traffic, they wouldn’t completely lose them. It turned out it really wasn’t needed. Mitch kept the van in sight the entire way. The drive to the house split to the left and to a small cottage, as Saoirse called it. It was just enough for two people. There were two bedrooms, a small kitchen and a den/dining area. They quickly got Jerome’s things out of the van and inside. Raelene insisted that Jerome immediately move into the larger bedroom because she wouldn’t be staying for that long. Glen, Michelle, Saoirse, Mitch and Bridget all went into the house for refreshments.
“Are you sure you won’t stay over and leave tomorrow?” Glen asked. “I have plenty of bedrooms for everyone.”
“No, we need to get back and I want to make a trip to St. Louis and pick up the runway lights.
“I want to thank you for your hospitality. Both Michelle and I really had a good time and it really helped us to relax.”
“We’re glad you enjoyed yourselves and are welcome back at any time.”
“So, when are you two going to get married?”
Mitch and Bridget looked at each other. “It will be soon.” Mitch said.
“But just a small ceremony in front of a magistrate.” Added Bridget.
“Well, make it a weekend so we can be there for it, however small it is.”
“Aye, I would like to be there too.” Saoirse said.
Jerome and Raelene came in and sat with them until Glen’s housekeeper announced that dinner was ready. The sat down and had a simple meal and were soon back in the large family room. Mitch went out to the Rover and came back with an envelope and got Raelene to the side.
Handing Raelene the envelope Mitch said, “Raelene, here is a little cash and a credit card. Pay the tuition fees and go with him to the bookstore and get his books. Also, he needs a computer. Get him a decent laptop computer. Glen will know where to get one. It wouldn’t hurt to upgrade his wardrobe either. You know how young people are. They want to fit in. Glen will take Jerome and open a bank account for him up and we’ll work out the amount of funds to deposit each month.”
“Mitch, I don’t know what to say. I was not expecting this. Jerome is willing to take on a job…”
“And he can if he wants to, but we just want to make sure there’s no stress from studying and worrying about making enough money to continue school.
“Mitch, this is really too much!”
“Glen and I don’t think so. We invest to make our living now. We consider this an investment in the future for all of us. This country needs good young people like Jerome.”
Raelene nodded and wiped a tear from here eye. She and Mitch walked back into the Family Room.
“Well people, we need to hit the road.” Mitch announced.
Michelle took Saoirse’s hand and walked out with her.
“Will you come to visit?” Michelle asked.
“I will try darlin’. I need to see to my schedule. I will call.”
“Michelle, you are more than welcome to visit us at any time.” Bridget said.
“I would like that!” Michelle replied.
Saoirse looked at Glen then turned to get into the Rover. Mitch backed the trailer out and they headed for I-35. As they headed out of town, they were all silent until Saoirse spoke.
“You have known Glen a long time, Mitch?”
“We’ve been best friends since we were in college. He and I were dorm mates.”
“A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.” Saoirse said, looking out the window as they sped down the highway.
Now Saoirse was anxious to go back to Chicago and find out more about her class schedule. She didn’t say anything, but Bridget had a sneaking suspicion Saoirse was going to figure out when she could see Glen again. She left a couple of days later and the farm was quiet again.
Mitch and Bridget moved most of her furniture, except for a couple of her favorite tables into the bunker to an empty room. Mitch hadn’t noticed it before but hidden next to the stairway hidden by some boxes was a lift. He only noticed it because he was curious about what was in the boxes stacked in the corner by the stairs and opened one. Inside were NBC filters for the air exchange system. There was already practically a room full of them next to the HVAC room so he began moving boxes. He uncovered the lift as the last boxes were moved. What he thought was some type of support system for pipes that had been taken out was actually the roller support system for the 6x6 foot lift. There was a 3-button switch on the wall so Mitch pressed the upper one and the lift began moving up. He pressed the center one and the lift stopped. When he pressed the bottom switch the lift came back down. If he had only known. Bridget and he had worked their butts off to bring all her things down those damn stairs. He inspected the lift itself and found an identical switch box mounted on the lift. Mitch rode the lift to the top and found another switch box not easily visible when you were at the head of the stairs. It would come in handy.
The plane was now housed in the hanger along with the MOGAS trailer. There was plenty of room in the hangar for other things. Instead of buying shelving, Mitch decided to build cabinets and shelves to store parts and tools he would keep on hand. The flammables would be stored in flame resistant cabinets.
DASolar called and said they would be down Wednesday to install the solar systems for the cabin and Bailey’s house. Mitch wanted to get the runway lights but he didn’t want to risk it in case he was delayed in St. Louis. He would have to take out the seats, including the co-pilot’s seat out to bring everything back, and even then may have to unpack the boxes to get everything in the plane. This would rule out Bridget going with him anyway so she told him she would handle everything if he was delayed. He gave her the combination to the blast door and told her when they work was done, they would change the code.
Mitch removed all the seats and left early Tuesday morning. He was getting landing instructions an hour later and parked in the transient section of General Aviation. Calling an Uber, he went to the distributor of the runway lights he quickly saw he wouldn’t be able to fit all the boxes in the plane. The salesman opened a box for him and Mitch saw, as he suspected, It was mostly packing material, but he would need a total of 76 lights to mark the runway edges and the ends of the runway. The salesman said he knew of a hot shot driver that could have the lights there the next day at $1.60 a mile. Quickly, Mitch decided an extra $400 wasn’t that much and had him set it up. Mitch also bought a tail picker to move the aircraft into the hangar. He could carry that back on the plane. He paid for everything and the company truck took him and the tail picker back to Spirit of Saint Louis Airport. He was back in the air 20 minutes later.
DASolar was there at 09:00 the next morning. Mitch already had the blast door open and they were happy to see there was a lift, and although it could only take two of the big batteries at a time, it saved a lot of back breaking work. While one crew was installing the batteries, controllers, inverters and other components another crew was installing the solar tracker posts and frames. Adding curing compound to the concrete would cut the curing time by half, so they would hang the panels and complete the installation in another three days. After watching the installation, and talking to the installers, Mitch had a good grasp on how everything worked. Two Vertical Axis Helix Wind Turbines were added as backup for the cabin and one for Bailey’s house. The hangar would just use solar panels.
The hot shot truck arrived the next day and they stacked the boxes in the hangar. The solar installers wouldn’t be back for a couple of more days so Bridget and Bailey helped Mitch install the lights. Using marking paint, Mitch laid out the positions of the lights and the installation was simple. Just drive a metal stake into the ground and the light sat down on it. The solar panel was placed on the side of the light where it would gather the most sunlight. Mitch started with the six green threshold lights, three on each side of the runway and the six end of the runways lights. They had most of them in by the afternoon with twelve to install the next day. Mitch was tired, sore and dusty from pounding the metal stakes. When they went back to the house, he let Bridget shower first.
“Will you be needing help in the shower?" Mitch asked.
"You volunteering?" Bridget asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I could be talked into it." Mitch smiled.
"Let's save some water then and shower together." Bridget grinned.
The next day they finished installing the lights. They all walked back to the hangar and Mitch climbed into the plane. Turning on the master switch, he changed frequencies to the pilot control frequency and keyed the mic five times. The lights came on. Now, all Mitch had to do was add the light kit to the windsock so it was illuminated at night and would come on with the runway lights. He would make a final test at dusk to make sure all the lights were working.
Many thanks to biggkidd for his editing!
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Post by biggkidd on Sept 1, 2022 13:15:23 GMT -6
And I thought that was our little secret. lol Happy to help if I can, keep em coming...
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Post by gipsy on Sept 1, 2022 18:13:15 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 2, 2022 13:45:31 GMT -6
Chapter 16
“So, how are your classes going?” Siobhan asked.
Saoirse giggled. “I haven’t even started yet!” “What?! What have you been doing?”
“I spent a week with the Baker’s on their wonderful farm in Missouri.”
“Well, it must have been nice!”
“Yes It was they also had a friend and his daughter staying in a caravan on vacation.”
“I’m beginna to think ‘tis more than idyllic farmland that kept ya there for a week.”
“Maybe. Nevertheless, they send their love and good wishes. Did Seth get the wind machine put up?”
“Wind turbine. Yes, the Doyle brudders came to help. EirGrid was a tad reluctant ta permit him until he agreed to sell back any extra electricity to them. Seth has the house and tha barn wired and finally we have constant power. No more worrin’ about the hackers a takin’ out the power. He’s going ta give Mitch a call this evenin’. He’s been between cursin’ and praisin’ Mitch since the coontainer arrived and now is down to smiles an’ praise.”
“Well, I start tomorrow at the school. I’ll call you back this weekend and let you know how it’s going.”
“You’d better. Take care darlin’ and stay safe. I don’t like what I read about Chicago.”
“I will. Give Seth my love.”
Saoirse ended the call and sighed. She had unpacked all her things and had to go out and buy an ironing board and iron to get the wrinkles out of some of her clothes. She wanted to look somewhat presentable when she checked in at the school on the morrow.
Mitch backed the trailer into the hangar back to where he was going to build the shelves and cabinets. A call and a trip to Kirksville Lumber Company got him the lumber, a portable Delta 10” table saw, drills, accessories, a compound miter saw, and a jig saw. Of course, along with that were screws, nails, glue, clamps, hinges and locks. Mitch ended up having to get a generator for his project because he would need more power than the battery bank in the hangar could give him. He shouldn’t need to make any more trips anytime soon. Bridget knew how to use a saw, measure a board and cut a straight line so she was a big help. Mitch filled the back wall of the hangar around the personnel door with cabinets and shelves. He put in a “most used hand tools” rack and a large work bench also. It took him almost four days to complete but finally they were down to the painting, which Bridget loved to do anyway. By the weekend they were ready to begin putting things on the shelves and in the cabinets. Mitch had to go into Des Moines to get the large flame resistant cabinets, but they just made it an all-day trip. Bridget wanted to do some shopping too. Other items they brought back were a 17-cu ft Frost-free Upright Freezer and a 16-cu chest freezer. The upright would go in the pantry and the chest freezer would go to a room in the bunker designated for food storage. The trailer had quite a load when they returned but they were able to unload everything. The lift worked really well getting the chest freezer into the bunker, although they had to turn the freezer up on its end to get it down into the bunker. Mitch let it sit for a few hours to allow the refrigerant to settle before plugging it in.
“When do you want to get married?” Bridget asked.
“Whenever you want Honey. Remember, Saoirse wants to come but if she can arrange to get off a couple of days, we could fly up and get her. It’s only about an hour and a half up to Chicago Executive Airport. We could pick her up after class and be back here in no time.”
“I’ll call her and make plans. What about Glen and Michelle?”
“He can get off when he wants.”
So Bridget and Saoirse set the date for the weekend two weeks away. Saoirse’s last class on Friday’s ended at 2;00 and it would take her 45 minutes to get to the airport where Mitch and Bridget would pick her up. She would have to be back Sunday.
Mitch turned his attention to the bunker. He and Bailey measured each room and hallway and drew out the floorplan. It was slightly different from the drawings he’d seen on the internet. The square footage came out about 8,700 square feet. It would easily house a lot of people, but he was going to chop it up into family areas.. After designating storage areas, a recreation area and a kitchen/dining area, he would turn everything else into living areas. The kitchen and dining area was easy. Mitch would just use the one that was already there. The propane lines were already there, and gas came out of them. He assumed they came from the buried tank in the back yard. He would have to install cabinets, sinks and appliances, but that wouldn’t be a problem. There was already a ventilation hood still in place where the stove or stoves had been. Even the grease filter in the hood had been cleaned when they mothballed the place. Since this already was partially equipped, Mitch spent some time in drawing out possible placements of everything and went over them with Bridget and Bailey. They both came up with some changes and he redrew the plan for the kitchen until everyone was satisfied. He could build cabinets but decided to use pre-made ones from one of the big box stores. There was a Home Depot down in Kirksville and a Lowe’s farther away in Chillicothe that he could get the cabinets from but since Kirksville was closer, Mitch and Bridget headed for there. Bridget concerned with the color and style, Mitch with getting what would fit. They didn’t go down prepared to bring anything back, but when Bridget found out about the delivery options, she went ahead and picked out unfinished cabinets and some additional pieces for the dining area. She didn’t think the dining tables were big enough and asked Mitch if he could make a couple twice as long as what they had on hand. It was a rustic farm table and he thought he could do it so he took a lot of pictures with his phone and he started shopping for more. She selected two different sinks, a single bowl and a double bowl drop in. They next went to the paint section and selected paint and paint colors for the cabinets. Mitch picked up two compact detail sanders and sanding sheets, sanding sponges, water-based primer, Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel in Dakota Wheat for the cabinets and Antique Silver for the dining tables and chairs, and paintbrushes. Last, but not least, Bridget selected sixteen unfinished dining chairs.
“Are you expecting a lot of people in the bunker?” Mitch asked.
“Better than not enough. I’d hate to have to eat in shifts.” Bridget replied.
Spending Mitch’s money always made Bridget hungry <grin>, so after Mitch had paid for everything and set up a delivery appointment, they went to Colton’s Steak House & Grill for lunch.
While they were eating Bridget asked, “How far is it from here to home?”
“Oh, about 25 miles.” Mitch replied.
“Well, I think I’d rather drive an extra 15 minutes and do my shopping here than go into Unionville. They have so much more here.” Bridget said.
“There is that.”
When they left the restaurant, they were headed back home when Mitch saw an Orscheln Farm and Home had opened in town and pulled in. They had a sale on lump charcoal so Mitch got four bags of oak and four of mesquite. This place was kind of an upscale Tractor Supply and they took their time browsing around. They had unbelievable sales going on and Mitch picked up three trophy rocks for deer, and a 3-pack of trail cameras. Bridget got a couple of women’s woven snap shirts. They headed home and by the time they had everything unloaded, were able to help Raelene finish dinner preps. They all sat down and ate, cleaned up and watched a little news and a romantic comedy after supper, or at least Bridget and Raelene did. Mitch got out his laptop and was browsing websites until his phone rang. It was Seth.
‘Hey Seth!”
“Sorry to call so late but I just got to the back of the container. WTF?”
“Thought you might need something. ‘Better to have them and not need them’, as they say.”
“Well, I appreciate them. How is everything going in sunny Missouri?”
“Everything is great. Bridget and I are getting married next weekend.”
“That’s great! We are happy for you. We’ll send you a little gift.”
“You don’t have to, but thanks. The wind turbine working out?”
”You wouldn’t believe it. I am the envy of the village. More people are starting to buy small systems under a government program. Nothing near as big as what we have here but power on this side of the country goes out frequently during the winter storms.”
“Well, If you get to needing spare parts or anything, let me know.”
“I will. Well, I just wanted to let you know I’d found your ‘surprises’. Give Bridget our best and you take care.”
“Okay Seth. Talk to you later.”
“Who was that?” Bridget asked.
“Seth. He want to let me know he had finished emptying the shipping container.”
When the delivery truck arrived from Home Depot they unloaded everything in the yard and dismissed the driver, after Mitch gave him a tip. Bridget went and opened the vault door and Mitch began carrying in the smaller things first and setting them on the lift. Bridget went down into the bunker and offloaded everything and set it aside. When he got to the cabinets and bases, Mitch used the furniture trucks and moved everything piece by piece. He told Bridget to just move everything to the side and he’d help move the cabinets to the kitchen area later. When he had everything in, Mitch and Bridget used dollies to move the cabinets into the kitchen, in the order they would be installed and set them well out from the wall to give them working room. Mitch rolled over his tool cart that he had placed everything he would need to install the cabinets. They dry-fitted the cabinets first to make sure the cabinets would fit properly and that doors, drawers, and appliances won’t interfere with one another. Mitch slid the first cabinet into place and checked it with the level. It was good. Whoever built this place definitely took care in squaring the rooms. He used a wood bit to drill the pilot holes for the mounting screws, then using a long punch, tapped a nick in the concrete wall. Using a masonry bit in a hammer drill, he drilled out the pilot holes in the wall for the Tapcon screws. He slid the cabinet forward and secured the screws with a nut driver bit in another drill. They went around and installed all the cabinet bases and kickplates then stopped for lunch.
Bailey stopped by after lunch and they showed him what they had been doing. Bridget took over as supervisor and quality control as Bailey helped Mitch install the upper cabinets. It took them the rest of the afternoon but they got them all installed. Bridget added to the work by asking for a wood ledge on the pass-through between the kitchen and the dining area. Mitch had a 6’ piece of 2x10 clear pine so he rounded the edges and sanded it down. Using countersunk Tapcon screws, Mitch mounted the board on the ledge and filled the countersink holes with plugs cut from the underside of the board. He used a handheld belt sander to grind the plugs down level and finished sanding the ledge with finer sandpaper. Tomorrow, the painting would begin.
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Post by gipsy on Sept 2, 2022 14:56:05 GMT -6
The old honey do list. Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 4, 2022 10:00:13 GMT -6
Chapter 17
The next morning Mitch and Bailey took off all the doors and removed the drawers from the cabinets. Taking the detail sanders, Mitch and Bridget used a coarser sandpaper to sand the fronts of the drawers, cabinet frames and the fronts and backs of the doors. They finished them with a finer sandpaper then wiped everything down with tack cloths. Bridget began applying the primer as Bailey and Mitch moved to the pantry and began painting the bare concrete walls. They mixed together epoxy paint to seal the walls and to cut down on moisture that might seep through the walls. The walls and ceiling were painted white and the floor painted gray. Painting and backing their way out of the room, they soon had the walls and ceiling painted. They would do the floor the next day. After cleaning up, they helped Bridget finish applying the primer. They broke for lunch and Mitch and Bailey sat down to get an estimate of the lumber they would need. Bailey offered to go pick the lumber up and Mitch added four 36” fluorescent light fixtures and a case of bulbs for the pantry. The boxes and wiring were there but no fixtures. They quit for the day and Bailey left with the trailer make a trip to Kirksville Lumber. The primer on the cabinets had to dry before they could sand it in the morning.
They had just finished breakfast when the UPS driver showed up and blew his horn. Mitch went out and signed for the delivery. He opened the box when he got inside and laid the components out of the floor.
“What is this?” Bridget asked.
“A wireless driveway alarm. We’re spending a lot of time in the bunker and we wouldn’t know if anyone drove up or not. This would give us some advanced notice.”
“How will you be able to hear it down in the bunker?”
“The transmitter has a 400 meter range. I can mount the receiver antenna on the side of the cabin and run the coax cable down through the cable channel that the cable from the microwave tower ran through. The receiver sounds a warning and maintains it until a button is pushed or the programmed time is reached and then it will shut itself down.. We’ll be able to hear if anyone comes. We just need to keep the entrance closed in the pantry. Why don’t you start the fine sanding and I’ll get started installing this.”
“Okay.”
Bailey began measuring for the shelves in the pantry so they would fit around the freezer, cut the lumber out in the yard and brought it down. He made certain the shelves could hold considerable weight because a lot of the weight would be the wet weight of cans. Two hours later, after installing the receiver at the foot of the stairs and attaching the cable around the parameter of the battery bank room, Mitch asked Bridget to listen for the alarm while he went out and tested it. The alarm worked perfectly, but Mitch didn’t know that until he went back down into the bunker.
“Can you turn down that sound a little? It is very annoying?” Bridget asked.
“Not right now. We’ll be running saws and such down here.” There are repeaters I can order that we can put up remote speakers but I wanted to see if this would work first. I’ll order them tonight.”
The rest of the day was building shelves, can racks and sanding. The sanding took the longest. They quit for the day and Bailey ate supper with them but they all returned to the bunker to finish the sanding after supper, It only took a couple of hours more. A little touch-up priming was required where the sanding had gone down to bare wood but everything would be ready to paint the next day. They needed to get the cabinet bases painted before he could put the butcher block counter tops on. Also, they wanted to get this portion done before the wedding.
Glen and Michelle arrived Thursday afternoon along with Jerome. Mitch had them park on the pad that once held a building at the base of the microwave tower. It was close enough where Glen and Michelle could eat their meals with Mitch, Bridget, Raelene and Jerome.
“So, you are picking up Saoirse tomorrow after her class?” Glen asked.
“Yes, but how did you know?”
“Saoirse told me. We’ve…uh…been talking.”
“Do you want to ride up with us?”
“No, I’ll stick around here.” Glen replied.
“Can I go?!” Michelle asked.
“That’s up to your Dad.”
Glen smiled. Michelle had really missed Saoirse. “I guess so. She asks about you every time we talk.”
Mitch grinned. “I take it you two talk often?”
“Yeah, a couple of nights a week.”
Raelene called everyone to supper and the talk went to a minimum.
The next day Raelene fixed an early lunch and they took off at 12:30. Mitch gave himself some extra time because occasionally there were delays landing. The flight was only an hour and a half and they were only on the ground long enough to refuel the plane and Saoirse arrived by taxi. Mitch stowed her bag and got everyone back on board and was soon moving on the taxiway and requesting takeoff instructions. An executive jet had just taken off so the tower had him wait a couple of minutes for the vortex to clear. Soon they were in the air heading southwest for the Baker farm.
When they landed, Glen and Michelle were there with his Jeep and while Mitch and Bridget refueled the plane and put it away, Glen ferried Saoirse down to the cabin. Raelene had iced tea waiting on them and Glen, Saoirse and Michelle were sitting on the porch talking when Mitch and Bridget arrived in the Gator.
“How has school been?” Bridget asked Saoirse.
“It’s been grand! I’ve been practicing classical this week. For the advanced portion, they give us different music sheets to play then they’ll switch genres. It has been challenging. Now, tell me about the wedding!”
“It will be a simple ceremony.” Bridget said. “We already have the license and just have to go before the magistrate to be legally married. It will only take a brief period.”
“I wouldn’t want a big wedding either. In Ireland the wedding is more of a big party where too many get into their cups and quite often get out of hand.” Saoirse said.
They went in to have supper and after dessert, Michelle stayed in the kitchen with Raelene making cookies. Glen and Saoirse went for a walk. When they came back, they joined Bridget and Mitch on the porch and listen to a CD of soft music.
“Where are you going on your honeymoon?” Glen asked.
“Bridget wants to go to Nashville.” Mitch replied.
“Oh! I would love to go there. The traditional music is much like Irish music.” Saoirse said.
“Well, maybe you’ll get a chance to spend some time there before you return to Ireland.”
“Perhaps.”
The wedding went off as planned and Raelene even baked a two-tiered wedding cake complete with the little bride and groom. When the wedding party came back from Unionville, Jerome and Raelene had a nice buffet laid out and plenty of non-alcoholic sparkling wine. That afternoon a convoy followed the newlyweds to the hangar and saw them off. Glen would see to Saoirse getting back to Chicago.
Mitch landed at John C. Tune Airport outside of Nashville where they picked up their rental car and checked in at the Placemakr Music Row in the center of the city. They were planning to stay a full week and follow Bridget’s itinerary. There were a lot of places and shows Bridget wanted to see but she wasn’t going to be stringent. They were there to relax and have a good time.
Glen sat in his office looking out the wall of windows over Kansas City. He was antsy. He was no longer satisfied. Oh, the job was great but there was something in him yearning for the trees and hills of northern Missouri. He picked up his phone and called one of the better realtors that catered to the new players coming in to the organization. The receptionist answered and Glen asked for Angie Jeffers.
“Angie, this is Glen Master with the Chiefs.”
“Well hello Glen! How can I help you?”
“I need you to do a property search for me in Putnam County Missouri. I want to know what land is available.”
“Sure Glen. Is here a dollar amount you are aiming for?”
“Not yet. Let’s just see what is available.”
“Okay, very well. I’ll get right on this.”
The first tickets Bridget bought were for the Grand Ole Opry with post-show guided backstage tour. That wasn’t until Tuesday night. The concierge helped guid her to the better venues to listen to live music. Sunday they went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and spent the afternoon there. Much of the time they just walked casually and spent time together. They weren’t interested in the party bus or trolley scene, they just enjoyed their time together. By Thursday, they were pretty much tired of running around and decided to relax beside the pool. Of course, Bridget hadn’t brought swimwear with her so that entailed a little shopping at the Mall at Green Hills. That took quite some time so they had lunch there and came out with a lot more than they went in for. On Friday night they took the General Jackson Showboat Dinner Cruise and the meal and entertainment was the best. Saturday, they really were worn out and finally got their pool time. They only ventured out to go to Paula Deen's Family Kitchen.
They didn’t even attempt to start packing until Sunday morning. Mitch was able to get some packing boxes from the concierge to pack up all the extra things and souvenirs they had bought and finally they checked out and returned to the airport. Mitch had to fold the rear seats out to stack and balance the load. They had less than 200 pounds so he wasn’t really worried. After doing his pre-flights, they were soon in the air and headed for home.
When Mitch got the plane back in the hangar, he wasn’t able to get everything on the Gator so he took the luggage and a few boxes first and they went to the cabin. Raelene was happy to see them back and gladly helped unload the Gator. She helped Bridget unpack while Mitch went back and picked up the rest of the boxes. Mitch left the women to their ooohs and aaahhing over everything and went and got some cold water out of the faucet. He had really missed his cold well water while in Nashville.
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Post by gipsy on Sept 4, 2022 10:51:31 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by freebirde on Sept 4, 2022 11:16:36 GMT -6
They missed out not spending a day inside the Opryland hotel. You tend to feel good there, the O2 levels are higher because of all plants growing there. The river and fish are interesting too.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 5, 2022 22:04:31 GMT -6
Chapter 18
Mitch walked toward the aircraft, his senses assaulted by the smell of wood fires in the air, the aromas of cooking food, and kerosene from the lamps, plus the occasional whiff of sewerage from broken or cracked pipes of the village when suddenly there was a huge explosion.
Mitch bolted up in the bed and wildly looked about. Bridget was startled out of her sleep and asked what was wrong.
“It…it was just a bad dream.” Mitch said.
Mitch looked at the clock radio and saw it was 5:00 AM. Rubbing his eyes, he got up and used the bathroom then pulled on some sweat pants and went into the kitchen to make coffee. Bridget soon followed in a pair of sweat pants and a wifebeater.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. It was just a nightmare, but I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.”
When the coffee perked, Mitch poured a cup for Bridget and himself.
“I think I’ll go down in the bunker and see what to tackle next after we install the appliances, hook up the sinks and lay the tile.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Mitch unlocked the blast door and they went down the stairs. They went to the kitchen and looked around.
“This looks pretty good, even if I do say so myself.” Bridget said.
“Yeah it does, doesn’t it?” Mitch said, opening one of the cabinets. We need to stock the cabinets with disposables; plates, cups, flatware and napkins. I know now what was connected over there. There was a trash compactor there. You could compact a week’s worth of trash down to nothing.”
“I would rather wash dishes than fill the place with stinking trash.”
“We can do both. There’s always going to be trash to store no matter what. We’ve just have to have a plan.”
“Where are you going to put the sleeping quarters?”
“Down this way.” Mitch said, heading down the outer hallway.
“These areas down here are big enough to subdivide into six, two bedroom sleeping areas with baths. It’s close enough to the old latrine that all I’ll have to do is chip up the channels for water and drain pipes.”
“Why so many bedrooms?”
“Might as well use up the space. We’ve got more than enough room for storage, which is something we need to sit down and decide what long term foods we want to get. From what I’ve read it’s senseless to store something you won’t eat and that makes perfectly good sense to me. I’ve got some sample foods coming and we can see what we like. The grains and other staples, we can go ahead and order. I’ve got some websites I want you to go over to get a handle on food storage beyond home canning.”
“What’s down that way?”
“That’s the air handling system. It works so far. I just moved the boxes of filters that were stacked on the lift but I did it hurriedly and need to go back and restack them and get some order back in the room.”
“Well, it looks to me like we need to start building shelves for the storage rooms. We can get the foods ordered and work on the bedrooms between shipments.”
“Okay, after we finish the kitchen area, we’ll verify my previous measurements and lay out how we‘re going to put the shelves in. That way I can get an idea of what lumber we’re going to need.”
They re-measured the kitchen floor and estimated the number of boxes of tile they would need. Bridget made up the list of what they would need to lay the tile. Mitch wanted to get everything at one time and if they got too much they would have it to tile other areas. She was amazed at what all it took from the thinset to a chalk line box. She knew what a chalk line was and put that on the list and two bottles of extra chalk. They would use it later on laying out interior walls. Tile spacers were another thing she got plenty of. As they were doing their calculations and building a list, the driveway alarm went off. Mitch went upstairs and it was Bailey with a trailer load of lumber. “What’s this for?”
“Well, I found one of my old Popular Mechanic’s plans for a eating table with benches and I figured I’d build a couple for the dining area. We’d be able to feed 20 people on two of them.”
“Good project! I’ll help you get everything down.”
Mitch and Bridget helped move the lumber with the lift and soon had everything moved to the dining area.
“Bridget and I are going down to Home Depot to pick up the stuff to tile the kitchen.”
“You might as well tile the dining area too. You know food will get spilled sooner or later and it’s easier to clean tile than concrete.” Bailey said.
“Yeah, I guess so. I’ve got some more figuring to do.”
“Oh, you might want to pick up one of those big shop vacuums. We could keep the sawdust cleaned up easier.”
The dining area was about the same size as the kitchen so they just doubled up on the tile, grout and thinset. Mitch hooked the trailer to the Rover and headed for Kirksville.”
Mitch was glad he had taken a trailer. The tiles, thinset and grout weighed more than he thought they would. By the time they got everything down and stored along the hallway to the kitchen area, it was almost supper time. Bailey had finished one table and was working on another. They would start laying the tile in the morning.
The next day was boring and repetitious. After marking the starting point with the chalk line it was just spreading the thinset, lay a tile, place the spacers and do it again. Late that afternoon he was done. It hadn’t taken as long as he had thought because the tiles were 12”x 24”. He was grateful Bridget had thrown three sets of knee pads in the basket at Home Depot. It was bad enough staying at ground level most of the day.
Angie Jeffers got back to Glen with the plat overlays and topographic maps of Putnam county. She had shaded in the properties that were for sale. Glen did a double take when he recognized some of the terrain and road intersections. ‘What information do you have on the Young property?”
“As indicated, it belongs to the Julian Young family. There is a total of 364.45 acres, all clear deed. It has been in the family for 60 years but they don’t farm it. Most of the cleared land is leased out yearly for hay production by a neighbor. He’s barely breaking even and doesn’t look like they will be leasing this year. Julian Young died in a nursing home three years ago and the owner, his daughter Lilla, lives in St. Louis. She teaches at and elementary school there and doesn’t seem like she will ever leave.”
“What is she asking for it?”
“She was asking $4200 an acre, down from $4500 she was asking a year ago.”
“Why hasn’t the land sold?”
“Well, look at it, it’s out in the middle of nowhere.”
“Okay, put in an offer for $4200. I’m willing to go as high as $5000 in any counter bidding.”
Angie raised her eyebrows. “You sure?”
“Absolutely. That property is right for me.”
“Okay, I’ll send the proposal.”
Glen was grinning when she left.
“Hi!”
“Hi, how are you?” Saoirse asked.
“I’m fine, just the same old same old. How is school going?”
“It’s fine. I’m learning a lot here. Next week will be short because of the holiday.”
“Labor Day?”
“Yes. There are no classes Thursday and Friday.”
“Well, why don’t you come down to Kansas City and we can show you around.”
“Well, thank you for the offer but my budget won’t quite stretch that far.”
“Well, Thursday morning Southwest Airlines flight 2890 leaves O’Hare at 09:00. Pick up your round-trip ticket at the Southwest counter. You’ll be here in Kansas City at 10:39.”
“Glen…”
“Please. Michelle is really looking forward to seeing you again.”
“And her father? Does he feel the same way?”
“Even more so.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you a week Thursday then.”
“I’ve got a surprise when you get here.”
“What is it?”
“If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?”
“Well, I’ll tell you my surprise then. I bought a new guitar for my classes, a Gibson G-45.”
“Then bring it with you and you can provide the music this weekend.”
After supper, Mitch got on the computer and searched for a public warehouse in Des Moines that could hold shipments until he could pick them up. He was beginning to see he would be having a lot of things coming and he didn’t want a constant stream of delivery trucks coming in. It would probably mean buying a box truck for pickups but it was a small price to pay for peace of mind. He found a warehouse and took down the information. He would take a trip to Des Moines after grouting and cleaning the floor.
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Post by gipsy on Sept 6, 2022 5:41:12 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by freebirde on Sept 6, 2022 7:36:09 GMT -6
I know it is satisfying to build wooden shelves, sometimes it is better to go with the pros. www.uline.com/Cls_32/Shelving-Bins-and-StorageHaving a drop point will make deliveries more convenient, it is also good OPSEC. The shelter will need some different carts for moving things. Small shopping carts for moving things from storage to the kitchen. Heavy duty carts for moving guns, ammo, and other heavy and/or bulky items.
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Post by solo on Sept 6, 2022 8:35:28 GMT -6
Not bad, a $1200 guitar. I've never play one with a player's port; I but it make a difference in intonation. I've spent most of my later life, after drums, on the electric side with Gibson and Fender (Telecaster side), but have recently come back to my Accousitic side, though I can't justify that much guitar while daughters are in college or about to start college. My basic Takamine keeps me going.
Great Chapter! Always something for everyone!
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Post by bluefox2 on Sept 6, 2022 18:06:25 GMT -6
I know it is satisfying to build wooden shelves, sometimes it is better to go with the pros. www.uline.com/Cls_32/Shelving-Bins-and-StorageHaving a drop point will make deliveries more convenient, it is also good OPSEC. The shelter will need some different carts for moving things. Small shopping carts for moving things from storage to the kitchen. Heavy duty carts for moving guns, ammo, and other heavy and/or bulky items. Good used pallet racks might also be an option
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 7, 2022 2:01:57 GMT -6
Chapter 19
Again, the knee pads saved their knees cleaning the grout film off the tiles. After hauling more buckets of water than they wanted to count, the floor was finally clean!. He would have to wait a couple of weeks to apply the sealer, but Mitch had plenty of other things to do.
“Let’s go into Des Moines tomorrow. I need to check on warehouse space and we can make a run to Sam’s and start some stocking.” Mitch said.
“Can we take Raelene with us? She will have as good or better handle on what we need to stock.” Asked Bridget.
“Sure, let’s talk to her at dinner. As a matter of fact, why don‘t you bring her down here and show her around. I’ll take Bailey with me to pick up lumber for shelves.”
Mitch hooked the trailer up and headed down to Bailey’s.
“Can you go with me down to Home Depot to pick up lumber for shelving?”
Bailey spit off the edge of the porch.
“Yeah, but that’s going to be a lot of lumber and a lot of work. You know, there’s an industrial supply place in Des Moines that has those shelves like they use in warehouses, and they even have them on casters. You could use them and arrange them like you want, whenever you want. If you build shelves, likely as not, that’s where they are going to stay forever.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Feel like taking a ride into Des Moines in the morning? Bridget and Raelene are going in too.”
“Sure, what time you leavin’?”
“Around 08:00. We can do our shopping and have some lunch up there.”
“All right. I’ll be ready. I’ll see ya in a bit. Biddie called and told me to come to supper.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you then. Don’t want to go agin the wishes of the womenfolk.” Mitch said, grinning and slipping into vernacular speech.
Mitch went back to the house and didn’t see Bridget or Raelene and guessed they were down in the bunker. He got out his drawings with the measurements of the storage rooms and ran of copies on the all-in-one printer to take with them the next day.
The next morning they picked Bailey up at 08:00 and headed to Des Moines. They first went to Sam’s and picked up everything the two women had on their list and Bailey even picked up a few things. They went ahead and headed for the industrial supply store and on the way, Mitch spied a used car lot with a couple of box trucks sitting on the lot. Mitch pulled in and he and Bailey looked at the two trucks. One only had 30,000 miles on it and the other really looked in rough shape, especially the engine. The better looking one was in pretty good shape and even the inside of the box wasn’t all torn to hell. Someone had taken pretty good care of it. Mitch talked to the salesman and got him down a couple of thousand and bought the truck.
“Do you think you can drive this thing back home?” Mitch asked Bailey.
“Sure, but why do you need a box truck?”
“I’ll explain later. Besides, if we pick up any shelving, we don’t have that much room in the trailer. We can probably pick up all the shelving we need in one swoop.”
Bailey led them to the industrial supply company and they all went inside to look at the shelving. Using the drawings of the storage rooms, the salesman helped them pick out the shelving, casters and extra shelves and posts they would need. It was good they had the box truck because they almost filled it with the boxed shelving, along with the shelves, cleaning supplies, bulk packs of tissues, hand sanitizers, soaps and dispensers, and rubber gloves Bridget and Raelene had picked out. Bailey and Raelene took the truck back while Mitch and Bridget continued on to the warehouse to set up an account. One of the guys at the warehouse explained how the system worked. Mitch could have all of his deliveries made to the warehouse and they would contact Mitch by text and email when a delivery was made. He would be charged for the time the delivery stayed in the warehouse, which was pretty reasonable. Mitch set up the account and they were soon headed back to the farm.
The truck was parked next to the house when they got there and Raelene was working on supper. Raelene had Bailey peeling potatoes. He was wanting his portion of the chicken fried steak they were having that night.
The next morning the women began moving the trailer contents in while Mitch and Bailey moved the shelving in to the lift. It took a while because of the bulkiness of the boxes. Once they had them in they easily moved the boxes with a panel truck. They cut the first box open and laid the parts out then began assembling the shelf units. They had been given a free rubber mallet to put the shelves together because their order was over $200 dollars. Bailey talked them into given them an extra mallet because their order was WELL over $200. Anyway, the shelves just slid together, with the help of a few poundings of the mallet. They had to stop and disassemble the partly assembled shelf they were working on because they forgot to put the casters on the first. They didn’t make that mistake again. Some of the units they only put three shelves in (for 5-gallon buckets of food), some with four shelves. They had extra shelves and posts if they wanted to change the configurations later. It took most of the day to fill one of the rooms with shelves and they still had three more rooms to go. This first room would contain food only so they had time for the other rooms as they gathered their stocks.
They began, with Bridget’s supervision, stocking the shelves; the most frequently used things up front toward the doors along with the spices. Bailey and Mitch began construction of the rotating canned food racks for the different size cans they used. They sized them to fit on the three shelf units. While they were working, Bridget ordered the buckets and lids to store the Basmati rice, rolled oats and red and white wheat berries they had ordered in 100 pound sacks. Mitch would have to get the dewar tank of nitrogen to flush the grains before sealing the buckets. Bridget was also thinking months ahead. She was already laying out a plan for her vegetable garden she wanted to plant in the spring. She had read through the articles in the websites that Mitch had been referencing and she was getting into it. Bridget also believed they could live through an crisis, short of an all-out nuclear war. That might be iffy but if they prepared, they could survive. She was going to do her part in preparing. Bridget made out her plans and made her lists.
Michelle finished her homework quickly and the tutor looked over her work. She was satisfied and Michelle was able to go to the airport with her Dad to pick up Saoirse. They both waited nervously at the baggage claim carousel for Saoirse to appear. A large group of arrivals entered the area and Michelle was the first to spot Saoirse. Michelle squealed and hugged her. Saoirse saw Glen and grinned broadly as he walked up. Michelle quickly let Saoirse go and Saoirse stepped up and kissed Glen on the cheek.
“How was your flight?” Glen asked.
“Ya didn’ hafta buy a first class ticket!”
“I wanted to make sure you were well rested when you got here. Michelle has all sorts of plans for you.” Glen said, grinning. “Point out your bag and I’ll grab it.”
Glen retrieved her bag and they walked to short-term parking. When they reached the house, Michelle gladly showed Saoirse to the guest room.
As soon as Saoirse had freshened up, Michelle was dragging the adults out the door for a walking tour downtown. They had lunch at Q39 before they went for an afternoon at the aquarium. Michelle was hyper-active the whole afternoon because Saoirse was there with her and Glen was delighted in the interaction between the two. On the way home Michelle fell asleep in the back seat.
“’Tis good to see ya again.”
“I’m glad you could come. Michelle has really missed you….and me too.”
“Thuh classes in Chicago have been good, but I’ve miss you two also.”
“That’s good…great.”
“So, what was the surprise ya had?”
“We’ll talk later about that.”
When they arrived home, Saoirse gently woke Michelle and helped her into the house. Michelle’s inner energy cranked her motor again and she was off to show Saoirse her room. Glen just grinned and shook his head and went to see what Alice had going for dinner.
“What are you working on?” Mitch asked.
“Planning my garden for next Spring. We need to pick out where to plant it.”
“Well the first place that comes to mind is due west of here across the branch, It’s relatively flat and probably won’t need too many supplements. We can get those pig manure pellets from my cousin to fertilize the garden and let it set over the winter if need be.”
“I’m going to order organic seeds for the garden so we can save the seeds each year.” Bridget said.
“Works for me. I want to see about some fruit trees too.”
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, don’t we?”
“Yes, but it’s for our future.”
The next morning Bailey came over and headed straight for the bunker. When Mitch got down there he cpuld smell the polyurethane Bailey was using to put coats on the dining tables and benches. He had stained the pine a walnut stain and they were looking good. Mitch turned the air exchange blowers up a couple of notches to clear the fumes.
“They are looking good Bailey.”
“I think they’ll be enough to feed everyone, or even hold meetings at. What’s the next project on your list?”
“Well, I want to start on the sleeping areas but I’ve got to do the bathrooms first. I’m going have to cut channels in the concrete to run the plumbing and that’s going to take some time. It also means another trip to Home Depot to get the concrete saw, blades and the plumbing fixtures.”
“Let me finish this coat and I’ll go with you.”
“I’m going to go fuel the box truck and do some estimations.”
“I’ll be up in a bit.”
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Post by gipsy on Sept 7, 2022 7:25:30 GMT -6
Do you mean heirloom instead of organic seeds? Organic is how it is grown, while heirloom means the seeds will reproduce correctly. Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 7, 2022 10:42:13 GMT -6
Do you mean heirloom instead of organic seeds? Organic is how it is grown, while heirloom means the seeds will reproduce correctly. Thanks for the update . She's a neophyte. She'll catch on...
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