|
Post by pbbrown0 on Jun 30, 2023 8:44:18 GMT -6
Post #25 The Cusp
Colleen had hoped she would be able to ride for at least a short time in the same truck as Carl. She was totally confused that Carl acquiesced so readily to her Daddy’s ploy about her and Carl simply swapping trucks. What was he going to talk about with her parents while she was not there? Why had he not told her his plans for that first? She took a breath and told herself he had a lot of time to think and not much chance on this trip to talk with her without their parents listening in on their conversation, so of course he hadn’t told her what he needed to discuss with her parents before they got to his Grandpa’s land. ‘I just have to trust him. So far he’s given me every reason to trust him and no reason to not trust him.’ She was sitting in the back seat of the Smith’s truck, just like she had requested, riding down the road saying nothing. How silly is that? “Mr. and Mrs. Smith, thank you for letting me ride with you. Earlier today my father commented that I was talking like you and Carl are already part of the same family as my parents and I. I told him that is the way I am starting to see things. I hope you don’t mind, although I understand that is going to take some adjusting for all of us.” Jenny was the first to reply. “Colleen, we are actually pleased that you and Carl are moving in that direction with each other. Most parents have concerns about their children making the right choice when choosing a lifelong partner, but with you and Carl it is a relief to us that you two have made a really good choice. Of course, as parents, just like your own, we are aware of a multitude of choices and adjustments that lay ahead for you. We are especially concerned about the difficulties you two will face, because of how difficult these critical times are right now.” Rob stepped in at this point. “Colleen, Jenny and I , just like your parents, want good experiences and happiness for our children, because we love you. We also know that everyone makes mistakes, from time to time, that can interfere with that happiness. Experience can teach us lessons about avoiding unhappy choices, but sometimes that comes from having made unhappy choices and experiencing the unpleasant results. Carl is trying to avoid that as much as possible because he loves you, and he wants you to be happy, too. These times we are in are especially tough in that regard, because we all are dealing with new and unfamiliar difficulties. We want you two to be careful about rushing ahead too quickly before you are prepared to deal with those difficulties.” Colleen was quiet as she thought about what had been said. “I guess it’s a good thing we have parents like you to learn from. I’m so eager to rush forward now that I see the possibility of my dreams becoming a reality. I think Carl is trying so hard to make wise choices and not make mistakes, like you were saying. He seems to be talking, and listening, more with you than I have talked with my parents about the big decisions. As a matter of fact, that is probably what he is doing right now with my parents.” “Carl just seems to pay attention to the role models he has in his family like you two, my parents, and even his Grandpa. Speaking of family, what has his Grandpa told you about his new wife?” - - - - -
“Pete, this is a good tree to cut down for building the kitchen shed. It’s almost as tall as the older trees, but it’s still younger and thinner. The problem is it is too close to this older healthy tree. Its crown is getting too close under the crown of that larger tree and it is going to be struggling soon. I’m guessing you can get the corner posts out of the lower trunk and then the rafters out of the upper trunk. I need to scout out some smaller trees situated similar to this one to use for the ridge beam and the purlins. I can be looking around while you start felling this one.” “Thanks, sweetheart. This looks perfect. I appreciate your experience and training in forestry. I want to learn more about that. I’ve studied up on felling trees. It sure would be nice however to have some of my Grandpa’s tools. Hmm, I think I’ve said that before, haven’t I?” “Yes, Love, you have. We will work with what we have until it becomes clear that it’s time to get more. Be careful and pace yourself, Peter. Tree cutting is hard work with hand tools.” “And, you be careful traipsing through the woods by yourself. keep alert and watch your footing. You never know what you may find when there is no path to follow.” Pete went to get his saw and axe, then came back to study the tree. It looked to be an oak but he could not be sure of the variety, because the crown was about seventy feet up and his eyesight was not as sharp as it had once been. He gauged the slant of the trunk and then the balance of the tree’s crown. He looked over to where the natural fall would take it, and then frowned. The natural fall would have the arc of the falling crown catching the upper section of one tree then perhaps bouncing into another tree as it fell lower. That was not the way he wanted it to fall. It could damage other trees, and it could also damage the wood of the tree he was about to fell. He looked around and spotted a direction where there was a wider gap between the trees along that line of sight for about forty yards. That was where he needed to lay it down. He moved around to that side of the tree and began cutting his tipping notch in the direction he wanted it to fall. After a minute of sawing he got his rafter square and scribed a line in the dirt from the center of the trunk toward the direction he wanted it to fall. The natural tip and crown balance were not that strong on this tree so he only made the slightest compensation for those factors. Then he scribed two more lines each from the outside edges of the trunk and parallel to his center aiming line. As he continued sawing the tipping notch he would periodically press the side of the short leg of his rafter square up into the deepest part of the notch. Then he would check to ensure the edge of the long leg of the square was lined up with the scribed lines on the ground. Once the notch was cut almost a third of the way through the trunk, he checked his alignment one more time. Then he moved to the back side of the tree and began making a single cut into the trunk about an inch and a half to two inches above the deepest spot on the tipping notch. Again he was checking his alignment every couple of minutes. Finally as he was sawing he heard the wood creak, and he backed off. He looked at it from the side and saw there was barely an inch of uncut trunk holding the tree upright. Nothing happened for a couple of minutes so he walked back to a faucet on the filtered water reservoir and got a drink. As he was walking back to the tree he was cutting he began to hear crackles and saw his tree slowly tipping over. It fell slowly at first and then accelerated to the ground with a hard thump that he felt in the ground. Now began the work of turning the tree into usable lumber. Pete had started the limbing process, cutting the limbs off the trunk, starting from the base of the trunk and working toward the crown. As he got nearer to the crown he began to discover the problems of not having the right tools. He ran into a couple of somewhat heavier limbs jammed into the ground that held the top end of the trunk slightly off the ground. He continued to clean the branches, not pinned to the ground, from the trunk until he got into the crown where the branches were much closer together. At this point he began cutting across the trunk to remove the cluster of branches at the top as one big cluster. That is when Joann reappeared. “Well, what did you think about that?” “Overall I think it went pretty well. I am going to have a problem with these limbs…” “You mean you didn’t feel it?” Pete was clueless. “Feel what, my Love?” “The little earthquake!” “Are you sure this tree hitting the ground wasn’t what you felt?” Joann rolled her eyes. Pete, I’ve been in enough minor earthquakes to recognize one when one happens. A tree falling makes a sudden whump. If its a really big tree there may be a greatly diminished after-bounce. This was more of a jiggle, jiggle, jiggle. You didn’t feel it?” “I’m sorry, Joann. I was concentrating on cutting and sawing this tree. I just missed it I guess. You say you have been through others?” Yes, some in California and a few in northeast Arkansas. This felt like a two point something. not quite a three. Not a big one at all, but I definitely felt it.” Pete was very still and quiet, concentrating for several seconds. “Joann, that is … unusual. For us to feel it here it had to be fairly significant, but a long way away. We are a couple of hundred miles from the nearest fault. The only earthquake I ever felt was like you described. I learned later it was about a five point five, but it was over two hundred miles from where I was at that time.” Pete was still concentrating. “I don’t know where it might have originated, but the geography is just wrong for us to be feeling it here from the faults I know about. Of course I’m no expert, am I ?” Pete chuckled. “Like I said, I’ve been through quite a few in various parts of the country. I’ve been told that if it feels small but it’s long, that’s because it was really a big one far away. So, with it being short it’s unlikely anything to be concerned about. Changing the subject, I tagged some smaller trees that I think will do for what we need right now. If they don’t fit the bill for you just let me know and I’ll try to find what you need. How is it going here?” “Not bad. I don’t want to repeat myself about the tools, so I’ll just say I can make it all work. Who knows. We may have some more help before it is done. I have a feeling Rob is going to be here very soon.” “I’m looking forward to meeting your family, Pete.” “I’m looking forward to your meeting them, too. Honestly, I’m looking forward to meeting their neighbors. I got this sense that there is more there than just being good neighbors.” - - - - -
“So, Carl, what is it you are wanting to talk about with my wife and I ?” “Actually there are several things I want to talk about with you, but that’s going to take time to get to all of them. One of them I was talking with my Dad about, and it involves you, him, and me. Before we get into that, I probably need to first talk to you about a few other things just so you have a better context.” “I tell you what, Carl. How about you cut to the chase, and then I can ask questions about what I might need to know for clarification. Can you do that for me?” “I suppose I could, if that is the way you want to go at it. You and my Dad are going to be looking to make deals with some nearby landowners so you can purchase some land adjacent to or near the land my Grandpa has. First, I would like to be there while you are looking, planning, and making your deals so I can learn more about how you do that and the strategies you are taking. Just so you will know Mr. Cooper, I’ve also asked my Dad if I can give him some of the money I’ve been saving from my work for the past couple of years so he can include a small parcel for me in the plot he negotiates to buy. I figured it would be easier to combine my money with his and separate out a small piece for me afterwards than to negotiate with the current landowners for an additional parcel.” Carl stopped there and waited for Mr. or Mrs. Cooper to respond or ask questions. And he kept waiting. Mrs. Cooper was wondering why an eighteen year old boy would want to put his savings from an after school job into buying a tiny piece of land in the middle of nowhere. Similarly, but in a slightly different vein, Bruce Cooper was wondering just how much land young Carl thought he could buy with his savings and what could he possibly do with such a minute patch of land. They were each trying to formulate a question that did not sound condescending and hurtful. Bruce spoke first. “Carl, I think it is very admirable that you want to learn from your father and I by watching and observing how we go about this process. First let me ask you, at this point what is your expectation for how much the land might cost?” “I asked my Dad that question and he was kind of hedging a bit about a variety of factors that could influence the agreed upon price, but he said he had a notion that my Grandpa had paid somewhere in the range of two to three thousand an acre for his land.” Again, Carl waited uncomfortably for the next question. Linda was thinking, ‘Well, what do you know? I had no idea about that until just this minute.’ Bruce was thinking, ‘Well at least he is aware of that reality. Rob was smart to forewarn him that it wasn’t as simple as going to a retail shop and checking the sticker price. Okay, now for the tough realities.’ “Carl, do you mind my asking how much you have saved, or perhaps the better question is how much of your savings are you willing to spend on buying land?” “Mr. Cooper, like I told my Dad, I’m still working on that. and that gets into the context I mentioned earlier. What I intend to do with the land and the surrounding cost of accomplishing that has a significant impact on how much I am willing to spend and how much I need to hold back in reserve. I still need to get a better handle on the amount I need to not spend on the land to keep in reserve.” “Okay, I understand, Carl. That is a wise strategy to not get over extended. Your Dad gave you a range with caveats, so can you help me out here? At this point, knowing this isn’t carved in stone, yet, how many dollars are you thinking about using to buy some land?” “Mr. Cooper, I might be able to do a little more if my study of the particulars turns up some promising information, but at this point, the most I feel I can commit to is eight to ten thousand dollars.” Bruce tried not to show too much reaction on the outside. “Just to be clear, you mean eight to ten thousand beyond what you intend to hold in reserve?” “Yes, Sir.” “This money is money you saved from your after school job, or are there other sources?” Bruce was surprised that Carl had that much, especially from a mere after school job. “The truth is I had trouble getting the hours in and the pay was poor when I first started. By the time I got to the first summer, I was given a significant raise and got a lot more hours in. There was a real construction push going on with some contractors in the summer after the virus epidemic eased back. By the second school year I had been given another raise. All the money I have came from the same job. I have been concentrating on saving as much as I can. This was very important to me from the time I first started on my altered path in high school.” “Are you saying that you started, two years before your father and I began talking about this, saving your money so you could buy some land?” “No, not exactly. I was saving toward the same fundamental goal, but with the changing circumstances we have seen I had to adapt and change my objectives and tactics.” Linda had been trying to listen and her frustration with all the verbal dancing around finally got to her. “Carl, would you quit trying to play with your cards buried inside your vest? Just jump to the end of the book and tell us why you are doing all this.” “Mrs. Cooper, you already know why. It’s because I love Colleen. I obviously can’t ask to marry her, though, until I can actually be sure I can take care of her needs. You are her parents and you've been taking care of her, your child, quite well I must say, for years. However, she can’t stay a child all her life and be completely happy. I want to help her find those things that will really make her happy like the two of you and my parents have found. But, if I can’t take care of her basic needs, then I can’t be a good husband for her, can I?” Bruce thought he understood, but asked again for clarification. “So what you are really saying is that you want some land of your own so you can build a house for you and Colleen to live in? You have been focusing your efforts with your job from the very beginning on that goal?” “Not quite. Providing a house for her/us is just one objective. I also have to be able to make sure she has food and clothing and a life that is satisfying and fulfilling. Did you know she was actually dreaming of having a family with me, before I told her that I wanted the same thing, with her. That is the real goal; for us to have a happy family together. You two have that. My parents have that. Now Colleen and I want that, too. That is the context I was referring to earlier.” Bruce and Linda were sitting in the front seats staring forward down the road. Carl was behind them wondering how they were handling what he had just said. He had not planned exactly what he was going to say to them when he agreed to ride with them. He certainly had not intended for the conversation to go quite this way. However, he had managed to explain to them the roots of his intentions and motivations regarding Colleen and himself. He left out a lot of details, but the fundamentals were all there. Now he was stuck riding alone with Colleen’s parents until the next stop. Linda was the first one to speak after a grand pause. “Carl, you pointed out that you and Colleen are now wanting to find what we and your parents have found. Neither of us, Colleen’s Daddy and I, had parents who had found much of anything that we wanted for ourselves. When we were your age, we both went searching for what we wanted without having much to base our search on other than what we knew we didn’t want. The sad truth is both of us made some foolish choices for a while, until we finally realized we were on the wrong track. It was about that time when we happened upon each other and found a bond in recognizing we were both wanting the same change of direction, and that we had conjured up in our minds pretty much matching dreams of where we wanted to go with our lives. It was pretty scary, because neither of us knew how to get there. But, we were both determined to give it our best shot.” “Having no familiar role models of how to get there it was a tough uphill battle for us with mistakes along the way. With all the turmoil of what is happening lately, it’s nice to hear that someone thinks of us as a role model for finding a happy life. It also is encouraging that our precious daughter has found someone to build her life with… that thinks we have done an okay job of…” Carl couldn’t see but it was clear from her voice that Mrs. Cooper was feeling some strong emotions. He knew enough to not say anything more yet. It took a minute before Bruce spoke. “Carl, we appreciate the things you have said and we are very encouraged by the commitment you are showing. You are still young, but you seem to be on a very good path. Know that we are behind you on this, and we will be doing what we can to help you stay on that path."
|
|
|
Post by kaijafon on Jun 30, 2023 18:41:30 GMT -6
what a pleasant surprise! a teenager (or two) who actually practice the amazing art of THINKING!!!!
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Jul 6, 2023 18:05:21 GMT -6
Post # 26 Almost Home
“Speaking of seeing your family and their friends, Peter, how soon do you mean when you say soon?” “I can't say for sure. Wait a minute. I just remembered something. Those radios I got. They told me about them so we could talk around here without the tracking features being such an issue. I’ve been so busy trying to get things started here I forgot to set it up. Rob told me they would be trying to contact us when they get closer so they can navigate the last stretch?” “Pete, I thought you said they had a range of only about five miles.” “That’s only for the hand held radios. The base stations can reach over a hundred miles.” “Well, can we set up the base station out here? The only electricity we have is that generator for when we need to run the pump and refill our reservoir.” “You're right, Joann, of course.That’s the reason I got that cluster of batteries to connect to the generator. The base radio doesn’t pull that much power unless it is transmitting and then it’s about like an old style lightbulb. so that cluster of batteries I linked together should hold it for several hours and save us from running the generator full time. I’ll get it plugged into the electric circuit I set up for the water pump, then I’ll toss up an antenna.” “Toss up? That’s an odd term to use.” “I don’t want to put up a fancy tower antenna. I’ve thought about this, and remembered back when I was a kid and my Dad got me that simple radio kit to assemble and experiment with. I was fiddling around with it and found that if I twisted a length of wire around the antenna on it and stretched out the end I could get a better signal. So I played around experimenting more and found that a long wire up over a tree branch worked even better. So I’m going to get a long wire and tie a rock on the end, then toss it up over a tree branch. It may not reach the maximum range, but it will be good enough for our purposes.” Pete interrupted his work on the kitchen shed and went to their pile of goods under the tarpaulin. After unbundling and re-bundling he got the base station set up inside their tent and attached a coil of wire to the antenna terminals. He looked up to the branches in the trees near their tent and picked a promising branch. After uncoiling a generous length of wire he cut it off with his knife and tied it to a rock. It took him several tries but he managed finally to get the wire draped over a limb about thirty five feet above the ground. He plugged the base unit into an extra socket he had provided when setting up the generator and batteries, then turned on the unit. Just to check out the radio, he stepped through the channels pausing at each one to listen for any activity. He got a little static on two channels and fiddled with the squelch. On one he could barely hear a few faint signals that he could not hear well enough to understand. Finally he got to the channel Rob had told him they would be using to contact him. He eased back on the squelch and listened for a minute, but heard nothing. Joann was nearby waiting and listening. Pete looked at Joann, shrugged and said, “Here goes nothing.” He keyed the mic and spoke. “Bur Oak calling Pecan Tree, Over.” He released the key and waited. “Bur Oak calling Pecan Tree, Over.” Again he waited. He repeated this four more times. then set the mic down. “Sweetheart, I don’t know when they are coming or even what day they are leaving their home. What I do know is that if they are on their way Rob was planning to start trying to contact us when they are about a hundred miles away.” “So, are we going to sit here waiting until they make contact?” “Oh no. I’ll leave the receiver on and we can stay busy with whatever we need to do. We can take a break and try to raise them periodically, but not too often. If they are getting close enough to raise us and we are close enough to the tent to hear, then we can talk to them. Eventually we will connect, because they will be close and not sure how to find their way in through the forest to find us.” “We still have time to get some more done on our kitchen shed this afternoon, but I do want to check the radio periodically. This is Saturday and I’m guessing they are more likely to start their trip to come here on a weekend rather than on a weekday. I guess I really am hoping they get here soon.” “I’m sure you miss them, Pete. I just pray they have a safe trip getting here. I am looking forward to meeting them, all of them.” “I’m looking forward to all of us being here, Joann. I seriously want them here soon. We never know what will happen next in this world. There are things brewing right now that we don’t have any outward indication of or the problems they will bring. Remember the verses that say woe to those inhabitants of the earth and sea because the Devil has been cast out of heaven and down to the earth, and that he has great anger knowing his time is now short? That is a warning we dare not take lightly.” “I see your point, Pete. In a lot of ways when you really think about it, that is one of the scariest passages in the whole Bible.” “Yep, to me it ranks right up there with the passage in Mark that says that if the days of the great tribulation, which is to come, had not been shortened by the Creator, no flesh would survive. I’m really thankful that we have such a compassionate God, that He promised long ago that He would step in to put a sudden end to the Devil's hateful schemes.” “Peter, it just amazes me that people who claim to be good people insist on trying to figure out for themselves what is good and what is bad, without looking to God to consider what He has to say about it. Even among those who claim they have faith in Him listen too much to what ‘some people say’ about Him or cherry pick the things they like and dismiss the rest of what He says about finding real happiness. I mean really, if He is the One who created us, doesn’t it make sense that He is a bit smarter than we are about what will work and what just won't cut it?” “ I know, Joann. His giving us free will is a double edged sword. Adam and Eve made the choice to believe the lies of the Satan about the Creator wanting to keep good things from us, and men ever since have been following their example in choosing who to believe. It’s man’s foolishness and Satan’s anger that are bringing on the Tribulation, not God’s anger. God’s anger is what will finally stop it and save those who are faithful to the end. Our God will take care of all that. That’s above our paygrade. Right now, we need to take care of getting ready for some friends and family that are needing a taste of some refuge. ” - - - - - A little less than two hours past their previous stop Bruce asked Carl to contact Colleen on the radio and relay to his Dad that he wanted to stop at the next gas station rather than the one they had preselected. It took about twenty minutes to find one. When they stopped, it was a small two pump station and Bruce had to park his rig partially off the apron of the gas station slab, while Rob was pulled up to the pump. Bruce jumped out of his cab and walked quickly up to Rob’s door and conferred with him for a minute. Rob topped off his tank, then pulled up so Bruce could do the same while everyone else took the opportunity to get out and move around. Linda and Jenny went inside to look over the snack and drink selections. Carl and Colleen walked to the edge of the slab to get in the shade of the trees and look around. “Carl, this is starting to look more like I was hoping for. I am only occasionally seeing a few hay fields or grazing fields, but mostly woods alongside the road now. Daddy looks like he wants to talk with us. He’s coming this way. I really want more time to talk with you, Carl. Hi, Daddy! What’s up?” “Hi, darling girl. I just wanted to update you on our progress. I’m sorry about a miscalculation. When I told you it would be about four more hours, I was wrong. These roads are bending back and forth and going up and down hill more than it showed on the map. With our rigs it isn’t safe to drive at the posted speeds or the state default max speed for passenger cars. So we are not progressing as fast in this area as we were able to out on the plains.” “Okay, so what is your estimate now for how much longer?” “This is just a guess, because we haven’t driven before on the roads ahead. All the software estimates say the last two hours we drove should have taken only an hour and a half. The problem is we don’t know if the rest of our route will progress at the same rate, a slower rate, or a faster rate. So our best guess is the rest of the trip will take two to possibly four hours more. That still puts us arriving at the property Carl’s Grandpa has before sundown, fortunately.” “So, we stopped at a place you hadn’t planned just to tell me this?” Colleen was stunned. “Carl noticed you were anxious about when we might arrive, because I had neglected to give you any indication how long the trip would be. I gave you a time frame so you could relax and then I realized I was probably mistaken. We stopped so I could confer with Carl’s father about my mistake before I corrected the information I gave you. I gave you that information so you could relax. I didn’t want you to see we weren’t getting there when I said we would without an explanation.” “Thank you, Daddy. That is really sweet of you to be so concerned about my feelings. I wasn’t anxious about a precise arrival time. You were just being so secretive, and I didn’t know if it was going to be one day, or two, or three. I guess the real truth was that I was missing being with Carl. I don’t think you really understand that yet about Carl and me.” “You can thank Carl for helping me make a lot of progress on that front, Colleen. After the conversation your Momma and I have been having with Carl, I’m beginning to think I need to be careful about getting between you and Carl, so, whose truck do you and Carl want to ride together in until we get to his Grandpa’s place?” Colleen’s eyes lit up, then she looked up at Carl and grinned. “That’s just a matter of which truck is taking the lead, since I want to get there as soon as possible.” Her Dad looked puzzled for just a second before he started laughing. Bruce looked at his daughter with a big grin. “I guess if your Mom and I want to see you any more on this trip we’ll have to talk to Carl’s Dad about changing who’s leading this caravan on the home stretch.” “Why don’t we do that on the next leg, since I want to make sure I get the straight story about what kind of tales my Carl’s been telling my parents.” She tilted her chin and gave a mock sly eye at her Dad before giving a grin and a wink to Carl. “Then we can swap out again on the last leg. It might be a little too strange if you, Mom, and I pull up at Grandpa’s place with Carl before his own son gets there.” Bruce had a serious look on his face for just a moment. “Okay we can make this work. While you two ride with us you can teach your Mom about using both the hand held radios that you two have been using and the base unit in our truck. We need to start trying to make contact with mister, er,.. with Carls’ Grandpa as we get closer. If you are both in the Smiths’ truck when you make contact with him, you’ll need to let us know and keep us informed.” There was a brief conversation among the six travelers about the arrangements and tactics for the last few hours of their trip. It was mid afternoon already, and that left just about five more hours of daylight. It was agreed that navigating the last couple of miles would be essentially impossible without daylight to see their path through the woods. They worked out a contingency plan to stop again and confer if their progress was slowed too much and the light became too limited before they arrived. Rob reminded Bruce that his truck was at the upper limit of its towing capacity and, unlike Bruce’s rig, he would have to be more cautious with his speed, especially in the downhill stretches. Bruce was very appreciative of the reminder from Rob, and as he took the lead, accommodating his daughter’s request, on the next stretch of their trip, he took time explaining this issue to his current passengers. Meanwhile, Colleen was making a point of sitting in the middle of the back bench seat in the truck cab so she was that much closer to Carl. It also allowed her to lean over the center console to point out to her mother the controls and indicator lights on the handheld and base station radios in her Daddy’s truck. It wasn’t until near the end of this leg of their trip in her Daddy’s truck that they began periodically calling out on the radio for Grandpa to respond. Colleen insisted on using the nickname ‘songbird’ that Carl had given her for her call sign. She also easily convinced Carl to use his nickname ‘Trailblazer’ when he tried to call his Grandpa. Rob had already explained that his call name would be ‘Pecan Tree’ and Grandpa would be ‘Bur Oak’. Carl at first was concerned that his Grandpa might not recognize their call signs to respond to them. Colleen pointed out that the variety of call signs while they were moving and changing positions would lessen the chances of anyone tracking them. Her Daddy expressed his appreciation for her cleverness. They had been traveling for about two and a half hours like this when Bruce slowed and pulled into another gas station, with Rob and Jenny coming up behind. Colleen wanted to try one more time to raise Grandpa before changing trucks with Carl. “Songbird calling Bur Oak…Songbird calling Bur Oak…Songbird calling Bur Oak, Come in Grandpa, over.” She released the mic key and clamped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I am just so eager to meet them. Carl grinned at her and put his arm around her shoulder. “That’s okay, Songbird. I understand. I seriously doubt that…” Carl stopped mid-sentence as he heard the radio issue a burst of hissing and static for a few seconds. He looked to Colleen and asked her to try again. “Songbird calling Bur Oak…Songbird calling Bur Oak…Come in Bur Oak…Over.” This time there was a very brief pause before they heard the hissing static response. Bruce spoke up. “I think that was a reply, but we could not pick it up. He probably has a different antenna set up than we have. I’m guessing he can hear us better than we can hear him, assuming it is your Grandpa, Carl.” “That makes sense, Mr.Cooper. It is pretty clear someone is responding, which is very unlikely unless they recognize their call sign being hailed. Let me try something.” Carl took the mic from Colleen. “Trailblazer calling Bur Oak…Trailblazer calling Bur Oak…We cannot read your signal… Pecan Tree is getting closer… repeat Pecan Tree is getting closer. Key mic three times if you copy…Over” They waited a couple of seconds and then heard three separate bursts of static. Colleen was bouncing up and down with excitement and Carl was grinning ear to ear. “Mr. Cooper, how much longer until we get there?” “Depending on the pace staying the same, it looks like an hour to an hour and a half, Carl.” Carl keyed the mic again. “Trailblazer to Bur Oak…Expect Pecan Tree meet up in one to two hours…Repeat expect Pecan Tree in one to two hours…Key two times if you copy. Over” They waited a few seconds before hearing two separate bursts of static. Bruce looked at Colleen and Carl. “You two need to grab your stuff and head for Rob’s truck. Let’s get going."
|
|
|
Post by kaijafon on Jul 8, 2023 14:02:04 GMT -6
yahoo! almost there! I'd choose lead truck too
|
|
|
Post by udwe on Jul 8, 2023 22:27:19 GMT -6
I can't wait until everybody gets there!
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Jul 10, 2023 18:09:06 GMT -6
Posting #27 Over the Ridge and Up the Mountain
Pete had been checking the weather forecast on his truck radio whenever he and Joann had driven off their land to ‘go to town’. There was still no rain forecast which was beginning to concern both Pete and Joann. It had been over a week without any rain and that was rather unusual for this area in June. Since the kitchen shed was intended to be a temporary structure, they did not bother to strip the bark off the small logs they were using. Pete was planning out the structure in his head as he was working to cut the trees into logs. His intention was to build a simple rectangle shaped structure with a single center ridged roof. It would not need to be gabled at each end, because he intended to have the peaked ends extending well past the corner posts. Likewise the ‘eaves’ on each sloped side would extend well past the corner posts. His plan was to cut all the poles needed to the right length then piece the framework together in sections before tilting the corner posts into the holes he would dig to hold them upright. Joann was keeping busy scouting out appropriate trees for cutting poles of the size Pete was calling for. When she had found what she and Pete figured would be enough, she joined Pete in limbing and cutting to length the trees he had already felled. Every hour or two they would take a break to listen to the radio that Rob had sent to them. It was late afternoon when they heard a ragged call coming over the radio and Pete carefully adjusted the squelch to get a clearer signal. Pete looked at Joann with a puzzled look. “Did I hear that right? It sounded like Songbird calling for Bur Oak?” Joann nodded. “I thought I heard ‘Grandpa’ at the end, too” Pete keyed the mic, “This is Bur Oak… Come back Song Bird?... Do I know you?...Over.” There was a pause before they again heard what sounded like ‘Songbird calling Bur Oak’ being repeated multiple times again. Pete tried again, “Bur Oak to Songbird…Bur Oak to Songbird… your signal is weak. Over.” Now there was a longer pause. Then another voice cut through. “Trailblazer…Bur Oak…Trailblazer…Bur Oak…We…not read … signal… Pecan Tree… closer… repeat Pecan Tree…getting closer. Key mic three … you copy…Over.” “That’s got to be them,” Pete told Joann. “They must be barely in range.” “Bur Oak Here,” he paused. “Signal weak.” He paused again. “Waiting for Pecan Tree. Over” This time there was a longer pause, then, “Trailblazer to Bur Oak…spect Pecan Tree meet … two hours…Repeat expec… Pecan Tree… two hours…Key two time…copy. Over.” Pete replied, “Copy that, Pecan Tree.” He paused. “Stay safe. Oak Tree Out.” He turned to Joann with a smile. “I guess we need to start fixing supper soon.” - - - - -
Of the four people in the Smith's truck, Colleen seemed to be the one most excited about the tenuous contact with Carl's Grandpa. Rob and Carl both had to gently caution her about using the radio too much. “I know you are excited, but think about this for a minute. Your Daddy has put a lot of thought and effort to making sure no one can follow our trail into the forest where Grandpa found a place for us. I'm not saying anyone is listening for us right now, but what if someone was listening in and hearing our radio signal. If we keep trying every five minutes, they could easily follow us right to Grandpa's property.” Colleen had a frustrated look on her face and was holding the mic ready to key it at any moment. “You don't really think anyone has tracked us all the way here, do you?” “No, of course not. But the radio signal is open for anyone to listen in. What about Grandpa? He was already living out this way, but he took precautions about people familiar with him out this way knowing exactly where he is. If we put out a radio signal every few miles it would be like a homing beacon leading right to him.” “Okay, I get it. It's just that...I want to be there. It's supposed to be hilly or almost mountainous there, isn't it?” “Yes, that's how he described it.” “Mister Smith, how sure can we be that we are in the right area when we get as close as we can on the roads you and Daddy studied?” “Colleen, Your Daddy looked at lots of different maps online. USGS maps, Forestry Service maps, county maps, even property boundary maps. We will be sure within a few hundred yards of where we need to turn off the road and into the woods. We just don't know what that turnoff or track into the woods will look like.” “I'm sorry I wasn't thinking. If you all put that much effort into this, then I'll stay off the radio until the last minute. But when we get as close as we can, will you all promise to let me call... Carl's Grandpa on the radio?” Rob looked over his shoulder at Carl quizzically, and Carl looked back with a shrug. “Sure, Colleen, I don't see why we can't do that.” Colleen seemed satisfied with that and spent the next hour or so watching out the windows and talking about the scenery. The terrain was gradually getting more hilly and trees were becoming more dominant. The roads were narrow two lane black top with rarely any shoulder. Their progress was at a slower pace because the roads through the hills were going up hill and down into small valleys. They were hitting switchbacks too, that snaked their way up and down some of the small mountains they were encountering. Generally they were climbing to a higher altitude, even if it was not completely obvious with so much rising and falling. After a little over an hour the roads they were on turned to chat with only a rare two track turnoff into the solid wall of trees on both sides of the winding roads. As they climbed one more long rise, Colleen noticed the truck slowing more than previously. When they crossed the ridge Colleen was looking ahead through the windshield and saw only a short and shallow descent before the road started another hard climb up ahead. The truck was still slowing as it approached the ascent and finally eased to a stop. Rob pulled out a small folded sheet of paper with an aerial map printed on it. “Okay, Colleen. It's your show now.” Are you sure, Dad?...I mean Mr. Smith? How can you tell?” “Well the only way to be sure is to call up Bur Oak and ask for a guide to lead us in. Let's see what you can do about that.” He turned in his seat and grinned over his shoulder to her. - - - - -
Pete gathered his tools as Joann began pulling jars of canned food from their cache. There were no fresh vegetables from their new garden yet and they had already abandoned the use of a refrigerator. She decided the best approach was to put together a casserole. She pulled out all the ingredients and the appropriate pots and pans, then she stoked their new stove and lit a fire. As she began the preparations, Pete joined her. “Pete, are you sure we were talking to the right people?” “About as sure as I can be. They were on the right channel, and there is very little traffic on any of the available channels out here. Also they got my handle and Rob's handle right. Ad that to their communicating about meeting in a manner and time frame that aligns with what we expected. So the chances of that all being a mistake are pretty slim.” “So who do you think Songbird and Trailblazer are? I'm pretty sure those are the names I heard.” “That's how I heard them. I was thinking it was possible but unlikely that someone else had Bur Oak for a call sign. There is a tiny place not too far from here with that name. But, my guess is that Songbird is a woman and Trailblazer is a man. It could be that Rob was busy driving and asked the others in the group to try operating the radios.” “If that were true, don't you think that Rob's neighbor would also be driving a different truck and trailer?” “You have a point there, Joann. That would only leave my grandson as the only male available to operate the radio. He's about eighteen now so that would make sense.” “So maybe, Rob's wife is Songbird. They are probably all three in the same truck.” “That sounds about right, Joann. We need to keep attentive to the radio while we're cooking in case they call again with a clearer signal.” “I need to get some water boiling for the noodles. Would you chop up some onions so I can cook them into the meat in just a minute. Thanks, Pete.” It was about an hour later when they heard the radio light up again. This time the signal was much clearer. “Songbird calling Bur Oak...Songbird calling Bur Oak...Come in Bur Oak. Over.” Pete and Joann looked at each other quizzically. Joann nodded her head knowingly. Pete picked up the mic. “Bur Oak here, Songbird. Reading you loud and clear young lady. Over.” There was a second's pause then, “Trailblazer is requesting a scout to help us find the trail, Bur Oak. No sense in blazing a new trail when there is one already available. Over.” “Copy that, Songbird. How soon will you be ready? Over.” “Ready right now, Bur Oak. Over.”
Pete and Joann were both surprised, but Pete glanced at Joann who nodded back. “Give me ten, Songbird. Over.” “Sounds like they are waiting on the road already and just needing a guide through the forest to our property. I guess I'd better head over there and guide them back here. You want to come with me?” “No. I'd better stay and watch the food so it doesn't burn while I keep it warm. Pete, in case you haven't put two and two together, it sounds like there is more going on than them 'just needing a guide through the forest'. You are sensing that, aren't you?” “Yes, my Love. That much is clear. What isn't clear is exactly what that 'more' actually is. I guess we will find out soon.” Pete climbed into his little truck and started through the woods to the nearest road, He didn't know what Rob and his friend were driving or what the trailers they were pulling looked like, but he wasn't too worried about recognizing their caravan on this narrow gravel road in the middle of nowhere. As he threaded his way through the trees he followed a path he had used several times now having leaned where to avoid fallen limbs, large rocks, muddy low spots and other obstacles. He was also looking overhead realizing the low hanging limbs could also create obstacles for large travel trailers. He also gave his attention to thanking his Creator for bringing his son's family and friends here safely and quickly. It took Pete just over nine minutes to reach the gravel road. He emerged from the trees and looked both north and south before pulling carefully out onto the gravel. About a quarter mile to the north and also a hundred yards to the south he saw a pickup with a travel trailer in tow. He honked his horn and pulled around in front of the rig to the south which was headed to the south toward the top of mountain. When he got out to greet his visitors he saw a back door of the pick up nearest him open up and a pair of teens, well older teens, climbed out, The first out looked like it must be Carl, though he looked older then Pete had remembered. Carl waited until a young lady at least half a foot shorter than Carl climbed out and they started coming toward Pete. . At first the young lady was keeping pace with Carl, then suddenly she rushed toward Pete and hugged his neck. Pete looked at Carl with a mixture of joy and slight perplexity. Carl grinned back and said , “Hi, Grandpa! Great to see you!” Meanwhile, Colleen continued to hug his neck, so Pete gently returned her hug. Finally she released his neck and took a step back. “I'm sorry, Grandpa.” she said softly with her head slightly down. “ I know you weren't expecting that, but you have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that.” Pete looked at her and said. “You must be Songbird. Yes, now I recognize you. You are, well, you were the little girl that lived next door to Carl. Look at how you've grown up.” By this time Rob and Jenny had joined them. “Hi, Dad.” Rob and then Jenny each gave Pete a hug. I see you remember Colleen. A lot has changed since we saw you last, We have a lot to catch up on. Help me get my rig lined up. It looks like I overshot the trail. Colleen's parents are back behind and they will be following. Once we get off the road and onto your property we'll reintroduce them and have plenty of time yo catch up on a lot of things. It took a bit to get Rob's rig backed up a hundred yards on the narrow road, and once they did Colleen insisted on riding with Pete and Carl in Pete's little truck. Pete drove more slowly going back into the forest checking more carefully for low hanging limbs. As Pete drove along Colleen was squeezed in between Carl and his Grandpa on the small bench seat in Pete's pickup. “So, while it;s just the three of us,” Pete said, “how about you two clue me in on what's really going on here.” Colleen started out, “Grandpa, I mean Mister Smith, I'll let Carl tell you most of it, but first I need to tell both you and Carl something I haven't talked to Carl about yet. You know the Carl and I grew up and next door neighbors and friends since we were little. What neither of you knew is that I was that since I was little I was jealous of the fact that Carl had a Grandpa, and I didn't. Okay maybe it was,'t exactly jealousy. It's just that I didn't have a grandpa, and my parents talked to me about letting you and Carl have your time together and not get in the way whenever you were visiting him. I had these fantasies about how nice it would be if you could be my Grandpa too. Okay, now I'll let Carl explain the rest.” “Oh, Colleen, I am so sorry. I never realized, I mean it never occurred to me that you didn't... That's why you insisted on getting to use the mic. You were trying to connect to Grandpa. Okay, then, I'll cut to the chase. Grandpa, as Colleen and I were growing up together as best friends, we were also growing more and more in love with each other. It was only a few weeks ago, just about the time you called to tell us about your new bride, that we both recognized that and talked honestly with each other about our feelings. Technically we are not engaged yet, because I am not yet in a place where I can properly provide for her as a husband. But that is a goal I am working hard to achieve.” Carl was quiet for a moment waiting for a response from his Grandpa. Colleen on the other hand was barely containing her excitement. “Go on, Carl. He needs to know the rest of this too. Now is not the time to hold back.” “Colleen is right Grandpa there is more and it's about our being here where we are supposed to be right now. We, that is Colleen and I, are more than just on board with being here where you and your new wife are. Even if all the crazy stuff in the world wasn't crowding in like it is now, we would still want to be here with you. We want to learn from you two everything we can. The forest, the biology of it, the practical ways to utilize it and how to sustain ourselves in it, we want to learn that from you, but the rest too. You found real wisdom that led you here before we and our parents realized what was going on. We know where you found that wisdom, and we want you to help us find that too.” “So, where are your parents in all of this? Do they know how you two feel about each other? Do they feel the same way you two do about coming here?” “They are beginning to understand how Colleen and I feel about each other. With everything else that has been going on that is a lot for them to take in, but we have been up front about that with them. We have only talked with them a little regarding how we feel about being here and wanting to learn more from you about your faith. I would say that so far, they are more at a point of reserved curiosity about what you have learned from your faith and from studying the Bible.” At this point Colleen had more to say. “Mr. Smith, I hope you don't mind my calling you Grandpa. Like I told my Daddy, I already am seeing our families as one family rather than two separate ones, because of Carl and me. We are both completely committed to this, not just to making this happen, but also to doing this the right way all the way through. That's another reason we want your help in applying real wisdom to how we build our relationship. I really want to get to know your wife. I just have this feeling that I can learn an awful lot from her, too.” “Young lady, let's get a few things straight right now.” Pete paused dramatically. “My bride may feel too young to be letting you call her Grandma. What you can call her is something you and Carl will have to work out among yourselves and her. As for me I would be delighted for you to consider me your Grandpa. Now when we get to our place it's going to take a few minutes to get your trailers placed, unhitched, and leveled. So, you two will have a little time to get to know Joann. It would probably help if you caught her up on where the two of you are, like you did for me. In the mean time, I'll try to bring a little reality check to your folks about what the term 'raw land' really means.” When they got near Pete and Joann's tent the three of them jumped out and Pete made the introductions. Colleen immediately gave Joann a hug followed by one from Carl. Soon Carl's parents reached them and were introduced to Joann, followed by Colleen's parents. Pete quickly took the lead in getting things organized. “I know everyone is tired and hungry, so lets get this done as quickly as possible. Carl you and Colleen can help Joann finish getting supper ready,” he said giving Joann an exaggerated wink that the four parents could not see. “Rob, Jenny, Bruce, and Linda, lets get these trailers situated and unhitched so you all have a stable abode for the night. You don't want them rocking and shifting as you walk through them. I also need to give you a few bits of info that will make your first few night a little less stressful.” Pete headed for his truck motioning for them to follow leaving Joann a bit dumbfounded since dinner was already prepared and waiting to be served. Once the parents were out of earshot, Colleen and Carl explained to Joann that Pete really wanted just the two of them to be able to talk with her about their feelings like they had with him. Joann seemed a bit surprised at first but the more they talked the more she warmed up to them. Within minutes she was hugging them all over again. While they were waiting for the others to finish working on the trailers, Carl and Colleen began asking about the site Joann and Grandpa had picked and what they had done so far to begin setting up. Colleen was thrilled to learn about the biology studies Joann had pursued in college and insisted that Joann be a mentor to her as she wanted to learn everything she could from her new 'Grandma'. Carl mentioned that he had salvaged the wood cutting tools from Pete's Grandpa and wanted to work very closely with his own Grandpa to learn everything he could about using them. Joann turned her attention to their desire to learn more about the Bible. “There is a small congregation in Buffalo Creek. It's about twenty-five miles from here, and tomorrow is Sunday. Would you be interested in seeing what one of our meetings is like? I think you two will like it, but it will be different from your typical Sunday morning church meetings.”
|
|
|
Post by feralferret on Jul 11, 2023 1:47:04 GMT -6
Excellent chapter! Thank you.
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Jul 14, 2023 19:14:19 GMT -6
Posting #28 RAW LAND
Pete had been contemplating the arrival of the two families with two separate travel trailer rigs. He was well aware of the speed they applied to disappearing from their old life. The complexity of that process was sure to have left gaps in their planning for the nuts and bolts of setting up their trailers on totally raw land. The design and promotion of travel trailers was aimed primarily at people taking vacation excursions; not for those wanting longer term housing in the wilderness. These rigs were fine for commercialized camp ground facilities with standardized water, power, and sewer hookups, but without those there were significant challenges to using all the modern features they advertised. Pete led them slowly uphill to get them closer to the water tank he had set up as their reservoir. He jumped out of his truck and used hand signals to direct first Rob and then Bruce into parking positions parallel to each other. He grabbed a nearby stump he had cut from a fallen tree he had noticed earlier in the week. He signaled Rob over to help him. “Let's get this over to your trailer to prop up the tongue.” Rob scurried over and helped his Dad roll the short stump to the tongue of his trailer. By this time Bruce, Linda and Jenny were gathering 'round. Bruce saw what they were doing and went over to the tongue of Rob's trailer. By the time Rob and Pete had the stump there, Bruce had the electric jack retracted to its maximum height. They worked together to line up the stump under the jack stand. Rob unlocked the trailer hitch and safety chains from his truck. Pete and Bruce pulled the wheel chocks out of Rob's truck bed and chocked the trailer wheels. Finally Rob began lowering the electric powered jack stand onto the stump and raised the tongue of his trailer until it cleared the trailer hitch ball on his truck. Jenny pulled the truck forward and away from the trailer. Rob had a slightly older model travel trailer so he pulled out the hand crank to start lowering the leveling feet at the four corners of his rig. As he lowered the leveling feet to the ground Jenny, Linda, Bruce and Pete positioned themselves at the preinstalled bubble levels at the front and back corners of the trailer. Rob moved from one extension foot to another making adjustments and checking with his team until he was satisfied with the stability and positioning of the trailer. Now it was time to stabilize Bruce's rig. This turned out to be easier, because he had a rig with the latest bells and whistles. The team worked together to chock the wheels while Bruce pulled out the remote control. Once the wheels were chocked, he raised the front of his trailer with the remote until he released the pressure on the hitch ball in the center of his truck bed. Then he reached under the wheel well and twisted the lever to retract the ball hitch. Once again he raised the trailer a little more and dropped the tail gate on his truck. Next the pulled his truck forward out of the way. Finally he set the remote to leveling mode and the electronic controls took over adjusting the four corners to level and stabilize his rig automatically. When Bruce indicated he was done, Linda said, “Wow, that was quite an operation. Now what?” Before anyone else could answer, Pete spoke up. “Now we need to talk about some concerns.” Rob, Bruce, Linda, and Jenny all stopped and looked back and forth among themselves for a minute of uncertainty. Pete cleared his throat. “You folks have been caught up in a whirlwind these last few weeks, and I have to applaud all four of you for the job you have done in getting so much arranged and accomplished in such a short time. From what I can tell you have done an exceptional job of covering your tracks and making a radical break from your old life and committing to serious changes for the sake of your families.” Rob, Jenny, Bruce, and Linda breathed a collective sigh of relief. They had not known what was coming when Pete said they needed to talk about concerns, but now it sounded like this might be a more positive discussion. “The concern I have is that with you being so focused on the immediate issues of disappearing into the woods without a trace, you, quite understandably, have not had time to think through the next set of challenges. In a nut shell you haven't been able to fully consider the realities of living in a trailer on truly raw land.” Pete left that thought out there to let it steep a minute. I'm not here to criticize or belittle you by any means. What you have done so far it genuinely amazing. I just want to help you shift gears, mentally. Joann and the youngsters will have supper ready by the time we get back there. You all need a good night's sleep. But, come morning we need to have a sit down and talk it through kind of meeting about the next few months. If you stay on the same mental track as you have been on without embracing the totally different world you just stepped into, I'm afraid you are going to come face to face with some rather uncomfortable situations. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I want to share with you some challenges I have been thinking over for a while, that you might have missed.” “Let's go get something to eat, and watch your step. The light gets tricky in the forest about this time of day.” They left their trucks where they were parked and trekked down the hill. On the way down Pete kept the conversation light. He mentioned the reason for parking them where he did was so they would be closer to the water tank he had installed. He asked about their trip and how it had progressed. Some comments were made about Carl and Colleen by their parents, and Pete responded that the two had talked to him as well about their intentions while he drove them into the property. In almost no time they arrived where Joann had been cooking on the wood burning stove. She and Carl and Colleen had managed to drag together some of the logs Pete had been cutting. They weren't exactly soft, but it was a little easier to sit on them than sitting on the ground. It did not take long for the group to finish eating. Somehow, Joann's cooking was more appealing than all the snack food they had been eating on the road. Everyone seemed lulled by the sound of the insects and frogs in the forest as they finished eating. Joann mentioned that Carl and Colleen were interested in visiting a congregation meeting in Buffalo Creek the next morning, but she wasn't sure about them squeezing into the front seat of Pete's little truck with Pete and herself in there too. Rob offered to let them drive his truck since it had front and back seats. He begged off going himself after being in the driver's seat for so many miles the day before. Carl expressed his appreciation for that offer. Colleen seemed to fidget and hesitate like she wanted to say something. Bruce noticed and asked, “What is it Colleen? You obviously have something on your mind.” “Daddy, do we have sleeping bags where we can get to them? I've been cooped up inside a truck all day, and the forest is so amazing. Could I maybe sleep outside tonight? Please?” Bruce was caught off guard and hesitated as well. He looked over at Carl, then back to Colleen. “Yes, I have sleeping bags and even a pop up tent for contingencies. Have you talked with Pete and Joann about how bad the bugs and other critters are here at night?” “No, Daddy, I guess I probably assumed too much, knowing that Pete and Joann are sleeping in a tent.” Joann responded, “We were very cautious at first, but we are having surprisingly little trouble, so far, with the critters around here. It helps to create a very simple barrier around you. The unusual feature, like a little trench around our tent, seems to make them shy about venturing into the unknown in the dark.” She smirked at the irony of that. “I would think you'd be more comfortable in the bed inside our trailer, Colleen, but if you want to try sleeping out-of-doors tonight, I guess you can try that.” “Thank you, Daddy. I've just been so eager to experience the woods. I'll be okay. I promise.” Without a lot of fanfare, everyone began getting dishes cleaned up and preparing for bed. Colleen agreed to find a place for her sleeping bag just outside her parent's trailer. No one seemed to notice when Carl slipped outside with his sleeping bag and parked himself out away from the two trailers where he could keep an eye on Colleen through the night. The next morning Pete climbed up to the trailers and found both Colleen and Carl to wake them. He figured he would let the parents sleep in this morning, but Joann had made some cinnamon and honey biscuits for breakfast. The four of them indulged in these treats along with fresh coffee, before they headed out for the twenty-five mile drive down to Buffalo Creek. Carl had the keys to his Dad's truck and eased the truck gently down the hill without revving the engine so it would not disturb their parents. When they got back home it was almost noon and Pete went to knock on the trailer doors while Carl and Colleen stayed with Joann to get lunch ready. It took a while for the two couples to drag themselves out of bed and down the hill to the kitchen. When they arrived, Colleen and Carl brought them mugs of fresh coffee that had been percolating on top of the wood burning stove. Pete sat down on a stump nearby with his own mug of coffee. “I hope you all slept well. I know you needed a good rest. While Joann and the young ones are working on Lunch I thought that rather than making this a day for physical labor we ought to get started on thinking ahead. I'm going to say this again. I think you did a great job of taking care of so many radical changes to get you families to a safer place in such a short time. Having done that, however, we need to plan out another radical transition. Just to get your mental wheels in gear, I want you to realize that this is not a commercialized trailer park for short term vacationers. You are welcome here, but here there is no such thing as 'facilities' in this land.” Pete paused a long time without saying another word. He just sat there sipping his coffee. Linda was the first to speak up. “That is why we decided to buy the travel trailers. They carry their own facilities. They are not as big and spacious as a house, but there are plenty of conveniences squeezed into a smaller space. We are going to rely on them until we can get a house built.” Pete nodded his head and smiled pleasantly back at the group for a while. “You all know that these travel trailers are designed primarily for people taking a vacation and not for a permanent residence. How long do you suspect the average vacation lasts?” The expressions on faces around the group began to tighten just a little. “Anywhere from a week to maybe three weeks...” Rob responded but it was like his mind drifted off into a different world before he could finish his own sentence. “Uh huh. And how many nights during that two to three weeks do you think the average family on vacation stops to spend the night parked beside the road or in a big box store's parking lot as compared to parking in designated trailer slots in campgrounds where they pay a nightly fee for electric, water, and sewer hook-ups?” Pete waited again. In your travels here did you notice any trailer parks with maybe fifty to a hundred travel trailers or so all lined up with people living in them for a few months at a time? Have you looked into what they charge at those places for a full month of hook-up services?” Still no one responded. Pete's questions were met with silence and serious but uninformed staring at nothing straight ahead. Finally Bruce responded in a very somber tone, “The staff at the trailer dealers talked about the fresh water holding tank and the waste water holding tank capacities so we could travel far and wide without being constrained by having to be anchored to hookup stations. They talked about large dual propane tanks so we could go farther and longer without worrying about a refill station. It sounded really good, but they never talked in terms of how many actual days we could go without a hook-up. Please don't tell me we made a really big mistake in doing this.” “No, Bruce, I'm not telling you that. I'm just trying to get you to start thinking through to some practical solutions considering your needs and the resource availability in the real world. When I got this land it was literally raw land with no electricity, no running water, at least not running in a pipe, and certainly no sewer or septic tank set-up. Long term, I do not intend to rely on this, but I had to pay for a small well to be drilled just to get started. I have a very small water pump that takes the well water up to a holding tank I bought, I built a homemade filter to help clean the well water for drinking. I had to buy a small gasoline generator and a pile of batteries just to run the water pump and the radio y'all sent to me. There is no sewer or sanitation system here yet, beyond a hand shovel. None of these are adequate in the long term for two adults, much less for eight adults.” Rob looked at Bruce and then to his Dad. “Okay, Dad, we are beginning to get the picture. So, let's look at the real nuts and bolts of this problem. Let's take this one item at a time. How far is it to the nearest trailer camp with full hookups?” “Best I can tell the nearest full hook up trailer camp or park is about fifty miles away and they charge thirty dollars per day for hook-ups. Ten for water, ten for electricity, and ten for dump station hook-up. Of course there may be places where you can get a partial hookup like just a one time dump station, but those are more opportunistic. For example you have to go elsewhere for water to refill your fresh water tank after flushing your sanitary dump with your own fresh water. Also, you can get your propane tanks refilled a couple of places within thirty miles, but there are no provisions there for water or sewer at those sites. Finally, the nearest gas stations for fueling your gasoline powered electricity generator are each about about twenty-five miles from here. Batteries can be bought to store electricity you have generated, but there are costs involved and I don't know what kind of draw you are planning to connect to your system. By the way your water faucets, showers, and flushing toilets depend on electricity to generate the water pressure they need.” Rob had been very quiet. He was much more accustomed to his Dad's style of discussion than Bruce and Linda were. He knew it was time to define the bottom line. “So, Dad, if I'm getting this right, the trailers are good for shelter and sleeping quarters, but the stoves, ovens, refrigerators, air conditioners, heaters, sinks, showers, toilets, televisions, even lights, are all facilities that can only be used as a rare and limited convenience, because the cost of using them and refreshing them here is totally impractical. Do I have that right?” Pete pondered that for a minute. “Rob that is an oversimplification, but it is fundamentally true. Without a hook up facility you might with prudent use last a week. Then what do you do? You hitch up, tow it an hour and a half to a hookup, spend a day and a night flushing out, refilling, recharging, etc., and then tow it back for another week. Each time, you will be exposing yourself to more tracking possibilities, because those sights keep records and have security cameras for their own protection. There are measures that can be taken to mitigate that risk or to improve the usability of the rigs, but they take time, effort, and money to implement.” “In the mean time, we have enough water here for drinking and cooking, we have the means for cooking with 'free fuel', and a supply of canned, that is home canned, food. We have gardens started, though not yet ready to harvest. And we have chickens laying plenty of eggs. Speaking of food, I'm hungry and I'm guessing the Joann and your youngsters have something about ready to eat."
|
|
|
Post by CountryGuy on Jul 14, 2023 19:46:55 GMT -6
The rubber is meeting the road...
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Jul 14, 2023 20:17:02 GMT -6
Indeed
|
|
|
Post by 223shootersc on Jul 14, 2023 20:58:06 GMT -6
Reality bites! Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Jul 20, 2023 14:26:49 GMT -6
Posting #29 A Fresh Look At A New Home
While Joann was starting up a fresh batch of biscuits, Carl was lighting a fire in the burn box of Joann's oven, and Colleen was perusing the labels on a collection of sealed canning jars. She was surprised to see that quite a number of very large canning jars contained dry ingredients like flour, cornmeal, and sugar. She made a mental note to talk with Joann about that later. She was thinking just how much she might be learning from Joann by talking and paying attention to her. She eventually chose three jars of canned beef stew and a quart jar of corn. Carl has a fire going in the stove now and Joann coached him on how to position the wood pieces and how big to make the fire. She also directed him in selecting a couple of cast Iron pots and placing them on the stove top, while she was punching out biscuit rounds with the top of an empty jar. Soon they had a simple meal heating up and they had more time to chat. “So, tell me what you thought of our meeting this morning?” Joann was smiling pleasantly. “It wasn't what I was expecting.” Carl seemed to be rolling ideas around in his head. “It was less formal, yet serious. Everyone was friendly, but not in a hyped up kind of way. They knew we were visitors, but they didn't pump us for information. It was almost like they already knew us, but thought they would like to get to know us more. I guess that you and Grandpa had been talking to them about us already. Right?” “No, Carl. That was the first time Peter and I had visited that congregation. We are still connected to our congregation back in Beaver Creek. The Buffalo Creek congregation we visited this morning is about ninety miles closer to us here. It's not even in the same district within the organization as our home congregation.” “I'll tell you what I liked the best.” Colleen was her usual energetic self. “During the bible study time they were even letting little children answer questions they were asking the congregation. That was such a sweet and tender way to accommodate them and include them in what the grown-ups were doing.” “Sweet girl, that was not just an accommodation. We consider that a responsibility. Everyone has access to the material on the bible study we are doing each week. Every congregation has the same material. During the week we do our own study of the material before we go to a meeting. The parents go over the material with their children too. The children want to participate, and we encourage them to think about the same questions that the adults are considering. Just because they are young, doesn't mean they can't understand what they are reading.” “That was another surprise for me, one that I liked. I would have expected a Bible study for the whole congregation to be more like classroom or auditorium lecture, where the leader has made a study of a bible section or topic and is teaching everyone about the things they might have not understood by just reading the Bible themselves. Your bible studies are more like a seminar where everyone studies the same topic before the meeting, and they all can bring information and insights they found to share with each other.” “You're right, Carl. We believe that the Bible was given for all of us who want to know about the Creator. We don't have clergy or priest telling us what the Bible says or what the words in the Bible really mean. We try to use the context of the Bible itself to understand what the expressions and metaphors in the Bible are really saying. Yes we do read what scholars tell us about the historical context, the ancient languages, translation challenges, and all of that, but when it gets right down to it the more effort you put into learning what it says, the easier it gets to understand it. There are actually statements in the Bible itself that indicate the wisdom of that approach.” While they were talking about the meeting they visited they were keeping watch over the meal they were cooking. Soon the smells were indicating it was time to eat. That's about the same time that they saw Pete stand up from his chat with Carl and Colleen's parents to come walking over to where they had been cooking. “Hey, Sweet Darlin', that smells really good. Are we about ready to feed the crowd?” “Your nose has impeccable timing, doesn't it, Peter. If you'll go ahead and offer our thanks for this food, we'll start serving it up.” It took only a few minutes for everyone to settle down and enjoy the meal. As everyone was finishing up, however Rob started asking his Dad some more questions about the trailers. “Dad, I know you said the trailers were a good idea, but so far it seems that everything you said about them has been negative. This is a really big deal and we have invested quite a bit in buying these rigs. Help us out here. What is it, in spite of all the limitations you pointed out, that makes them such a good idea?” Pete looked at Rob, and then Bruce, then his eyes swept around the whole group. “I mentioned that they provide immediate shelter. We've been experiencing a lack of rain here for several weeks. That is unusual for here. My guess is that when this mini-drought breaks, and I hope it is a mini-drought rather than a full fledged drought, it will break suddenly and decisively with either a really heavy down pour or with a series of heavy rains. If that happens, Joann and I are going to be asking you to let us bunk in with you to ride it out.” “Speaking of riding it out, it would be a good idea to improve the stability of your trailers, with some tie-downs and concrete blocks under the leveling extensions. If we get a wind storm up on this little mountain we could have trouble. And don't go telling me I'm still being negative about the trailers. I don't exactly want to stay in a tent long term, with or without a storm. I have a ton of improvements I need to make urgently for Joann and I. I'm just trying to think of needs and possibilities, rather than get caught off guard. The bottom line is this. Right now you are in a better position than Joann and I. I hope we can work together to get all of us to a better situation. We just need to be carefully considering our options as we go.” “Mr. Smith, please forgive our over reacting to your points about the situation here. Our families have committed to some radical changes and taken some big risks based on hunches and gut feelings rather than waiting for solid evidence. That leaves us with some nagging fears that we reacted too soon without thinking things through. Maybe if we had waited a little longer and taken the time to think things through more thoroughly, we would have found better solutions.” “Bruce, Please call me Pete. I was serious about us working together. If that is the case it's going to get confusing who you are addressing if you are calling someone around here Mr. Smith. Since you were apologizing for your perspective shaping your perceptions of what I am saying, maybe I ought to do the same. I am coming from a different perspective, too. From my perspective, I couldn't wait any longer and neither could you. Okay, so if you had waited longer to give it more thought, maybe you could have found a better solution, but it also might have been too late to implement that solution. None of us know for sure when the moment of too late will be until it is already past. From what I understand it was information you received a few weeks ago that triggered your rushing to get your family to a safer place. Am I right that the trigger was your getting information from someone you trusted that the authorities in multiple countries are planning some scheme for getting control of all financial transactions. With that you saw that if you didn't kowtow to their social or political positions they could take away your right to spend your own money, is that the gist of it?” “Yeah. There were other things that were troubling; things we use to count on that were being taken away. But, what you described was like a lynch pin or a key point that helped me see the pattern.” “And you first got wind of this two or three weeks ago, so you are worried that you might have acted to quickly to that information, right?” “Yes, I mean the information is really new, but the information I got was that its implementation is really imminent. If we had more forewarning we might have had time to plan a better solutions.” “What if I told you that information was written down as a forewarning many centuries ago and has been widely published? Even today it is being published around the world in in hundreds of languages. Would you still feel that you were forced to rush your planning, or might you think you should have started getting ready sooner?” “What? Where? How could there be a warning about it that old if it wasn't even in the works until recently?” “Well, Bruce, I may not know everything, but there are some prophesies in the Bible that are not so hard to figure out when they are now staring you in the face. There are a couple of statements near the middle of the Revelation to John that talk about the Beast, or the ruling power on earth, oppressing all people great or small, wealthy or poor, free or slave. It says they will be forced to take a mark on their head or hand showing that they have submitted themselves to the beast. Then it says that no one will be able to buy or sell anything without that mark of submission to the beast. Now, tell me again, Bruce, that if you had only known sooner, could you have made wiser choices about uprooting your family and running to a hiding place?” Bruce suddenly looked like a deer caught in Pete's headlights. “Pete, when was that prophesy written down?” “That one specifically? The book we call Revelation, which is at the very end of the Bible, was the last part of the Bible that was written. So, that prophesy was written just over nineteen hundred years ago.” “So the prophesy parts of the Bible were written almost two thousand years ago?” Bruce knew very little about the Bible and he was amazed. “Oh, no, Bruce.” Pete's voice softened. “There are prophesies included all through the Bible from the early chapters in the first book all the way through the the last book. The earliest books in the Bible were first written down as much as three thousand five hundred years ago.” Bruce was quiet for a while, but Linda spoke up. “Well, we already sold everything! But if we aren't going to be able to use all that money to buy anything, we're still … uhm... in deep trouble, aren't we!” “Not necessarily.” Pete was still speaking gently. “I told you that I was impressed with how all of you were able to make such a quick and effective job of disappearing. My point here is not to tell you that you are in an impossible mess, or that you should have seen this coming sooner. I have been reading the Bible all my life. I knew those words long ago. I even became concerned a couple of years ago about how soon they might come to be a reality. Yet I only came to this place shortly after you learned your new information. I'm trying to help us all think through this troubling situation so we can avoid mistakes and missteps.” “As for the no selling or buying issue; those measures are not in place yet. Even when they do kick in, which they will, there may be some work around solutions available. Still it will be a very big challenge to handle. Also, a big advantage of where we are is that this location provides many resources for our most essential needs. We can grow our own food here without having to buy it, Likewise we are surrounded by building materials. There is also water on this property and not just in the small well.” The rest of the afternoon, which this time of the year extended past seven pm., was spent with conversations about needs, resources, priorities, and possible solutions. The priorities were the more challenging part, because on the surface, everything was urgent. Of course the urgency sometimes influenced the discussions about the solutions. They decided on a working principle that any temporary solution they agreed upon due to pressing urgency needed to be scale-able to support a longer term solution. For example, the waste disposal issue was considered urgent. Their decision was that rather than spending time on a stop gap, throw away solution followed by a totally different permanent solution, they needed to work together to quickly build a solution to benefit all of them here and now, which could be replicated once each family could acquire additional property, or expanded in place if they all ended up on Pete's property. Before long the discussion divided into two separate discussions with the women talking among themselves about food production, preparation, and storage while the men were discussing constructing facilities and acquiring outside resources, including land. By the end of the day, everyone was feeling the fatigue of mentally wrestling with all their challenges. When they had finished eating and cleaning up every one drifted off to their various sleeping arrangements just like they had the night before. The only difference was that Colleen and Carl each had a handheld radio in their sleeping bags so they could say goodnight without disturbing their parents. The next morning after and an early breakfast of fresh eggs, biscuits, and gravy the families divided in to teams following the pattern that had developed in the previous days discussions. The women all climbed into the Smith's truck and the men all climbed into the Cooper's truck and they headed out in separate directions focused on different missions. The women had already determined their strategy for the day. They had identified the gaps in their food planning and were determined gather information about those gaps. Their first concern was the fact that chickens, eggs, and traditional garden vegetables created a survival diet, but it was limited enough in variety that there was some risk regarding the reliability of their food sources should a problem arise. For example the drought that Pete mentioned as a possibility raised concerns about a struggling garden that was under-producing. What if a sudden infestation of bugs, birds, or other plant eating critters suddenly wiped out their garden plants. Joann pointed out that plants under stress from marginal or inadequate water were more likely to be attacked by bugs. They were also concerned about their dependence on merchants to obtain basic food staples such as flour, sugar, milk, cheese, butter, and vegetable oil. Colleen also raised questions about the benefits of more diversity in their livestock. She specifically mentioned goats and a breed of small multi-use cattle called Dexter cattle as options to consider. She also suggested some more durable food options that did not need to be replanted every year like fruit and nut trees as well as berry bushes or grape vines. Then there was the question of how to keep the food they produced. Joann was familiar with simple canning and pressure canning, but she was only nominally aware of techniques like dehydrating, smoking, salting, or storing in root cellars. These methods had been used extensively in the past, but she did not know anyone who had actually used these methods. She wasn't to keen on the idea of experimenting on their food stores and risk loosing valuable food because they guessed wrong on how to do it. The big question became, 'Where do we go to get information about all these items?'.” Colleen was thinking hard and spoke up. “Before we decided to leave on vacation, I could have found a lot of information on the internet. When we started talking seriously about leaving, however, I realized anything we do on the net can be monitored and tracked back to the exact location of the person making queries. We need to find a place where we can make many queries like we are needing without it raising to many questions from our nosy big brother. I just wish now that I had printed out more of what I'd already found, rather than just organizing so many virtual bookmarks for future reference.” “Well, If we found a place to connect to the internet, isn't there some way you could recover those bookmarks, Sweety?” “Sure, Mom, there are ways to do that, and yes I know how to do it. The problem is it would be like waving a big banner for our large nosy brother saying, 'Hey, Bro! You remember that high school kid whose parents use to live on Rosemary Court and they just seemed to disappear into thin air? Well, good news. Here she is on Little Bear Mountain!' I'm sorry, Mom. That was a little harsh. It just irritates me that a good reason even exists for us to be so secretive. I may be sounding paranoid, but with these...entities... monitoring what people are doing we need to think like a computer program to understand what to avoid. For instance, suppose we find someone willing to look up a bunch of stuff for us online. That in itself might raise a flag to give more scrutinizing attention to them. They suddenly will have changed their normal pattern of queries, because they suddenly have a flurry of activity and web searching in an area of information they never looked at before.” “Wait a minute !” Joann exclaimed. Maybe I know a source. It's a bit of a drive, but I was introduced to the teacher I replaced in Barnsville. He had been teaching Biology and heading their Agri program for years, but they canceled the funding for the extra programs for students interested in agriculture. That had been his real love as a teacher, so when they canceled it, he took his pension, well, actually his retirement savings plan the state swapped him into rather than the old pension plan... anyway he retired. I'm sure he knows some people who raise livestock, and he has access to information like we are needing. If he was to look something up on the internet about these subjects it would seem perfectly normal considering his background.” Linda was ready to do something, now. “That's great. Jenny let's head there. It should be easier driving without dragging a whale behind us. Joann, point the way.” “Gentlemen, hopefully we have escaped the frying pan. It is now incumbent on us not to get caught in the fire.” Bruce as usual was trying to take the lead in setting their agenda. “I have a list of the properties immediately surrounding Peter's land and several layers of properties further out in the surrounding area. I have them charted with approximate property lines overlaid on USGS topographic maps to give us terrain and elevation data as well. My suggestion is that we look at these maps and then prioritize the list of owners and begin negotiating our purchases. We do not yet know how the negotiations will end up with any of the current owners, but once we are sure of which properties we have secured, then we can better plan how to best utilize the resource.” The three Smith gentlemen were silent for a while. Peter noticed a very concerned look on Carl's face. Rob looked like he was mentally studying a poker hand trying to work out the odds and probabilities for what he was holding. Pete noticed a change in Carl's facial expression, like he wanted to say something but was concerned about how to say it. “Bruce, I appreciate all the work you have done already. It is going to make this process go so much faster and easier because of that work. I have to confess, though that I have made some mistakes in the past in how I read a topo map and was surprised when I actually got my eyes on the actual ground. I think I can illustrate a very real case in point is if you will find my property on that topo map you have.” Bruce took a few seconds to identify the property lines. “Okay I got it.” He was holding a finger in place on one corner of the property line. “Now, Bruce, can you find two features, on my property and as shown on that map, and one on the property immediately to the southeast of mine. On my property there are two streams that, as far as I can tell are flowing twelve months out of the year. On the property to the south east of mine can you find a twelve foot high rock bluff between the center of that property and my property line. I picked those two features because they are significant to a property owner. One is a major obstacle to utilizing the land. The other two are a major bonus for a clever landowner.” Bruce began studying the map and then continued looking ever more closely. “Okay I think I've got the two streams. They are not marked on the map but based on the contour lines I think one runs right here,” he traced a line with his finger where there was a series of blips in successive contour elevation lines on the map. “The other one is here.” He traced another similar line. “That's pretty good map reading, Bruce. At sometime in the past, and I don't truthfully know how long ago you were probably right. There are signs of small streams having run along those two paths. The problem is they are now dry. I don't know why, but I'm guessing a rock slide or slides blocked them up the hill above those gullies and the water, in both cases found another course. It's almost like they found a spot to seep into the ground and went underground for a short distance. Today they first appear on the surface about here and here.” Pete pointed to two spots off to the side of those two gullies. “If you look very closely you can see the finest little blip in the contour line here.” He pointed to a contour line farther down the hill and off to the side of one gully. “The other stream crosses the property line about here.” He pointed to a place near the south east corner of his property. Bruce stared at the map. “I never would have found either of those from the map. I'll be honest. I have no clue about the bluff, either. Where is that?” Peter put his finger on the map out past the southeast corner of his property. “Do you see these two contour lines?” He swept back and forth in an arch counter clockwise to the north east and then around to the north and curving back west to his eastern property line. Then he followed that arch back clockwise to the south then to the west and eventually to the north until it hit his southern property line. “There is a ten to fifteen foot high bare rock bluff between these two contour lines. It doesn't show because the contour lines are marked at twenty feet of elevation change. On the top of the bluff the ground is almost flat, and at the base the ground slopes away in a gradual slope. There are trees growing both above the bluff and below the bluff, so it is very difficult to see this feature even with satellite imaging. When this land was first surveyed it was divided up into essentially square grid blocks regardless of the land features. The owners of the parcels that bluff divides cannot get to their own property above the bluff without rock climbing gear, unless they come onto my property first. At the same time I can walk well into their land from mine without noticing a thing, until I see the land suddenly drop off in front of me.” “I can show you all of this first hand, but please realize the importance of seeing the land with boots on the ground, before you begin negotiating a deal with anyone.” I see your point, Pete. There are subtleties and features that the topographical maps don't capture. Some of those can prove to be significant. It even comes to mind that the maps cannot tell the quality of the trees or grazing options on the land. I'm sure there are soil maps that can be acquired, but you can tell more by digging your fingers in the dirt and looking at it than reading a map legend, am I right?” Pete chuckled. “Exactly. Now you're catching on. So what property do you want to look at first?” “Grandpa?” “Yes, Carl?” “If you don't mind, and Dad, Mr. Cooper, I was just listening and thinking. What if we let Grandpa walk us around on his property and he can talk to us about what he has found helpful to consider there. Then we can walk around the perimeter of his land, even out on that table above the bluff. That way we can get a preliminary look at some of the property surrounding his since that is the most obvious place to consider first, next to his land, I mean. It's just an idea. If there is something else you want to do first, of course we don't have to follow my idea. I'm trying to learn as much as I can.” Rob clapped Carl on the shoulder a couple of times. “We're all trying to learn, Carl and lately we've been trying to step up our game on learning. I think you have a very good suggestion about starting on Dad's property and working our way out from there. We all need our heads working together on this, so all of us need to sound out with any ideas or thoughts that come to mind. That way we can look at the problems and possibilities from all angles.”
|
|
|
Post by udwe on Jul 22, 2023 20:03:12 GMT -6
Awesome! Keep going, please!
|
|
|
Post by feralferret on Jul 23, 2023 1:44:36 GMT -6
Awesome! Keep going, please! Yes, please!
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Jul 29, 2023 20:44:07 GMT -6
Post #30 Let No Man Despise Your Youth
The drive to Barnsville took over two hours. The ladies made good use of the time by getting to know each other. Much of their conversation was related to the changes in their lives over the past month or two, but that also brought up the context of the past two or three years. There were many questions about Joann becoming the latest Mrs. Smith, but Joann managed to parry with questions of her own about how Jenny and Linda had connected with Robert and Bruce. Colleen listened attentively to these older women who were so important to her, and she learned many things about them that she had never imagined about their experiences. Each one had very different stories to tell about how they met and eventually fell in love with their husbands. Yet, each one was deeply committed to that relationship with their chosen mate. When they arrived in Barnsville Joann had to direct them to a narrow lane at the far side of town. Soon the lane became a gravel road. There weren't as many trees in this area as where Joann and Pete lived. This area was mostly cultivated farmland with a few scattered patches of pasture. The trees were mostly along the county road right of way, where the county neglected to mow, or along fence rows. Joann spotted the gap in the fence line she was looking for and directed Jenny to turn in on a two track that cut through a row of trees along the side of the road. As they drew closer to a farm house up ahead Colleen and the others started noticing small fenced areas with a couple of horses in one, two cows and a calf in another, and a hand full of goats in yet another. Closer to the house they spotted a chicken coop with it's occupants wandering around scratching at the dirt, and a collection of rabbit hutches on the other side of the house from the chickens. Jenny pulled up in front of the house, where all four ladies unloaded from the truck and followed Joan to the front door. She knocked firmly on the door and waited... and waited... and waited. Then she knocked hard again, and they waited some more. “Kin I help you...ladies?” They were startled by a loud voice behind them. Joann turned and stepped through the huddle of women toward an older man dressed in bib overalls and a gimme cap with a feed company logo on the front. Joann held out her hand for a shake and said, “Mr. Sullivan, I'm Joann. The latest biology teacher at the high school.” “Oh Yeah. I remember now, Ms. Joann. It was Blankenship, if I recall, but I heard that's changed. I guess you won't be coming back in the fall, will ya?” Joann paused realizing that things had been changing so fast she had not notified the school yet of her plans to not return. “Now, why would you say that, Mr. Sullivan?” “You only taught here one year, then you got married and sold your house. These are small towns all around here, and the principle has some experience with teachers leaving after only a year. He has learned how to watch and gather information carefully, so he is not surprised and needing to scramble at the last minute to fill a teaching position at the beginning of school. Don't worry, Ms. Joann. I'm not blaming you at all. I took early retirement just to get out of having to go back to that place, myself. From the looks of it you ain't here looking for a reference for a new teaching position.” He was sweeping his eyes across the other three ladies. “My guess is you married into a nice family. So what kin I do fur you?” Joann hesitated for a moment, and Colleen stepped forward. “Mr. Sullivan, I'm Colleen. I just graduated from high school a month ago. It claimed that it was a really great high school in every way they thought counted, but they did not have a single course in agriculture or animal husbandry. My last year there, I spent more time doing independent study in biology than I did studying all my other courses put together.” She offered him a quirky expression that was part smirk and part frustration. “I'll just cut straight to the heart of it, Mr. Sullivan. Our families have given up on the city life and moved to the woods. We need help finding material to get a crash course in homestead agriculture in the forest. Can you help us?” C.J. Sullivan raised one eyebrow as he stared at Colleen, then swept his gaze around to the other women. He came back around to Colleen and squinted a little. Y'all don't have a clue what y'all are doin', do you? By the way, little lady. No offense meant, but where's yer menfolk?” Colleen put a gentle smile on her face. “Mr. Sullivan, if we were clueless, we wouldn't know enough to come to you, now, would we? At least we know enough to come and ask you if you know where we could find someone to talk to about Dexter cattle for our homestead. As for our menfolk, I'll take you at your word about no offense being meant. You know full well that setting up a homestead is a complicated endeavor. Our menfolk are working out how much more and which land we need along with checking out the most practical construction style to use. Carl has a couple of years of experience in construction work, but that was in a city setting, and I don't know that the other menfolk have much construction or farming experience to speak of, but I could be wrong about that. We drove a long way to talk with you, Mr. Sullivan. If you can help us. that would be appreciated. If you are not interested or can't help us, just tell us, and we will get out of your way.” While Colleen was talking, C.J. was watching her closely until she mentioned the Dexter cattle. That's when his jaw relaxed a little too much leaving his mouth gaping open. “Well, well, well. Miss Colleen, I'm assuming it is still 'Miss', Yes, I would like to help you...especially with the Dexters. That is a breed that some say was developed, and others say developed naturally in the mountains of Ireland. They almost disappeared in America about fifty years ago, but now a few small farmers here are starting to realize the value of them. I happen to know one farmer, not rancher, mind you, who has a nice little herd of them about three hours west of here. I'm forgetting my manners. Ladies come on inside and I'll brew a pot of coffee, or tea, if that's what you'd like. Then we can talk about more of that information y'all were referencing.” The ladies followed C.J. Inside and were immediately struck by the number of books and notebooks surrounding them. Every wall was covered with six foot high bookshelves, and every shelf was packed with books, notebooks, agriculture journals, and folders filled with printed papers. C.J. Asked them to follow him to his kitchen and then to have a seat at his table, which was an old Maple wood table with six matching chairs. He put on a pot of coffee to percolate and a tea kettle to boil without asking which was preferred, then joined them at the table. “Ladies, It don't make a lot of sense for me to just start blabbing away about this and that until I have a better picture of what you folks really want to know. If y'all keep leaving it all up to Miss Colleen to do the talking, I won't mind a bit. However, I jest might find out more about your business than y'all want me to know. The fact that y'all left the city life to homestead in the forest before y'all took time to figure out a lot of things tells me there are things you might not want to be tellin' to someone you jest met.” Colleen could not pass up that jibe about her letting out too much information. “Mr. Sullivan did you test all your students the way you did us outside, or is that a new precaution you developed?” “Young lady, you got a lot of sass in you. I actually like that. There is some fire in your spirit. As for my students, I tested all of them, but I didn't test them all in the same way. I was testing y'all to verify some of my suspicions. And, yes, I have become more cautious. Especially after what I heard on the news this morning.” Colleen, her mother and the two Mrs. Smiths waited. “This is just an observation, you know. It's not that I'm expressing an opinion.” He looked around the table. “There are so many things that could be reported in the news and subtle ways the newscasters can word their stories to give slightly different perspectives on the same story. So, when you hear reports from multiple sources at the same time that sound like they are reading from exactly the same script, you just have to figure that some common influential source is providing all of them the same script, and even encouraging them to not alter the script, right?” Again he looked around and saw their silent agreement. “And another thing, all these online accounts, social media platforms, email, web browsers, 'apps' of all kinds, online shopping sites, online bank accounts... they are all pushing hard for people to use their 'multi layer security', as if my grocery list when I shop online for groceries should be as secure as Fort Knox. That 'multi layer security' has nothing to do with being more secure. It's all about connecting your online activities and your physical movements, through your phone GPS and wireless tower connections correctly in their databases.” Now the ladies were more focused in their expressions. “So this morning I heard a story about government officials working on an agreement with the banking industry to fight terrorism by more closely tracking bank transactions. Would you believe I heard exactly the same wording in reports from three different news sources within a half hour's time. I have to admit that I'm sure going to sleep easier knowing my bank is going to help protect me from all those terrorists here in Barnsville.” He let that sit there while he watched everyone's eyes widen. “It sure is a pleasure to teach when the whole class is wide awake and paying attention, isn't it Ms. Joann? Just so y'all know, I got rid of my smart phone and use only an old fashioned land line. My computer has an old fashioned motherboard without a wifi or Bluetooth chip. But just in case, if you ladies will indulge me, I'd like to keep this conversation on a first name only basis.” Linda slapped the table. “Da... I mean Dang it! Bruce was right. Just in the nick of time too.” “I'm Jenny, Mr. ...” “Call me C.J. Now that we understand each other better, the less I know about you, the better it might be for all of us. Let's focus on what you think you need. I have books and printed articles I have gleaned over the years from publications and the internet before things got so hinky. I still keep a few things in my head, too. Y'all are welcome to come back, but let's see what I can send with you, so your next visit can be a little more social rather than all urgent business.” The ladies spent several hours with C.J. including time spent fixing and eating lunch together. By the time they were ready to leave, he had loaded them down with books and printed articles about growing raising, harvesting, preserving, storing, protecting, and even preparing all manner of plant and livestock foods. Furthermore he provided several books on home, shelter, and equipment construction techniques intended for homesteaders or small operation farmers. He also gave them the names and locations of a number of his former students who had set up small farm operations farther west from Barnsville; closer to where he surmised they had found land in the forest. As the ladies were driving back they were eager to talk to the men about all that they had learned and resources they had been able to acquire today. They were also concerned about the impact of the news on their plans to acquire land and outside resources. - - - - - “Okay, everyone, This is the southeast corner of my property. As you can see we are on higher ground than where you have your trailers. If you look south, southeast, or east from here all you can see is trees with the land sloping gradually higher to the south. Now follow me to the southeast and watch your step.” They continued making their way through the woods for about a hundred yards when Pete made them stop. “Now look up ahead and tell me what you see.” Rob spoke first. “It looks a lot like it has been looking with more trees, except the slope has flattened out a bit.” Then Carl noticed something. “I think it looks like we are about to reach the ridge of the hill. If you look very carefully there are some trees up ahead where you can't see the base of their trunks meeting the ground.” “Very good, Carl. Now lets move ahead carefully.” Pete led the way more slowly now. “You're right, Carl. Look, Rob. Those trees up ahead; it looks like their branches are closer to the ground.” Bruce was really focusing now. “Oh my, you were right, of course Pete. Those trees are growing up out of lower ground. Wow, yeah, that's not a steep slope. The ground just drops of there quite a bit. Is the ground stable up here, Pete?” Bruce was getting a bit uneasy looking at a drop off where he could not see a distinct edge or guard rail. “Your guess is as good as mine, Bruce. I haven't dug into it to test it since it's not my land.” Pete was smirking. Rob wanted to know more about this terrain, and he asked, “Dad now that we are here, what can you tell us about this bluff and what surrounds your land?” “Okay guys. I have explored a little when I was looking for the right spot. If we go back to my southeast corner marker my land is a quarter mile long and a quarter mile wide; forty acres. The North border is downhill from here, and there is a nice creek running east to west about a hundred yard north of my border. There is another hill rising to the north just past that creek. Here on the south the ridge of the hill stops where we are standing and the ridge runs gradually higher to the west. This rock bluff is about twelve or fifteen feet high here. To the west, I suspect it gets slightly higher as the crest of the hill is getting higher, but I'm not sure. The ridge gets gradually higher for about three miles to the west. To the east the crest is slightly lower but abruptly stops as it reaches the bluff about an eighth of a mile to the east. The bluff over to the east bends to the north, but lessens in height until it fades into the hill just over two hundred yards to the north. There is water seeping out of the bluff a little on the south and a little more at the east end where it bends around to the north. From there the water dribbles down to the creek I mentioned that is north of us and flowing west and slightly to the northwest. Oh, I almost forgot. To the south of the bluff the forest is relatively level but with a very gentle down slope to the south for about a mile. Then the ground starts sloping upward for about a mile forming another hill that runs roughly east and west.” “One last thing. I mentioned before the little streams that use to be on this hill, but then they moved. There are three of them, but one is just a trickle. That appear about half way down this hill and flow north into that creek. I think there is a mini aquifer that collects the rainfall along this long hill and the water trickles down hill, but underground, flowing eastward. I think that is why we have those tiny streams and the water trickling out of the bluff.” During the time that Pete was talking Bruce, Carl and Rob were creeping closer to the edge so they could better see the land below the bluff. As they got closer to the edge, they got down on their hands and knees, so they were less likely to lose their balance. They could see the almost level ground below, the bare rock bluff, and signs of water trickling down as Pete was describing it. “So we know there is water here, but none of us have experience with hydro engineering. I like your thinking, Dad, about a small pump filling a temporary tank or reservoir and then splitting out of the common source for different functions when we need it. If we obtain more land and spread out, we would have to duplicate that kind of set up multiple times.” “That's right, Rob. We could do that. Or we could channel the water flow and make one larger reservoir that we all could share.” Bruce was thinking of the efficiency studies he has seen in his former industry. “While we are still brainstorming,” Carl spoke up, “we need to remember that while water easily collects running down hill. The real problem is finding the energy to bring it back up hill to where we live.” Pete nodded his agreement. “That's true. The reason I set my initial system up the way I did was to use less electricity accumulating the water slowly into an uphill position. That way, when some water is needed, gravity can supply the energy to transport it quickly to where it is needed.” “One thing is abundantly clear.” Said Bruce. We need to try and obtain land that includes this end of the bluff, and maybe more land to the north, toward the larger creek. That will assure access to a water supply no matter how we determine to utilize it. I also have a strong feeling that owning property that allows access to both above and below that bluff will prove beneficial in the long run.” “I agree, Bruce. It is odd how the property lines were drawn sometime in the past. Someone went to some trouble to break the grid lines in odd places. I somehow think it must have been to take unfair advantage of a buyer. I don't thing it is a good idea however to get new surveys that redraw the boundary lines. That takes extra money and a lot of official record updating. Let's see what we can do about buying some parcels 'as is' and combining them back together under common ownership … or partnership.” “I like that idea, son. As for the water management, let's put that on the back burner until you find out what exactly you are able to combine. Until then we can try to make do with the system I have at the moment” “Mr. Smith... I mean Pete. I really appreciate your bringing us up here to let us see first hand what you were talking about. It is easier to grasp the whole picture that way. That was a great idea.” “Actually, Bruce, it was Carl's idea, and I agree it was a very good one. I'm guessing he just may turn out to be a pretty good son-in-law for you.” “That's right. It was your idea, wasn't it Carl? You've had several good ideas today. What do you say we go look at my records of who the land owners are for each of the parcels around here so we can plan out taking a trip to visit several of them.”
|
|
|
Post by feralferret on Jul 29, 2023 23:06:53 GMT -6
Pbbrown0, great chapter. Thank you.
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Aug 10, 2023 11:19:39 GMT -6
Post # 31 Second Things First and First Things Second
When the men got back to the temporary camp site Bruce led Carl to his trailer where he had his records about the land parcels and their owners. Rob and his dad went to his trailer to talk more about how they might address the needs for more permanent dwellings. That discussion got to be more of a brainstorming session about a wide variety of approaches to building and the issues about materials and techniques. Bruce and Carl on the other hand were able to focus on more limited goals and choosing which parcels were most desirable for their needs, and which ones would be second or third choices. “So, Carl, what are you thinking about how we should prioritize our efforts?” Carl ducked his head and closed his eyes for a few moments. Bruce was waiting patiently, not sure what was going on with Carl. “Mister Cooper, I am guessing that you would be thinking about looking at the grid of property lines and who owns each box. Then we could look at their addresses and plot out a route for visiting each owner to get a feel for their interest in selling their land. I don't want to sound presumptuous here, but my perception is the you and your wife, as well as my Dad and Mom are not looking for the same things that Colleen and I, and my Grandpa and his new wife are looking for. And it seems to me that acquiring the right land needs to be focused on which land will best serve your intentions. There are quite a few different parcels that touch the one Grandpa has already, and each one has different topography and features. I think it would be helpful to talk more about how you visualize this new life in the forest working, so you...we can can be sure we focus on land that we are sure will work for us.” “Carl that's very insightful of you about planning our strategy. I'm especially interested in your thoughts about what you and Colleen are looking to do as compared to what your parents are wanting to do, and what your Grandpa and his wife are wanting to do. Talk to me about that.” Carl pursed his lips for a moment. “Mister Cooper, I really can't speak for sure about what my Mom and Dad want, or what you and Colleen's Mom want, except that I haven't heard much from y'all that seems to fit so well with what I know Colleen and I want. From what little conversation I've had with my Grandpa, his intentions are closer to what Colleen and I want, but the truth is even Colleen and I need to talk a lot more to get down to the nitty-gritty of what we want. Now don't hold me to this because so far this is more like a dream vision than a real plan. Colleen described her fantasy dreams of what she pictured and it look just like my dream scene. She was sitting on the wooden porch step watching two of our children play while supper was baking in the oven. While I was walking up to the porch of our log cabin our oldest child was 'helping' me carry a bucket of milk to the house from milking our own cow. We had a big garden to the side of the house where we raised our own food, plus we had chickens for meat and eggs. We worked hard, but we were completely self sufficient, and completely happy.” Carl paused and Bruce just waited. “I kind of thought that was what Grandpa was planning, but he has already paid someone to drill a well and he has a small generator plus batteries to run the pump. I also heard some comments of his about how the price of concrete masonry units had sky rocketed. So I'm not sure just how far he thinks he can go with the fully self sustainable criteria. Just so you understand how this relates to land selection – If for example you plan to use solar panels for electric power, you have to have enough open space, not shaded by trees, to assure a full sky of sunlight for your panels. If, on the other hand, you want wind power, you need a clear open space with adequate wind not blocked by trees. Then there is hydroelectric power which has special requirements beyond merely access to water. You begin to see what I mean, and that is only regarding the use of electricity. The bigger issue, the real issue, is what are we going to do when the cash runs out, especially if the governments are planning to control all money transactions? How exactly are we going to 'live off the land'? We may not all come to the same conclusions, but that is what we must figure out.” Bruce was sitting there listening to this young boy whom he had watched growing up over the years. It was still hard to think of him as not still a boy, and way too young to be thinking about marrying anyone, especially not Bruce's 'little' daughter. But the more Carl talked that more Bruce was encouraged realizing this was the young man that was determined to make a good life and a good family with his precious daughter. Bruce paused, considering Carl's assessment. “Barter.” Carl looked startled. “When the cash run's out, or when the cash is no longer accepted. True self sufficiency is next to impossible. What happens when your tools break, or your clothes wear out and you find you failed to learn how to make a mending needle? What happens when your bull gets attacked by a bear and you realize there will be no more calves in your small herd? Or your rooster gets caught by a bobcat or a wolverine and there soon won't be any more chickens? Total self reliance is an illusion.” “I see your point, Mister Cooper. That is important to keep in mind, isn't it? So we need to come to grips with what we can do ourselves and what we will need that we can't provide for ourselves. Then there is the question of what can we overproduce that will be wanted by those who can provide us with the things we can't produce for ourselves? Am I on the right track?” “In a perfect scenario, yes. In the real world it's a little less precise. We need to be able to take care of most of our needs. And we need to use our cash wisely to get into a position where we can do so as quickly as possible while we can still find those willing to quietly take our cash. Then we need to figure on something we can over produce that other people will be needing, preferably a lot of other people will be needing.” “Ah, that makes sense. We need to get the whole family together on this, don't we?” “Yep, I think you're right, son. We need all our heads working on this challenge. It's going to take the whole family to figure it out and to make it work.” Bruce picked up only a couple of his maps as he and Carl left his trailer to find Robert and Peter. When they found them Bruce started to talk, but stopped. “Guys, I know this is random, but how hard is it going to be to build a table where we can all sit down together and eat, work, talk, plan, and such? Surely we have enough tools among us to get it done. I don't mean anything fancy. Just a big picnic table will do.” “You're right, Buddy. We need that and there's no time like the present.” Rob clapped Bruce on the shoulder. “Okay, everyone, grab your tools, and let's get this done.” Within minutes everyone had drug out saws, hammers, drills, nails, screws, squares, tape measures, and levels. Carl was the last to arrive with his box of old fashion tools, which drew some curious glances.
“Okay,” said Bruce. “Their are eight of us, that's four to a side. What do you think? Should we do two feet or two and a half feet per person?” “Make it two and a half, that's ten feet long. We don't want it crowded if someone has to slip in or out between others who are seated. We can start with bench seating at first. Chairs can come later.” Pete was calm and confident about what he said and everyone agreed. “Okay, let's see if we can divide and conquer this. Rob, you build the top. Carl, how about you tackle the legs and supports. I'll work with Bruce on the two benches. Anyone who needs help, just sound out. Does that work for y'all?” Everyone agreed and got to work. There was a pile of long slender tree trunks that Pete had cut in the week before everyone showed up. They got to work sorting out which pieces they would use. Bruce and Pete chose skinnier poles to make the benches. Rob got some a bit sturdier for the table top, and Carl selected some stouter and shorter pieces for the table legs and supports. The question came up about fastening the pieces together. Rob had a supply of heavy bolts, washers, and hex nuts that he suggested they use. Bruce started to go get an extension cord so he could charge up the battery pack on his drill. “Let's not worry about that this time,” Carl said. I have some hand drills and braces, with some very sharp auger and paddle blades we can use.” Bruce looked a bit confused and watched as Carl pulled out two very old wooden boxes. Inside were neat, shiny sets of auger bits and paddle blade drill bits with well honed cutting edges. He also had two carpenter braces, or large hand drills. Peter saw the uncertainty in Bruce and quietly reassured him. “Don't worry, Bruce. I'll show you how. It won't be hard to learn. You might even get a kick out of using these.” The four men were soon measuring cutting and lining up the pieces they were working on. Carl was marking angles on the ends of his supports and cutting them very carefully. Rob was laying his long pieces out in a tight parallel pattern and began drilling holes through them and into cross bars to hold them tight and rigid with the bolts coming down through the top of the long poles and the hex nuts tightend underneath. He had countersunk the bolt heads in the top so they would be slightly below the top surface of the table. Carl was using a basic “X” leg design at each end and two places in between to support the top. He also added angle bracing from the “X” legs to the underside of the table top to prevent end to end swaying. Pete and Bruce were using the same basic design on a smaller scale for the two long benches. Eventually they had a sturdy picnic table with benches. The only problem was the table top was a series of valleys and troughs from one side to the other and the surfaces were rather raw and unsanded. “Gentlemen, that is pretty good for only a couple of hours of work. We will need to put some more work into planing and sanding of course. But, for now we have something very functional.” He turned his head as he heard Rob's truck easing through the forest toward the center of their camp. The ladies were climbing out of the truck and the men were greeting them while the ladies trying to tell all that they had learned in Barnsville. It was a lively scene with so many pieces of conversation colliding at once. Jenny and Joann's eyes were drawn to the new pieces of furniture in their midst, which just added to the number of conversations. Linda hugged Bruce and whispered in his ear, “You were exactly right Bruce, about everything and especially the timing. They announced the new arrangement with the banks this morning on the news. Of course they left out most of the the details, but they claimed it would make everyone safer from terrorism. You were right, Bruce. We made the right decision coming here and it was just in time.” Bruce was surprised. He knew his wife pretty well. Big decisions made her nervous, so she wanted to get them made quickly and over with. He also knew she needed quick and decisive decisions with real commitment so she could push away her old habits of self doubt and second guessing herself. Over the years it had become second nature for him to accommodate that need for her, whether he felt fully up to it or not. He sometimes had to remind himself that she still struggled with that, because she had become practiced at putting up a strong front to mask her old insecurities. This time he could tell in her voice there was something new. She was genuinely relieved about the announcement. It was an outside confirmation that they had not blown it by making an unnecessary life changing decision. He could feel her physically relaxing as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. “Daddy, Carl told me it was your idea to build a family table, and you even used some of his tools to make it.” Colleen interrupted gently. Her tone was more subdued rather than her more common style of barely contained energy. She sounded genuinely touched and impressed at what the men had done while the ladies were away. “Well, I thought it might be helpful for several reasons, but we all worked together on it. We still have some finishing work to do. I actually got a kick out of learning to use some old style tools I had never seen before. It's been a very interesting day. Y'all were gone a long time. I'm guessing we have a lot of catching up to do.” “We came back with a treasure trove of useful information. We'll still be learning more from it several years from now. Right now I'm guessing we need to fix something to eat, and then we can try out out new family table. Thank you, for your idea about the table, Daddy.” The multiple colliding conversations continued as supper was prepared, served, and eagerly consumed. Everyone pitched in to get things cleaned up and put away after the meal and returned to the table in a cheerful mood. It was Pete who pulled everyone's attention together out of the random chaos that had been taking place. He spoke out in a clear, but only slightly louder voice, “We are all excited about things we have learned and new thoughts about our future here, but I think we need to get a little more together and organized in sharing and expressing our thoughts about that don't you agree?” “Pete, you're right.” Bruce responded. A few hours ago Carl and I were talking and realized that the whole family needed to talk together about a number of things, before we head off again down random paths. Then before I could even get the words out, I was headed down another random path and we ended up with a family table rather than discussing those issues. I'm not saying that was a mistake, but I am concerned that we are needing to sort through so many questions, I barely know where to suggest we start.” “Dad, I really hear what Bruce is saying. The changes we are making, or attempting to make are huge, and outside our old comfort zones. I don't even like using that terminology, but it really fits in this case.
Can I ask you to do something, Dad? I remember when I was a kid. You use to tell me when I was facing a big challenge, the first thing I needed to do was stop and humbly ask our Creator for wisdom and help. 'After all,' you would say, 'He is the one who made the rules of the game in the first place, and it is probably a safe bet that He is smarter than you or anyone else you might look to for help in figuring things out.' If the rest of you are feeling half as humble as I am right now, I doubt if you will object. So, Dad, would you say a prayer for all of us before we go farther?” Pete looked around the new table and caught everyone's eye before he closed his own eyes. “Dear loving and mighty Creator of this world. We need your help. You know what is in our hearts and in our minds. You also know what is true. We are in a difficult place and time right now that you saw coming ages ago, and you already know what we need in times like these. Please, God, help us to see clearly what you know we need to do. Not because it is our right to ask for your help, but because we know you are a loving and compassionate God. We ask you to guide us, to help us, to open our eyes to the path we need to follow. Help us to see that path and to have the courage to honor your gifts to us by following that path with determination. Thank you, God, for you help. Amen.” Pete opened his eyes and saw the others were slower to open their eyes, as if they each had a few more thoughts of their own to add to that prayer. When everyone was waiting, eyes open he turned to Bruce. “Bruce what was it you and Carl were talking about when you realized we needed to discuss things as a family?” Bruce thought back. “We had been talking about deciding which parcels of land we need to try to buy, but Carl pointed out that the more important question was what we really pictured or meant when we said we were going to be self sufficient. Then we asked the question about what we expected to do when the cash is all gone, or more likely when nobody would take cash in payment for things we need. That led to questions about what can we produce to barter with for things we cannot produce for ourselves. It got to be a head on collision between the theoretical and the hard realities of survival. Right now we have some tools that need electricity and some that don't. You can decide to produce your own electricity and use the electric tool or choose the hand tool instead. But, it doesn't matter which you have chosen when the tool breaks or wears out, if people are no longer accepting your cash to buy a replacement tool. This isn't about it being hopeless because the world as we know it is coming to an end. It's about recognizing the risks and deciding how to stay adaptable.” Carl added in, “Grandpa, I remember that there is a parable in the Bible that talks about a wise man who built his house on a rock, but a hasty man built his house on sand. Our thinking was that we need to make wise choices that are looking ahead to possibilities.” “Carl pointed out something else.” Bruce added. “We aren't likely to all see the solutions the same way. We may not all agree on the same kind of house to build, for example. Some of us may want to raise chickens while someone else raises … cattle. But if we are raising cattle, we need land that will support raising cattle. Of course I'm not so sure about raising cattle in a hilly forest, but you get the point.” Colleen joined in, “There is a breed of cattle that developed naturally in Ireland. They are well suited for grazing and foraging in hilly forest and temperate mountains. There is a farmer near here that raises them. But that's just a side bar. Sorry about that. The point is that each of us has preferences and dislikes, skills and weaknesses. We don't have to all do it the same way. I can offer you something I do that you don't do for yourself. You can trade something to me that I need but that I don't produce as well as you do.” Jenny was lighting up, now. “Those resources C. J. gave us are going to be so valuable. All we have to do is choose wisely what we want to take care of for ourselves and what we want to produce for others.” “Who is C.J. ?” asked Bruce. The ladies all laughed. Joann spoke up first to explain about C.J. “He is one tough old bird that taught Agri-Science at the Barnsville High School for over forty years. He has a better library of Agri and practical farming information than most colleges. Most colleges include so much academic Piled Higher and Deeper material in their libraries that it takes forever to find useful information. He sent boxes full of practical materials home with us that includes tried and tested how-to and why informatio about the nuts and bolts of running small sustainable farms. He also has a non-internet network of people in this region who are quietly making those ideas work.” “He's the one who told us about the announcement, Bruce.” Linda nodded. “He understood the implications of what they were saying, too. He was even ahead of us on the need for anonymity. For example, he knew who Joann was, and while he surmised a lot about us, he was pointedly avoiding learning last names and details.” “Sorry to interrupt, guys, but we have a lot to get on the table and talk about.” Rob was wanting to keep the group focused. “The idea of envisioning how we are going to make this work is critical, and complicated. The way I see it, we each bring different abilities and different expectations to the effort. We are three, well really four, different families. We may choose to do things differently in some ways, but that doesn't mean we can't work together. We can be different small families, but still be one large family. Bruce, I can't and won't try to tell you how to build your house or run your farm, but you can count on me to help you get it done. I know without asking that you wouldn't think of standing back and just watching as I struggle to get my house built. You'd bend over backwards if it would help me, even if I wasn't the way you would have done it if it was just you working on the project.” “So, what is it that we need to do right now?” Linda was puzzled. Jenny put an arm around her dear friend. “Linda, dear, you and Bruce need to take a breath and try to dream together. Imagine yourself here ten years from now on a piece of land, making it 'on your own' with everyone here nearby, doing the same with slight variations. What kind of home is it? How are you and Bruce producing the food you need? What are you producing that you can use for barter with people on the outside, so you can get the things you can't produce yourselves. Sure you will need to learn new skills, but you need to decide what skills you want to learn and what you want to depend on others for. If you get stumped and don't know something, we are all here to help you figure it out. We are all in the same boat here, so don't worry about not knowing everything, None of us do. Think if this as the adventure of a lifetime that you and Bruce have been getting ready for without realizing it.” “Jenny has the right idea. I would have expressed it differently, but it is the same thing once you distill it down. You probably understand the way Jenny explained it better than if I had. Bruce, you know how much I complained about those touchy-feely group exercises at work. But, what we need to do is to back up a minute and re-calibrate. We've been so focused on getting the details right that we lost sight of where and how those details need to fit together. Let's just take some time as couples to talk and imagine. When we have clearer ideas about what we want to do, then we can come back to share what we are thinking. We are not going to pick whose ideas are best. What is best for each couple is not dependent on what is best for the other couples.”
|
|
|
Post by kiwibutterfly on Aug 10, 2023 15:25:46 GMT -6
Thank you
|
|
|
Post by CountryGuy on Aug 10, 2023 18:22:03 GMT -6
Thanks for another great installment!
|
|
|
Post by feralferret on Aug 10, 2023 23:06:48 GMT -6
Another fine chapter! Thank you.
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Aug 11, 2023 17:39:07 GMT -6
Post # 32 To Each His Own
The others barely notice that Carl and Colleen had gotten out of sight almost before the older folks had gotten up off the benches. They slipped off between the trees holding hands until they stopped and spun around hugging each other. “I really missed you today, Colleen, and there is so much to talk about, but we really do need to talk about this dream thing right now. I think we may be farther along than our parents in thinking about what we want, but perhaps a bit behind Grandpa and Joann in getting our ideas together about this. Why don't you start out.” “You may regret that, Carl. Once I get started you may have trouble getting a chance to talk. My head is so full of ideas right now, they are tripping over each other.” Colleen closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Carl again. She took a deep breath and composed herself as she exhaled. “Okay,” she took a step back still holding his hand, “I really see us stepping way back from the grid, and I mean that as way more than just connection to the power grid. I want us to be as independent as possible. If we realize five years from now that we can't make something we need, and we did not anticipate that, then we'll have three options. One – we do without it, Two – We figure out a work around or an alternative that we can produce ourselves. Three – as a last resort we figure out something we can use to barter with someone nearby, and we have to be careful that it is someone we can trust, to get what we need without attracting attention. There are a lot of things we don't yet know how to do, but nothing says we have to stay ignorant. This creation is so full of resources that are perfectly designed to take care of our needs, Carl. We have just fallen into more and more traps of thinking we have to twist it and distort it because it supposedly is here by accident, so it cannot possible take care of all our need without us becoming geniuses about redesigning the world so that it can be forced to take care of our needs. I'm sorry, Carl, I need to stay positive rather than ranting about the foolishness that surrounds us.” Colleen clamped a hand over her own mouth and mumbled out, “Shu- uph Co--een.” Carl was unable to contain his laughter and gave her a hug. “I love you, Songbird.” Colleen looked up at Carl with a grin and said, “Maybe I'd better let you talk for a minute. Daddy seemed pretty impressed with your part of the discussion you he had together.” Carl smiled. “It was very thoughtful of you to express some of those negative attitudes up front so I won't be tempted to slip those into my comments. I appreciate your courtesy.” Colleen responded with a mock punch to his arm. “Colleen you won't believe this. I don't even think he realized it at the time, but there was one time when rather than calling me Carl, he actually called me 'son'. That meant a lot to me.” Colleen was about to burst she was smiling so hard. Carl rushed on ahead so they didn't get too sidetracked. “Truthfully, I am right in sync with you about being as independent as possible. It will take some time and a lot of effort to get established, but I can see us eventually producing more than what we need on very little land. That will make it reasonable to produce things to barter with. As a matter of fact, I suspect some of the things we will be producing might look very attractive to others if your Dad's and my Grandpa's expectations about the economy are anywhere near the mark. Getting down to some of the particulars, I want to hear more about those cattle you mentioned. I also think we should be raising chickens and growing a sizable garden year round. Fruits, nuts, and berries will require trees and bushes or vines. I'm also wanting to look into the possibilities of some goats for multiple reasons. We can't do it all at once, but we need to be adding and diversifying along the way. Some food has to be planted every year, Other plants produce year after year, but only after a few years of maturity are established. Oooooh, I just thought of something. Do you think there are varieties of olive trees that can grow here, or are the winters too cold?” Colleen was giggling. “Carl, or should I call you Johnny Olive Seed? I thought you'd be talking all about how to build our house, but nope. You want to tell me how to put all that biology I'm trying to learn to work before I have even learned all of it.” “That's not it, Colleen. I'm just sharing my thinking about things I need to learn about. I... you are such a tease, girl. Just for that, close your eyes. Go on. Close them. Now remember that image you had in your mind about us at the front porch of our house in the woods. Shut out everything else and focus on it. … Now, describe the house; every detail. Outside first then inside. Take me on a tour.” - - - - - “Okay, Pete. Let's do this. What do you really picture in your mind when you think of us here ten years from now? Pete made a mock scowl toward Joann. “I was going to say, 'Ladies first.' so you could share your ideas first.” Joann dead panned back, “I knew that, so I took the initiative of ladies first that I knew you were going to offer and asked you to speak first.” Pete chuckled and shook his head. “Alright, Darlin'. Where do I start? We don't know if we are going to be here for two more years, or twenty more years, or a hundred more years. What we do know is that we want to stay here for the rest of our lives and hopefully that means we may be among the great crowd that survives Armageddon. I remember a talk that was recorded where one of the brothers, Brother Barnes, was addressing a group that had just finished some intense leadership training. He was speaking about the end times and how we know a lot of the signs that will warn us that the end is very, very near. He talked about not knowing a particular order or timetable about all these signs, but there are two that are like lynch-pins for it being imminent. He said that until you see one sign in particular that we need to keep doing God's work in this world. But, when you see this particular sign, you need to stop and you need to hide, until God finishes His work like only he can finish it.” Joann and Pete were very still and quiet for a minute as they considered the seriousness of what had just been said. They both knew what that meant. “Joann the proverb that says the wise man recognizes the danger and conceals himself. That is what I am hoping to do; to conceal us. It is important to me to have as little visibility from the world as possible when that time comes. Every connection we have, like the power grid, the internet, track-able financials; those make it so much harder to conceal ourselves.” “So when I talk about us being off grid, that is what I am talking about. Now just so you understand if we are getting semi-regular deliveries of supplies, whether it's LP Gas, fuel for our generators, or groceries, those add to our track-able finances. I don't mind having power tools or appliances, as long as we can create our own means of collecting electricity for operating them. I have to be honest about another issue. We need some building materials, and with the news about tracking financial transactions, my concerns about acquiring those materials we will need just escalated.” “What materials specifically are you thinking about, Peter?” “I've been thinking about cinder blocks, mortar, cement, electrical supplies, plumbing and sanitation supplies, pre-cut lumber, nails, screws, roofing material. I could make a log cabin, but I'm concerned about that taking more time, if I do it right. I also don't want to strip too many trees out of our small section of the forest. I want something solid yet simple. I even thought about cutting into the side of the hill and surrounding the house partially with the ground to help control the temperature both against summer heat and winter cold. There are so many possibilities, but time is a big factor. I also want a greenhouse and good plumbing system.” “Pete, slow down. Your head is spinning. Stop and take a breath. You said that number One: avoiding a financial trail to us is important. Two: You want something solid. Three: You want us to be able to take care of ourselves. Okay you didn't say that exactly, but it was implied by things you said. What else is important?” Pete closed his eyes and thought a minute, or maybe it was several minutes. “Joann, this is going to sound strange. It's important that we have room for us, more than just the eight of us, to gather inside. For some reason that is important. I am sure of it.” Joann looked at Pete face to face and pondered that. “Okay Peter, we need a 'great room'; a large multifunction room where we can gather to work, cook, eat, plan, talk, read, relax, study, celebrate, pray, wait, or just be together. Does that cover it?” “Yep. That is exactly what we need.” “And how we build it is not important, as long as it is solid?” “Right, again.” - - - - - “Jenny, what are you envisioning for the next ten years?” “Well that was subtle. So, I take it you are not so sure what you can envision, and you thought maybe I could be more imaginative?” Jenny was struggling to not laugh out loud. “You are so smart, Jenny. See, you know what I am thinking even before I can figure out what I'm thinking. You're the logical choice for who should start this out.” Now they were both laughing out loud. “Ah, Jenny, this is so new, and so important, and so unfamiliar. Okay, here goes. “I want to raise goats. I want to grow fruit trees: apples, plumbs, pears, peaches. Do you know that when we were driving here and were cutting through a national forest on an old logging road, we past a peach tree that was loaded down to the breaking point with green peaches? I wanted so badly to just stop and stare. There were no houses or people living anywhere nearby. Someone probably more than a decade ago was driving down a rough dusty gravel road and tossed out a peach pit. No cultivation, no irrigation, no fertilizer, no pruning or trimming, barely enough sunshine getting through the taller tree canopy, but every stem and limb was covered from trunk to tip with peaches growing shoulder to shoulder so heavy the limbs were bending almost to the ground. I'll never forget that sight.” “Anyway, I want a fruit orchard in the forest hiding in plain sight. I also want goats. They keep the forest groomed. They keep out the brambles and stir the leaves keeping the natural compost of the forest floor turned just enough. I don't remember where or when I read that but it stuck with me. I also want to grow nut trees: pecans, walnuts, chestnuts. Maybe we could grow goats for fiber to make fabric. I bet I could build a loom. Of course, we need chickens. I could eat a plate full of eggs and home made salsa for breakfast every day. As for building a house. I'm not sure yet, but there is so much rock and wood here in the forest, we are not going to have to worry about that. I would love a stone and timber house. How am I doing?” “Oh I don't know. Not bad, but primarily because the idea of weaving our own wool into fabric so I can make simple comfortable clothes. That kind of tips the scales for me. The idea of gathering eggs and tending the garden everyday appeals to me. Do you think we could have real wood walls inside the house without that textured paint look? One more thing, do you think we could grow some kind of grain other than hybrid wheat. The thought of fresh baked bread that is not bleached white just sounds like … perfect. Oh, and one more thing. Do you think we could have a dark green metal roof. I would love to hear the rain loud and clear when its falling on the roof. I know. I'm crazy, but I don't care. If we keep going I'll think of one more thing, like do you think we could have one milk cow? I can cook all kinds of things that use milk in the recipe, and butter on hot bread goes with anything. Oh, my gosh I forgot. Butter on fresh biscuits with homemade jam.” “I love you my beautiful SWEET wife. Now here are some of the hard parts. We need plumbing. That will have to be on me. But as for cooking and appliances, how hard is it going to be to handle cooking and processing without gas or electricity? A physical connection to the grid is just not going to happen. That is too risky. Using LP Gas for cooking and even for running refrigerators is also a big risk because of the delivery requirements. Running gasoline or diesel generators is a problem because it requires regular purchases of fuel, and the patterns become a flag to those monitoring activities. That limits the options there unless we can swing some significant infrastructure purchases early on before the monitoring gets serious. What are your thoughts?” “I think we need land, not just to live on but as a safety buffer. I know we all look at the same decisions from different perspectives and with different reasoning. But to me the reason we moved all the way up here and left our old life behind was because it created a large physical buffer between where and what we were and what we are going to become. We don't need all that much land to produce what we need, but the buffer of surrounding land protects our ability to use the little piece of land we really need. Does that make sense to you? What resources we have left after acquiring the land, including a buffer, we will have to allocate for the secondary priorities. We will have to re-prioritize what is left based on the results. If we have plenty left, great. If there is not that much left, we may have to limit or redefine our plans for building our infrastructure, whether it includes equipment, livestock, housing, producing food or whatever. there are too many variables out there in this economic transition for us to be rigid about our planned choices. Of course we will need to put rational limits on how much we allow ourselves to spend on the land, but we must treat it as a priority rather the merely the first piece to acquire. We need to see how much it really takes at each step before we know which secondary priorities are still viable options.” Robert was stunned. This was the first time they had talked this much about how to go about establishing their new life once they arrived. He realized that with all the frenzy of trying to get away quickly, there were many things Jenny was thinking and feeling, about which he had been clueless. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. “Jenny, I am so glad you told me this. I was missing a lot of pieces about how you are thinking and feeling. What you are saying makes a lot of sense. I just hadn't looked at it from that angle before. We need to talk to the others about this before we start looking at plots of land. Thank you for sharing this.” - - - - - “I hope this is a useful exercise, Linda. I'm a little concerned that we may get too many ideas and notions together and then end up struggling to accommodate everyone's variations, instead of making quick progress toward our goals.” Bruce was accustomed to making quick decisions then proceeding confidently so Linda would not be worrying over having made the right decision or wrong decision. Linda asked in an unusually quiet voice, “Bruce, do you think Pete is right about all of this?” Bruce was caught off balance by the unexpected response. Actually it wasn't a response. It was a random question out of the blue. “I'm not sure what you mean, Sweetheart. Right about what?” “I'm trying to sort through some things. He left to come up here several years ago based on what he understood. We hadn't even thought about coming here until just a few weeks ago, when we heard about something the governments were planning. When we told him what convinced us to come, he said that had been predicted almost two thousand years ago in the Bible. I couldn't stop thinking about that because I had never heard of that before. So, when we were talking with C.J. today I asked him if he knew anything about that prediction in the Bible. At first he acted like he'd never heard of such, but I tried to tell him some of what Pete had said about it, and it was like a light bulb turned on. He got out his Bible and turned over near the back and started mumbling about the mark on their hand or forehead, they had all gotten it wrong, of course that makes perfect sense now, and stuff like that. Then he looked at me and asked if it was Joann's new husband that told us that. When I told him yes, he just nodded and said it had been there all along. The problem with some prophesy is that they were given in symbolic metaphors, because they were predicting realities that were incomprehensible to those that first received them. How could people two thousand years ago imagine that the governments would be able to identify and tag you based on what you are thinking and what kind of activities you 'put your hand to' or what you are supporting with the work you do? So all they could think was some kind of mark like a brand or tattoo if you were approved. Now with social media and making purchases on your phone, all of which can be tracked , the “beast” can piece together where your head is about following the lead of the beast or putting your efforts, that is your hand, into what is important to you. Anyway, C.J. was very impressed with his insight and recommended listening carefully to him.” Linda was staring far past where she was looking and Bruce came to sit beside her. “Pete seems to be pretty smart, but he's not perfect. We need to be careful not to follow him blindly, but I am putting more and more … confidence in things he has to say. So how is this affecting your thinking, Linda?” “Once upon a time I wanted a really big house with lots of nice stuff filling it up. What I want now is to raise honeybees, bake bread, and take care of my family. What do you want, Bruce?” Bruce, once more was off balance. It took a couple of minutes before he said, “I want us to be safe and comfortable with our family, our close friends, nearby to visit and work with. I want to raise a few cattle, milk and beef, and some grains in the pastures so we can rotate the fields they are grazing and have grain for winter feed and to make flour for bread. I also want a root cellar to store carrots, potatoes, onions, and such over the winter. I don't have a clue how to build our house, but I'm going to help everyone here build their houses. That ought to give me a better idea about how to build ours.” “There is something else, Bruce.” “What is it?” “I'm concerned about Colleen and Carl. They are both so young. They are really smart and willing to work hard, but at that age, well, I don't really have to tell you, do I? They want to be with each other so intensely, but they also want to be responsible. Carl has this male ego thing about having to be able to take care of her completely before he can marry her. You know as well as I do, that we both had to work really hard together in the beginning to make ends meet. Colleen is too smart to simply tell him to let go of that idea and just hurry up and ask her to marry him, but that is what she really wants. She just hasn't figured out how to explain it with everything being so totally changed so quick. How big is an acre of land?” Bruce was following Linda's line of thoughts about Colleen and Carl, then Linda threw that random question out. “Um, well its uh, just a little smaller than a football field, without the end zones. Why did you ask that?” “That money Carl said he could put into buying some land; how many acres could he get for that?” “It's hard to tell. We haven't talked to any of the land owners yet. Right now I wouldn't count on more than three to five acres. Some realtor's listings in this region would put it closer to two acres.” “Bruce we have to figure out a way to help our kids, without messing with Carl's head in how we go about it.” “I see what you are saying, Sweetheart. Let me talk with Rob and get his ideas too. We all want what is best for the two of them. We'll figure something out, but you are right that it is important to treat Carl with respect and not send the message that he can't handle this without the adults helping out.
|
|
|
Post by CountryGuy on Aug 11, 2023 20:06:47 GMT -6
looks like plans and priorities are about to be set and action to begin.. Nice chapter.
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Aug 15, 2023 10:55:24 GMT -6
Post # 33 Getting Closer
By the time everyone got back together it was getting late and they decided to meet again and talk more over breakfast. Bruce, pulled Rob aside as they were walking up the hill to their trailers. “Rob, I want to talk with you for just a minute about our kids, then you and Jenny can talk some, and we'll get back together. Linda mentioned this and I completely agree, that we want to help them get started. I have to admit that I have been surprised at how well they have handled these changes so far, but it's only going to get harder for them, if you understand what I mean. We really admire Carl's determination to take care of Colleen the right way, but y'all know as well as we do that marriage is a partnership. He loves her and wants to move heaven and earth to take care of her, but she feels the same about him. I'm impressed that he has saved so much money and wants to buy land so they can make it on their own, but in this economy, I can't see that he can get very much land for that much money. Anyway, that's what Linda and I are concerned about, but we also know he is going to balk if we just say, 'You can't make it without help from the adults, because you are too young'. You and Jenny talk it over and we can talk more tomorrow.” “Thanks, Bruce. I think we are all on the same page, here. We'll talk more tomorrow if we can get away where Carl and Colleen are not around. Good night, Bruce.” Later when everyone was getting into bed, Linda whispered to Bruce, “This is so strange, how we all pretend not to notice when Colleen slips out to her sleeping bag, and no one ever says anything about it. Do you think she and Carl really think we don't know?” “It is a strange ritual that we all go through, but they absolutely know that we know. The first night we were here I quietly went out the door farther from where she had her sleeping bag so she wouldn't hear me. I waited in the shadows watching silently until I spotted where Carl had positioned himself. The moment I spotted him he signaled to me that he was watching. It was like he was a sentry on duty far enough away to not be easily seen, yet close enough to see if anyone or thing got close enough to her to be a concern. Since then I have checked at different times in the night and it's always the same.” “See what I mean, Bruce. This is hard on them and we need to do something to help this situation, soon.” “We will, Sweetheart. Rob and Jenny are probably talking about it right now. We will find a solution as quick as we can.” The next morning The family began talking about their intentions and concerns even before they finished eating. Carl and Colleen were prompted to go first. The older adults were a bit surprised about how adamant the two of them were about protecting their invisibility from the outside world. Carl surprised the men talking about a stone and cob foundation and root cellar with log outer walls and multi-layer planked floors. The biggest surprise, however, was when Colleen spoke in such a matter of fact manner about Carl's and her children helping them and learning about tending the animals and the garden. She was so natural in talking about how they would simply be there watching at first, soon they would be wanting to help, like holding the handle of a bucket as Carl carried it, or a basket handle when Colleen was gathering eggs. As they grew more coordination and stronger they would naturally want to help more and more doing what they saw Carl and her doing. Eventually as they grew older they would be helping with the chores like gathering eggs, feeding the animals, hand spinning threads using drop spindles, and milking the cow without even thinking of them as chores. There were more than a few of the others listening to Colleen who felt something stirring deep inside them picturing what Colleen so easily described. Pete and Joann were encouraged to go next. Once again the group as a whole were surprised at what they heard. Everyone had expected Pete to be Gung-Ho about being very primitive in his approach, but he wasn't. His big emphasis was he wanted to build something that would last. As for primitive versus modern technology, he was all for conveniences except that too many technological conveniences carried with them the risk of leaving an economic trail that could lead to where they were 'hiding' in the forest. He was also concerned about speed, since he did not relish the idea of living in a tent for very much longer. Again technical tools could speed up the building process, but there were economics involved in powering any kind of tools that were not hand powered. He was about to stop there, when Joann decided to help out. “Pete is also concerned about one more element that he's unsure about y'all understanding, so let me try to explain this. We need a house with a great room. A room big enough for our crowd, and even more if necessary, to gather together in to take care of all kinds of business. Talking, planning, eating, cooking spinning thread,” she nodded to Colleen, “napping, studying, reading, being together, waiting, celebrating, being a family. That is important and should not be overlooked. We can't predict everything, but we can predict that this is going to be a big family and we are going to need to be close to each other. And just to get my two cents in; There are so many resources for feeding and taking care of our family here, that as a biologist I want to make use of all of them, but it will take time to make that all happen, so let's get started.” She grinned and winked at the other three women. Bruce spoke up next. “Rob, why don't you and Jenny go next. This is very enlightening. And it is not what I was expecting. I can't wait to hear what you two have to say.” Rob looked at Jenny, and Jenny nodded to him. “Jenny and I talked about a lot of things that we would like to do and make happen. Some of them are very important and some are simply because we really like the idea of doing it. But there is something Jenny shared with me which really surprised me, because I had not looked at it that way before. Also, when I think about it, every one has been talking about it but in different words. This is about our saftey or security. The problem is our words have been skipping a critical element of our safety, our hiding, our not leaving a trail. The amount of land it will take to provide for our needs is not that great. As Joann pointed out, this area is rich with resources for feeding and taking care of our family. What we have been missing is that land surrounding us is critical for being able to protect our ability to use the land. If we have our houses, gardens, livestock, orchards, and chicken coops right next to the road, the beast that is out to control us doesn't even need to hunt for our trail. It's all right there for them to see. This location is safer than where we were only because of our isolation. We need to consider how much isolation we can afford and try our best to assure a land buffer so that we can hopefully keep all these wonderful resources from being stolen from us. That is the essence of why we abandoned the life we were building back there. It was so we could come to a place where we have this big physical buffer zone.” Rob and everyone else was silent. After a couple of minutes, Rob spoke again. “Okay, Jenny. Now it's your turn to put a little of your sunshine on what I just said.” “Well for one thing, Rob wants to have orchards within the forest. You know, apples, pears, peaches, plums and nuts. He remembers seeing a peach tree that was nearly breaking to the ground it was so loaded with peaches. We passed it as we were driving down a gravel road through a national forest on the way here. There was no one for miles around trying to cultivate it. It probably came from just a random peach pit tossed out the window, but it was out producing the best efforts of commercial peach orchard operations. He also wants goats, because he wants to work smarter rather than harder. Goats will clear out the underbrush and fertilize the orchards so he won't have to. I guess he'll let me pick the breed of goats, because I want the hair from the goats for weaving or knitting. Sounds like that will work out well since I'll have grand kids who will think it's fun to spin the fibers into yarn and threads." She grinned over at Colleen. "Of course I want chickens and a garden, too, and a milk cow. It's hard to beat a hot biscuit dripping with butter and jam, when all the ingredients came from your own farm. Also, Rob is not too clear yet, but he is not too far from Carl's thinking about materials for a house. As he said, there are more trees and rocks here than we could ever use up. He also talked about the security of not leaving an economic trail here, and you heard what he added about the physical buffer zone.” Jenny stopped and decided to not go further at this point. Bruce sat there for a minute, then another. He looked at Linda then he spoke in a calm voice. “This exercise has been one surprise after another. Last night Linda shocked me. After a number of unexpected questions she told me that once upon a time she wanted a big house filled with lots of fine stuff. Now, what she really wants is to raise honey bees so she can drizzle their honey on the hot bread she bakes and shares with her family. She didn't say it specifically, but I know without a doubt that she was talking about her grand kids when she referred to her family. I told her that I wanted to raise cattle, and let them graze in rotating fields of various grain crops. We could harvest the grain for making bread and save a mix of straw and grain for winter feed. That totally surprised her.” He paused again. “I'm going to need help from my precious daughter and her soon to be grandmother to learn how to do all that because I've never done anything like that in my entire life. I'm going to need help from each and everyone of you here if I am to have any hope of making this work, but that is what I am hoping for. Here is what I'm thinking, then you can tell me what you think.” “Jenny's concern about a buffer was an eye opener, and it changes our approach to acquiring land. She was exactly right, and we need to get on that immediately – today. Then we need to focus all of us on getting a house built quickly for Pete and Joann, just like they described. We would not be here, or even be able to be here without them so we need to get them taken care of first. That is also a bit selfish, and certainly practical, because if we have a bad turn in the weather the house they describe can provide a secure shelter for all of us to get through the storm. Next, we all need to pitch in together and help Carl build a house for Colleen and their family. I know Carl has a vision of building his own house, but we are all family here -- we are all becoming one family -- and we are all going to help each other build each of our houses. Next we are going to help Rob and Jenny build their house. Their trailer is smaller than Linda and I have so we can manage a little more comfortably just a little longer. Finally, we'll build a house for Linda and I with a kitchen that has plenty of space and ovens for baking bread. By that time maybe I will have enough building experience to even have a clue about how I want to construct our house. That's something I've never done before, either.” “Does anyone have an objection or suggestion to add to that general plan?” No one spoke, though Linda noticed Colleen squeezing Carl's arm so tight she wondered if he was going to have bruises. Bruce spoke again. “I never thought this could possibly work out this smoothly. I was afraid that everybody would be going different directions and no one's plans would work with what any one else was wanting to do. Pete, I'm beginning to think that prayer you said yesterday evening has been answered. Would you mind saying another one for us getting some help going forward and how we follow that guidance? I think we could use that help, especially if it is going to be as effective as this was so far.” Pete closed his eyes and in a moment he started praying. As he was praying Joann slipped her hand into his on top of the table, then she laid her arm over Colleen's shoulder and held her gently. Jenny, unaware of Joann's contact across the table, took Rob's hand on her right side then her best friend Linda's hand on her left. Linda took a cue from Jenny and took Bruce's right hand in hers. Bruce opened his eyes and saw Joan's arm on Colleen's shoulder and her other hand on Pete's. He looked and saw Carl's hand on the table and his daughter clinging to his left arm. He thought about it working out so easily to help these two precious young ones without it being awkward in the least, and he reached across the table laying his own hand on Carl's. Unknown to him, Rob was feeling the love from Jenny holding his had and he reached across the table to hold his father's hand. When Pete finished there was a loving squeeze of hands that passed around the table in both directions. “I'll be right back.” Bruce jumped up to get his maps and charts. Joann gave Colleen another hug and said, “Ladies, I think that while the men are gallivanting around looking for a land deal, we need to get busy studying some of those materials that C.J. loaned us. Linda did you see a book about bee keeping at C.J.'s, or is that something that just came to you out of the blue?” “Honestly I was thinking in my head about cutting, no I was tearing off a hunk of hot bread and wanting to put some jelly or jam on it. But in an instant I realized I had no sugar to make jam, but I could use honey instead. Of course I would have to raise honeybees to have honey, so there you are.” She gave a coy grin and all the ladies laughed. On the other hand Rob, Pete, and Carl looked like they had just gotten lost trying to follow someone's directions while looking at a map. Soon Bruce was back with his notebooks and the men crowded around one end of the table while the women were going to the cache of books and papers that were still inside Rob's truck from the night before. It wasn't long before there were stacks of materials on both ends of the table that had existed for less than twenty four hours. The men looked at the maps with the plots of land and roads or trails marked out. Then they compared them to the topographical maps of the area. In light of their discussions earlier, their priorities were suddenly clearer. They were currently on the eastern end of a mountain that on older topographical maps was labeled Black Bear Mountain. It was finger mountain running east and west and was a good bit higher and wider to the west than it was here on the east end. The creek to the south appeared to be fed mostly by the runoff from this mountain, but somewhat also from the smaller hill to the south of the creek. They could find no marked roads, trails or paths for several miles to the west even looking at maps beyond the county line. Carl was looking back and forth at various maps and asked a question. “Why are there no property lines here to the west of Grandpa? I see some lines marked to the south of his southern boundary and I see some divisions north of the creek but there are no more western boundaries marked past Grandpa's western boundary.” “Hold on.” Bruce shuffled through some notebooks. “Here it is. Peter owns forty acres. Right here.” Bruce pointed to a square on one of the maps. “that is one-quarter mile by one-quarter mile. To the west there is a single parcel that is one half mile wide. It starts along the same northern boundary as Peter's land but extends half a mile to the north rather than a quarter mile to the north. From there it extends two miles to the west which is why you are missing the western boundary line. That's a total of six hundred and forty acres, or one square mile.” “That's impressive. Who owns that parcel?” Carl was sounding excited, but didn't see the worried look on his father's face. “Hmm. It is not showing on any of these maps.” Bruce was flipping back and forth through loose sheets and notebooks. Wait.” He pulled out another notebook. “Okay, I remember now. My attorney had to dig this one out carefully. The property was last sold back during the Depression. The county had not scanned the records back that far. I wanted this to be discrete so he hired a legal assistant to go to the county offices and manually examine the grantor-grantee ledger books searching for the legal description notations. Fortunately he was able to find when it was purchased and who the purchaser was (the grantee). Then he had to work back toward the present searching for that grantee as a more recent grantor, to see if it changed hands again. It is a very awkward system by today's standards, but it is still kept manually in that format for the sake of consistency. The last change of ownership was to a trust during the early days of World War-2. It was transferred to the Hallelujah Trust. There was no photocopy of the deed. Just a ledger notation of the principle parties and the taxes paid to register the deed. The Assistant was able to follow up with the tax collector office to determine who was paying the taxes and where the statement was being sent.” Now Pete asked, “So, what is the address of the trustee that pays the taxes?” “Well it is a P.O. box in another county in a town called Bear Creek.” “That's where Grandpa and Joann took us to the congregation meeting. Maybe we can find someone there who knows the trustee and where he actually lives.” Now Carl was clearly excited. Rob tried to ease him down a little. “Carl, you need to be careful not to get too excited too soon. This process can be tedious and difficult at times. Remember you wanted to come along and learn from watching. If you get too focused on one result too soon in the process, it can be very disappointing if it doesn't work out. Also remember the a whole square mile is likely to be very expensive. Maybe more than all of us together can afford. I'm not saying we shouldn't check into it. I'm just saying you need to be patient.” “You're right, Dad. I have to watch and learn. It is just that several pieces seemed to fit. You have to admit it certainly would address what Mom is concerned about. That scenario that Mr. Cooper described was making it look really discouraging and unlikely at every step having to dig so hard to find someone to talk to, then suddenly there was some hope of finding them. I mean Bear Creek is a pretty small town and the congregation – well they are friendly and diligent in trying to share the Bible with anyone interested. That just suddenly sounded like it improved the chances of finding the trustee there as compared to someone with a P.O. Box in a larger town.” “It's okay, Carl.” Peter put his hand on Carl's shoulder. “I can talk to some brothers in the congregation discretely. We still don't want to stir up a steam kettle, though. We have to go gently at this. Sometimes you think you are on the right path, then you realize you weren't. But you don't even realize that until you find yourself on a different path that is the right one.” Carl looked eye to eye with his Grandpa. “I understand, Grandpa. Easy does it, and keep your eyes open.” “Guys,” Joann talked across the table diagonally from the other end, “I just remembered. I need to straighten things out with the school district about my not coming back and my final paycheck. I've already closed my bank account, so they can't make a direct deposit. The mailing address they have for me, well, we sold that house and did not leave a forwarding address at the post office.” “Okay, my Love.” Pete replied. “Looks like the land hunters need to take a drive up to Bear Creek to track down a trustee if we can find him. I assume it's going to be another day of men going one way and ladies going somewhere else. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back.”
|
|
|
Post by pbbrown0 on Aug 15, 2023 11:04:47 GMT -6
Post # 34 Light Among the Shadows
As everyone was getting up from the table and gathering their papers, Colleen was holding Carl so tight, that Linda was afraid the poor guy might suffocate. Linda walked over and spoke quietly to both of them. “Colleen it is obvious that you are very happy about what your Daddy said. That was a surprise to everyone, yet no surprise at all. Everyone here is really happy for you two. This is not exactly how you are anyone else was expecting things to work out, but Bruce was right on target about all of us depending on each other. We are going to have to all work together or none of us may make it.” Colleen unwound her arms from Carl and wiped her cheeks. “Thank you, Mom. Y'all have no idea how much this means to me, to us.” “Oh, I think we do, and you are more than welcome. You may think you are the only two people who could ever feel the way you do about each other, but that's just because it is so new and impossibly amazing to you. Some day you will see how you are not the only couple that feels what you are feeling. Okay maybe very few feel it like you do, but you are NOT the only ones. Right now you need to pull it together and get in the truck. We all have work to do today.” As the ladies were driving once again to Barnsville, they were considering their options for the day. They decided it would be best for Joann to deal with her business without an entourage drawing lots of attention to it. At the same time, they could not easily drop her off and go elsewhere, because Joann might need to visit more than one of the school system offices as well as dealing with the bank to get her check cashed. They decided they would all stay in the truck at each stop until Joann was through. Then they could decide what to do next. It was a long drive back to Barnsvillle, so they used that time to begin discussing how to prioritize their efforts to get the homesteading/farming operations going while the men were building houses. They knew they would be helping as they could with the construction efforts, but they also needed food production to be in process well before the last house was completed. The men had a much shorter drive to get to their first destination so their conversation was focused on first steps and alternatives once they got to Bear Creek. Pete wanted to go to the congregation's meeting hall first. He was sure that in a town the size of Bear Creek at least a couple of brothers or sisters would be meeting each other to coordinate their activities of contacting people in the community. The hallmark of their congregations was looking diligently for people in the community interested in learning about the good news in Bible. Bruce was a little confused. “I know I don't know much about this, but I thought the Bible was all about how bad it is for everyone to be breaking all the rules in the Bible. I thought all the predictions or prophesies were about how eventually people will get so bad that God will ultimately put an end to the world in a devastating judgment. How exactly is that good news?” “Oh, Bruce. There is so much 'common knowledge' about what the Bible says that are terrible distortions. Think about this. The third chapter in the Bible is the account of how the Satan came to Adam and Eve in the paradise God had created for them, and he convinced them that God was a liar, and that God was trying to keep them from finding what would make them happy. The truth was just the opposite of that, but people have been listening to the Satan's lies about God every since. I would really like to help you learn that the Bible actually calls God the happy God, and what he truly wants is for His creation, that's us, is for us to be happy, loving, and peaceful.” Bruce was silent. He had never heard the Bible summarized like that, before. Soon they were pulling onto the parking lot of the meeting hall and saw three other cars parked there. Pete said, “Let me go inside and see what I can find out rather than overwhelming them with all of us at once.” “Grandpa, would it be okay if I come with you, or would it be better if I wait out here too?” “I guess it won't hurt for just two of us to pop in unexpected. Sure, Come on, Carl.” Pete and Carl climbed down and walked to the door. He eased it open and stuck his head in. “Hullo?” he called out gently. In a moment a man stepped out from around a corner and looked at Pete. “Brother Smith? Come on in. Good to see you again so soon!” Carl followed close behind as the door automatically closed behind them. “And your grandson too. It's Carl, isn't it?” “Yes, sir. I'm sorry, I can't remember your name. I met so many new faces the other day.” “That's alright, young man. I'm Joe Ross. What brings you two back so soon?” Pete spoke in a careful almost reluctant way. “Brother Joe, we are on a bit of a hunting expedition. We are trying to find a man named Issac Gambrell. He has an address listed as a P.O. Box here in Bear Creek, but we don't know where he actually lives. We were wanting to see if we could talk to him, if we could find him. Have you heard of him or know someone else in the congregation who might know who he is?” Joe tried not to react, but there were subtle changes in his expression. He pause a moment as if to gather his thoughts. “Brother Smith, I'm trying to remember. What congregation did you say you are in?” Pete took a deep breath. “Brother Ross, I appreciate your caution. I know with the prosecution of our brothers and sisters in some countries already and the prophesies about things to come you can't give out information about our brothers and sisters. I can let you contact brothers in Beaver Creek, our home congregation, if you are wanting to be sure I am who I say I am, but they've only known me for barely two years. I was not aware, and of course still am uncertain, that Issac is a brother. I was trying to contact him about a business possibility. Is there a way, that is if he is one of the brothers, that you can get word to him that I would like to talk with him, and let him choose if he wants to meet or talk with me? If he is not one of the brothers, I can't see how helping me find him could do any harm.” Joe was standing there contemplating how to reply. “Brother Pete, do I have that right? It's not that simple. I'm not saying he is a brother. I do remember Issac, but it's been a long time since I've seen him. He is way up there in years, too. If he is still around, I couldn't tell you how to find him if I wanted to.” Carl sighed audibly with that last piece of news. Joe looked at him and then asked Pete, “Is this one of our young brothers?” “No, not yet, at least.” Pete rested his hand on Carl's shoulder. “Brother Smith, we have a mid week meeting Thursday night at seven o'clock if you and your wife would like to join us. Of course we would love for you and your guest to join us this coming Sunday as well. Sorry, I could not help you more.” Joe turned and went into another room. Pete and Carl also turned and opened the door to leave. As they were stepping outside an older man in a motorized wheel chair caught the door and followed them out. He called to them just after the door behind them clicked shut. Pete and Carl stopped and turned. “Carl, my name is Mark James. I remember you from this past Sunday. I'm not meaning to criticize Brother Joe, but sometimes he comes across as a bit brusque. Some situations, make Joe a little nervous and he falls back on strict interpretation of guidelines he has heard. We all have our quirks and weaknesses, but we make a point of tolerating each other's flaws. None of us are perfect. I just don't want you to be put off or to feel discouraged by Brother Ross' mannerisms. Would you mind If I spoke to your Grandpa privately for a moment?” Carl looked back and forth between Mark and his Grandpa. “Of course Mr. James. It's good to see you again.” Carl reached over to shake Mark's hand, then turned to get in the truck. He looked back one more time at his Grandpa before closing the door. “Pete, I remember your comments in the meeting Sunday, and how you were relating to Carl and that young lady that were with you and your wife. There is no question in my mind that you are for real and not a plant. Issac is a very old and dear friend of mine. He is the one who started me in my first Bible study. He is a bit isolated and not many people remember him or know about him. I'm curious as to how you learned of him. What is this business opportunity you are talking about, if you don't mind my asking?” Now it was Pete's turn to be cautious. “I would like you to keep this confidential, too, Brother James. Since you are a close friend of Issac's I will tell you. There is a piece of property up on Black Bear Mountain and the county tax ledger says that Issac has been paying the taxes on it. I don't know if anything is going to come of this, but we want to talk with Issac, because we might be interested in buying a piece of that property. We don't know if he is interested in selling any of it. It's pretty big for us to afford all of it, but we wanted to give it a shot and talk with him about it.” “I'm surprised you know it is called Black Bear Mountain. Most folks around here just call it the mountain. the original government surveyor in th early 1800's scribbled Black Bear Mountain on the plat map. and in one spot where he wrote that he marked the creek flowing out of the mountain. When later settlers formed a town here, they were too lazy to call it the Town of Black Bear Mountain Creek. Sorry, I digress. Are you talking about the land for you and your wife, or are you talking about your grandson, too? I thought you said you are in the Beaver Creek congregation.” Mark's eyebrow rose quizzically on one side with that last comment. Pete pursed his lips before proceeding. Brother James, My wife and I have been in the Beaver Creek Congregation until we got married a couple of weeks ago. We bought a small parcel adjacent to the property that Brother Issac has, and we just moved out here. The property we are looking at is intended for my son, his wife, my grandson, his betrothed that you met Sunday, and her parents.” Pete waited a few beats before continuing. “They all decide to pull up roots and move here to join Joann and I. They arrived just this past weekend. I would appreciate your keeping this in confidence, Brother James.” Mark closed his eyes for a moment and smiled. “In spite of how it may appear with what I am about to tell you, I learned long ago how to bridle my tongue, Brother Smith. I need you to keep this in your confidence as well, until the right time. When you leave here head southeast out of town. Stay on the same state road for about twenty four miles, then start watching for two very large Bur Oaks a little too close to the pavement on the left. Slow down and take the two track going into the trees on the left just past the oak. Look carefully because it has not had traffic in a while. You will have to slow way down. I see you have a heavy duty four wheel drive truck. That is good because you will need it. Go slow. About a mile and a half into the woods the track will start to angle southeast and begin climbing the mountain. Follow the track carefully. It does not look like a straight and easy path. It is cramped and narrow. A couple of more miles and you should see a low building among the trees. That is where Issac lives. Tell him...tell him I told you where to find him, and give him my love. Be careful and say a prayer of thanks while you are on the way up there. I will see you Sunday, Brother Pete.” Mark shook Pete's hand and turned to go back inside. Pete just stood there watching him motor away. Pete climbed into the truck, and then sat there not talking for a few minutes. Carl was obviously anxious to know what had been said, but Pete was not forth coming. Finally, Pete gave Bruce the initial driving directions and told him to keep track of his mileage. “Grandpa, what did Brother James say to you?” “Carl,” Pete said very calmly, “Do you remember what you said this morning after saying you understand?” Carl thought a moment. “ I said, 'Easy does it and keep your eyes open.' So, you just want me to relax and watch?” “That's all I need to tell you for right now. Bruce when we hit twenty-four miles slow down and be watching for two very large Bur Oaks on the left.” “Okay, so then what?” “Then you really slow down and we go off road.” “Let me guess. Easy does it and keep your eyes open.” “You got it, Bruce.” “Come on, Dad.” Rob was partially frustrated, but partially playing. “Quit messing with us and just tell us what he said.” “First of all, everybody, he asked me more than he told me. Then he told me a very few things, that revealed almost nothing, yet he asked me to keep them in confidence for now. Second, He told me directions for getting there, which I am telling you. Finally, both in his directions and in his few comments there were bits and pieces that by themselves told nothing, but the way he said them made me think that he has hopes or expectations that he was unwilling to communicate clearly, yet, even to me. So, buckle your seat belts for a rough off road adventure and let's enjoy the ride together.” - - - - - The first stop in Barnsville was the High School so Joann could officially notify Principal Cochran that she would not be returning in the fall. As she was climbing out of Rob and Jenny's truck, she told the others, “I hope this goes smoothly and quickly. It feels weird that I am going to tell my boss something he has apparently been snooping around and finding out for himself without my knowing it. I'll be back as soon as I can.” She walked in and went straight to the main office the school secretary greeted her. “Well hello, Ms., uh, Joann. I'm surprised to see you here with classes having been finished for almost a month.” “Hi, Tracy. I needed to get some information to Principle Cochran, and I thought it would be more personable to drop by and tell him rather than to mail a letter. Is he available for just a minute?” “Hold on. Let me check.” Tracy stood and went to the door behind her desk. She tapped gently on the door, paused a second and stuck her hear into his office and Joann could hear a brief muffled conversation. Tracy turned and signaled for Joann to come ahead. As Joann entered his office, he did not stand up. He merely indicated that she could take a seat across from him in front of his large uncluttered desk. He had a computer keyboard mostly concealed inside a lap drawer in his desk and there was also a computer monitor positioned on his desk so that she could only see the back of it. He was almost looking past the edge of it to see her where she was sitting in the chair he had directed her to take. “What brings you here today, Ms., um, Joann?” As he spoke she could tell he was trying not to be seen working the keys on his keyboard, and at the same time he was scanning the display on the monitor rather than looking at her. “Mr. Cochran, I apologize for interrupting you with no advance warning. If this is a bad time, I can come back later today.” “Nonsense, Ms.Joann. My door is always open for one of my teachers. You have my undivided attention. How can I help you?” Joann proceeded. “Mister Cochran, I wanted to let you know that I really appreciate the opportunity you gave me to teach here this past year, but I will not be returning to teach here in the fall.” “I understand completely, Joann. We were happy to have you, but with your changed circumstances, it is completely understandable that you won't be returning. I am already working to find someone to take your place, but I do appreciate your coming to tell me in person. This makes things so much easier. As a matter of fact I have your final paycheck here waiting for you. This will save you having to wait while it goes through the forwarding process by the post office.” Joann sat there silent and still as Mr. Cochran pulled out a lock box from a drawer in his desk and retrieved her paycheck. If you would simply give me your new name and address where we can send you W-2 form next year, you can take this and be on your way.” Joann waited looking straight at the Principal. She did not speak. She just stared without speaking. Gradually he began to get uncomfortable but he wanted to keep the upper had, so he to remained silent. Joann did not flinch first. “Are you okay, Ms. Joann?” Still she just stared at him with out speaking. “What is wrong, Joann?” The principal was finally looking a little stressed. “You know exactly what is wrong, Mister Cochran. You just do not want to admit what is wrong, do you. Oh, you are afraid. If it was said out loud word might get around and people wouldn't like the idea of the high school principal calling in illegal and unethical favors from bankers and licensed real estate agents just so he can spy on and voyeur the private lives of teachers. You see, the direct deposits are not going to be delivered until the end of this week and there is no way you could have legally gotten word from my old bank that I no longer have an account there. Yet you managed to bypass the direct deposit agreement I signed with the school district and now are threatening to hold my check until I tell you my new address. Do you even care how many laws and regulations you have violated, just so you can play your petite power games?” Joann stood up and went to the door. “Now, hold on, Ms, Ms. Joann. Wait, please, wait.” Joann opened the door and in a sudden shift to a super cheerful and friendly voice said, “Tracy could we trouble you to come in here just a moment?” She waited and held the door as Tracy got up and came inside. “Tracy, Mr. Cochran was just about to hand me my final paycheck. I'm afraid I will not be here next year. Now there are two small things you can help him with. My bank is based some distance from here, and wouldn't you know it,” she acted like the following was a silly mix up, “somehow the direct deposit arrangement I had for my paychecks was, um, fumbled in the school payroll processing.” Tracy of course was well aware that in their small school system the school principals had responsibility for assuring the paychecks and pay-stubs were properly delivered. “So, now I'm going to have to go the the school district's bank to cash my paycheck. You know how banks are about cashing checks for someone who doesn't have an account at their bank, even if the check is drawn on an account that is at their bank.” Joann rolled her eyes. “Anyway, when I go there, they are sure to call here to verify the check, especially since it is normal for all of the paychecks to be handled properly as direct deposits. I just wanted you to have a heads-up to know that they are going to call here, so you will understand what is happening.” “The second thing is that I am moving, but I do not yet know what my new address will be. So when the W-2s are processed after the first of the year you will need to hold mine, rather than mail it to my old address. That will keep y'all from having to create a new one when I come back to pick it up at the end of February. You and I both know how much Mr. Cochran has to worry about and take care of running this whole school by himself. It's a wonder he can remember his own name.” Joann winked at Tracy who almost busted her gut trying not to laugh out loud. Principal Cochran and I just thought we ought to let you know about the W-2 as well so you could remind him not to fumble that little detail too.” Joann turned to the Principal. “Oh yes, you still need to give me my check, don't you?” she smiled brightly. “Thank you for your flash of insight about the best way to handle all of this, Principal Cochran. You can be certain that I will not forget this. I assure you that I will do whatever it takes on my part to make sure nothing else gets fumbled.” she stared icily into his eyes. “I would hate for someone to get in very serious trouble over a temporary lapse in judgment. That could turn into a huge mess, don't you think?” Principal Cochran was almost pale as he handed Joann her paycheck. Joann was cool and calm, until she had climbed into Jenny's truck and shut the door. “There is an inherent danger in small school systems. It is too easy for one or two people to get too much power! The more power some people get, the more they want.” Jenny turned and asked, “Are you okay, Joann?” “Yes, I'm okay, but I am so tired of so much that is so wrong in this whole world system!” “What happened?” “I'll explain later. First we need to get to the bank while this is still fresh. It's almost eleven-thirty. That will be a busy time for them, which will be to my advantage. I have a feeling there will be another test to deal with there.” They found the bank fairly quickly, and saw a number of cars parked outside. Before Joann got out she gave instructions to the other three. “Give me five minutes. If I'm not coming out by then, y'all casually come in like you have routine business. If I am at a teller's window, one or two can get in line behind me, but don't over crowd my line. Just make it look natural. If I am at someone's desk, act like you each need to talk with a bank officer about an account issue. We don't want a scene, but we do want them to feel like there is an audience for what ever happens.” The other three ladies were confused, and concerned as Joann climbed out of the truck and headed toward the bank doors. Joann scanned the lobby and saw each of the three tellers present had someone at their window. She casually walked over and stood behind one of the customers and waited her turn. While she was waiting she said a quick silent prayer for what was about to transpire. The young teller at the window greeted her cheerfully as she stepped forward and presented her paycheck. “Hi. I'm a teacher at the high school. I need to cash my paycheck.” Joann pulled out her driver's license and her teacher ID badge and laid them on the counter with her paycheck. The teller typed some things into her computer terminal then asked, “Do you have an account with us?” “No, I live in another town and have been commuting here. You did not have a branch near where I live.” She smiled back at the teller. The teller looked at the check and her ID. “Miss Joann this is a pretty nice sized paycheck for a teacher.” There was the hint of a question there. We would be happy to open an account for you to deposit it here.” The teller looked over Joann's shoulder and saw no one behind her. She whispered almost inaudibly, “There are new regulations about cashing checks this big. I'll have to report it if I cash...” The teller stopped and turned to her screen as someone stepped up behind Joann. Joann stood there with a quiet smile on her face, and waited. The teller's expression turned quizzical as if asking Joann to to tell her what she wanted to do next. Finally the teller said, “Excuse me just a moment. I'll be right back.” Soon she returned with an older woman, probably a supervisor, head teller, or whatever the latest new title the H.R. Department had crafted for her. “Miss Blankenship, most people are uncomfortable carrying this much cash around. Why don't you come with me. Perhaps we could set up a special debit card account so you can have immediate access to your funds. It will be more convenient for you and less risky.” Joann took a breath. She knew that any kind of account, no matter how simple , would merely provide that many more opportunities to track her and start connecting dots. She looked over her shoulder and saw Linda two people back in her line. The line next to her had three people as well. The noon rush was beginning. “This is very simple, Ms...,” Joann looked at the woman's name tag, “Jeffries. I simply want to cash my paycheck from the school district. It is something banks have been doing for decades.” Joann's voice was relaxed but a little stronger than it had been previously. "The district has their payroll account at this bank so the bank can deal with the legal tender aspects without requiring the school Principals to handle stacks of cash in their offices at the school. I assume you have enough cash in the bank vault to cover one simple paycheck for one teacher. I would think you would have on hand enough cash to service all of your customers. Am I wrong?” Suddenly Ms. Jeffries was looking around nervously and talking more quietly. “Of course we have plenty of money in the bank to service everyone. It is just a bit unusual that a teacher wants all of their paycheck in cash. The school district tries hard to get all their staff to accept direct deposit of all paychecks.” “I am well aware of that, but someone either at the school or here at this bank made a mistake and gave me a paper check, rather than continuing the direct deposits I had authorized.” Joann stared, or rather glared at Ms. Jeffries. “So, if you are genuinely worried about it being legitimate, call the high school. They will verify it is legitimate.” Behind her Joann heard Linda huff as if she was frustrated with the hold up of the line. The supervisor held the check up to the light as if checking for watermarks, made some quick notes, then looked nervously over her shoulder as she turned to go back to her desk. The person behind Linda in the teller line shifted to a line at the teller to his right, even though that line was now longer. An young man in a business suit stepped up behind Linda, and and an older man in worn coveralls to his left chuckled. “You might want a different line, young man. That line may be shorter but it's going to be stuck for a while.” The young man was unaware of what had been going on before he entered the lobby, but was curious in a friendly way. “Really? So what's the story here?” Jenny couldn't resist the temptation to stir the pot. She quietly responded to the young man's question. “A teacher at the high school is just trying to cash her paycheck, and the bank is trying every trick in the book to hold on to her money as long as they can instead of just letting her have what belongs to her. It's pathetic.” The old man continued with his own editorial. “It's sinful, that's what it is. The Good Book says a laborer's wages should be paid at the end of the days work and not held even to the next day. Look at what has happened to us. People have to wait a week, two weeks, even a month or more while greedy employers and bankers hold on to the money the working folks have busted their hump day after day to earn.” The young man was shaking his head. “I wonder if it has anything to do with that newest government thing about tracking money to catch terrorists.” The old man looked over at Joann then back to the young man. “If the government is so afraid of terrorists that they can't pay a school teacher the money she has earned teaching our children day after day, then they need to give up, lock the doors for good, and go home.” Ms. Jeffries was returning from her phone call and could hear the people in the lobby talking to each other. That was highly unusual as most customers in the bank were overly cautious about respecting the privacy of others and their business dealings while there. She was able to make out only the tail end of the old man's comment about paying a school teacher or locking the doors, and that set off the alarm bells in her head. “Ms. Joann, I am so sorry about the delay.” She spoke in a voice that was a little too loud and slightly nervous. “We will be more than happy to cash your paycheck. We of course have plenty of money to handle this. But, it is unfortunate and sometimes frustrating that in this day and age we are required to follow certain security procedures for your protection.” She turned to the young teller. “Suzie, I'm afraid you'll have to fill out that new Currency Security form for a cash transaction of this size.” “Oh, for crying out loud, just give her the money.” some young lady in one of the teller lines was mumbling in disgust, as Ms. Jeffries turned to go back to her office. The teller pulled a new form up on her computer and began typing information off of the check and Joann's ID. “Miss Joann, I have most of the information already, but I am required to ask you your reason for needing cash currency rather than electronic currency for this amount.” Joann eyes got big, then she got a really snarky look on her face. “It is too hard to get clean with electronic currency.” The young teller looked very puzzled and replied, “I don't understand.” Joann gave her a smirk and said, “Just write that down. You asked the question, now write down my answer. It is too hard to get clean with electronic currency.” The teller typed in her answer and then said, “There is just one more question for you. 'What is your intended purpose or use to be made of these funds?'” “Alternative to traditional toilet paper.” The teller paused, bit her lower lip, and stifled a laugh. “Are you sure you want me to write that down?” She was beginning to hear murmurs and suppressed laughter in the lines of waiting people. “Yep.” Joan waited as the teller printed off multiple copies of the form and auditing slips to sort into various small bins at her teller station. Even the tellers on either side of her were giggling and snickering, being quite aware of what was happening. Finally the teller had Joann endorse her paycheck and counted out the cash. “There you are, Miss Joann. You have a great day.” While the teller was counting out the cash, her three companions had been discretely slipping out of line and heading back to their truck. As Joann gathered her cash and turned to leave she was hearing congratulations and encouraging comments from several people still waiting in line. The truck was already running when Joann climbed in and shut the door. Jenny had them on the road before Joann could even speak. Colleen spoke first. “I've been struggling with what to call you. Grandma somehow just didn't seem to fit. From now on I'm calling you 'Wildcat'. You were so cool in there. You've got to tell us what we missed before we got in there, and what happened at the school.” “Ladies, the principle at the school has to have something going on with someone at the bank. That paycheck should not have been issued on paper yet. He had to have learned from a bank employee that had more than teller authorization that a direct deposit to my old bank account was not going to go through. Even someone at this bank would not have known that without the principal asking to dig into it ahead of time, because the payroll direct deposits have not been processed yet. The mere tellers have no contact or access to those systems. The problem was that if I raised a stink, all kinds of regulators and security people would start digging into my accounts to figure out what happened, and we don't want that. Here at the bank they were playing the typical check cashing game of 'You don't have an account at our bank, that's risky carrying too much cash, we can open an account here and give you instant access, we're going to have to file a report on a cash transaction that big, blah blah blah.' Did you hear what that old guy said about the Good Book and a workman's wages. That was priceless. I had forgotten that one.” Jenny was driving and no one was talking yet about where they were going. “I have to admit Joann, I didn't see you as a passive aggressive type. You just seem so calm and unruffled about everything. This is a side of you I didn't know about.” “Jenny, you know that Sci-Fi character, Spock. He seems so calm and unemotional on the surface. But the truth is he has trained himself to be that way. Vulcans supposedly feel emotions even more deeply than humans, but because of that they have learned the need to control their emotional expression. Because of my Bible study I am deeply aware of the wrongness than has saturated this world with the ugliness and disrespect people demonstrate. It makes me angry, but I know fixing it is way above my pay grade. I just have to trust the Creator to do what he has promised about Him cleaning up the mess we've made and restoring His creation to the paradise He intended it to be for us.” “You really believe that, don't you. I mean you act like that is a for real thing that is going to happen; not just some happy mystical euphemism or hope that someday maybe good will gain the upper hand.” Linda was thinking seriously about what Joann was saying. Colleen added in, “I remember Carl talking about the logic of this being a real hope. More than just a hope, really. He talks about so many philosophers and 'thinkers' making the assumption that there is not a real God who created everything, and of course they would then have to dismiss any argument that includes the possibility of a God Factor. But, If you do not assume that there is not a God, then the evidence, the data even, makes it impossible to explain reality without concluding there is a real, incredibly powerful, and super intelligent Creator. If that is so, then it's just stupid to think it doesn't matter to Him what is going on in the world he created.” Everyone was quiet for a while, then Joann spoke. “Colleen, I am just starting to know y'all, but I'd say, you've reeled in a keeper, young lady.” Suddenly everyone was laughing and in a much lighter mood.” “I'll tell you what I think.” Jenny said. “I think we ought to go find that farmer that's raising these undersized Irish cattle you keep talking about, Colleen. I want to see what that is all about.”
|
|
|
Post by techsar on Aug 15, 2023 20:33:26 GMT -6
This just keeps getting better as it progresses! Thank you for your efforts
|
|