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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 3, 2023 3:57:46 GMT -6
Post #18 Connecting the Dots
Pete and Joann had spent the second night of their honeymoon in a tent in the forest. When they woke the next morning, they were both refreshed by the peaceful and beautiful setting surrounding them. Rays of sunshine were threading their way through the narrow gaps created by the array of trees to the east. They had packed a cooler and a box of cooking supplies before leaving Beaver Creek on the first day of their honeymoon. They quickly set to work building a fire, brewing coffee, and filling one cast iron skillet with the makings of a breakfast fry and another small one with some biscuit dough. As they worked together Pete was amused at himself. He had been cooking only for himself for a number of years, now. Yet this morning he and his new bride were cooking effortlessly as a coordinated team. The conversation they were having required almost no discussion of what they were fixing. It didn't seem to even mention who was doing what to coordinate their tasks, either. The only challenge to the process, it seemed, was keeping Pete from losing track of the fact that he was actually helping fix breakfast rather than simply gazing constantly at his amazing and beautiful new wife. “You weren't exaggerating in the least when you said I would just have to get use to you staring at me for a long, long time, were you Mr. Smith?” Joan barely hid her smile as she sat down on a fallen log when their breakfast was ready. “Have I told you this morning how beautiful you are and what a fine wife you are, Mrs. Smith?” “Not in the last three or four minutes. Maybe you better tell me again, so I won't think you're staring at me because something is wrong.” Now Joann ducked her head in embarrassment. She was trying to make a joke, but she was really struggling to believe this man was really her husband and seemed to be genuinely in love with her. “After breakfast I would like to talk about a few options and possible compromises as we are getting started. I'm also thinking our time considerations are going to push us to get a little bit of discrete help. I think we should plan for being able to function without any outside utilities or supplies, eventually. It will take a little time, however, to get to that point, so some temporary compromises may be in order.” “Okay, so what specifically are you suggesting, Pete?” “I think we need help drilling a modest well. I have some ideas regarding water supply for the long term, but a water supply while getting things set up is going to be a huge help in a lot of practical ways. The second item is that we need a generator To help us transition to a fully self sustained operation. The third Item we need is a pole barn. I want a decent floor, but I don't want to get a cement truck out here to do a big pour. I'm thinking a cinder block floor with hand mixed concrete to fill and smooth the surface. The pole barn is kind of an insurance policy against things happening faster than expected, before we can get a real house built. I don't know exactly when Rob and his crew are going to show up. I don't know how exactly they will be outfitted. I don't know what supply lines will be disrupted unexpectedly. Our taking care of these three things will help us tremendously in adapting to whatever happens.” Joann being a no nonsense pragmatist was agreeable to getting after those three options immediately. They both climbed into Pete's truck and headed toward Harrington, a town larger than Clear Creek and somewhat closer, too. They found a farm store there and Pete asked an older employee if he knew of a well digger in town. Long story short, Pete arranged to lead the long time well digger to the approximate well site the next morning and negotiated a price range, depending on the depth required, to be paid in cash to the digger. Pete and Joann then then went back to the Farm Store and selected a gasoline powered generator and paid cash for that. They found a lumber yard in town and bought some boards to make forms for the barn foundation along with a load of #3 rebar and rebar cradles. They returned to their site and continued their honeymoon by marking off the location of the Barn floor and clearing the under story trees that were within that space. Even considering the small size of those trees the job of clearing the space completely was hard work. The sun was still up when Pete and Joann called it a day and stopped to put supper together. While they were eating they boiled some water from one of the tiny streams running down the hill. After the water had cooled they cleaned up from the day making sure neither of them had picked up any hitchhiking ticks during the day. They were cautious about netting to be sure they kept any mosquitoes out of their tent, but they had been surprised so far at seeing none of those pesky critters on their property here. The next morning Joann stayed at the sight while Pete went to meet the well digger. He had explained to the old man, when they met on the previous day, that the site was some distance off even an unpaved road. Pete had also mentioned that he didn't want to draw any unwelcome attention to the location. “I'll make a deal with ya, mister. If ya promise not tuh lead me under no low hangin' branches and tuh settle up with me in cash when I git back tuh town, I'll just keep my eyes glued tuh your back bumper going to 'n from wherever yuh want tuh take me. Then, I'll jist furgit I ever seen yur back bumper once I pocket my pay.” When Pete and the digger arrived back at the site, the old man looked around at the terrain. “This here's a' easy spot fur a well. I kin bring it in jist 'bout anywheres in dis area. Have yuh thought whur yuh gunna put things so's tuh know whur thuh well goes? Think hard and sure 'bout whur yur critters are gunna to be doin' their “Ps” so's they don't contaminate thuh well water. Don't furgit how you folks are gunna git rid of yur own “Ps”, too.” Pete explained their rough plans and where they hoped to put the well. The old man nodded and said, “Nice tuh know there's still some folks still around thet still have uh clue. You folks go on doin' whatcha need tuh do, 'nd I'll letcha know when I'm done.” Pete and Joann went back to the hard work of clearing, leveling, and smoothing the ground where they wanted the pole barn. It was hot work and they were both grateful for the shade of the trees. Pete would occasionally stop to look over to whe the well digger was working. He wasn't moving all that fast, but he was steady and efficient. It was late afternoon when the old man began walking over toward Pete. “Mister, I'm done. I only had tuh go 'bout seventy foot down, 'n only wint thet fur 'cause I din't want the ground seep tuh git in it. I lined the hole with steel pipe 'til I got down tuh thuh fill space. “It's up tuh you how yuh want tuh pump it out. I recommend gittin' a barrel full 'o sand and charcoal tuh filter yur drinkin' water. You kin clean thet out once or twice a year if yuh ain't too lazy. You ready tuh lead me home?” When Pete got the digger back home he settled the bill in cash as they had agreed. Before he left the old man. He left him with a friendly warning about the serious troubles ahead that the Good Book explained to those with the patience and desire to learn about it. Pete suggested he think hard about that, and promised he'd be back through town again before long. “When I come back through I'll check in on you, and if your interested I'd be glad to talk more with you and let you read for yourself what the Bible has to say about that. If not, I'm still grateful for the help you provided.” “Thank yuh, mister. You do that 'n I'll give it some thought.” Before he left town He stopped at the farm supply store and bought, with cash, some simple pumping equipment so he could pull the water from his new well. He decided that he would go to a different town to get a barrel and sand, since he was going to need a lot of sand for his pole barn project.
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“Okay, Carl. I'm here and I will listen to you seriously, but I need to say something first. I know there are a lot of changes about to take place and every one of us in our families are wrestling with a whole lot of turmoil. I just want you to know you are my best friend and have been for a long time. Whatever is troubling you, that's okay. I'm still your friend no matter what happens. Tell me whatever you need to tell me about, but our friendship is not going to be threatened, and it sure isn't going to fade away, either, Okay?” Carl was sitting there with his hands flat on the table facing Colleen. He just stared open mouthed for a minute. “Okay. Colleen. Yes. Okay. Thank you for saying that. That's important to me.” Carl was trying to be steady and calm. “Colleen we have been friends since we first moved here. Your family and mine moved in at about the same time just before the two of us started first grade. It's hard for me to remember much of anything before we were neighbors. Even as young as our parents still see us, you and I have been neighbors – friends – most of our lives. So, Yes, that is good and I have no intention of letting that fade away.” Colleen suddenly closed her eyes and sighed as her shoulders slumped. “Good. There is so much changing. Everything is changing. You have no idea how much it has helped having you as a friend through all this mess. Thank you Carl. I...I'm sorry. You wanted to talk seriously with me about something and I have been... never mind. I'm here for you, now. Go ahead. Please, Carl. What is it you need to talk about? ” Carl took a deep breath. “That. That is what I need to talk about.” “What? My interrupting? My needing you for a friend too much? My thinking too much about myself instead of what's troubling you?” Colleen was obviously still anxious and confused. She was still trying to clear her head and disconnect from her focus on her own worries and shift to what Carl was concerned about. When he pointed her back to her anxieties as what he wanted to talk about in the first place she was failing to connect the dots. “Colleen, take another breath. It's okay. I already knew you need our friendship. That's not the problem. Please, just listen for a minute. I need to tell you about some things I've been keeping to myself that I think you need to understand. Do you remember the other night when I was messing with you about my Grandpa's ideas. You were doing great until you realized he was inviting my family to move away? Remember later when I brought you inside, while my Dad and Grandpa were on the phone, to tell you that what you were fearing the most was not going to be a problem. You tried to trust me then, but obviously you are still afraid now. This is me talking more about that fear with you like I told you then that I would.” “Remember back when I changed my direction in school and stopped chasing after recognition in sports? There were things about that decision I told you about, but there were other things about that decision, which I talked about with my Dad, that I didn't share with you. You were listening to what I did tell you, and you decided there were good things about that decision that you wanted, too. Then my decision and yours, took on a life of their own and I didn't have to tell anyone, including you and my Dad, more about what I was thinking, because everyone that mattered to me was encouraging me about my decision being a good one. So I kept some of the big reasons behind that decision to myself. One of the big reasons I did not share with you was this. I was pursuing football so hard because I wanted win the attention of a trophy girl to be my girlfriend. Fortunately, my dad helped me see that I was going down the wrong path, pursuing the wrong kind of prize. I didn't need to be trying to impress girls so I can win a trophy wife. If I had caught a girl that way she would probably be looking at me as trophy husband in return. We'd turn out to be two pieces of eye candy or a wow couple stuck together to impress other people with a fancy appearance but no real strength in our relationship. Our relationship would get stuck in focusing on what other people saw and what they thought, rather than being about building a strong relationship between us.” “When I thought hard about that, I realized what I really wanted was to earn the respect and love of a priceless treasure of a woman. What was really important to me was to find a woman with whom I could work to build a real family, like my parents and your parents and even my Grandpa did. To do that I need to become the kind of man that a treasure of a wife would think well of, respect, and love for how I lived my life and how I demonstrated my love for her and our children. That was what I really wanted. Do you remember a couple of days ago when you asked me about my vision, or as I put it my fantasy, about living in the woods? I shared with you a only a few details about that. I could see at the time that you really wanted me to tell you more, but I wouldn't. Of course, I saw that you were holding something back on that subject, too.” Colleen was looking intently with visible tension at Carl, now. “Here is the truth about that image in my head, Colleen. In my head I was really imagining building a house myself and living in it. Not a fancy house but a sturdy and comfortable house. I would not be building it for someone else to live in like I do at my job. I would be building it for me and my family to live in; I mean really LIVE in. Not a house for me and my parents, but for me and MY family to live in. I want us as a family to make a home and raise our own food, and teach our children about living a good and satisfying life in a loving family. The problem is that I know I am too young right now to start a family of my own. I'm not some silly arrogant teen aged boy that fancies himself a grown man already. I know I'm still a teenager, but someday I will be a grown man, and what is important about being a grown man to me is that I will make a family that is mine to love and care for like I have learned about from my parents and my Grandpa. That's why I made that change of direction about school. If I am going to do that right, making a life for my family, then I need to make it right for my wife as well as for me. It's not just having a wife that loves me. It is is important that she knows without any doubt that I love her. Colleen, I am not that man yet, but I intend to keep working at it until I am.” Colleen was looking a bit overwhelmed, but watching Carl intently as he poured out his hopes and dreams to her. “There's more. With all this serious stuff hitting the fan around us, there are going to be lots of opportunities for me to mess it up and fall on my face. When I do, and I know I will at times, then like my Grandpa's guide book says, again and again, I will need to ask for a strong right hand from my Creator to help me get up. Then I will keep trying to stay on the right path. I have to gain more experience and strength and get to a place where I can take care of my wife and family, with her help and our Creator's help, before I am ready to be a real husband.” “Now here is the part I didn't tell my Dad about my decision, and I didn't tell you either. I told my Dad I was trying so hard in football because I thought it was the only way to get a trophy girlfriend to notice me. Then I changed my attitude and decided that what I really wanted and needed was a fine woman to share my life with and build a family with. Ironically I have discovered that for me they were actually the same person, Colleen. That trophy girlfriend I wanted to impress and that priceless treasure of a woman I was looking for were both you, Colleen. The problem, as I said, is that I am not yet able to be the kind of husband that I want to be for you. Wanting doesn't make it so. I have to work at it and grow into it. So, I can't ask to marry you, YET. But, I want you to know that is what I will do as soon as I am able.” “Right now, I am starting to see that you are going to be on board for this, too. I can see it in your eyes right now. So... I hope this also helps you to be less anxious about the possibility of us being separated by our families going different directions. Unless you badly surprise me and choose that for yourself, I will not stand by and let anyone else decide that for us. I am committed to you, Colleen” Colleen's eyes were welling up as Carl gently reached over to hold her hands across the table.” “So, Carl,” she said softly. “If this isn't a marriage proposal, then we're not engaged, but with all that you've said I don't think boyfriend and girlfriend quite covers it. So, what do we call this? By the way," she paused to compose herself just a bit. "When I was holding back from telling you what I was envisioning, I was embarrassed that in my mind I was imagining you and I were raising a family there at that cabin, too. That just seemed a little too presumptuous for me to tell you at that point. ” “Colleen, You can call it whatever you want to call it. I'm going to call it Love. I love you, Colleen.” Now she began openly weeping, but she was holding both of his hand tight across the table. Linda and Jenny who were in the kitchen inside noticed through the window something unusual about Colleen's demeanor and posture as Carl's back was toward them. They both came outside to find her weeping as Carl held her hands in his. “Colleen, sweet girl, what is wrong? What can we do to help?” Linda was by her side with an arm around her shoulder. “Is the stress of all this turmoil just getting to you? It's going to be okay, sweet girl. You just hang on. We'll get through this. You'll see.” “It's okay, Mom. Everything is okay. There's just been so much going on and so many changes. It was just all building up. Carl was helping set me at ease. He told me...” Colleen was catching her breath as the tears of emotion were flooding down her face. “I told her that I love her, Mrs. Cooper. I thought with so many uncertainties pressing in right now I needed to state that clearly rather than leaving her to ponder and wonder and worry. We've been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. But, it was never stated, you know? It needed to be said, so I said it plain out. I am committed to her. So I hope I made that truth crystal clear.” Both mothers were stunned, then started hugging their nearly adult children. Both had seen the changes in Carl over the last two years and neither had any doubt about his seriousness or sincerity. Soon all three women were weeping as the tension of the last couple of years finally found a positive outlet. Over the next couple of hours the two mothers, without being too obvious, were grilling their offspring. They managed to draw out of both Colleen and Carl what was going on in their thinking and feelings. By the time their husbands were getting home the two Moms had a confident grasp of this new stage in Carl and Colleen's relationship. Anticipating some very interesting conversations with their husbands, Jenny and Linda exchanged knowing glances. Jenny spoke first to set the tone for the evening. “Colleen, you and Carl are handling some powerful feelings and thoughts right now, and we want to support you in this, but we don't want to crowd you, either. Let me ask, would you two like some time over dinner to talk with each other, just the two of you for now, or would you rather have dinner, with all six of us together to lend you some support?” “Mrs. Smith, you and Mom have been so supportive already and we really appreciate that. This has been really sudden and intense though, and I need a little time for just Carl and me to start sorting through this.” She subtly giggled. “Carl and I don't do too bad about helping each other process things without feeling pressure from each other. I guess that's a good thing under the circumstances, isn't it?” She smiled looking at Carl. “Yes, my precious daughter.” Linda smiled. “I have to agree. That is a very good thing.”
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Post by gipsy on Jun 3, 2023 9:17:46 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 9, 2023 12:18:30 GMT -6
Post #19 Gang Aft Agley
After clearing, raking, leveling, and carefully marking the plot for the pole barn, Pete sat down with Joann to calculate how many cinder blocks and how much cement it would take to make a decent floor for the Pole Barn. They thinking that a barn or shed that would be about twenty-five by forty feet would be a good starting point . That would mean a floor space of 1000 square feet. They thought that would be more than enough room for worst case if Rob and his crew all had to shelter together until better accommodations could be arranged, Pete then calculated the size of the standard cinder block laying on its side with concrete or mortar filling the gaps. HE realized he had under-guestimated the number of square inches for the side of a cinder block. To lay them out on their sides and fill with concrete was going to take over 1,100 cinder blocks. That meant he was going to need to make about twenty trips, fully loaded in his little truck, to get enough cinder blocks for the floor. After that it would take at least six full loads to get enough bags of concrete mix to finish the job. “Pete, I know it would make it easier to move our stuff here quickly if we had a barn, but maybe we need to think a little more before we push ahead with that strategy.” “You're right, my love. Right now I'm feeling like that example in the Bible about the man who started building a tower before counting the cost, and ended up with a foundation, empty pockets, and no tower. I haven't even priced the materials recently. My estimate based on what I remember the costs to be might be significantly off, considering how many supply chain disruptions there have been in the last couple of years.” “I tell you what, Joann. How about we go back to Beaver Creek this morning and check on the chickens. I know we set them up so they would have plenty of feed and flowing water for a few days, but it won't hurt to check on them. While we are there, we can run over to Clear Creek and do some online research at the library. We can shop for current best prices and research a bit about alternative materials for constructing a home or a barn. I read about this method for building an inexpensive foundation a few years ago and the streaming video made it look simple. Maybe I need to dig a little deeper.” As they started to break camp, Joann said, “Stop. Wait a minute. Pete, This is our home; our new home. Beaver creek is our old home. We may have a more solid structure at our old home than we do here,but this is our home now. I don’t want to pack up and take our tent and things with us. I want to come back to it. We need to carry our food until we have something more secure, of course. Is that crazy, or does it make sense to you?” “Oh, I don’t know, Joann. I guess it is a bit crazy, but like you said, I need someone crazy as I am to make this work.” After checking the chickens and collecting most of the eggs (Joann was pretty sure she could tell the ones that were fresher and left those that had been laid the first day they had been gone) They drove on over to Clear Creek and hit the library. When Pete started checking prices he was stunned. The prices for cinder blocks had almost tripled from their price three years ago and bagged cement had doubled. COnstruction materials in general had taken a major jump in price since the virus hit. He very quietly explained to his new bride what he had discovered and his concerns about going forward along this path. Pete also found that poured cement was considerably less expensive than bag mix, but that was something he wanted to avoid or at worst to do very carefully like he had managed with the well digger who had a relatively light rig, no crew, and a well controlled tongue. He certainly did not want a cement crew coming to their new home over and over as different phases of their construction were readied. He was also concerned about the weight of a loaded cement mixer truck driving across their land and compressing the roots of trees. He remembered one new housing development that he and his late wife had moved into years ago.It had been very attractive because the developer had placed the new houses nestled in among previously existing trees. About two to four years later most of those trees all through the development were dying or already dead. An arborist had explained to him how the foundation work in that area often cut into large tree roots. Also the tremendous pressure of a fully loaded cement truck was enough to damage tree roots hidden several feet deep in the ground. - - - - -
“Well, Carl, I have to hand it to you. You have a real talent for throwing the unexpected out there to stir up how other people are looking at things. FIrst you gave up the idea of being the superstar of the football team and totally changing how our families looked at High School. I’m pretty sure you had an unexpected influence on both your parents and mine in how they were considering what your Grandpa was recommending.And then came the great reveal about how you … how you love me. Our parents are still working on how to deal with that. It’s like they are sure it is a huge factor in all the plans they are making, but they are not quite sure how to factor it in.” Colleen was highly amused like she was struggling not to laugh out loud. Carl was curiously amused at Colleen’s assessment, but was most amused at her deflection.”So, how are YOU doing with the way I stirred the soup?” “Okay mister inquisitive. I was actually fishing for how you are doing with this new pot of soup, and the way everyone is wrestling with it. You know without asking, Carl, that I am so relieved, happy, excited, comforted, encouraged, elated, confident, and I… I love you too, Carl. You know that, and you knew that already. I don't have to tell you how awesome and amazing that feels, because you feel it too. As for how I am doing with how our parents are dealing with it, I’m a lot like you, I think. I know we have to give them time and room to absorb this. They have thought of us as their babies for so long even as they have seen us grow and change. They just weren’t looking ahead to our being a couple in love. They need time to wrap their heads around that while they are trying to wrap their heads around everything else. We have it a bit easier than they do with that. We've been wrapping our heads around how we feel about each other for twelve years already.” “There are going to be some awkward adjustments ahead, though. I went with my parents as they were shopping for travel trailer rigs.” Colleen was shaking her head slowly back and forth. “Mom was so positive about one fancy model with all kinds of pop out sections to make more room. I wasn’t worried so much about the space as I was about the whole thing being all one big multipurpose room. That would be fine for them, but I’ll have to live in it with them like a third wheel. There was a king size bed for them at one end and a full size bed for me at the other end. It never occurred to her or to Daddy that no matter where I was in the trailer, even at the far end laying in bed, I would be able to clearly see and hear my parents in their bed! I don’t think it occurred to them that this is an arrangement they expect to be living with for months, not days.!” Colleen's eyes were open wide as in shocked disbelief. “I’m not totally naive. I know how I got here. But at least in a house there are walls and more than one door separating my bedroom from my parent’s. I also get why you and I are both being very, very, very careful not to get physical in showing our affection for each other, yet.” She winked at Carl. Carl smiled at her for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking up toward the ceiling. “I had not even thought about that aspect of living in a travel trailer. I was envisioning something like a non-roughing-it camping arrangement. You’re right. The whole situation changes when you think about that living arrangement taking months to change. I mean – well, you know what I mean. I’ll have to give that some thought, but I’m not sure we can do much to change that until after we get to the forest.” “Right now we need to be focusing on our immediate needs. Have you sorted through your clothes yet? We are so accustomed to living in town and staying inside for air conditioning in summer and heat in the winter. Please don’t take offense, I really like the clothes you wear, but I’m wondering if that is one area where we can cut down on what we are packing for this ‘vacation’.” Colleen smiled for just a moment. “I’m glad you like my clothes, Carl but yes I have thought about that. I think we all ought to give a lot of our clothes away to the community services store. There are way more families having to tighten their belts than the news media are talking about. I need to talk with our Mom’s about doing that. I just wonder how much talking it’s going to take with my mom about getting rid of some of her clothes.. Speaking of clothes, I don’t know what it will be like in this forest, but the idea of mosquitos, chiggers, and ticks being battled by coating ourselves with massive doses of bug repellant just doesn’t seem like the best approach. I need to do some research on that issue.” Carl just gazed at Colleen for a few moments. “Colleen, you are amazing. It's little wonder I love you so much. I love the way you think. Actually, I love the fact that you are so pretty, yet you really do think and work at things instead of getting by on your good looks alone. You are a treasure, Colleen” - - - - -
Pete persuaded Joann that they needed a break from the library. It was mid-afternoon and they hadn’t eaten lunch yet. “Joann, I’ve been doing some hard thinking and some calculating. I’m going to need your feedback from a practical standpoint as well as from your biology background on this issue. I think we both ought to spend some time praying about it and then just let those prayers steep a while before we try rushing into thinking we have an answer. Does that make sense to you , Joann?” “Not a lick of sense, yet, Pete. How am I supposed to pray about something when I don’t even know what it is you want me to be praying about?” “Well, it’s complicated, but the sum of it is that we need to pray for some guidance and insight about how we are going to build this new home. We have a lot of ideas and dreams, but the practical steps and methods we take to get a home built can be riddled with missteps. Like that idea I had about a pole barn and how to build the floor. It sounded really good as a first step, and we dove right into it. But, when we got further in, the details turned out to be far more expensive and difficult than we thought. Suddenly it didn’t sound like such a good idea for a first step. Right now I’ve got a lot of ideas that sound pretty good, but I don’t want to waste time and effort going down the wrong path again.” “Okay, Pete. Now you are making perfect sense. Why don’t we take this a step at a time. We have two or three projects just getting started. Maybe we need to focus on just one, or maybe two at the most, while we think, talk, and pray about the best next step. I don't mind camping out in a tent for a while longer, especially if I get to share it with you. How does that sound?” “Okay, darlin’. Actually, I would like to get things set up so we have a good water supply before we work on other things. I have thought all along that should be the first major step. Having that in place supports our ability to work on everything else. I know what we need to get a filter system set up and get the pumping process set up. Let’s get some lunch. Then we can get the supplies we need to finish setting up for pumping the water and cleaning our drinking water. Then we can head back home and get that going while we talk some more about what should come next.” It was early evening before Joann and Pete got back to their new home. The back of the little pickup was full of sand, gravel, salt, barrels, piping, a small generator, filled gasoline cans, charcoal, and more. Joann offered to start preparing something to eat while Pete unloaded the truck and got the supplies and parts all sorted out. Pete had located a spot uphill just a short way from where they planned to put the house and started digging out a place for the main water barrel and the filter barrel to be placed so the temperature of the water would not fluctuate too much with the changing season. Later he planned to put the filtering barrel inside the house but for now it made sense for it to be near the main reservoir barrel. Joan had supper ready before Pet had finished excavating the spot. His plan was to have a spot dug deep enough for the barrels to be below ground on three sides. The fourth side would be accessible for pipe fittings and spigots. By the time they needed to clean out the filter barrel, he hoped to be replacing it with one inside their house. It took a couple of days to finish setting up the pump, the main reservoir, the drinking water filter, and all the plumbing. After that they were heading back to their old house to check on the chickens again. During that drive they had a stretch of time for talking. “Pete, I’ve been praying a lot about where we go for the next steps and I have to admit, I’ve had a real carnival ride of thoughts and ideas going through my head. I can’t say I have any clarity, yet, about what path to take in getting our home set up. There are only two things I feel comfortable about doing next. I want to get our chickens set up here. and I want to start getting a garden set up here like we talked about for the chickens and for growing our food.” “Joann, I have to admit those priorities are fundamental. Now that we have water, we need to make sure we have food. Can’t argue with that. You still going to be okay for a while longer living in a tent?” “I figure if Abraham and all his decendants could do it for several generations after leaving Ur, then we ought to be able to do it for a bit longer, especially when we have each other to make it a happy time together. You don’t mind that, do you, Peter?” “No, my love. I can’t complain at all about you being here with me. I was concerned about a place to put all our stuff in case things get really bad sooner than we expect. If worse comes to worst I guess you and me, water, food, and a bit of shelter really are the essentials aren’t they. As for the extras We’ll figure it out somehow..” Pete and Joann got back to Beaver Creek and tended to the chickens and their neglected garden. Late in the afternoon they went to the farm store where Pete had worked before. While Pete was selecting some basic fencing supplies, Joann was busy checking out the remaining seeds and seasonal sale items for summer. Mostly she focused on garden supplies that might be discounted, but in a small rural town there weren’t so many on sale in June as you might find in a large city. The summer crop vegetable seeds, however, were on sale and Joann took advantage of that. Pete was also catching a sale on fencing supplies, which he thought was rather unusual. When he talked to Harry about that He learned something unexpected. “Pete, you were always a straight shooter with me and a worker who gave me more than my money’s worth as an employee. I can see you are doing much more than simply getting married to your landlord.” Harry grinned at Pete. “Your honeymoon is going to be a very long break from your routines and you aren’t planning to come back to work here, are you?” “No, I’m not, Harry. I appreciate the job you gave me over the last couple of years, but I need to change directions now.” “I kind of saw this coming. I wish you two the best going forward. You are a pretty clever guy, in addition to being a hard and efficient worker. I’m going to be straight with you, too, but I’d rather you not spread this around. I’ve learned over the years some odd things about keeping the customers happy. When you have two batches of a product and they look exactly alike, but they aren’t, and you have different prices on what appears to be exactly the same thing… Well, the customers get really irritated and feel there is something hinkey going on. Even if you explain and explain that the pricing from the supplier has changed, it is the store manager or owner that they feel uncomfortable about the price going up. They also have this suspicion that there is something more they don’t know. It's hard for them to focus their frustration and suspicions on someone they’ve never seen. My fencing supplier has told me they cannot ship any more fencing for a few months until they get things arranged with a new manufacturer who is going to use different alloys in their materials. Of course these materials from the ‘new’ manufacturer are going to cost more, and I have to pass those costs on to my customers to stay in business. So I’m trying to clear the decks so the customers won’t be so keen on comparing this roll of fence to that roll of fence or this post to that post.” Pete looked at Harry wondering why his old boss was offering him so much information, then it dawned on him. Harry was telling Pete to get as much as he might need for a while or could afford right now, because the price is going to jump and the materials may not be the same quality since both the posts and the wire were going to be being made with ‘different alloys’, not better alloys. When everything was loaded in the truck, the back end was very full. As they headed back home Pete asked Joann, “That’s a lot more seeds than we have been using in our gardens the past two years. Also I’m curious about those two faded heavy boxes in the back of the truck. What are they and what is your thinking on all that, Darlin’?” “It's more a feeling than thinking I guess, but… WIth your son and his group coming before long, I’, thinking they won’t be bringing seeds to plant and it may be getting really late in the season for planting when they do get here. Then too, I just have a feeling that the price of everything is going to rise faster than we think. There may even be shortages if we are getting into those times the Bible is talking about like we think. Besides, with the sale prices, they didn’t cost much more than we have been spending on seeds every year. As for those boxes they were very old stock that Harry hadn’t been able to sell for several years. They are those heavy duty old school pressure canners that do not use any gaskets. It seems like these days the only pressure canners that were selling were much cheaper and had all kinds of electronic timers and displays. So Harry had put a deep discount on the price for the old school canners he couldn’t sell. I thought that with more mouths to feed and trouble ahead, we really need to be able to put away a lot more food in reserve. Now, it’s your turn, if I’m not mistaken you have way more fencing than we were using before for our chickens, and we can pull up that fencing we are already using for them and reuse it at our new home. I trust you, Pete, but I would like to hear what’s going on there, too. Is there something you’ve been thinking about that you haven’t told me, or did you learn something new that we haven’t talked about yet?” Pete kept facing forward with his eyes on the road as he negotiated a turn onto a narrow two lane state highway. “Yep.” Joann looked at him waiting for him to continue, which he didn’t do. Finally she gently reached over outside of his peripheral vision and gave him a poke in his ribs with her index finger. “You, dingle head. I know you better than that. You are not fooling me one little bit. Go ahead and tell me.” “I thought you just said you trust me!” he stated with exaggerated feigned shock. “What more do you need to know, sweet wife?” Pete could not keep a straight face now and was chuckling. “Okay, my love. You are right. I like to play with you, from time to time.” Pete half smirked at that double entendre. “Yes there were things tumbling around in my head, too. But they were too cloudy and vapor-like to explain yet. Then I got some new information that seemed to help them congeel. Harry carefully and generously informed me that he was trying to clear out his current stock of fencing materials at a discount. Long story short, the next and subsequent batches of fencing materials he receives, which he knows already will be delayed for a time before they are even available, are going to be more expensive and likely of poorer quality. I put that together with the same thinking you had about more people coming soon and getting ready to feed more mouths. We may need to build more chicken yards and protected garden spaces than we have been using. We also may need to manage more than just chickens for our livestock to support more people. So we have several paths pointing to a need for more fencing than we have already discussed. It just made sense to take advantage of the better fencing at a lower price while we could still get it. “Well isn’t that interesting. We have started praying for guidance on which way to go and what our priorities need to be. Maybe our Creator is helping us see just a little at a time, the very guidance we are asking for.”
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Post by texican on Jun 9, 2023 17:42:53 GMT -6
pbb.
Buy now while it is available and before the costs go up and up. Kind of like today's world.
Texican....
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 14, 2023 9:44:49 GMT -6
Post #20 Back To The Future?
Rob and Jenny had been working hard to get ready for their “vacation”. There were so many details to attend to, and Rob was still working full time at his job. Rob had found a used travel trailer that he and Jenny agreed would suffice until they could build something. They had agreed on the strategy of getting by with investing as little money as possible in the temporary travel rig so they would have more money left to put into the land and getting a better permanent set up there. They had talked a lot about the troubles that might be coming and possibilities for dealing with the challenges. Rob kept repeating the mantra “prepare for the worst, but hope for the best”. They had wrestled with what Rob’s Dad had written about his expectations. They had also pondered the things Bruce had said, and put all that in the context of the turmoil they had already seen in the government and society here and in other countries as well. Rob was inclined to think Bruce might be underestimating the scope of what they might be dealing with before long. Bruce seemed to be focused on keeping the government out of the business of saying what he could and couldn’t do with the resources he had accumulated. Rob was thinking in terms of the trouble that might come to his family from the government trying to control the resources of everyone else as well. “Jenny, this is really hard, but I think we have to be mentally and emotionally prepared for not being able to come back and straighten out any loose ends once we leave for our vacation. Even the instructions we leave for the attorney; we hope those will work out, but there are no guarantees.” Rob’s brow was furrowed more than usual even for when he was thinking hard. “Rob, I know Bruce is putting a lot of stock in the attorney getting everything done in our absence, but I’m wondering what surprises are coming that we haven’t a clue about yet. Be straight with me, Rob. Are you a bit concerned about our house getting sold after ‘we go on vacation’?” “I hope not, Jenny, but yes that is a concern. We were putting so much into paying off the mortgage, which seemed like a good strategy, but now so much of our savings is tied up in the house that we are leaving. If it doesn’t sell soon or the money we get from selling it somehow gets tied up with regulations and financial changes… things could get tight. ‘Plan for the worst…’.” “How bad is it, if, for example, we get nothing we can keep from selling our house?” “This is just a guess at this point, but if that happened we could get to Dad’s place and have some money for about a year of food and other essential supplies. As for buying any land or building materials for building our own house; I don't see how we could come close to doing that. We haven’t begun trying to negotiate for any piece of land, since we don’t have a firm grasp of how much money we will have to work with. All we have so far are the realtor listings offering land for sale in that region. There aren’t that many listings and who knows how eager to sell they might be when it gets right down to the brass tacks.” “So what can we do to make sure we can get our home sold and get the money from it?” “If we offer to sell it cheap enough it will sell faster, but that means we will have less to work with in finding and building a new place.” “Rob, this is just a wild idea. I know we have to be careful not to leave a trail of breadcrumbs, so timing and methods have to be considered. What if we look at several theoretical prices starting at so-called market value then stepping down from there. We could do the math and determine how much those different price levels would leave us to work with. Then we just pick one that we think we can work with as far as getting land and setting up there. Then we go to a big realtor and offer to sell it to them for that price. That would take care of the timing issue and we wouldn’t have it listed for the whole world to see until we are gone. A big realtor would see this as an opportunity to really increase their profit on a single sale if they take the time to sell it at what they would call ‘market value’. What do you think?” “I think I married a great wife. That’s what I think. That’s a great idea. Actually, I think I need to talk with Bruce about this idea. We are all feeling a need to get on the road before long but we want to coordinate things so we don’t look like a circus parade leaving town. This idea of yours will also save us some money in lawyers fees we won’t have to pay. Oh, I just remembered something. When Dad left, he had me clean out his apartment and I put his things in an old cheap storage unit he had rented. He had some old stuff in there already that I hadn’t looked at in a long time. I need to send Carl over there to look through it. I need to get a letter to Dad and see if there is anything Dad might want us to bring since we may not be back again. If not, I can just let it go and let the storage owner take it over after we leave.” “Jenny, Thank you. I really mean it. I feel like you just lifted a real burden off of my shoulders. That was weighing me down more than I realized.” The next morning before heading to work Rob talked with his son about digging through the storage unit after work. He mentioned that he would do it himself, but he really needs some time with Mom this evening to work out some financial stuff together. Carl asked if it would be okay to take Colleen there with him thinking it might go faster with two of them working on it. “I don’t mind that,as long as you two stay focused on the right stuff and don’t get sidetracked.” He gave his son a serious look. “Don’t worry, Dad. I know how to keep focused on the long game.” He gave his Dad a determined look. “We are all needing to stay on the top of our game until we are sure this vacation is a success.” Before leaving for work, Carl called Colleen on their radios, and then he asked Colleen if he could talk to her Dad a minute so he would understand what they would be doing and wouldn’t be worried. As soon as he got home after work, he stopped at the house just long enough to pick up Colleen. “So, what exactly are we supposed to be doing at this storage unit, Carl?” Colleen was upbeat but trying to get her thinking in the right channel for what was ahead. “Grandpa had been downsizing a lot after Grandma died. He was down to a small two bedroom apartment when he took off suddenly and started writing to my Dad. He had some old stuff he wasn’t using stored in a storage unit when he left and Dad actually went and cleaned out his apartment before the lease was up on it. Dad kind of stuffed everything into the unit Grandpa already had not knowing if Grandpa would decide to come back after a while or not. He never looked through any of it and mentally put it on the back burner. With all of us going to join Grandpa, it’s pretty obvious he’s not coming back for this stuff. Mom and Dad have their plates full trying to arrange everything for our coming vacation and Dad wants to know if there is anything that Grandpa might have forgotten about or that looks like it is worth taking with us.” “So this is kind of a treasure hunt with a time limit on it?” Carl laughed. “That’s a pretty accurate description, I’d say.” “So, Cap’n. how long do we have to find the treasure and sail away with the tide under the dark of the new moon, Arrgh?” Colleen gave a comically poor attempt at sounding like a pirate. “Ha ha ha. You make this sound like it’s an adventure instead of a job to do.” “Life is starting to seem more and more like an adventure rather than just one job after another. I know this is serious business, but it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the adventure of dealing with the unexpected, does it? I was scared of a lot of possibilities before you got honest… honest enough for both of us, I’ll confess, about your feelings for me. Since then I've been looking more and more at the unknown challenges in the future with anticipation rather than anxiety, aren’t you?” “I have to admit, Colleen, getting our feelings for each other out in the open and clear with each other has made a major change for the better in my outlook. Knowing we are together in this way changes everything .” They found the storage facility rather off the main thoroughfares in an older part of town, that had somehow escaped the increase in crime rates found in many older neighborhoods. The unit they were looking for was in the middle of one row of units facing another row so that when the rollup door was open no one outside the facility could see inside that unit. Carl and Colleen were both somewhat relieved that late in the afternoon the doorway was shaded, but it was still a hot day. They were also relieved that it was a relatively small unit and it wasn’t stacked to the ceiling. They started by pulling the boxes and items out into the lane between the rows of units so they had room to move around. Their strategy was to get to the back and work toward the front so items and boxes they had looked through could be easily moved back into the same position they had been in when the process started. They agreed that this might help if they had to remind Carl’s Dad or Grandpa the location of something they needed to ask about or describe for them later. When they finally got through to the things on the back wall Carl suddenly stopped with his jaw hanging down. There in a corner against the back wall was a long wooden box about eighteen inches high and deep and five feet long. It had two padlock style buckle hasps latching the lid to the base with only a u-bolt and two nuts on each hasp loop to hold it closed. It also had a couple of very old rope handles on each end and one in the middle. Colleen was watching Carl while he stood there for at least half a minute without moving. “What is it, Carl? What’s wrong?” “I … I remember this. When I was little, like preschool, I remember Grandpa showing me and telling me about great, or was it great-great Grandpa's tools. He was a carpenter or tree cutter or something.” Carl bent down and unfastened the latches and lifted the lid. Inside there were an array of very old school hand tools for working wood. There were Axes, hatchets, an old cant hook, hammers, wedges, drill braces, hand drills, wood planes, a boxed set of wood augers, straight draw bars, curved drawbars, shingle froes, wooden mallets, wood clamps, small and large levels, carpenter squares, many special tools he wasn’t sure about, wood chisels, rasps, files, plumb lines, chalk lines, log calipers, a logging chain with hooks and a skid plate, various hand saws, and one long arch bladed crosscut saw with wooden handles at both ends. The metal tools were all clean and oiled with no signs of rust. The inside of the box had small wooden blocks attached to the bottom, sides, and ends of the box so the tools were held each in their own place inside the large box or inside a smaller lidded and fixed box within the larger box. The tool box could be carried or even turned on its side without the tools inside shifting and sliding around. “Colleen, I had forgotten this. This is where I got that dream notion of building a house with hand tools. We have to take this. I have to get this into the hatch back before we do anything else.” Colleen helped lift the rope handle on one end while Carl lifted from the other. They had to drop the second row of seats to get the crate all the way in. Then they started looking through the rest of the stored items. Also on the back wall they found an old box that was full of cast iron pots, dutch ovens, skillets and griddles. Carl and Colleen were both excited about that and Carl took another very heavy box to the car. Another box that got their attention has some old heavy duty but not so fine china plates, mugs, and bowls. They both had the impression that these were very old, but they were made to last. One more box caught their attention. Inside was a collection of old kitchen utensils and kitchen knives. In the bottom of the box, wrapped in an old cup towel was a set of darkly tarnished silver or silver plated flatware. From there on working toward the front there was little of interest for either of them. There were old style clothes, lamps, very old business files, a set of golf clubs, sports balls, household decorative pieces, old small kitchen appliances, and such. Carl noticed the sun was getting lower and the temperature was easing down. “I think we need to wrap this up and get the rest of this stuff back inside. I hope everyone went ahead and ate rather than waiting for us.” As they were driving back Colleen was discussing the treasures they found and the junk they rejected. “Carl, I know we got the things that we think are important. But, do you really think your Mom and Dad are going to see it our way? I mean we think it’s really cool to have those really old tools in such good condition. I hope I‘m reading you correctly and not projecting my thinking on you. It just seemed like we were making decisions together without much or any discussion. Anyway, those dishes and tableware, and cast iron pots. They are pretty heavy and our Moms already have newer lighter things that serve the same functions. Why would they want the things we are taking? Our Dad’s probably have never used tools like most of those in that tool box. It wouldn’t surprise me if they don’t even know the names for many of them. I sure don’t. That tool box will take up a lot of space and it’s really heavy too.” Carl was very focused driving home, he was being very careful, but at times he looked like his mind was a thousand miles away. “Colleen, Don’t worry. They don’t want anything that is in that storage unit. We only got the things Grandpa would not have wanted us to leave there, but they are not just for him anyway. They’re for us.” Colleen at first had a very serious, confused look. Then her expression softened as she remembered that image she had in her mind a few days before of the two of them in the forest together. When Bruce and Rob got home from work they each spent almost an hour talking one on one with their own wife before the four of them congregated in the Coopers’ kitchen. The meal was all but ready and keeping warm in the oven. They knew that their children were working on a chore that might take some time so they took a few minutes to catch up with each other on plans and progress. Rob brought up the idea that Jenny had proposed. and Bruce was very interested. “We’ve known all along that our two situations are different in how our assets are situated, but Jenny’s idea has a lot of merit. It could certainly save a bundle in attorney’s fees, and possibly in realtor’s commissions. It could also help sweep aside some of the bread crumb trail. The more I think about it the better I like it. Good job, Jenny! As for finding the land we need near your Dad, Rob, I have made some discreet inquiries and have managed to plot out the land owners, or at least a contact involved with the legalities of their properties, for just about all the plots of land within two miles of your Dad’s parcel. Surprisingly, only two of those contacts are located outside of that state. I think we will have the information we need to set up some negotiations to obtain our own parcels once we actually arrive on site.” Linda surreptitiously winked at Jenny and gave a subtle eye roll. Linda turned to Rob. “How much longer do you think Carl and Colleen will be? I don’t want dinner to get over cooked. Should we go ahead and reheat theirs when they get here? What exactly are they doing, anyway?” Rob gave a wry grin to Jenny before he answered. “Carl’s Grandpa left suddenly a few years ago, kind of a spur of the moment decision he had been pondering without commitment for several years after his wife died. I had to clear out his apartment for him after he left, not knowing for sure if he was coming back. Most of the stuff I put in storage, I am sure he won’t want, considering how things have progressed. However, When I was putting those things in storage, I noticed he had stored some interesting items that had belonged to his grandfather, that is, Carl’s great-great-grandfather. I’m curious to find out how Carl, and Colleen for that matter, react and report on what they find. As for how long that will take, Your guess is as good as mine, except they will not be able to see once the sun goes down.” - - - - -
“That’s a very insightful observation, Joann. I know the Bible tells us our Creator is providing everything that we need, and if we look to him instead of our own cleverness, He will keep us on the right path. Maybe it’s like following the trail marked by a guide or scout through a hostile forest. He is marking the way so we can find it, but unless we get to know Him and how he wants us to see things, then we aren’t looking at things in the right way to recognize his signals.” “It appears that food may become an issue soon, if I’m reading the signals right. I’m thinking that since we have water and a little shelter, we need to get our garden planted, our chickens moved here, and maybe hatching more chickens. It also looks like we might need to harvest our old garden and maybe spend some time canning while our new plants are busy sprouting. How does that sound?” “Call me crazy, Pete, but to me that sounds like fun.” Joann was grinning ear to ear. They spent the next week putting up fencing to create multiple chicken runs connected to the coop with simple gates to separate them and to allow access to them from the outside. Inside two of them Joann and Pete were starting new garden plots. They had decided to use the space originally cleared for the abandoned pole barn project for much of the garden space, but each run section also included areas with trees and non-garden vegetation so the chickens had space to forage as well as graze on spent garden plants. They got a water line run from the reservoir to water troughs in the coop installed and decided they were now ready to bring their chickens home. Once they were all moved to the forest site Pete and Joann had to make several trips back and forth to Beaver Creek bringing harvested food for the chickens and for canning. There were also some perennials they has to transplant like the asparagus and a number of berry bushes the Pete was growing on the perimeter of the old garden. Some of the berry bushes were finally setting up with a reasonable crop of berries for the first time this summer. Pete and Joann dug those up and put them in 5 gallon buckets to transport to their new home.
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Post by CountryGuy on Jun 14, 2023 19:25:48 GMT -6
Thanks for another great installment.
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Post by feralferret on Jun 14, 2023 20:22:38 GMT -6
Thanks for the new chapter!
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Post by kaijafon on Jun 15, 2023 6:41:24 GMT -6
ADVENTURE!!!!
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 17, 2023 8:44:31 GMT -6
Note to any Hyper-Geeks, conspiracy theorists, et cetera: In the following episode the Smith and Cooper families try to take measures to avoid being tracked by future fictional actions of fictional governments and other NGO's. I am well aware of “rumors” as well as “reports from reliable sources” regarding the capabilities for tracking individuals through technologies not addressed in this story. Addressing all of those potential capabilities would, in my opinion, merely serve to detract from the integrity of this story, and contribute to encouraging those holding to these suspicions, rather than holding actual knowledge of these capabilities. The fictional characters in this story are quite simply unaware of those possibilities, whether real or imagined, as are the vast majority of real people I know.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 17, 2023 8:49:11 GMT -6
Post # 21 Vacation Time
The Coopers and the Smiths had both worked out special deals with separate realty companies for the purchase of their houses. The Smith’s deal included the house being sold “as-is” with all the furnishings not in the garage. A realtor had come and appraised the contents taking countless digital pictures. The Coopers had worked out a deal with a large moving and storage company to crate-up and store in a warehouse all of their furnishings. They signed a contract stating that if they did not execute an order for moving the stored crates within 32 months, the inventoried items would become the property of the moving company. This gave them a reduced fee for the crating and storage, which they had to pay up front. The moving and storage company was scheduled to come and remove the contents, then have the house cleaned within 45 days. In both cases the realty companies were to take possession 60 days after the closing, paying the sellers with a bank cashier’s check. The plans for both families included selling their current vehicles and replacing them with pick-ups that could handle the trailers they were soon to buy. The Smith’s had found a slightly older pickup that on the surface looked like a regular lighter duty pickup with an extended cab, but it had been manufactured with a heavier duty towing package. Their two previous vehicles combined managed to just about cover the cost of the pickup. The used travel trailer Rob had found was just barely within the weight range specified for the truck he had purchased. Bruce on the other hand, having selected a newer but nicer trailer, had supplemented the money he got for trading in their car, in order to buy a heavy duty, dually, super crew cab pickup with a gooseneck trailer hitch built in. Once they got the money from closing on the sale of their houses they cashed in their checks at a branch of the issuing bank. It took some stubbornness on the part of both Rob and Bruce, plus quietly asking questions about the ‘integrity of a bank not being able to honor a cashier’s check they had issued’ to get the banks to comply. They did have to show more than one document to prove their identities, but having been coached by their attorney, they were careful to not release possession of those documents to the bank personnel at any moment, so there were no records or copies of those documents kept by the bank beyond their names on the original checks. Their tactics worked without causing a scene at either bank. With the cash they were able to purchase the trailers, pay the sales taxes, and get temporary license permits to use them on the road. The state laws in Texas defined a deadline for registering the title and obtaining permanent tags for the trailers, but they intended to be several states away before then at which point those requirements would no longer be valid. They got permission from the sellers to start loading their supplies like linens, kitchen supplies, and other tools and equipment in the trailers over the next couple of days while the trailer dealers were completing the final prep-n-check before handing the trailers over to the new owners. They used the new pickups to transport these supplies to the trailers. The remainder of the supplies and equipment, which they had packed into their garages, were loaded into the pickup beds and covered with tarps. The final part of their plan to leave on vacation was to remove the batteries from their phones and tablets the night before, then leave their homes early in the morning at slightly different times. They would drive to the separate trailer dealers to hitch up and pull away, then to meet up at a Tourist/Truck Stop complex some twenty or thirty miles out of town. They would have their radios rather than cell phones for communicating on the road. They would also be using paper maps they had studied rather than GPS mapping to get to their destination. They would also be using cash along the way, and once they left the first truckstop rendezvous at which they would avoid parking near each other, They would also avoid stopping at the same fuel stops along the way. There was some eye rolling about these clandestine style arrangements, but Bruce insisted he would feel much safer if everyone would indulge his paranoia for just this much longer, and doing this would at least not cause any harm as long as they kept within radio range of each other. Meanwhile the elements of this get-away that were most concerning to Carl and Colleen were the arrangements of who would be riding in which truck. They reminded each other that they still had the radios which could let them have a private, well almost private, conversation while on the road. Colleen and Carl weren’t sure how long the trip was going to be, but surely it wouldn’t take more than a couple of days before they were close to Grandpa's place. Once they got close it wouldn't be necessary to hide the fact that they were traveling together. Besides, who is going to know who they are once they get any distance from their old homes? “Colleen, I know we are going to be somewhat apart for a day or two starting tomorrow. I don’t like that but if you can plug your earbuds into the radio , we can at least have a semi-private conversation while we are driving. I also need to talk more with my Mom and Dad... about us. Things have been so busy lately I haven’t had much chance to do that. I need to find a way to start working on that issue of sharing the same open trailer for sleeping space.” “I know we can’t be together every minute, Carl. I would be lying, though if I said I don’t mind. This is just very new, yet I’ve been waiting so long for it. Logically that doesn’t make any sense, but I think you know what I mean. There is so much ahead of us that we can’t just speed up the clock and skip past it to the rest of the story, but skipping ahead sure sounds tempting right now. We’d better finish up and say good night. We need to start early in the morning and it’s going to be a long day. Good night Carl.” “Good night, Songbird.” “Songbird? What is that about?” “It’s just a special nickname I thought of for you. I like the sound of it. I mean, I didn’t mean that as a pun. I just think it fits for you, in my mind, at least.” “Oh, okay. Songbird. I like that. Good night again… Carl.” - - - - - “Pete, we are harvesting more from our old garden than we can eat right now. I know we are supplementing what we harvest with food we bought at the store, but I don’t want to waste any of the produce we got from the garden. This transition to self-sustaining is more complicated than we thought. We don’t have a stove here to bake or to can vegetables on. We could put one of those new pressure canners over the campfire, but that is going to be awkward and take some new cooking skills. I suppose we could dry some of these beans and greens, but that will take some frame and screen building before we can do that.” “You're right, Darlin’. Here’s what I’m thinking. We need to spend some time back in Bear Creek using your old stove to put up some things from the old garden. We also need to spend some time looking for a wood burning cook stove to bring here. We really need a tent or some tarps to give some shelter for the cooking here. We don’t know yet when we’ll have a house or even a temporary barn for shelter while we work in our new kitchen. Once we get a stove we are comfortable using here, we should look at selling your old stove, or perhaps selling your old house with the stove and refrigerator in it. We also need to look into and talk a lot more about how to get set up for a real self-sustaining homestead here.” Pete and Joann got things set up so the chickens would have enough water and food for a couple of days and headed back to Beaver Creek once again. At their old house, Joann opened all the windows and got a couple of fans going to draw the heat out of the house. Then they got into canning production mode. While they were using the top of the stove for canning and jar preparation, they were using the oven below for dehydrating. They focused on dehydrating the peppers, leafy vegetables, and herbs first. Then they shifted to drying beans and peas. As for the canning, they were putting up tomatoes, carrots, corn, squash, asparagus, some peas, and green beans. After two days they took all they had prepared and went back home to check on their chickens. Then they took some time to drive to surrounding towns checking out wood burning stoves, canning supplies, and general supplies often needed for a small farm to get a better feel for the stores nearer to their new home. They were already familiar with Beaver Creek and Clear Water, but those towns took a couple of hours to get there from their new home. Pete found several stores carrying the same small cook stove with only two burner ports. That smaller stove was designed to appeal to hunters who spent only a few days or a week at a time in a getaway hunting cabin once a year. With it they could heat a small cabin and cook the simplest of hot meals or a pot of coffee on their hunting trips once or twice a year. Pete had also noticed that some local, non-chain stores in very rural areas had chosen to set up shop somewhat between two or more smaller towns to draw the rural customers from the area rather than mostly from one specific town. One of those stores was where he actually found a wood burning cook stove that he liked. It had been back to a storage area at the country store and it was covered with dust. It was slightly taller than that smaller stove making it more comfortable to stand and cook on it. Pete looked it over inside and out. It had a full size oven and a four foot wide stove top. There were four griddle plates that could be removed or adjusted in addition to . On one side was a metal tank with a metal duct between the firebox and the water tank. There was a handle that allowed you to adjust the opening to the heating duct. The tank had a removable lid and a brass tubing connection on the back end of the tank. There were also adjustable vents on two different fire box doors on the front of the stove. The stove was new and unused, just dusty. He continued looking around the store and soon started up a conversation with the store manager/owner. Eventually he worked the chat around to that old dusty stove in the back corner. “You don’t see stoves like that anymore, is it some kinda antique?” “Heh, heh. No, sir. Dat was somethin’ I found still being made right-chere in ’Merica . Back in two thousand ’leben I had several folks comin’ through here askin’ if I knowed where they could buy an ‘ole fashion wood burnin’ cook stove, ‘like the pioneers used’ they said. Back then some folks were gittin’ their britches in a knot ‘bout the end o’ the world as we know it comin’ in two thousan’ twelve. I found a guy in a online search who was makin’ that stove ‘n’ I decided to git one down here in the store fur the next time I got asked. It showed up, and I put it right up front. Dang if not a single soul ask ‘bout wantin’ one ever again. I finally drug it back out o’the way to make room for stuff sane people want. Serves me right for tryin’ to take advantage of poor crazy folk who think some ole time shame man down in the Mesican jungle could predict whut day the world’s gunna end.” “So, now you’re stuck with an old folly that no one wants to buy. I suppose if I cleaned it up a bunch I might get it to work.” Pete looked directly at the old store owner. “Don’t tell me youse on of them crazy city vacationers with more money than sense jes’ wantin’ to buy sumpin’ odd to have sittin’ ‘round so’s you got a curio to gab about…” The old man was looking at Pete with one eye squinting. “Naw, I don’t have money to waste like that. I just moved onto a piece of land up in the hills, and there’s no power lines for a couple of miles. I can’t afford to pay for a hook up line to be run that far and the LP folks won’t deliver ‘cause there's no roads up there.” “You livin’ all by yer se’f up there?” “Not hardly. That’s my wife over looking at your canning supplies. My son, his best friend, both their wives and their kids are all heading up here in about a week.” “Mister, yer gunna find yer se’f with a full house, afore ya know it.” Pete chuckled and wagged his head. “Gotta git the house built ‘afore you kin call it full, don’cha?” The old store owner slapped his knee and laughed. “Yep, I guess ya do, I guess ya do. I tell you what mister I’ll sell that stove to ya for what I paid fur it. You can have it for four-fifty, I think you and yer wife are goin’to need it more than I ever will.” Pete took the deal that was offered. Pete also bought a large hand crank winch similar to those found on many boat trailers except this one was made for a heavier boat than most he had seen. Normally the trailers for heavier boats were equipped with electric winches run off of batteries. He used this one right away to help slide the new cookstove up an improvised ramp into the back of his little pickup. Of course he had to take time out first to brace and bolt it to the front wall of his pickup bed. While he was busy rigging the winch, Joan was stocking up on canning supplies. Joann had decided they needed more canning jars with the likelihood of more mouths to feed. She also stocked up on replacement canning lids and rings. As they drove back to their new home in a tent they began talking about their money situation. “Pete, I’m supposed to get a paycheck at the end of the month that covers the rest of the year for my teaching salary. It’s weird the way the district does this. My monthly paycheck is my annual salary divided by the twelve months of the year. But since school is only nine and a half months, they go ahead and give the last three months of pay in three different checks at the end of the last month after school is out. So, I get a big paycheck fairly early in summer to make it to the first paycheck in September. It’s really strange and I gave up trying to make sense of it.” “Hmm. I can guess what they are doing. The state gives money to the local district based on the number of students actually attending, They also give the district funds based on the teachers they employee. They are trying to find ways to delay as long as possible paying out their obligations. By dividing things up that way they can hold on to a chunk of money earmarked for payroll and make interest on it. There are probably legal limits somewhere in the laws about holding payroll due only a limited time after a worker completes the work and they are pushing the limits to stay within the law. The system works just like Solomon said, ‘man has dominated man to his harm’.” “Speaking of money, My love, I’ve had an arrangement with my son since I moved up here for him to trickle my savings to me in a way that would not raise any flags to the bankers. With him coming up here soon, he will have to cash out what is left and physically bring the rest in cash. I couldn’t risk sending too much cash through the mail. People are strongly warned against sending any money through the mail, partly because it does get stolen that way, but also because they cannot track it. Hopefully with this last one time transaction into cash, they won’t pay too close attention. Hopefully it will also be harder for them to track where he took the cash or what he did with it, if they cannot link it to any criminal activity or pattern. Just wanted you to know what’s happening.” “Same here, Pete. Of course we need to be careful. It is so tempting, when you are used to watching closely how much you are spending each month, to loosen your cautions about buying more than you need or watching the prices when you suddenly have more money on hand than you normally have.” “It sounds like the voice of experience speaking there, Joann. I have to confess to that same experience, more than once as a matter of fact. While we are on this subject, I want you to think about not returning to your teaching job in the fall. We haven’t discussed this specifically before, but the commute to and from our new home would be unreasonably long to Clear Water. There might be teaching positions available nearer, but I’m concerned about the value and risk of you staying tangled up in the system any longer.” “I’ve been thinking and praying about that, too, Pete. It’s scary to think about the financial insecurity of neither of us having a job, and even more so if neither of us are even looking to find a job. At the same time we are working to be self sustaining and we are looking to our Creator for guidance. So far that seems to be working better than most people would think possible. If you are thinking like I am, I really think we are at the point of stepping out on faith with this, aren’t you, Pete?” “Truthfully, a few years ago, I would have thought that it was crazy to even muse like that, Joann. With what I’ve seen and experienced in the last few years, though, it actually seems like a sound and wise course to follow. I don’t for a minute think it has worked out so well because of my cleverness. I’ve made some mistakes along the way. But, when we keep our humility and keep our hearts focused on trying to follow, honor, and please our Creator, He seems to smile on our efforts, even when we stumble once in a while.”
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Post by kaijafon on Jun 17, 2023 10:20:17 GMT -6
Oil filter wrench
and yep 'they' be watchin' and wantin' control
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Post by feralferret on Jun 17, 2023 16:13:53 GMT -6
Another fine chapter. Thanks!
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Post by CountryGuy on Jun 17, 2023 17:22:12 GMT -6
digg'n it!
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Post by udwe on Jun 17, 2023 22:41:18 GMT -6
More, please!
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 21, 2023 19:26:15 GMT -6
Post #22 Roads Less Traveled
The sun was not up yet when the Smiths and Coopers climbed out of bed on Saturday, their D-Day. Jenny and Linda had both prepared breakfast sandwiches the night before and warmed them in their familiar ovens as the coffee was brewing. They were each in their separate “old familiar kitchens” realizing this was the last meal they would ever prepare here. A whole lot of love for their families had been given to them through their work in this place. Now they were leaving to find a new place and a new life. The plan was for the Coopers to leave first and the Smiths to leave about fifteen minutes later. Their respective trucks were already packed and inside their garages. Each of the six had a personal emergency bag packed to carry with them following the pattern Pete had shared with them in one of his letters that he called a Go Bag. Carl was ready to go and heard the garage door at the Cooper house rolling up. Then he heard the rumble of Mr.Cooper’s new truck. He pressed the button on his handheld radio. “Good morning, Songbird. How are you doing this morning?” He released the button to listen. “Good morning to you, Trailblazer. It's nice to hear your voice right now. Still a little groggy, but we're taking off, anyway. We’ll let you know when we have it all together. Love you.” “Good to hear you too, Songbird. We’ll do likewise. Be safe. Love you, too.” Carl clicked off determined not to drag this out. He and his parents still had a few minutes of just waiting before leaving to get their own trailer hitched up. He had thought about this moment the previous night before falling asleep and decided he was going to do it. He went into the kitchen where his Mom and Dad were each starting another cup of coffee. “Mom, Dad, I know this is an obvious understatement, but we’re all about to start a whole new life in just a few minutes. I know it hasn’t been our style before, but it would mean a lot to me if we could say a prayer together for our families in what we are facing and beginning this morning, before we step out from here.” Rob looked at his son and then to his wife, Jenny. “Son, I think that’s a wise thing to do. And… please don’t hesitate to remind us, if you see something going forward from here that you think we might be overlooking or forgetting. There are so many things we’ll be doing that are very new to us. We need to all be working together and helping each other figure things out.” Rob had been taught by his Dad to pray, but somewhere along the line he had gotten out of the habit of praying with his family. With all that had been happening and the uncertainties they were facing now, Carl’s reminder struck a chord deep inside about something he suddenly remembered he had been neglecting. His prayer with his family wasn’t eloquent, but it was from the heart. All three of them felt encouraged about the tasks ahead of them when their prayer was finished. They grabbed their bags and headed to the truck. It took some time to get the trailers hooked up. Bruce did most of his alone. Colleen was watching and willing to help, but her Daddy never thought to hand her a task to help with until he was checking to see that all the light connections from his truck to the trailer lights were functioning correctly. The dealer had promised they would be, but Bruce knew the wisdom of the adage, ‘trust, but verify’. Carl had helped hook up a number of utility trailers at his construction job, so he jumped in to help Rob without any instructions. As a result the two families were ready to pull away with their rigs from different dealers at near the same time. Carl put a radio call in to Colleen just a moment before she tried to contact him, so there was a bit of walk over garbling the message from both ends. “After you Songbird, Over.” Carl tried again and waited. “All ready here, Trailblazer, Over.” came the message from Colleen. “Wagons, Ho! Songbird. See you soon. Over.” They all started out and Carl soon found himself watching the traffic on the Interstate heading north to see if he might catch a glimpse of the Cooper family’s rig. It wasn’t long before He thought he spotted them on an entrance ramp almost a mile ahead. He kept watching as the distance narrowed. He knew both Dads were getting gradually more accustomed to driving their trucks pulling a significant load behind them. When His Dad got close enough to be sure it was the Coopers ahead he eased back a little so he would not be following too close. Carl keyed his radio again. “Watching your six, Songbird. Looking good. Over.” “Who’s the trailblazer now? Over.” Carl grinned because he heard the competitive smirk in her voice. “Never forget, We’re in this together, Songbird. Over.” Carl’s grin softened to a satisfied smile. “Da… You got that right Trailblazer. Over” Heading north on the interstate the traffic seemed surprisingly heavy for early on a Saturday morning. There were a large number of freight trucks of various kinds and a wide variety of ‘passenger’ cars. There were also a number of pickups pulling light trailers with dirt bikes or four wheelers or fishing boats, and only a few travel trailers. There seemed to be a never ending retail/commercial district along the highway service road with towns and small cities spreading out farther from the main highway. It was almost two hours before they saw a hint of rural countryside. Within minutes of the cities and towns thinning out, Carl could see signs advertising fishing and boating equipment stores. The Red River couldn’t be too far away. In no time at all they were on the bridge crossing into Oklahoma. After that things got very monotonous to Carl. Even this early in the summer the grassy plains were becoming a faded green. As they got closer to Oklahoma City they began slowing down with the traffic getting gradually thicker. Ahead was an exit that led to a wide array of Fuel and Fast Food signs atop some extremely tall support towers. Rob spoke back over his shoulder to Carl and across the cab to Jenny. “We are going to meet up with the Coopers here. Try not to make a big scene of it so Bru…Mister Cooper won’t get worried. He has worked hard to map out a route that avoids highway cams and towns where security cameras at fuel stops are more likely. You’d be amazed how many state transportation departments are installing cameras along major highways so they can assess traffic flow and spot problems remotely. Fortunately it is not as bad here as it is in London,at least not yet. There they are unabashed, as they say, that they are watching everywhere all the time to spot crimes as or even before they happen. The least we can do is respect Mr. Cooper's efforts. We may not be as concerned as he is about our nosey Uncle or his cousins, but there is no way to be certain about who is more correct and who is mistaken until after the fact. By then it might be too late to correct our lack of caution. Once we leave here we are going to be staying on minor highways and mostly state roads. Our rigs are easy to spot even if a camera cannot read our tags. We never know when a camera on or near the road might pick us up and record the direction we are headed. We also have no idea when or why that information might be put together to make a projection about the area where we intend to go based on the direction we are driving, so we also will not be taking a very direct route to our destination. Don’t talk about this with each other where someone else or some device might overhear our conversations.” Carl was skeptical about the scenarios that his Dad and Mr. Cooper were inferring. It was not that they were impossible. It just seemed unlikely that their two families would warrant that much investigative effort on the part of any authorities. He mentally conceded that his Dad was correct about erring on the side of caution when it was feasible, so he was willing to watch his own steps in this matter, until they were in the forest. The forest was where so many things were going to change. Carl was not exactly sure about what his Dad or Mr. Cooper had in mind regarding ‘not making a scene’, but it was Colleen who surprised him. He did not see where the Coopers had parked their rig, so while his Dad was topping off the tanks he made his own pitstop. Afterwards he was browsing in what had to be the largest convenience store/snack store he had ever seen. While he was browsing, Colleen slipped up beside him and put her hand in his. “Carl, this is getting real, isn’t it?” She was talking softly. “The truth is I am so excited. All the daydream fantasies I ever had about us; I tried to dismiss them as just that, fantasies and silly dreams. But, Carl, we are actually going to a place where all those dreams might really come true. I’m not discounting the problems that we can and can’t predict, but the setting… and some of the circumstances like us really being together. That was what made it seem like a fantasy rather than a dream. Now I’m starting to see it as a dream to work toward rather than a silly fantasy.” She squeezed his hand. “I know. It's way more than just nice that our private thoughts are so alike. That’s something I didn’t expect, but I really like it. It’s like … I … it just makes me happy deep inside.” He smiled as he looked at her. “The next several hours are going to be so boring, and long. I’m looking forward to that part you mentioned about working with you, Songbird.” It wasn't long before they were back on the road. heading generally northwest across a reservation. It was the first time he had been on a reservation and did not know what to expect. To him it just seemed like endless miles of near desert-like landscape. He could not imagine how someone could make a living off the land here. He spotted a herd of sheep once and marveled that they could find enough grass to stay alive. He started to use the radio to make a comment to Colleen about it not looking like forest yet, but he stopped himself. He realized that if there was any truth in her Daddy’s fears, any comments like that should be avoided. The land was so flat here with no trees or structures nearby to break the line of sight that Rob had eased back to allow more distance between their rigs. He was still working the plan he had agreed to to avoid as much as was reasonable looking like they were traveling together. Carl was wondering how far their radios would reach on the road from inside their trucks. Colleen was listening for a call from Carl, but all she was hearing was a news radio station that her Daddy had on in the new truck. Being the weekend, there was a talk program host interviewing someone with supposedly impressive credentials that she was not interested in at all. But it got her attention that their discussion seemed somewhat related to the topic her Daddy had been so concerned about over the last few weeks. The guest was saying he had information, from sources which he would not identify, that some new and dangerous measures were coming very soon that would give certain parts of the government the power to monitor money transactions of virtually anyone without obtaining a search warrant. He was talking about massive data storage operations to archive, monitor, and analyze the activities of almost anyone to spot suspicious or undesirable patterns so actions could be taken to prevent criminal or subversive activities. He was ridiculing what he said was the government claim that this new system would make the American currency more secure. Everything they were saying on this program on the radio was sounding to Colleen so much like the kind of concerns her Daddy had raised weeks ago, that she couldn’t NOT listen. When her Daddy had first brought these concerns to the attention of their family, she had been thinking his worries were beyond her grasp, and she had little involvement in the decisions being made for her. It was a bit overwhelming to her how much her perspective and frame of mind had changed since their families began talking about avoiding the snares and traps that were looming closer and closer. It all began less than a month ago. It was scary, exciting, unsettling, and yet she was feeling a strange sense of peace all at the same time. Colleen was staring out the window looking at the landscape fly past, and rolling over in her head all that had gone on recently. She thought about all the changes that came when Carl decided to stop trying to be a superstar in sports at school, and then her decision to make changes too. Then the epidemic disrupted and changed so many things. Then came the worries about what changes were coming next and the things Carl’s Grandpa was writing about. Finally Carl told her the real reason he had changed his course in High School and what he really thought and felt about the two of them. Without thinking deliberately she realized she was thinking (or, was she really praying in her head?) “God, I really don’t know what exactly is happening or what is about to happen next, but I believe you do know. I’m pretty sure there are some big and scary things right around the corner that we can’t see yet. Please, help me, and help us. I’m sure you know what is ahead, but we are just guessing, aren’t we. Please, help us to make good choices to stay, as much as we can, out of and away from the troubles that are about to happen. Help us to learn from your wisdom. You have made such an amazing world, and we all keep messing it up. You also made us, and we keep messing up ourselves and others by our choices and our thinking. We sometimes think we are so smart, but things keep getting worse and worse all around us. Like Carl and I, for example. Since he and I first met as little kids, we fit together so effortlessly and so well, but even back then we were both listening to all the wrong stuff in our heads the way everyone else was. We were both afraid that what we really really wanted just couldn’t be. By the way, Thank you. I have a feeling you had a big hand in straightening the two of us out on that, and I sure am glad and grateful for that getting straightened out. It has already made everything so much better for both of us. We clearly don’t know what we are doing down here, and the problems we’ve made are too big for us to fix. I’m getting the sense that you have been seeing for a long time where all our mistakes are going to end up. It’s a really big ask, I know, but please fix this messed up world and put it back like you meant for it to be, please. Like I said we really don’t know what we are doing down here, but Carl and I, we both want to find out what you want us to do. You have to be wiser than both of us put together, duh. We really want you to help us with that. Carl so wants to be the kind of man you want him to be, and I want to be the kind of partner for him you want me to be. It’s just that we really need your help in getting that right. I’ve got to believe that it will work out so much better with you guiding us rather than us trying to figure it out on our own. We really want your help. We need your help. Really. Please.” They had been traveling for some time across wide open plains with almost no trees and few bushes. Several times they had taken a turn at a crossroads with no signs to indicate any towns that might be found this direction or that. Occasionally they would pass a lone house or a gas station with only two or three pumps. There was also an occasional oil pump jack some distance from the road they were traveling. Some of those pumps were working, but most of them were still. It was nearing midday so it was difficult to tell what direction they were traveling. Carl’s Dad wasn’t talking much, and his Mom had dozed off with her seat back tipped pretty far back. The landscape was monotonous mile after mile. Carl looked over his Dad’s shoulder and the dashboard display showed 99 degrees. Carl keyed his handheld. “Hey, Songbird. How’s it going? You keeping cool? Over” Colleen was startled out of her thoughts, and picked up her radio and replied. “Hey, Trailblazer. Good to hear from you. Looks hot outside, but staying cool inside. I don’t have a clue where we are. Just sitting here thinking about everything. Especially about us getting to the right place, both geographically and otherwise. Over.” “Sounds like some deep pondering to me, Songbird. That is worth thinking about. Like I said earlier about our inner, private thoughts being so in sync, I really like that. I think it’s important for us to find and stay on the right path. Wandering aimlessly in the wilderness doesn’t seem like such a good plan. I hope we can take a rest stop soon. Over.” “I agree. I don’t have a clue where we are, but I’m ready for a change of scenery. I wouldn’t complain about seeing you again, either, even if it only lasts a couple of minutes. Over.” Bruce was hearing his daughter’s side of the radio conversation and was hearing some frustration in her voice. “Colleen, I’m sorry about this trip being so long and tedious. I know you want to spend more time with Carl. This trip won't last forever, and there are reasons for it going this way. Besides, pretty soon you and Carl will be able to spend a lot more time together. You may even get to where you will wish you had more time with other people. That’s going to be an adjustment, too.” “I know that, Daddy. Carl and I both understand the reasons for the trip going this way. We also are looking forward to some big adjustments in how much time we spend together. Where we’re going we doubt there will be much contact with anyone else outside our immediate family. I haven’t met Carl’s new Grandma, but I like our family, and I don’t think any of us will get lonely.” “Do you realize, Colleen, that you are talking like Carl’s family, his Grandpa and new Grandma, and our family are all one family?” “Yes, Daddy I am. That’s the way I see it now. I hope you and Mom will see it that way, too.” “Well this is pretty new, this thing with you and Carl. You aren’t married yet, you know.” “I know that, Daddy. and it may be a while before we are. But, there is also the commitment and love that Carl and I have for each other and for our family. We can’t put all those feelings, and especially that commitment, into a lockbox and suddenly pull them out at the end of a ceremony sometime in the future, can we?” Bruce did not have a reply yet for his daughter. He could hear the truth in what she was saying and her sincerity. It was his heart and commitment that was understandably slower than hers on this subject. He suddenly realized that even if he was foolish enough to try making an issue of taking it slow regarding those feelings and commitments, it would not slow down what she was thinking or feeling about Carl. “I’ll be looking for a place to stop soon, sweet girl.”
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Post by udwe on Jun 21, 2023 21:19:33 GMT -6
They're on the way!
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Post by CountryGuy on Jun 22, 2023 4:47:03 GMT -6
Great chapter!
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Post by kaijafon on Jun 22, 2023 9:54:13 GMT -6
OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES!!! they are very young...compared to me
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 23, 2023 21:04:02 GMT -6
OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES!!! they are very young...compared to me Some times a young one who is trying to THINK can more easily shake off the muddled thinking of this world, because they haven't been hopelessly bombarded with the false mantras of the world for decade after decade. IMESHO
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 26, 2023 19:52:28 GMT -6
Post # 23 Wheeling, Dealing, And Hoping
“Joann, you know that if we commit to you not returning to your teaching job in the fall, that we will need to adjust our priorities and plans. Without that income we need to change our approach to handling our resources, because the resources we are counting on will be changed significantly. Are we ready to make that commitment?” “You are right, of course, Peter. There are several considerations on the side of making this commitment now. We have already made a commitment to make this same commitment eventually, so the real decision is not whether to make it, but rather when to make it. As for when to make the decision, the next question is will we decide when or do we wait for circumstances and unpredictable events to make the decision for us. If we want to make that decision now is the only time we can be sure it will be by our choice. Waiting until next year or next month or even tomorrow is merely playing a game of chance as to whether we do it our way or we react to an emergency we are unprepared to meet.” “I love that you can jump to the core issue so clearly, my love. Now is clearly better than someday. If we are going forward without that future income, we need to be more efficient with the resources we already have. If you are not commuting to your job, do we really need two vehicles? Would it be better to have the cash we could get from selling your car, or is it better to keep the flexibility of two cars?” “Pete, I appreciate your courtesy of asking me, but it is pretty obvious that my car can’t carry what your truck can, and it is not well suited for traveling off road to and from our new home. Speaking of our new home, We need to sell our old house. If I was still commuting I would need to keep it, but we’ve already made that decision, haven’t we.” “You’re right, of course. Always straight to the bottom line. If we are smart about this, like we decided to be in doing this before the options are taken from us, we also need to sell them both quickly. Rob’s friend became convinced to cash out on everything and leave his old life behind when he got wind of some imminent government actions to begin tracking virtually every money transaction and controlling who is doing what. Maybe we need to head over to Georgetown and see if we can get these two resources converted to cash as quickly as possible.” “Pete, do you really think it could be a problem selling my car and house, if it takes a little while to get those sold?” “I can’t be sure, Darlin’, but it is the same principle we’ve been talking about; the unpredictable problem becoming an emergency over which we have no control. I think we need to do it now, rather than taking the risk of losing out to unexpected ‘time and chance’. Solomon warned about that happening and ruining the efforts of even the swift, the mighty, the intelligent, and the wise. We have made a decision to avoid that risk, so we need to get it done as quickly as possible. There are a number of car dealers and some large real estate brokers in George town that can get us through this quickly if we are willing to push for it. Trust me on this. We do not have to explain our real concerns to get their help. They are driven by profit and egos. They will be willing to take advantage of our goals, if they can use our goals to further their goals. ” When they got to Georgetown, they went first to several realtors before they found one who actually understood that they were willing to sell the house at below market value in order to sell it very quickly. This realtor wanted to see the house before committing to an agreement. Peter suggested that the realtor “...drive over to take a look at it yourself, right now, while my wife and I are pursuing other possible business dealings here in town. That way you may be the early bird who catches the deal.” Pete wrote down directions to their old house and handed him keys to the house. “the house and lot come as-is including furniture and appliances but not personal items like clothes, tools, and mementos. We’ll be back here at one-forty-five, this afternoon, to see if we can close a deal with you, or not.” Without any more discussion or niceties, Pete stood up and held out his hand to Joann for her to get up and leave with him. They left the realtor offices and Joann spoke quietly as they approached her car and his truck. “I’m sure you had your reasons, Peter, but right there at the last – well that was a side of you I’d never seen before. If I didn’t know you better I’d have thought you were rather rude to him. What was that about?” “I know, my love. I saw the signs while I was explaining our desire to sell it as-is with the furniture and appliances. there were subtle tells that I have seen before. He had a look in his eyes like a predator who had caught sight of a wounded prey. I decided to push his buttons a little to urge him to rush in for the kill, rather than hang back until the prey was even weaker. WIth the time pressure he is going to try to rush in and close the deal before someone else catches the scent. You watch. When we get back he’ll be ready with papers for us to sign, and he’ll be willing to adjust terms in our favor at the last minute rather than lose the deal to someone else. In the meantime let’s go see what we can get for your car.” Pete held the door for Joan to get in her car and start the air conditioner. He leaned through the window and mentioned an area in town where a cluster of car dealers were located. He got in his little truck and they drove in tandem to the car dealers’ district near the edge of Georgetown. They tried three dealerships getting quotes for her car that were essentially the same. At each of the first two they asked if they could have a little time to think it over. At the last dealer, once the offer was made, Peter asked, “We are talking about cash, not a trade-in, aren’t we?” The dealer rep paused for only half a beat before replying, “No, no, no. I understand this is not a trade-in. We will cut you a check for that amount.” “I’m sorry,” said Pete very calmly. “I thought you were listening to me more attentively than that when I was explaining what we wanted to do. You are not the first dealer we have been to, and with the price you quoted… well I assumed that you were talking about paying us cash in hand thinking to get the car at a lower price. Looks like you were thinking, rather than listening to me, that we expected you to cut us a check that we would have to take to our bank and have a hold put on it until our bank was sure your check would clear. Did you really think we would be delighted at not having to wait to get the money for my wife’s car? I guess it’s my fault for coming to a smaller dealership and expecting them to be competitive with the big boys. I didn’t realize sales had slacked off so much here that a dealership your size had to manage ways to delay paying their obligations in order to stay operational, no offense meant of course. The problem is some of the bigger dealers offered to pay more than you quoted and they can pay us in cash.” Pete turned to Joan with a frustrated look. “Darlin’, I’m sorry I have been dragging you here and there. I guess we need to stop checking out these weaker dealers and go back to the big boys to get the money you need.” Pete started to rise from his chair and the dealer rep held out both hands. “Wait, wait, hold on just a minute, please. If you two will wait just a minute I’ll go check with our sales manager and see if we can find a price that suits you better.” Pete paused about halfway up from his chair and stood there stooped over. “Sir, I’m old enough to be your father. I deserve some respect don’t you think? I know my wife deserves better treatment than this. She and I have been at this all day and we are too tired to be finagling and dickering with sales ploys and games any longer. Are you sure you can come back to me with a good honest cash offer?” “Oh yes, sir. I assure you when I come back you will be pleased with what we can do for you.” “Well, alright, but please don’t make us sit here waiting and waiting til you salespeople figure this out six ways to Sunday. Just bring us a decent price, in cash, and my sweet bride will sign the title over to you so we can go home and get some rest.” With that Pete eased back into his chair. Ten minutes later the salesman/buyer came back to Pete and Joann with a fat envelope, the papers to sign, and an offer that was ten percent higher than any of the offers they had received before. Joann opened the envelope, signed the paperwork, and handed over the title and keys. As they were leaving to get in Pete’s truck Joann asked Pete, “Did you ever once worry about how badly you were manipulating that young man?” “No, I was just hoping he would learn a lesson about trying to squeeze one more dime out of people coming in looking for a fair price. Even with what they paid us, they can still make a good profit when they resell your car to the next customer. How about we change the subject and go sign the papers on selling your house.” Sure enough, the realtor was ready for them when they got to his office in Pete’s truck. After a little back and forth they got him to raise his offering price by about twelve percent. With the larger amount of cash involved they were going to have to delay the closing until Friday, so he could give the local branch of his bank to be sure they could stay within current regulations regarding the ratio of cash on hand to demand deposits on the books at the close of business. They went back to their old house in Beaver Creek to pack up their remaining personal items and load them in Pete’s truck. They spent their last night in the old house where they had spent their very first night together. On Thursday they went to their new home. Pete and Joann worked hard to dig a small circular moat on a shallow slope using the excavated dirt and rock to raise the level of the ground inside the moat. They then placed a tarpaulin over the mound and unloaded their goods from the truck into the center of the tarpaulin. They then used a bundle of paracord to lace though the eyelets around the border of the tarp and drew the sides up snug around the pile of their supplies. Next, they took another tarp and covered the pile staking the edges down so it would drain into the moat. Finally at the downhill side of the moat they dug a small trench leading down hill from the moat to let any rain water collected in it to drain off. “Pete, Do you really think this will do?” Joann asked. “For a short while, probably. For the long term, of course not. This will get us through the weekend. There is no rain in the forecast for a while. But when we get back here from our dealing with the realtor this weekend, we need to start working on a better solution.” “Pete, I've been meaning to ask you; I understand the delay getting the cash to the branch bank, but I thought it would take longer getting the title transfer documents ready. How did he get all the title work streamlined? I thought it took weeks sometimes to get the title search and all completed.” “Yep. It’s a real mess sometimes. It doesn’t take but a very few examples of someone getting nightmarishly burned for a whole arena of legal and near legal services to arise to assure honesty and fairness at a price. Basically, he is playing the odds that you have a clean claim to your property. So a;; he needed from you is a Quit Claim Deed saying you will no longer claim any hold or rights on your property and have assigned your former claim on that property to him. When he sells the property through the ‘normal’ process you can bet the buyer will be convinced that they need a ‘clear title’ insured by a title company in multiple ways so no one can come along and take the property back from the new buyer. He gets the purchase cheap and then sells it at market in a way that allows him and his professional cronies to make lots of money.” “As long as you and I can manage to survive together, I am not worried about how much we could have gotten from selling all our things we can do without. Those are not what fills our lives with joy, hope, and love. Speaking of which, do you have any idea when your son is getting here?” “I got a letter from him about a week ago, but it was deliberately vague about the timing. All I know is it could be anytime now. Just as soon as they get their ducks lined up. I am a little concerned about them bringing their friends. It sounds almost like they think they are wanting to hide in the woods only to keep the government from stealing their accumulated wealth. I know they are planning to buy their own land, but I just feel weird having people join us who don’t have a clue about the root issues out there. I hope I’m wrong about that. We will just have to wait and see.” - - - - -
Carl was beginning to see more signs of irrigated fields with crops growing at various stages. He could not tell what most of the crops were yet, but he could tell that some of them were corn. It was getting to be noon and he was getting hungry. He saw a sign indicating an Interstate Highway intersection up ahead. He realized that his Dad was slowing down, too. WIth the unfamiliar trucks and trailer rigs his Dad and Mr. Cooper had been traveling well under the posted speed limits since leaving their old homes this morning. He looked up ahead to see the Cooper’s trailer stretching the distance between them. “Dad, What’s the plan here?” “Son, this is a stop we need to make to get lunch and fuel up, but we have to cross a major highway again to get where we are going. We decided that this is one time we need to go to separate fuel stops and food vendors because the risk of cameras is higher here on the interstate. I know you and Colleen want to see each other, but we will stop again, just to take a break, a little farther down the road where there is far less chance of cameras.” “So you and Mr. Cooper really put a lot of thought and study into this route and to pick out every pitstop in advance. How sure are you that all this is necessary?” “That’s a question that can’t really be answered, Carl. But here is the approach we decided to take. Our families are precious to us. What if we saw a potential danger and thought of a simple easy way to avoid or significantly reduce the chance of that happening, but we just dismissed it. Then later one of us suffered because we had failed to do something simple and easy. We would never forgive ourselves for that.” “I see your point, Dad. You know I am sure looking forward to some more interesting scenery. Did all the research and planning you and Mr. Cooper did tell you when that might happen?” “Ha, Ha. Now you have a point, Carl. Yes, but it is going to be gradual. The geography as well as the average rainfall is going to start changing in about ninety more miles. After that you will start seeing more scattered trees. Then you will see a few clustered trees along scattered stream beds. It is going to be a few more hours though before you start seeing hills covered with trees.” As he was talking, Rob began slowing down to pull off the two lane road into a sizable truck/traveler stop facility with a food concession and an array of other traveler conveniences. Carl looked around and could see no sign of the Coopers. He could see, however, a large sign on high poles advertising a different company’s traveler stop about a quarter mile away. He keyed his radio to tell Colleen He would be seeing her at their next stop of a break, but not this one. About twenty minutes later they were all ready to head out. Once they got out of the commercial rest stop zone Carl’s dad informed him that from here the Coopers would be following rather than leading the caravan. “Dad,” Carl replied,”I appreciate your doing so much driving. I also understand you have a lot more years of driving experience than I do, but you and Mr. Cooper are tired. I am willing to relieve you for a while if that would help.” “Thank you, Carl. I’m doing okay. It’s hard sometimes for a Dad to let his child shoulder some of the load on a tough job, but I appreciate your offer.” “Speaking of a tough job, there is something I need to talk about with you. You and Colleen’s Dad are planning to look for land near Grandpa to buy, do you have any idea how much per acre you are going to have to pay for land there?” “Well I don’t know what we will find and the situation for each parcel is somewhat different. There are several factors that may or may not affect the price. A stream on the land can affect the price some are willing to pay. Whether or not there is a road to the land; whether it has a power line running to it; these are just a few factors that can have an effect. Why are you asking?” “Dad, I’ve been working after school for two years. I also worked all last summer and a few weeks of this summer, and I‘ve been saving almost all of my money. If you want me to, I will pay you and Mom part of that to help with my contribution to our family. The rest of it though, I really want you to buy a small piece of land for me along with what you buy, if that’s possible.” “Carl, you don’t need to pay any room and board to us. You are our child and you just now finished High School. I really appreciate, however, the fact that you offered to do that. As for buying land, for you , I think your Mom and I can afford to buy enough for our family without you having to pitch in your money to help. Technically we are putting the money for the land in a trust and the trust is buying the land for our family.” “Dad, I don't think you are understanding me. I want to buy a piece of land for me and eventually Colleen, too. I just thought it would be easier for me to give the money to you, so you can negotiate to buy one chunk from someone, including a little bit for me, rather than buying a separate small plot for me somewhere. I thought it would be easier for us to divide off my part afterwards. I just don’t know how much the land might cost, so I don’t know how much is feasible for me to get.” “Oh, I see. Yes, I was misunderstanding.” He glanced over to Jenny in the front passenger seat and caught her look. “Carl, your Grandpa, I’m guessing got his land for two or three thousand per acre. Like I said, there are a number of factors that can affect the price including the attitude of the seller. I’m sure we can work something out, but we’ll have to see what kind of deal we can negotiate with a seller. If you are serious about this, Carl, you are going to have to consider not just the cost of the land, but also how you are going to make the land work for you. You have to figure out how to take care of your needs and eventually Colleen’s needs too. How much money will all of that take until you are producing everything you need from the land and perhaps from a job or business to supplement your resources. If you put too much into just the purchase of the land, how can you afford a house and, …” “Dad, I get that. I understand all of that. I haven’t jumped into a deep flooding river, yet. That’s why I was asking about the cost of the land. That is just one step in a long journey, right?” “That’s right, Carl. I just know that this is new territory for you, and I want to make sure you are realistic in your thinking and planning.” “I appreciate that, Dad. I am new at this, and it's important to me. I know I’ll make some mistakes, but I want to not make mistakes; especially not big mistakes. I am still trying to figure some things out that you mentioned, and it will help once I get a better look at the area where Grandpa has bought his land. I’ll talk to you more about how much I can afford to spend on land as soon as I can. Do you think it might be possible for me to be with you and Mr. Cooper when you are working on finding land nearby and working out a price you’ll be offering? I would like the chance to learn more about that part of the process.” “Okay, son. I don’t see a reason you can’t watch and learn. Just be aware, though. Neither Mr. Cooper nor I are really experts. We are just using things we have picked up here and there and trying to use our wits to work out the best arrangement we can for our families. Of course we also are going to keep our consciences clean in the process, though that’s often a big part of using our wits. When you’re trying to work a deal on something like this you can’t count on the people you are bargaining with to put that same constraint of conscience on themselves.” “That’s one of the reasons, I want to watch you too as you evaluate, plan and bargain with land owners Dad. I would never have thought about it that way, but I can see why that would be important now that you mentioned it. Like I said, I know I am bound to make mistakes, but I really want to avoid making big mistakes.” “While we are talking about big mistakes, Carl, I want you to think about this, too. Colleen is very important to you. I want to recommend that you remember that she is also very important to her parents, also. With all the changes we are having to make, they are being forced to make major changes in their thinking about many things. You and Colleen and your plans are going to create a whole pile of more adjustments that they will have to deal with. I’m not saying you should report to them on every detail of your planning, but I would recommend you let them see you and Colleen are not planning big things that will totally surprise them. Converse with them. They are going to be your family, too, Carl. Don’t give them the idea that you are taking her away from them. Help them see that you two are growing into a new stage in your relationship with them. That will help them embrace the changes rather than become anxious about the changes.” “Thanks, Dad. You seem to have a lot of wisdom to share with me. I’m beginning to think that with your work, my school, and my work we haven’t had enough time together to just talk. I really hope that is something we can change for the better.”
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Post by texican on Jun 27, 2023 0:11:52 GMT -6
Seems like there are multiple states that could work with a Gorgetown in them: Montana Idaho Utah Colorado, but to close to Denver.
Now which state could it be?? ppb knows.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 28, 2023 14:13:18 GMT -6
Ha, Ha, Ha. Texas has a Georgetown, too. And don't forget Kentucky; lots of forest there.
Most destination town names in this story are deliberately ficticious.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 28, 2023 14:16:17 GMT -6
Posting #24 Building Bridge Foundations
“Joann, I’ve been thinking. I’m not a betting man anymore, but I suspect that when Rob and his crew get here they are not going to be as prepared as they think for the conditions here. They are probably coming with generators to provide electricity for their stoves, air conditioners, and such. If they’re bringing tools they’ll either be corded power tools, or even battery powered power tools with battery packs that need to plug into an electric socket to get recharged. We don’t have power here except for that little generator to run the water pump when we refill the reservoir. With it being summer, we don’t need electric lights, because the sky is still light when we’re getting ready for bed. That stove we’ve got can do a lot of cooking and canning, but quite frankly our not having had rain this week is a mixed blessing. It hasn’t gotten our stove wet enough to rust, but it hasn’t exactly watered our garden spaces yet either.” “There is a time for everything, Peter. It sounds like you think it’s time to build a shed over our cook stove. Please don’t take this wrong, Pete. I find you to be a delightful husband, but it amuses me how you start to talk about one thing and wind up talking in a widening spiral about everything that holds some similarity to the subject you started on before you finish your first topic.” “Now, Joann, I can’t help it if our wonderful Creator designed a world where everything is interconnected. I’m trying hard to understand how His designs all work together. Of course, when He created us there was some of Him put into how He designed us, so it stands to reason that the things we design to help us will interconnect, too, don’t you think.” “So, you never told me you were part Irish, Peter. How long ago was it that you traveled back to the old country to kiss the Blarney Stone?” “Touche’, My Love. Yes, my mind went off on some tangents thinking about the tools I have and how much faster the work could go with certain power tools. I'll manage with what I have for now. Speaking of tangents. How much training have you had in forestry? I want us to think responsibly about carefully selecting trees to use for construction wood, rather than buying everything at a lumber yard.” “Just how much wood are you going to need for our kitchen shed, Pete?” “Until I get a better grip on our construction plans, overall, I want to keep this to a minimum. Four posts to hold up two small ‘A’ frame rafters for the roof with purlins running between them. For now I can lash some layers of green leafed branches on top of the purlins to shed the rain. Eventually a better roof and some walls will be needed for when it storms, but maybe we can start building a real house before too long. “What kind of power tools were you thinking about, Peter?” “Ha, that is a large can of worms. I have an ax and a hand saw. I even have a light bow saw. The ax and bow saw will do for felling, bucking, and limbing a small tree. My grandfather had a hand saw designed for felling and bucking larger trees. One person could use it, but it was made so two people could share the task efficiently. A good sized chainsaw would make quick work of that job, but they require gasoline and oil to run them. Even after the tree is cut into logs. The work of cutting planks is challenging and laborious without the proper framework and rigging for mill cutting, regardless of whether you have a chainsaw or a proper long blade manual tree saw. For now, I’ll stick to what I’ve got and do what I can. Later we’ll have to look more carefully at our plans for construction of our house, before we decide what tools we will need.” “I suspect we have already stretched our grace period with no rain, at least I hope we have, Pete. Like you said, a whole bunch of soon to be hungry folks may be arriving anytime, now. We want them to feel welcome, when they get here. Let's get started on a shelter for our outdoor kitchen. Tell me what I can do to help.” - - - - -
“Carl, I know this is absurd, but I really missed you.” Colleen was leaning her head on Carl’s chest and had her arms around his lower ribs. They were standing in front of a two pump gas station by the side of a narrow two lane country road in the middle of nowhere. The land had become a slightly rolling plain with a mixture of pastures and trees surrounding them. “Has your Dad given any hint about how much longer it will be? My Dad is so vague in his answers, it’s almost like he is stuck in his secretive, stealth mode. I have to admit it is at least somewhat encouraging that we're finally seeing more trees.” “I can’t gauge that at all, Colleen. The sun sets pretty late, and I know I would hate to be driving one of these rigs at night on narrow roads. I sure wouldn’t want to try to drive one off road through a forest at night. They haven’t hinted anything about spending the night somewhere and continuing tomorrow morning. I’m taking all of that as a hopeful sign.” “Carl I can’t tell you how much, I just want to be there. I know there will be a ton of work to do to make it all livable, and I know that may take quite a long time to accomplish. I just don’t like being on the road so long. It’s like traveling unknown roads between our old homes and our new … location feels something like trying to walk along the top edge of a fence. You are fairly confident you can keep your balance, and yet you know you are vulnerable to falling off … on the wrong side. Does that make any sense to you?” “Kinda. It’s like having to cross an unfamiliar no man’s land before you can get to a safe place. Let me go talk to your Dad. I’ll be back.” Colleen watched Carl walk away and did not know what to expect next. She was still trying to sort through her own feelings, and Carl was heading over to talk with her Father about it ?. What was he going to say to her Father? “Mr. Cooper, how is it going? This has got to be tiring for you and my Dad both. These are big and unfamiliar rigs and you two are taking the whole job of driving them without any one to relieve you.” “Bruce looked at Carl for a moment waiting to see if there was more. “Yes, it is a new experience, but I’m holding up okay.” He paused. “I saw you while you were talking with Colleen. How is she doing?” Bruce was very aware that his daughter was hugging or rather clinging to Carl while they had been talking. “She’s making it. She’s eager to get to where we are heading. It’s not just about it being a long ride. She’s mentally in limbo. She has dealt with the fact that we have left the old home behind, but we are not yet in the new safe place. This road trip feels to her kind of like we’ve been behind enemy lines, but we are still crossing no man’s land trying to get to the safe side. But right now she can’t see where that safe line is, yet.” Bruce looked at Carl a moment longer. “Ah, is that what she asked you to come tell me?” “No, sir. Those were my words. She was trying to explain to me what she was feeling, but she was searching for a way to express it. She was … she just seemed reluctant to ask you straight out, ‘Are we there yet, Daddy?’.” Carl grinned. “I think she was surprised that I came over to talk with you.” Bruce chuckled. “Carl, you can go tell my daughter we should be there in about four more hours. And if she doesn’t remember to thank you for coming to ask me on her behalf, then let me thank you for her.” Bruce winked at Carl. Bruce watched as Carl walked back to Colleen and spoke to her for a couple of seconds. She glanced past Carl to him for just an instant of surprise before she hugged Carl again. Then she took Carl’s hand and walked with him over to her Dad. She looked more relaxed and happy as they approached. “Daddy, please don’t blame Carl for asking. There has been so much tension about this trip. I didn’t want to put more strain on you by whining like a child about the long trip. I know Carl didn’t mean…” “It’s okay, Colleen. I’m not bothered by the way Carl asked. He was just concerned about you and he was willing to try and help you. In doing so he helped me understand what my holding too tight onto our information was doing to you. I’m glad he was taking care of you like that.” “Jenny please don’t take this wrong. Carl is becoming a fine young man, but it’s just hard for a mother to watch her daughter grow up into a young woman and getting into a serious relationship so quickly. I know, I know, this relationship has been developing for a long time, but up until two weeks ago it was easy to act like they were just two kids that were best friends. But look at them now. This is a serious adult kind of relationship they suddenly stepped into.” “I understand, Linda. Carl is a good boy and smarter than should be expected for his age, but you know as well as I do what a young woman can do to a young man’s common sense. I’m just grateful that he fell for Colleen instead of who knows…You know what I mean. I’m sorry. It's just that I know how serious he is about where this is going, but he’s too young to have a clue about all it takes to make a family work in this day and age. What just happened. They were hugging then suddenly…” “He’s headed toward Bruce. No…Surely he’s not going to…” “No, Linda. I’m sure it’s not that. He was just talking with Rob a few minutes ago about all the things he has to get prepared and worked out before he can ask her the big question. I wonder what is going on.” “Well that’s a good sign. Bruce is relaxing. Yep he’s even chuckling. I wish I could hear what they are saying. Even if I ask Bruce, he’ll give me an abbreviated summary that will leave out the best parts. Jenny, we need to get more involved with our kids and our husbands. We just need to talk more, with everything that is going on.” “You are right there, girl. Some of the planning that has been going on feels like we each live in a separate silo and too little gets passed from one silo to another. That goes for our kids, too. I think it’s just that there is so much turmoil right now. If I didn’t know better, I could almost believe there is some kind of conspiracy going on that is designed to stress everyone and keep families so busy that they can barely function as a family.” “Are you sure, Carl wasn’t asking the big question. Look, Now the two of them are going back to Bruces together. Come on girlfriend. We need to see what’s happening.” “What is going on over here? Everyone is going back and forth talking here; talking there; and leaving Jenny and I out of the loop. What is this all about?” Bruce stepped over and wrapped his arms around Linda and winked at Colleen. “Everything is okay, Mamma. It’s all good now. Colleen was anxious about the trip we are taking, and Carl listened to her until he understood why. Then he came to me to see what we could do to help her and we got it all sorted out. Colleen was anxious about Carl and I being okay about it, and learned that everything is cool. It’s all good, now.” Linda looked up at Bruce and then over to Jenny. “See what I mean?” Bruce relaxed his hold on Linda. “Ladies,” he nodded toward Colleen, too. “We need to get on the road. Everyone will feel better once we arrive, and we are officially on vacation. Carl, you’d better go round up your Dad. Let’s go.” “Daddy, may I ride with Mr. and Mrs. Smith for a little bit?” Bruce paused for a moment. “You know something, that’s a good idea. But if you do that, you’ve got to let Carl ride with me and your Mom.” Bruce turned to Carl and winked again. “I guess that is only fair, Mr.Cooper. There are some things I need to talk about with you and Mrs. Cooper. It’s probably better to do that before we get to our destination. Things are going to get busy once we arrive.” Jenny and Linda looked puzzled and Colleen looked totally confused. Carl stepped over to Colleen to give her a hug and whispered. “We need to bring our family closer. I know that is important for all of us, especially you and me. I do love you, Songbird.”
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Post by kaijafon on Jun 28, 2023 15:54:43 GMT -6
awesome MOAR!!!!
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Post by udwe on Jun 28, 2023 22:43:09 GMT -6
They're getting close
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