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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 19, 2023 9:49:42 GMT -6
Catcher Cove
Chapter 1
Dan hung up the phone and slumped in his chair. Well, like Grandpa had said, “You’ll never get out of this world alive.” Still, Grandpa made it to 87 years of age and Dan guessed he’d earned his rest. Dan hadn’t been back in six months; this assignment had kept him busy in the Powder River Basin and he just hadn’t had a chance to get back. He had time scheduled to go back to pick up supplies for his grandfather, but he’d have to schedule time away. Mr. Halbertson, Grandpa’s lawyer, would have everything under control. Dan just needed to make it back for the funeral on Sunday.
The geophones were already in place for the next test. He could get another test in after that before he had to catch a flight back to Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, the closest airport to Catcher Cove.
When Dan landed at Cape Girardeau, he rented an SUV and headed toward the old farm, first making a detour to Popular Bluff to find a decent motel and to be near the offices of Mr. Halbertson. He found a club nearby where he could get at least a beer and turned in early that night.
He met the next morning with Mr. Halbertson and went over the funeral plans his grandpa had previously set up. Mr. Halbertson couldn’t probate the will until after the funeral, but he did give Dan a letter from his grandfather. Dan took the letter with him to open and read later.
Saturday morning Dan drove up to his grandfather’s farm and parked on a bluff overlooking Lake Wappapello. He sat down under a sycamore tree and opened the letter:
“Dan, if you are reading this, I guess you’ve talked to Archer, and I’m gone. It was time. I’ve missed Mary for so long and have wanted to see her again. Well, everything is in your hands now. What’s left of the old farm is all yours. There are some other things that Archer will lead you to also. I’m sorry you have to go through the rest of this mess the people of this country have turned this country into, but I hope you will return home and sit out what is coming. I’ve never been a particularly religious man, but you might want to take a look at Revelations in the Bible and get prepared.”
Dan stopped reading and folded the sheet of paper back up and returned it to the envelope. He looked up and stared over the lake and thought back over the history of the area.
His family once owned over 800 acres of prime river bottom land along the St. Francis River in southeast Missouri, that is, until 1938. Then that communist Roosevelt came in and they condemned the farm’s land, and the Adams family was left with 105 acres after the United States Army Corps of Engineers built a dam and flooded the croplands. Other government agencies came in and tried to steal the rest of their land for national forests and conservation areas, but great-grandpa Adams had fought it in court and won. Some judge decided that the government had stolen enough from the impoverished people in the area. Most of the land was sloped and wooded and couldn’t be farmed unless you had mules that had one set of legs longer on one side than the other. It was still pretty land.
Dan had lived with his grandfather since his mother, father, and his grandmother had been swept off the road during a flash flood on Lost Creek. He watched his grandfather shrivel like a Damson plum turning into a prune since. Dan was amazed Grandpa lasted as long as he did.
Dan stood up and went back to the SUV and drove on toward the old home place. The old house was in great condition for how old it was. When it was built in the late 1800’s, it had been built right. It was up on high pilings and had clapboard over the logs, protecting them from weathering. You almost had to know the house was there to even see it. The whole structure blended in the surroundings. In the clearing on the only flat spot in the area stood the house, a smokehouse, and old wagon shed and a corn crib. The crib hadn’t been used since the dam was built but was still in good condition.
Dan’s eyes shifted around, caught a glimpse of the Cove, and stopped. The trees had grown somewhat, and he couldn’t get a good look at the cove. Involuntarily, Dan chuckled. A memory flew through his mind of sitting around under the shade of the sycamores in the yard and visiting with relatives on Sunday afternoons. He remembered Aunt Sally telling the story of how the Cove got its name. Seems as though Grandma had lived not far from there when she was a girl, and she and Aunt Sally were best friends. Grandpa took a liking to Grandma, and they would meet down at their “Special Place” near the Cove and get to doing things young’uns really shouldn’t be doing. Sometimes Grandpa would get randy and go looking for Grandma and ask Aunt Sally if she had seen her. Aunt Sally wouldn’t know, she had chores she had to be doing too. Grandpa would just say he’d catch her at the Cove later. Over the years the name caught on and for no reason, or at least not admitting they knew why, the grownups began calling it “Catcher Cove” too.
Dan sighed and got in the SUV to continue his journey. As he drove up to the old home place, more memories flooded his mind. He had lived in that house for almost ten years before heading out into the world to make his own way. He hadn’t decided on the military because he wanted to kill people, but like the old commercial said, “You asked for it, you got it, Toyota.” Dan went into the military to get an education, and he got a little more than he intended. Every spare minute he had, Dan would head over to the Education Center on post and take tests to test out on college courses and get the credits. By the time he left the military, he had enough credits to start college as a junior and more, because they also gave you credit for your training in the military. He even latched on to what he thought would be his future wife, but she turned out to be less faithful than he would have liked. It had affected his ability to trust women ever since. Dan got a degree in geology, coupled with his advanced degrees in butt-stroking and terror, and went to work for the oil industry. The pay was good and the travel constant. He saved up his money and with the per diem they paid him, he bought a Global Expedition UXV-MAX, built on an International chassis, and a toy hauler trailer. It had In motion satellite with TV, internet, and VOIP. He hadn’t stayed in a motel in years. The UXV had everything he needed. The toy hauler was his garage for a Rokon bike and a Volkswagen Type 181 hardtop. He had traveled to most of the major oilfields in America in his rig and lived comfortably. If he brought it back here, he’d have to trim some trees to get it up the old road; he didn’t want to damage the solar panels on top of the rig.
Dan got out of the SUV and walked around the yard. The house looked in good condition on the outside and the chicken coop was empty. He guessed a neighbor had taken care of that. Grandpa loved his eggs in the morning over easy. Dan finally went up on the porch and opened the door. The inside was cleaned, and everything looked in place. He went into the kitchen and drew a glass of water that had the best flavor of any he tasted anywhere. More memories came back to him. The wood cookstove had been polished and he could almost see Grandma busying about the stove. Dan refilled his water glass with the cool water and went out and sat on the porch. He had some decisions to make, and the way things were going with the oil industry, they would be easy decisions. As the sun began to go down, Dan got up, took his glass inside, washed and dried it, and set it back in the cabinet.
He headed back to the main road and instead of heading to Popular Bluff, turned left onto highway KK and headed to Wappapello and VFW Post 3416. He would probably run in to some of his cousins there and he needed a burger and a beer.
Dan was greeted at the VFW by men who had known Grandpa, and by a couple of Dan’s cousins. Condolences were offered as Dan ordered a cheeseburger and a Coors. All the talk was about Grandpa and what a great man he was. A couple of the old men had fought with Grandpa in World War II and began telling stories of their exploits. One old man sat and listened, and didn’t say anything until Dan was almost finished with his cheeseburger.
“Joe Adams was a good man, a proud man, an old style American who hunted his own meat back when JFK and Lyndon Johnson started their social programs. Joe never was a rich man, but he made sure his family had what they needed. Joe refused to sign up for those so-called ‘benefits.’ Those that did headed to the big towns and became perpetual slaves to the government. They don’t make ‘em like Joe anymore.”
Dan paid for his meal and gave his thanks to the men for the good things they had to say about his grandpa and headed to Popular Bluff.
It looked to be around 50 or 60 people attending Joe Adams’ funeral. The firing squad was made up of VFW members and the bugler was from a local high school. The folded flag was handed to Dan which he cradled in his lap. When the funeral was over, Mr. Halbertson whispered to Dan to be in his office at 09:00 the next morning. Dan nodded and threw a handful of dirt into the grave. A wake was held at the VFW with most of the funeral crowd attending.
Dan circulated around the big room and had a couple of beers and finally left to go back to the farm. He stopped by a Food Rite and got some coffee grounds to make in the morning. Dan set the bag of coffee on the kitchen table, got a glass of water, and sat out on the porch like he and Grandpa used to do.
He remembered the time he had found the milky white rock and brought a piece to Grandpa to ask him what it was.
“That boy, is quartz.” Grandpa had said.
“What is it good for?” Dan had asked.
“You can chunk it at squirrels if you’re hungry, or sometimes you can find gold in quartz.” Grandpa had said.
“You mean I could be rich?” Dan had asked.
“Boy, there’s a lot better ways of being rich than chasing after gold. Gold just mesmerizes and becrazes people until they don’t really know what riches really are. You know, the family used to have a gold mine down at the base of a bluff on the St. Francis ‘fore they dammed it up. Now it’s under about 80 feet of water. However, they got most of their gold, which was fine stuff, out of the sandbars on the river. It was fine gold and hard to separate black sands they panned out. Later, my daddy bought a gold recovery system that separated the fine gold from the black sands. It wasn’t as good as those of today, so the most they got would buy a couple of 100 pound sacks of flour and a couple of sides of bacon a year. It was more work than it was worth. We made more money off the crops than panning gold. That quartz probably came from an intrusive rock formation heaved up along the Madrid earthquake fault. We’re not exactly on the fault but you’ve felt the tremors now and again.”
That got Dan interested in geology that day, and he’d checked out every book on geology at the school and county libraries, especially those about geological formations in Missouri. Before he entered high school, he could intelligently discuss every geological formation Missouri. He had searched all around the farm but never found any gold, at least no viable deposits that could be mined commercially.
Dan revisited a fleeting thought of quitting his job and coming back here. With the ware against fossil fuels slowly eroding the oil industry, Dan figured it might be a good time to hunker down. He had a good investment portfolio and had saved a lot of money. Most of the places he went to didn’t afford many places or times to spend his money at. He usually spent more money traveling to new locations then he did on location. He could give the farm a new life, add some amenities, and live quite comfortably here. Dan went inside and found a notepad and pencil and began taking notes on what he’d like to do.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 19, 2023 9:51:33 GMT -6
Chapter 2
He wanted to replace much of the furniture. Most of it was from the early 20th century, and his grandpa had never used the Sitting Room after his grandma had passed. The room most used in the downstairs of the house had been the large den. Dan also wanted to get the house off Rural Electric Cooperative power. They were slow in trimming around the power line right of ways, so it was frequent the place lost power in stormy weather, both in the winter and summer. If he came back here, he’d want to plow the old garden and grow some of his own food. That would take a tiller or small garden tractor. It was too big to till by hand.
He had run into several of the oilfield crews who were only working to build up their food and prepping stores and talked frequently among one another, swapping ideas. He remembered some of them, but they also talked about websites they went to get information. He’d have to do that too. He didn’t have his computer with him so that would have to wait until he got back to Montana.
Dan made a baloney and cheese sandwich for dinner and turned in early, only to lay there for a couple of hours thinking. He tossed and turned for a while longer then drifted off into a restless sleep.
The next morning Dan got up, took a cool shower, and prepared to go meet Mr. Halbertson. He arrived and walked around a little bit, looking at the changes in Poplar Bluff since the last visit. A new tire place and a Conoco had been built, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Dan kept a watch on Mr. Halbertson’ s door and when he saw him enter, headed for the office.
“Morning Dan. Coffee will be ready in a few minutes. I had to make the coffee myself this morning. Shirley is at a doctor’s appointment.”
“I’m fine.” Dan replied.
“Well, I guess we can get down to business then.”
Mr. Halbertson opened up a cabinet and unlocked a safe to take out a thick folder. Opening it up on his desk, he took a seat and drew a couple of sheets out of the folder.
“I went ahead and registered the land title in your name. The property taxes are paid up for the year and there are no outstanding bills. Joe had an interest yielding bank account with $75,000 in it. You’ll have to go by there to start a new account and transfer the money to it. There is also a safety deposit box with 125 gold eagles in it. You’ll need to sign for that account at the bank."
“Where in the world did he get that amount of money?” Dan asked.
“Hell, with you keeping him in food and clothes, all he had to spend money on was the electric bill and the occasional beer at the VFW. You took good care of him. His military disability and Social Security didn’t get spent very often.”
“Hell, all he ever wore was bib overalls. Anything else?” Dan asked.
“Nope. That’s about it. What are your plans for the land?” Mr. Halbertson asked.
”I made up my mind this morning. I’m coming back home to settle down.” Dan said. “I make my money on fossil fuels, and they are in trouble with everyone going “Green.” With the canceling of pipelines and boycotting the financing of new exploration it’s going downhill fast. A time will come when people will start seeing how the lack of oil will hurt this country, but it will be too late by then, and it’s going to take a long time to recover.”
“Well welcome home then. Good to have you back.” Mr. Halbertson said.”
“What about your bill?” Dan asked.
“Covered by my retainer. Joe paid me a year in advance.”
“Well, I guess I’ll go by the bank and get that squared away. I’m leaving in the morning.” Dan said.
“Well, you’ll need these then,” Mr. Halbertson said, taking a manila folder out of his desk and slipping a copy of the probate paperwork, and copy of the death certificate into the folder. He peeled off a key from the inside of the big folder and taped it to Dan’s folder. “Safety deposit key.”
“Okay Mr. Halbertson, and thanks. I’ll contact you when I get back.” Dan said.
“You do that.”
Dan went to the bank, started a new account, and transferred the money to it. He asked for the safety deposit box, and they gave and took him to a private area. All the coins inside were pre-1900 coins in pretty good shape, as far as he could tell. He left the coins in the box and left to go home to pack.
Dan unplugged the refrigerator and pulled the main breaker for the house. Locking up, he returned to Cape Girardeau and got a room for the night and a big steak.
When his plane landed at Billings-Logan International airport, Dan got his Thing out of long-term parking and headed back to Broadus.
Dan got a good night’s rest, and went to the office the next morning after having a good breakfast. There were no more exploratory shots scheduled for the rest of the month. So he told them they would have to get another geologist, that he was leaving on a family emergency. They bitched, but he’d given them plenty of time to bring in another geologist. He got his rig ready and pulled out that afternoon, heading for Missouri.
Dan got off I-90 in Sioux Falls and stayed at an RV park that night. He could continue his journey the next day, following I-29 down to Kansas City. Somewhere between Kansas City and Catcher Cove, he would need to stop and purchase a pole saw to cut his way up to the house to bring the big RV in.
Dan took I-70 out of Kansas City and reached St. Louis by 11:00 that morning. Seeing a Home Depot located off an interchange, he pulled in and bought a pole saw and a 26” chain saw with accessories. He filled his GVX diesel tanks, and filled the gas can for the saws and added 2 cycle oil. He reached the farm at 2:30 and began a slow approach up the old road. The pole saw worked great, and he only had to further cut up the larger limbs a couple of times with the chainsaw to move them. He finally reached the farmhouse at 5:00 PM and took a shower in the RV. Feeling refreshed, He pulled the grill out of the outdoor kitchen and cooked a couple of cheeseburgers and along with some potato chips, called it a meal.
Dan off-loaded the Volkswagen as his temporary run around vehicle.
As he was working, a Jeep drove up the drive. At a closer look, he saw it was his cousin Crystal and another woman. They got out of the Jeep and Dan took a deep breath. The unfamiliar woman was tall, 5’ 10” or better, red hair, bright green eyes and he guessed somewhere around 36-C breasts that looked nice under that t-shirt.
“Hey Crystal! What’s up?” Dan asked.
“Mama sent me over with a basket of eggs, said she didn’t want you starving to death,” Crystal replied. “Oh my! Look at that cute little Thing! I haven’t seen one of those in years!.” Crystal said, looking at the Volkswagen.
“I used it as a run round vehicle. Much easier than driving the RV around. I’ve got to find myself a pickup truck though,” Dan said.
“Oh man! Travis just finished fixin’ up a 1977 Chevy K3500 Crew Cab Dually that’s swe-e-e-et. He replaced the old tape deck in it with a CD changer Saturday.”
“So, is he still doing that?” Dan commented.
“Yep, that’s how he makes a livin’,” Crystal replied. “And a good livin' too.”
“I’ll drop by and talk to him then,” Dan said.
“Excuse me, Dan do you remember Holly?” Crystal asked.
“Yeah, how are you Holly? It’s been a while, although I think I caught a glimpse of you at the funeral.” Dan said. “Your red hair stood out quite nicely.”
“Yeah, I was there. I’m sorry about your grandpa.”
“Well, we all have our expiration date, it’s just not tattooed on our foreheads,” Dan replied.
"So, what all are you planning to do with the place?” Crystal asked.
“Well, I need to get the wiring redone in the house, redo the bathrooms, and tackle the kitchen a little too.” Dan said.
“Do you remember Jamie Burlson from school? He has a home improvement company now, and I’ve heard he’s reasonable.” Crystal said.
“I’ll check him out. You don’t have his number, by chance?” Dan asked.
“No, not right now, but if you’re coming by to see Travis, I can have it for you then.” Crystal said “But his company is easy to find. He bought the old Harrelson’s property off 521.”
“And what are you doing these days?” Dan asked.
“I’m still doing bookkeeping. I’ve got 25 customers that keep me in beans and bullets.” Crystal replied. “More during tax season.”
“And you Holly? What have you been doing?” Dan asked.
“Not much of anything right now. I was a police officer up in St. Louis for an while and then I wasn’t."
“Why, what happened?" Dan asked.
“I had just pulled up to a mom and pop store one day to grab a pack of gum, and I saw the clerk through the window struggling with a man. As I got out of my patrol car I heard shots and drew my weapon. Two guys came running out and I yelled at them to drop their guns. Yeah, right. They started shooting at me and I dropped them and called it in. After securing the two perps, I checked inside and found an elderly man and woman, the owners, dead.
You’d think I would be hailed a hero. Woman cop stops two murders! Give her a medal. Maybe promote her. Well, that ain’t what happened.
My Sgt. arrived and took my pistol and put me on administrative paid leave while the shooting was investigated. Thank God for the dash cam that picked up it all. But there were protests and stores were burned. I was labeled a racist and a “rogue” cop. Talking heads were on the news saying how I had “assassinated” two youths. Both “good” boys who were just trying to get money to help their families. What the hell is wrong with people these days? It seems that I should have identified myself as a police officer. Hey, they shot at a uniformed police officer who had just exited her patrol car. The “experts” said I should have given them the chance to surrender before I opened fire. They shot at me first! I was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, but I did not want to be a police officer anymore. I’m just chillin’ until I figure out what I want to do.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Dan said. “One of the reasons I came back home was because of the B.S. boiling up in the country. I’m fed up and decided to come back here, stock up and watch everything go to hell. People deserve the governments they voted in. I’m going to keep away from it all."
“You’ve got my attention.” Holly said.
Crystal cut her eyes to Holly and smirked.
“Well, we’ve got to get back.” Crystal said.
“Hey, thanks for the eggs. I’m planning on getting some layers soon.” Dan said.
“Well, come to the house. We can set you up with some good layers. Oh, and Momma said for you to come to supper Friday.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to her later. Y’all be careful getting out of here. The road needs to be dressed and graveled.” Dan said.
“Okay, don’t work too hard.” Crystal said and they got in the Jeep. Both waved as they went down the drive.
“You’ve got my attention.” Crystal mimicked Holly as they drove down the road.
“Oh hush! You’ve got to admit he is a hunk.” Holly spit back.
“Yeah, if he wasn’t my second cousin….”
“Hey, he’s legal in Missouri.” Holly said, grinning.
“No-o-o-o, it looks like you’ve already got your cap set for him, so I’ll not C-block you.” Crystal said.
“You’re impossible!” Holly said.
Dan took the Rokon out of the trailer and put it in the garage. He looked at his watch and decided to go down and talk to Burleson and see what they could do for him. He got a drink of water first, then drove down the drive and went to the turnoff at 521. He immediately saw the building he was looking for and pulled into a parking space.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 19, 2023 9:54:27 GMT -6
Chapter 3
Going in, Dan was greeted by a receptionist who asked Dan how she could help him.
“I need to get some work done on my house.” Dan replied.
“Just a moment. I’ll see if Mr. Burlson is available.” She replied. “Can I get you coffee, a soft drink or some water?”
“I’m fine.” Dan said.
The receptionist turned and went through door thinking, ”You sure are!”
A couple of minutes later, a man came through the door, followed by the receptionist.
“Dan Adams! It’s good to see you again!” Burlson said, reaching out to shake his hand.
“It’s been a while Mr. Burlson.” Dan said, shaking his hand.
“Please, call me Jamie. When someone calls me “Mr. Burlson” I look over my shoulder expecting to see my father.” Burlson said, grinning. “Let’s go talk in my office.”
They went into a spacious office and took seats in a small sitting area.
“Crystal called me earlier. Can I get you something to drink?” Burlson asked.
“No, I’m fine, thank you. I need to upgrade the old home place.” Dan replied. “It needs to have the wiring and plumbing redone and probably a few more things.”
“We can probably handle it.” Burlson said. “Are you free for me to come out in the morning and take a look at what needs to be done?”
“Certainly. I’m living out of my RV right now. The old house is a fire hazard. The insulation on the wiring is flaking off.” Dan said.
“Okay. I’ll come and do a full inspection then.” Burlson commented. “Is 09:00 tomorrow morning a good time?”
“That would be great.” Dan said. “I’ll be expecting you.”
“Well, we’ll wrap this up in the morning and I can give you an estimate.” Burlson said.
They shook hands again and Dan headed to Travis’s garage, which was located near Crystal’s family home.
Dan drove up and got out of the Volkswagen, seeing Travis working in the shop on the truck. Travis looked out from under the hood and saw Dan.
“Dan! Crystal said you were looking for a truck and was going to stop by.” Travis said.
“Good to see you Trav.” Dan said, shaking Travis’s hand.
“So, you’re looking for a truck?” Travis asked.
“Yeah, a truck and probably a trailer to haul stuff. I’m fixing up the old place.”
“Well, I can let this one go for $18K. I rebuilt the engine, transmission and got her purring like a kitten. It just needs tires.” Travis said. “Keys are in it, take it out for a test drive if you want.”
Dan got in the truck, turned on the ignition, waited for the glow plug, and started the engine. The truck ran smoothly. He tried out the 4WD in an empty field and everything worked fine. Dan drove back to Travis’s place and left it parked in front of the shop.
“Eighteen grand huh ? You want cash, check, or money order?” Dan asked.
“A check is fine. What are you going to do with the Volkswagen?” Travis asked. “Hardtops are rare.”
I’ll keep it for now. I tow it in a toy hauler behind my RV.” Dan explained.
Dan wrote him out a check, Travis handed him a signed title, and helped Dan hook the towbar Dan had taken out of the boot of the Thing to the front of the Volkswagen. Dan drove off and stopped at Crystal and Aunt Julia’s house.
Crystal came out on the porch. “You got it!” She spoke.
“Yep!” Dan replied. “It drives good.”
“It does, I drove it a little bit.” Crystal said. “Come on in, Momma will want to see you.”
Dan followed Crystal into the house and into the family room. Aunt Julia was sitting on the sofa folding towels.
“Lord of mercy! Look at you!” Julia said, throwing a towel back into the basket and getting up.
The two met in the center of the room and hugged.
“I so wanted to talk to you at the wake, but you disappeared on me.” Julia said.
“I wasn’t feeling exactly sociable.” Dan said.
“I understand. You want some iced tea?”
“Yes ma’am, I could use a glass please.” Dan replied.
Julia rushed into the kitchen.
Dan looked at Crystal and she was grinning. If you asked her to wash your new truck, she’d probably do it too.”
“Be nice.” Dan said. “You’re still not too big to spank.”
“Save that for Holly.” Crystal said. “She’d enjoy that!”
Dan shook his head and sighed as Aunt Julia came back in with three glasses of tea on a tray.
“Sit down and talk to me!” Julia said. “What plans do you have lined up?”
Dan sat and sipped at his tea as his Aunt Julia hit him with a barrage of questions about what he was going to do to the old place. Finally, Aunt Julia ran out of questions, or breath, and Dan stood up.
“I’ve got to get some tires on the truck. I’m headed to the Firestone place in Poplar Bluff to get that done. I’ve got Jamie Burlson coming by to check the place out in the morning, and I probably won’t have time to get tires tomorrow.” Dan said.
“Well, don’t you forget supper Friday night. I’m frying up a bait of catfish.” Julia said.
“Oh, I’ll be here all right!” Dan said, gave his aunt another hug, and Crystal walked him out to the truck.
“Hey, I wasn’t kiddin’ about Holly. I think she’s taken a shine to you.” Crystal said.
“Maybe, when I have time.” Dan said.
Dan dropped the Volkswagen off at the farm and headed to Poplar Bluff.
Dan looked at the tires at the Firestone store and picked the Firestone Destination M/T2 tires. They would work well on the country roads he’d have to travel on. It would take a while to mount the seven tires, so he left them his cell phone number and walked next door to a trailer dealership that sold Gatormade trailers. He walked around until he saw something he liked. It was a 6’10"x16' tandem axle utility trailer and had radial 14 Ply tires, a real heavy hauler. He made a deal and told the salesman he would pick it up as soon as they finished mounting his tires at the Firestone store. Dan walked back to the Firestone store and sat in the waiting area.
Dan sat there for a while watching, God help him, CNN on the TV then two scruffy guys walked in. Their pants looked like they were about to fall off with half their underwear showing. They began arguing with one of the sales guys about rims when one of the scruffy young men came out with a knife and waved it in the salesman’s face. Dan got up and slapped the knife waver with his open left hand on the scumbucket’s ear, half cartwheeling him to the floor while drawing his pistol and put it under the nose of the other guy. The salesman quickly called 911 and a car was there in a couple of minutes. Dan had already had the two guys sitting on the floor with their backs to the counter. The officer walked in with his gun drawn and the salesman quickly explained what had happened. The police officer quickly handcuffed the two perps and called for backup. After the police officers hauled the two perps away, the first officer on the scene took Dan’s statement. and after getting all his information, let him go. Dan didn’t want to get involved but he would probably run into that crap again. Might as well weed ‘em out when you can.
Dan picked up the trailer, went by and got it registered and titled, paying for a permanent registration, and hauled it home. He parked the trailer under a big oak tree and was admiring it when an odd green pickup pulled into the yard. It was Holly.
“What is that thing?” Dan asked.
“It’s a 1962 Willys.” Holly replied. “Travis rebuilt it.”
“And what color do you call that?” Dan asked.
“Turquoise.” Holly replied.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a truck painted that.” Dan said.
“I had it painted that color. I like it.”
“What’s up?” Dan asked.
Holly shrugged. “Just riding around and thought I’d stop by.”
“It’s a shame you dusted up that pretty truck driving up here.” Dan said. “I was just about to get a glass of iced tea. Would you like one?” Dan asked.
“Sure.” Holly replied.
They walked over to the RV and Dan unlocked the door. Holly followed him in.
“You’ve been living in this? It’s nice!” Holly commented.
“Yep. I’ve lived in it for a while. I was doing lot of traveling to remote areas. I’ll be living in it until they finish up with the house.” Dan said, pouring the tea into ice filled glasses. Come on, let’s go sit outside.”
They went outside, Dan pushing a switch on the wall at the doorway.
As they went outside, an awning unfurled from the side of the RV. Dan handed Holly his glass, opened a storage compartment to pull out two folding lawn chairs, and set them up in the shade of the awning. Holly handed Dan back his glass of tea and they sat down.
“So, when are they starting on your house?” Holly asked.
“I don’t know yet. Jamie isn’t coming out until in the morning to take a look at everything.” Dan replied.
“Oh.” Holly said, sipping at her tea. “What else are you planning to do?”
“Well, I need to build a chicken coop and dig the garden up. I need to get to that soon. I’ve got to buy tools and get a tractor or something.” Dan said.
“Why did you decide to come back here? Crystal said you had a real good job.” Holly asked.
“Holly, this nation is on the precipice of being a third world nation overnight. I came back here to prepare.” Dan said, solemnly.
“What do you mean?”
“Evil is enveloping this country. Whether it’s greed for money or political power, or if it is really the Devil, as the evangelists are saying, the country is going downhill fast. People have gone mad. This is about as out of the way, and therefore safer, than being in a city. I can grow or hunt my own food, and not rely on an every-three-days truck shipment to bring food in. I’ve got good water, and I’m going off the grid and not depend on the electric company to supply me power. I’m going to dig a foxhole and pull the dirt over my head.”
“That’s sad. I can’t believe you’re just giving up.” Holly said.
“I’m not giving up. I’m like someone who watches an unopened can of food thrown into a campfire and backs away from getting injured by the flying shrapnel, and there are going to be some severe repercussions. People have been forewarned for years, but they just sit there staring into the fire as if they can’t believe that the can will explode. If individuals and groups don’t help themselves, there damn sure won’t be any effective help from the government.”
“Well, if you need any help, let me know. I’m more than willing.” Holly said. “I need to go to the grocery store.”
“Okay Holly, you take care.” Dan replied.
Dan watched as she got into the old Willys and went down the drive. He needed to do something about that drive. He had almost two miles of rough, almost trail, drive and needed to get it fixed. He could have someone come in to fix and gravel it, but he’d rather have the equipment on hand to do the repairs himself, plus the equipment would be there for gardening and other uses. He got his tablet and made sure the WIFI was on and went back to sit under the awning. He calculated he would need 4,065.43 cubic yards of gravel and fines to complete the road. Dan wouldn’t need to install any culverts or fix any drainage problems. Grandpa had that done previously. He just needed to place a good gravel surface down. He started on a list of equipment to buy, and made a few calls to find someone who had at least the majority of the equipment, so he didn’t have to run all over the place. He sat there until the sun was going down over the trees, put the tablet back in the RV, and made a bowl of Mountain House Spaghetti.
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Post by cavsgt on Jun 19, 2023 11:18:41 GMT -6
Fantastic new story!!!! I am in awe of your ability to produce good realistic stories.
As always Thank You
phill
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Post by gipsy on Jun 19, 2023 12:03:30 GMT -6
Cool beans
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tsam
New Member
Posts: 8
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Post by tsam on Jun 19, 2023 12:57:44 GMT -6
Nice start
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Post by jpr9954 on Jun 19, 2023 13:15:16 GMT -6
I love the start of this new story.
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Post by danielsga01 on Jun 19, 2023 14:24:17 GMT -6
Another good one started.
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Jun 19, 2023 15:38:16 GMT -6
Fantastic new story!!!! I am in awe of your ability to produce good realistic stories. As always Thank You phill I couldn't agree more MOAR MOAR MOAR Kiwi
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Post by cashless1 on Jun 19, 2023 16:58:42 GMT -6
thank you for your great stories
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Post by feralferret on Jun 19, 2023 17:36:13 GMT -6
Wonderful start! Thanks.
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Post by prepguy on Jun 19, 2023 21:37:25 GMT -6
Good start, like where this is going
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 20, 2023 7:04:27 GMT -6
Chapter 4
Dan placed his left thumb on the print scanner and opened the gun vault next to the door, taking out the Mossberg HS410 410 Pump Shotgun. He got his gun cleaning kit out and laid both on the table. Racking the slide until all shells had been removed, he checked the chamber and began disassembling the gun, wiping the parts down and re-lubing them. The gun wasn’t very powerful, but in close quarters it was definitely an attention getter. The 18.5-inch barrel had a spreader choke installed and with #4 shot would hurt you. Penetration wasn’t that great and with criminals now using protective vests, Dan practiced shooting at the face. Something would reach the perp.
Jamie arrived at 09:00 the next morning and did a thorough inspection and took notes on what Dan wanted done.
“How much do you want to spend?” Jamie asked.
“Whatever it takes. I’m not short of funds. If you see something that needs to be fixed, fix it. I plan to live the rest of my natural life here. I want you to know I’m going off grid with the place as soon as I can find a dealer for solar or wind.”
“I know just the guy you need. I can contact him if you’d like.” Jamie said.
“Please do. I’ll wait until he has something put up before I have the power cut off so you can run your equipment.” Dan said.
“No need. I have a Sun Tracking Portable Solar Power System I set up on the job sites. Gives me all the power I need. In fact, I bought it from Joe, the solar power guy I’m going to contact for you.” Jamie said.
“Well, good. I can start looking for farm equipment then.”
Jamie checked a couple of more things and then left. Dan had found a farm equipment dealer down in Poplar Bluff and decided to take a ride down to see what they had on hand. He went inside the RV to get his notebook and when he went back out, Holly drove up.
“Hey Holly!”
“Morning Dan. What you up to?”
“I was about to head to Poplar Bluff to look for some equipment. Want to ride along?”
“Sure!” Holly said, grinning.
They got in Dan’s truck and headed down the drive. Dan had done an internet search for farm equipment dealers and found Greenway Equipment on the airport highway outside of Poplar Bluff. They looked like that had a pretty wide range of equipment so he would start there.
“What have you been up to?” Dan asked Holly.
“Nothing much. I helped Momma can some stuff out of the garden.”
“Sounds exciting.” Dan said, smart-alecky.
“Yeah, but I like the vegetables, so I don’t mind helping out.”
“It’s going to be so late in the season I might as well plant cool weather stuff, I guess.” Dan said.
“You could buy some stuff at the farmer’s market to can, if you want.” Holly replied.
“Yeah, I guess I could. Problem is, they’ll be working on the house, and I sure can’t be canning in the RV.”
“True, but if you pick out the vegetables, I’ll can them for you.” Holly said.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Dan said.
“You didn’t ask, I offered.” Holly quipped back.
“We’ll talk about that later. I haven’t heard you mention anything about your dad. How is he doing?” Dan asked.
“A drunk driver ripped him away from our family a year and a half ago.” Holly said, weakly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
Dan pulled over into the lot of a country store and went in, coming back out with two Cokes in bottles and two bags of peanuts in his hands, He handed a Coke and a bag of peanuts to Holly then proceeded to empty the other bag of peanuts into his Coke. Cranking the truck, he headed on down the highway Missouri T, the tires thumping over the tar filled cracks. Dan took a drink from his bottle and captured a few peanuts, chewing them slowly and looked over at Holly.
“You don’t like Coke and peanuts?” Dan asked.
“No, I mean yes!” I’m a little stunned. I’m a little curious as to what you’ll do on a real date.”
“Well, eat your peanuts and Coke and I’ll figure something out.” Dan said, grinning. Dan kept going straight as he crossed highway 60 and turned left when he reached Highway B. GREEN equipment was ¾ of a mile up on the right.
Dan and Holly walked around looking at the equipment parked on the property until a man, presumably a salesman, walked out to them.
“How can I help you folks?” I’m Jake Taylor.
“I’m Dan and this is Holly. I’m looking for some equipment for my farm.” Dan explained.
“What all are you looking for and I’ll see if we can help you.” Jake said.
Dan pulled out his pocket notebook and began reading down the list. He told Jake what he planned to use the equipment for and Jake pondered a moment.
“Sounds like you could use something in the 40 to 65 horsepower range in tractors. We have a used John Deere 4052M compact tractor that should work just fine. It has low hours and has just been gone over mechanically. Got it in a trade-in for a larger model. Jake took them over to a covered area and showed them the tractor. It had a loader bucket and shined like a new penny. Jake showed Dan and Holly the Pallet forks, Scraper blade, Box scraper, Turn plow, Disk plow, Chain Harrow, Rotary tiller attachment, raised bed maker, and Chipper attachment Dan had on his list.
“What kind of deal can you give me on what you’ve shown me?” Dan asked.
“Let’s go inside and I’ll tally it up.” Jake responded.
Jake offered them something to drink and they accepted bottles of water. When Jake gave Dan the price for everything he wasn’t completely surprised. He’d done his homework, but he’d used the MSRP prices. Still, he was getting everything much cheaper.
“I’ll take it all. You can’t deliver this can you?”
“Of course, we can. It will take a couple of days to set up, but we can have it all to you by the end of the week.”
“That’s fine.” Dan said, writing out a check to the company. It took a few minutes to verify the check, but they were soon leaving the establishment with two new insulated mugs and two John Deere caps. Dan’s was camo and Holly’s was traditional John Deere green. Holly unsnapped the size adjuster and pulled her ponytail through it. She looked cute!
“Thank you for your company this morning, Holly. What do you say we go have lunch at the Lemonade House Grill?” Dan asked.
“Certainly! How does my hat look?” Holly asked.
Dan smiled. “The color makes your red hair shine brilliantly! You’ll be the centerpiece at the grill!”
They went to the grill, had lemonade, and shared a plate of dumpster fries, then later ordered Lemonade House Burgers.
Before returning to Catcher Cove, Dan ran by Walmart and restocked his pantry.
As they drove back, Dan felt good. He was making some progress, although making baby steps. He decided he would have someone to come fix the road than doing it himself. It needed to be done by the time Jamie’s people started coming in.
“Holly, do you know of anyone who can dress and gravel my drive?”
“Sure, Bascomb Campbell owns a company that does that. Just about everyone uses him.” Holly replied.
“I’ll need you to show me where his place is. I want that drive done as soon as possible.”
“No problem. His equipment yard is up past the Post Office.” Holly replied.
“All righty then!”
Dan went right to Campbell’s Construction and found Mr. Campbell right away. He recognized Holly and welcomed them in.
“How can I help you?”
“I need my driveway built up and need it done soon. I’ve got construction starting on my house soon and the road needs some work.” Dan said.
When he told Mr. Campbell where the property was he knew right where it was.
“I knew old Joe. He and I have swapped many a lie in the past. I’ve got a crew coming off another driveway job this afternoon. Rather than start cleaning the equipment up like we usually do, I’ll just send them out there and they can get started in the morning.”
“That would be great!” Dan replied.
“You wouldn’t know just how long that road is, would you?” Mr. Campbell asked.
Dan told him the length and his estimation of the gravel needed. Mr. Campbell nodded and said, “I’d like to pack at least four inches on the roadbed, I’m getting gravel with plenty of fines in it and it packs like concrete, and I’ll make sure you have enough gravel left for future repair jobs. Just show the driver where you want it dumped. ”
“I appreciate you doing this Mr. Campbell. I’m up to my eyeballs of things I need to be doing. Don’t spare the expertise.”
“Son, all my jobs are of the best quality, don’t you worry about that.”
“I’m sure!. Well, thank you for your time.” Dan said, standing.
“I’ll be out tomorrow to check things over.” Mr. Campbell said, shaking Dan’s hand.
On the way back to Catcher Cove, Dan breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for your help today. Those were two big things off my TO Do List” Dan said.
“What are you going to do about fuel for the tractor?” Holly asked.
“I contacted MFA Oil company in Poplar Bluff. I’m having a 2000-gallon UL142 above ground diesel tank put in and they’ll fill it on call.”
“Can you use it in your truck?”
“Not supposed to, but if things go bad I think the least of their worries would be checking the color of the fuel you’re burning.”
“What’s the color of the fuel have to do with anything? Holly asked.
“They color the fuel that’s supposed to be used for farming because it’s taxed less.” Government has got to collect their taxes.”
“Are you going to start plowing when the equipment comes in?” Holly asked.
“Yes, I want to plow it up even though I might not plant anything but cabbages, brussels sprouts, onions and garlic.” Dan said. “I’ll start plants in the spring and do a full garden next year.”
When they got back to Catcher Cove, they washed out their John Deere mugs, filled them with ice and tea and took a walk along the cove shoreline. Dan was seeing several game trails down to the shoreline and a few deer tracks. He planned to set out mineral blocks and other deer attractants and fill his game tags this year. He needed to get the land resurveyed and the boundaries marked too. He was surrounded by government land of one kind or another. He could get most of his firewood by cleaning up deadfall and dying trees in the national forest, but he’d need to get a permit, still it would be good for the forest and keep him from cutting his own trees. On the southwest of what he believed to be part of his property, he found signs, from rooting, of wild pigs in an oak grove, and in a couple of wet areas where they had established wallows. Involuntarily, Dan felt back on his hip to check his pistol. Feral hogs could be dangerous.
When they got back to the RV, Dan rolled out the awning when Holly didn’t show any signs of wanting to leave. He wasn’t complaining and they sat out until dusk sipping tea and making small talk.
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Post by gipsy on Jun 20, 2023 7:19:03 GMT -6
Moving along nicely
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Post by feralferret on Jun 20, 2023 22:58:40 GMT -6
Looking good!
Thanks, ncsfsgm.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 21, 2023 10:23:34 GMT -6
Chapter 5
Holly finally said she should be going and shuffled around for a minute before she asked what ideas Dan had come up with for a date.
“Well, I’ve enjoyed our time here I haven’t had enough time to think about it.” Dan said. “We can either go somewhere in Popular Bluff sometime or there’s a dance at the VFW on Saturday night I could take you to.”
Holly grinned. “I would love to go to the dance with you. Thank you for asking!”
She kissed him on the cheek and ran out to her truck and left. Dan grinned and shook his head.
Wappapello Lumber & Hardware opened at 07:30 in the morning so Dan was up and headed there before any of the heavy equipment arrived. He wanted to pick up lumber and hardware to build a chicken coop. Of course, he also needed all the tools required for his project. He loaded up everything and was back at the cove just as the road grader was being unloaded at the driveway at the main road. Bascom was there watching the crew unload the big machine.
“Good morning Dan!”
“Good morning Mr. Campbell.”
“Hey, I’m working for you! Call me Bascom.”
“Okay then Bascom. I’m going to head on down and get this trailer unloaded. I’ve got a chicken coop waiting to be built.”
Bascom chuckled. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”
Dan drove on down to the site and pulled the trailer up next to where he wanted to build the coop.
He got out of the truck, walked to the RV, and made a jug of ice water and carried it back out as a pickup truck drove into the yard. A man with a ball cap got out and walked over to him.
“How are you?” I’m Jacob Rising, Pastor of The Good Shepherd Church of God. I was talking to Bascom Campbell this morning at the diner and told me you had moved in here; said you were coming back home. I stopped by to welcome you back and to see if there was anything I could do for you.”
Dan shook Pastor Rising’s hand and said, “Nothing right now, unless you want to help me unload this lumber.”
Jacob grinned and took his jacket off. “Certainly! Always willing to help a neighbor.”
Getting a pair of work gloves out of his truck, Jacob began helping Dan unload the materials, then helped Dan lay out the lines. When Dan began digging the post holes, Jacob took turns digging with Dan.
“So, what is this going to be?” Jacob asked.
“A chicken coop and run. I’m partial to fresh eggs.” Dan replied.
Jacob chuckled. “I can agree with you on that. I’ve tried the powdered eggs and although they aren’t too bad, I favor fresh eggs too.”
They set all the posts in Sakrete and were done for the day. Dan would frame everything the next day. They went and looked at what Bascom’s people were doing with the driveway. Gravel was being laid and water sprayed on it with a water tanker, followed by a compactor on the first layer. Bascom explained they would lay one more layer of gravel and fines and compact that. Bascom even had them doing his parking area. Once the last of the gravel was laid and the compactor had gone over the road and parking area several times, it was in better shape than many of the state roads in the area.
Dan went into the RV and brought out cups of iced tea for Bascom and Jacob. They stood in the shade of a big oak, sipped the cold tea, and talked. The water tanker went by to fill at the lake and Bascom broke off to go with it.
“What really drew you back here?” Jacob asked.
Dan took a drink of tea and squinted at Jacob.
“They arrested Christians for praying outside abortion centers.
Christians living in an anti-God society. America had become a metaphor for Babylon.
They convict grannies for waving flags in the Capitol.
The governments shut down churches and destroyed businesses while they let others riot in the streets and burn cities to the ground.
The government gifts weapons to terrorists and then try to ban citizens from defending. themselves.
The government starts pointless wars and kill millions while accusing concerned citizens of violence.
They assassinate presidents and run coups against the ones they can't kill and then smear you as anti-democratic.
They rig elections and weaponize viruses and then censor you for noticing.
They cover up their own crimes and then they indict, arrest, and convict the people you elected for daring to challenge them.
The country I once loved and fought for - the country whose ideals I was willing to give my life for - that country is dead. And the people in charge today are responsible for its murder.
I’m going to build an oasis here and help others survive this mess until the people, by the Grace of God, finally come to their senses and rise up.”
“One man can’t do it all.” Jacob said.
“That’s why people have to come together to help each other. No, I can’t do it all, but I might seed someone else into action.”
Jacob finally had to leave, and Dan thanked him for his help.” Jacob invited him to services Sunday and Dan said he’d take it into consideration. Dan went back to notching posts for lap joints and precutting lumber he would use the next morning and laying it aside. The water truck, with Bascom riding shotgun, came by two more times before they were through. When they finished with the drive, it was in better shape than many city streets. The road was nicely crowned to shed water and tightly crowned. It would be a long time before he’d have to pull any maintenance on it. Dan drove in his truck out to the main highway, and they were loading the equipment back on the flat bed equipment trailers. Bascom was leaning against his truck as the crew chained down the equipment.
“I left you three loads of gravel long the drive if you didn’t notice, but I don’t think you’ll have any problems for a while.” Bascom said.
“Tally it all up and let me know what I owe you. Give me a call and I can come to the yard and pay you.” Dan said.
“No problem. You’ll hear from my secretary.” Bascom replied.
Dan stayed until the last truck pulled out and drove back to the house. The sun was sinking low on the horizon when Dan went over to the deep well pump and began taking off his shirt. The day had been hot and humid, and Dan felt taking a cool whore bath. He got a couple of towels out of the RV and took off the long sleeve shirt he had been wearing. Stripping off his T-shirt, He began pumping water and soaked one of the towels Dan began wiping down his upper torso with the dripping towel, instantly cooling and refreshing himself. Dan glanced over his shoulder when he heard an engine and recognized Holly’s truck. He continued with his impromptu bath. Holly sat in the truck with the engine off, watching. The exact nature of Holly’s thoughts was for her alone to know, but the naughty smile on her face would have provided a clue to anyone there to witness Dan cooling off.
Dan dried off with the remaining towel and headed for the RV with Holly right on his heels. Dan went to the refrigerator and got two beers out and handed one to Holly. He took a long draw of his beer and sat down in a kitchen chair.
“Hot out there today.” Dan commented.
“Yes, it was quite muggy.” Holly replied, heading for the bathroom.
In less than five minutes, Holly joined Dan back in the kitchen. He had a frying pan sautéing onions in preparation for liver and onions. Four large potatoes lay in the sink. "I'll peel the potatoes, where is the peeler?”
Dan motioned at a drawer, set a pot on the counter, and added a dash of salt. Holly peeled and cut up the potatoes then covered them with water. Dan added the liver to the pan and put the cover on. And sat the pot on the inductive burner. They worked together smoothly and quickly and were soon enjoying dinner together. Dan took a sip of another beer, and said, "I could get used to this." Holly agreed and they continued eating.
After dinner, they cleaned up the dishes, Dan took a shower and did a load of laundry, then they sat and watched a movie on DirecTV. Holly fell asleep on the couch and Dan covered her with a blanket and went to bed.
The next morning a truck with a fuel tank drove up followed by a fuel truck. All were stenciled with, “MFA Oil, Popular Bluff, MO.” They were delivering the fuel tank Dan had ordered. The driver if the fuel truck came over and asked, “Where do you want it?” Dan walked with him down next to the equipment shed and pointed at a spot. The two drivers then maneuvered the trailer and tank where the tank could be lifted into place and set the outriggers on the trailer. It had its own integral crane. They lifted the tank into place and brought the fuel truck up to fill the tank. Dan went inside the RV and got his checkbook. When the driver handed Dan a clipboard, Dan signed the invoice and wrote the man out a check. A few more thousands of bucks he didn’t have to worry about losing value.
When Dan went back into the RV, Holly was sitting up rubbing her eyes.
“My goodness, Momma is going to have a fit!” Holly exclaimed when she saw what time it was.
“Give her a call and let her know you are all right.” Dan suggested.
“She’s going to think we’ve…”
“I learned a long time ago people are going to think what they want to think, and you shouldn’t worry too much about it.” Dan said. “Want some breakfast?” I’ve got bacon and powdered eggs and well water or pancakes and bacon.”
“Pancakes!” Holly said. “Can I take a shower?”
“Sure, go ahead.” Dan said, taking out the bag of Krusteaz pancake mix out of the slide out pantry.
Holly went to her truck and pulled out a small bag from behind the seat that held a change of clothes and toiletries and headed to the back of the RV. Dan pulled the curtain to give her a little privacy and began mixing pancake batter while frying bacon.
Twenty minutes she was back, smelling faintly of peaches. She walked up behind him and rubbed his back.
“Thank you. I feel much better.” Holly said.
“Anytime.” Dan mumbled.
Dan warmed the bottle of maple syrup while Holly got out the butter, set plates and utensils. Dan sat a platter of bacon and pancakes on the dinette table as Holly poured the coffee.
They served themselves and ate heartedly.
“What do you have planned today?” Holly asked.
“I’ve got to finish the chicken coop and the farm equipment should be arriving today.” Dan replied. “Are you sticking around?”
“I could help you with the coop, I guess.” Holly replied.
“Fine. I need to get it built and get layers and a rooster or two from Crystal.”
They cleaned up the dishes and went out and started working on the coop. The plans Dan had also had what the plans called a “Feed Room” that held food for the chickens. After the major framing was completed, Dan had Holly nailing on siding with a nail gun as Dan cut the pieces to size. At lunch, they still needed to staple up the wire. They fixed sandwiches for lunch and were starting to wire in the run when two tractor trailers arrived with the farm equipment. Holly was excited as a kid at Christmas. Once all the equipment was offloaded and placed in the equipment shelter, Holly drove the tractor over to the fuel tank and topped the tractor off. Dan finally got her off the tractor and they finished stapling the wire on the coop and run. One thing different from the plans that Dan integrated, was two 4x8 sheets of linoleum covered plywood that could be slid through slots in the base of the wall to remove the accumulated chicken manure. He wanted to build a compost pile to enrich the garden.
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Post by gipsy on Jun 21, 2023 14:47:30 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 23, 2023 10:27:25 GMT -6
Chapter 6
Before he could put any chickens in his coop, Dan would need food, feeders, and waterers for the poultry. He and Holly headed down to Orscheln Farm & Home down in Trumann and purchased enough Egg-Xtreme Layer Pelleted Feed to fill two 55-gallon drums, feeders, waterers, and Poultry Grit. Holly picked out a bucket of Mealworm Sprinkles to spread in the run. Once they had everything set up, He would have to go over to his aunt’s to get the chickens.
Dan grabbed a half dozen towsacks out of a shed and they headed for Aunt Julia’s.
Crystal came out on the porch when they drove up.
“What are you doing with him?” Crystal asked Holly.
“She’s been helping me build and set up the chicken coop.” Dan explained.
“Yeah, I bet.” Crystal said.
Julia came out on the porch and yelled. “Get up here and give me some sugar, Dan!”
Dan chuckled, hopped up the steps, hugged and kissed Julia on the cheek.
“I just got through frying chicken. You and Holly stay for supper.”
“I certainly will, but we’ve come to see if I can get some chickens from you.” Dan said.
“No problem, but that can wait. They’ll be easier to catch after dark anyway. Crystal! Get ‘em some tea and y’all can wait on the porch. It’ll be a few more minutes while the biscuits finish.”
The smell of the fried chicken was wafting through the opened screen window behind Dan’s chair and his stomach began growling.
Crystal heard Dan’s stomach and grinned. “Momma made banana pudding too.”
“I’m glad you told me, otherwise I would have filled up on biscuits and chicken,” Dan said, sipping on his iced tea.
“What are you going to carry the chickens home in?” Crystal asked.
“We’ve got towsacks in the truck,” Holly said.
Crystal looked at Holly. “Wow! She has already dug her heels in.” Crystal thought.
Dan finally scraped the last of the pudding off his dessert dish and groaned.
"Aunt Julia, that is the best supper I’ve had in years!” Dan exclaimed.
“Well, you’ve earned it with all the work you’ve been doing,” Julia said. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”
“I’d better, or I’ll fall asleep after that meal,” Dan said.
They sat and had a cup of coffee then Crystal went out with them and got the chickens.
Dan caught six layers, six that were a few weeks from beginning to lay, and a good rooster. Dan divided them up in the towsacks and tied the necks closed.
“Crystal, can I get a bale of hay for the nesting boxes?” Dan asked.
“Sure, I’ll grab you one from the barn,” Crystal said, leaving Dan and Holly by the truck.
Dan opened the tailgate and made room for the bale of hay, pushing the sacks of chickens to one side of the bed. Crystal tossed and shoved the bale into the truck and Dan closed the tailgate. Julia came out and gave Dan a storage container filled with banana pudding.
“Oh God!” Dan said. I’ll be eating this for breakfast.”
Julia watched as Dan and Holly got in the truck and drove out of the driveway.
“That girl’s done set her cap at that man.” Julia said.
“She definitely has.” Crystal replied.
Dan and Holly returned to the Cove and carried the chickens to the coop. While Holly released each bag, Dan broke the hay bale open and lined the nesting boxes.
When they were finished they folded the towsacks up and placed them back in the shed. They went into the RV and opened a bottle of wine, went outside and enjoyed the early evening.
They sat for a while talking about the chickens and looking at the stars when Dan’s phone rang. Dan didn’t recognize the caller I.D. but answered anyway.
“Hello?”
“Hey blaster!”
“Arch?”
“Yeah, It’s me buddy. Are you working?” Archer asked.
“No, Hell, I quit them.” Dan said,
“QUIT? You’re not working at all?”
“Nope. Arch, the industry up here is going downhill fast. With all this “green” crap going on I decided to get out while the getting was good. I returned home to Missouri and am now living beside a lake, surrounded by old growth hardwoods and have a beautiful lady sitting beside me.
“Sounds like something I need to be doing.” Arch said.
Are you still in Bolivia?” Dan asked.
“No, we pulled out after that Marxist took over. I’m now in northeastern Peru and talk about Injun country!”
“Rough?” Dan asked.
“Rough enough they hire ex-Special Ops for security, to include medical personnel. A week doesn’t go by someone doesn’t get shot or shot at,” Arch said. “You may have had the right idea. I’m tired of jungles and deserts. Any property for sale around there?”
“Sure. Look up property listings around Lake Wappapello, Missouri. There’s a lot of nice places around here.” Dan said.
“I’ll do that. I’d enjoy some peace and quiet drowning some worms from a boat in a lake for a change.”
“Well, check out the listings and if you find something you want me to check out for you, let me know.”
“I sure will, buddy. “Remember, Peace, Quiet, Trees, Water.”
“Will do Arch.”
“Okay, I’ll let you get back to your lady. Give her a hug for me. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay. Bye Arch.”
“Who was that?” Holly asked.
“An old college friend. We took some of the same classes in college. He is doing the same job I was, but down in Peru. He’s thinking of pulling the plug and coming back to the States.”
“He’s thinking of settling down around here?” Holly asked.
“Possibly, if he finds the property he wants,” Dan said. I’ve got go to the Corps of Engineer office tomorrow to find out whether I need a permit to put in a dock and ramp down at the Cove. It’s private land up to the waterline so I don’t know what I need to do.”
“Well, I need to be going,” Holly said. “Momma thinks we’re doing the nasty all the time over here and I need to keep her blood pressure down.”
Dan almost spit out his wine.
“I know, I know,” Holly said. We’ll probably get around to it someday but now is not the time. We need to get to know each other better.”
“Do you want to go with me to church Sunday?” Dan asked.
“Yes I would. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.” Holly said.
Dan walked her to her truck and opened the door for her. She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him lightly.
Dan found out that as the floating dock would be anchored on private land, he would not be required to have a permit. Still the deck would be inspected periodically to ensure it wouldn’t come loose and become a hazard to navigation. He could put in a boat ramp but during construction, care had to be taken not to silt up the water. The guy gave him a name for a good dock company and a construction company that had done ramps like that before. That was a lot off Dan’s shoulders, and he went to the dock company and ordered a dock. He next went to the construction company and arranged for the ramp to be built. He felt good going back to the Cove and as soon as he arrived, he got the tractor out, hitched up the turn plow and plowed the garden. Once he turned the soil, he exchanged the turn plow for the disc plow and chopped the clods up and finally ran the chain harrow to smooth the bed out. He sprayed the equipment down and put it away.
Dan was dirty, dry and tired; it had been a long day. He slapped his cap against his thigh to remove the dust and took a drink out of the Klean Canteen he filled from the pump, swishing the first mouthful around in his mouth, spit it out, then drank deeply.
He went to the RV and was sitting in the shade of the awning when Jamie drove up.
“Is the house unlocked? I need to leave some things in there.” Jamie asked.
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.” Dan said, and went over to help him unload a couple of ladders and other things to help them get started the demolition the next day.
“You’ve got a nice driveway now, not jarring my teeth out when I came in.” Jamie said.
Dan chuckled. “Self-defense. I had to do something before I got a case of hemorrhoids.”
Jamie laughed. “There is that." Looking around the parking area, Jamie said, "I wanted to get over here earlier to set up the power trailer but got caught up on something else. I’ll have time in the morning. I’ll be over earlier after the sun comes up. I have to calibrate it.”
“Come over as early as you like. I’ll have coffee ready.” Dan said.
“Okay, well I’ll see you bright and early then.” Jamie said and left.
The next morning Dan was up early, fixed breakfast, and had a pot of coffee on as the sun was just coming up. He poured his second cup of coffee and went outside. Opening the canopy, he sat and sipped his coffee and enjoyed the early morning air, waiting for Jamie to arrive. Holly beat him though. He heard the familiar sounding Willys coming up the drive and into the parking area. Dan got up and waved for her to park nearer to the RV. He wasn’t sure where Jamie needed to put the power station. As Holly got out of the Willys, Dan heard more vehicles coming. The first was a crew cab pickup filled with men and pulling a construction trailer, and the second was Jamie towing what Dan assumed was the power station. Jamie stopped in the middle of the parking area and got out of his truck. Looking around, Jamie selected an area to place the station and maneuvered the trailer over the area and a couple of the crew members went over and dropped the wheel stand and detached the trailer from the truck. The men pulled out the outrigger stabilizers and set them. Jamie went over to the trailer and took off a large strap that secured the solar panels and flipped open a couple of latches. Dan watched as Jamie opened the control panel and pressed a couple of buttons. Jamie explained he was turning the system on and allowing it to go through its self-test. When the panel indicated it was ready, Jamie flipped a joystick and the solar panel array began moving off of its carry rack. Jamie folded the rack down on top of the unit as the panels continued to raise. Once the panel array was vertical, Jamie flipped open a couple of latches, and unfolded three of the six panels open and secured that half of the array and latched them in place, securing the latch pin, then did the other side. Once the panel array was secure, Jamie pressed another button on the control panel and the system began the sequence of orienting itself and finding the sun. The array began turning fully clockwise then turned fully counterclockwise and swung back to where the sun was the brightest.
“Basically, that’s it.” Jamie said. “When it gets dark, the panels will turn back to the east and it will pick up the sun and track it tomorrow. I don’t have to re-calibrate it unless we move the unit.”
Jamie went into the house with the crew to give them instructions then went over to the RV with Dan to have coffee.
“That’s a nice power system.” Dan commented.
“It’s the largest EMP-protected solar power system Quantum Harvest manufactures. I’ve used it a couple of times at the church when the power was out. They use the hall for the elderly to come to when we have bad storms.” Jamie explained.
Holly came out and sat with them for a few minutes then Jamie finished his coffee and said he was going in to help the guys.
“Can I help?” Holly asked.
“Sure, They are just ripping things out right now though.”
“That’s fine, there are probably some small things I can do.” Holly replied.
Dan stayed away from the house and out of their hair, except to go down into the basement to inspect it. His grandfather had two separate root cellars dug into the basement walls and he wanted to see what condition they were in. There were two cellars because there were some vegetables that shouldn’t be stored with others, they would cause them to ripen quicker. The rock walls were in great condition and the cedar shelves weren’t rotting at all. The sand on the floor could probably be replaced, but all-in-all the cellars were in great shape. Dan would definitely be using them. He checked the shelves in the basement to see if any needed repair. There was still a good bit of canned food down there that probably should be thrown out by the dates written in crayon on the lids. He found the All American canner in a cabinet and boxes of mason jar lids. Dan pulled out his pocket notebook and added canning supplies to his buy list. Dan went on through and felt a stir of air cooling the sweat on his face on the west side of the basement. There was an egress window there and he checked to make sure it was secure, but still felt a movement of air. Oh well.
Dan continued checking the shelves for any repairs needed and on the west wall, tugged on a shelf/cabinet combination attached to the wall and it had some give to it. He gave it a couple of tugs to see where maybe an attachment bolt was loose. He pulled a little harder and heard a crack and the cabinet came out from the wall followed by a stronger movement of air. Dan slowly wiggled the cabinet out and he could see an opening behind it but other than blackness, nothing else. Dan shoved the cabinet back as tight as he could and left everything else alone, except to scuff up the floor at the base of the shelf so no drag marks showed. He would check this out later. Dan went back upstairs to find Jamie and Holly discussing the layout.
“Oh good, Dan.” Holly says we should change this wall round like this,” Jamie said.
“I like that. It will give me a bigger pantry in the kitchen. Let’s do it that way.”
“You got it.” Jamie said.
Dan turned to Holly. “You’re a pretty smart lady”
“You’re just now figuring that out?” Holly said, smiling.
Dan went back to the RV to do some thinking. He got back up and went to the house to find Holly.
“Holly, where can I find plants for the garden?” Dan asked.
“You want to go now?” Holly asked.
“Yeah, I figure if I’m going to get anything this year, I need to plant pretty quick.”
“Let me go wash my face and hands and I’ll go with you.” Holly replied.
Holly left and Dan went to search for Jamie.
“Jamie, if Holly wants something concerning the house. Run with it if it doesn’t screw anything up.”
“Sure Dan, no problem,” Jamie said. “But I’ll check with you too.”
Dan smiled. “You do that if it doesn’t take up your time too much.”
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Post by gipsy on Jun 23, 2023 12:11:52 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on Jun 23, 2023 22:46:24 GMT -6
Good story! Need more!
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Post by prepguy on Jun 24, 2023 6:34:29 GMT -6
This is a really good story. I'm enjoying it very much.
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Post by kaijafon on Jun 24, 2023 17:34:38 GMT -6
Orscheln Farm & Home down in Trumann
lol! sorry we missed them
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 27, 2023 3:58:58 GMT -6
Chapter 7
Dan was pleased with the changes Holly was making, and especially pleased she would talk with him first before she said anything to Jamie.
He spent much of his time putting plants in the garden. They were able to get large tomato plants that had been growing in 3-gallon containers and would have tomatoes on the vine in a couple of weeks. Dan went to a farm supply store and purchased a 250-gallon tank and a trash pump to fill the tank from the lake. With advice from the garden center, he concocted a drip irrigation system to keep the garden watered. Every gadget that caught his eye he purchased to build his irrigation system. For mulch, he gathered fallen branches from the forest and chipped them up with the tractor-mounted chipper. It took him a few days to get the right amount of water required for the garden, but with constant checking of the moisture content of the soil he finally got it right. The timer would automatically cut the water off when sufficient water had drained to the garden. The mulch helped a great deal to keep the soil from drying out. He even constructed a cold frame to start seeds which he would do soon to start cabbage, broccoli, onion and garlic seedlings for fall planting.
Joe Martin, the solar distributor, came and interviewed Dan about what type of system he was looking for. What Dan wanted turned out to be an expensive system, but he would have enough power to run all the appliances for up to a week before recharging, but Joe said that shouldn’t happen. The system would consist of wind, solar and an emergency generator. Dan had to take down two huge oaks that would interfere with the two sun-tracking systems, but he didn’t mind. It would add to his firewood inventory which he had just started collecting. He had already marked four trees on the ridge to cut down because they had been struck by lightning and were dying. That made Jamie mention a whole house surge suppression system that would protect him from lightning strikes and possibly save him several thousands of dollars in damages. Dan told him to add it.
The day Joe came to install the solar array mounts, Dan and Holly were harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans. Except for a few tomatoes they kept back for eating, they were all turned into tomato sauce. Jamie had pushed ahead with the kitchen and had it done, except for the tile, before they would start harvesting. Dan was somewhat knowledgeable of canning, but Holly was an old hand at it. The kitchen turned out just as Dan had wanted. They had plenty of space and the gas stove accentuated the wood cookstove. They used the gas stove for the canning, or the heat would have driven them out. They canned four cases of tomato paste and two of stewed tomatoes. They canned a mixture of pickles, sweet gherkins, garlic dills, and regular dills. They were starting to fill some of the shelves in the basement.
Holly wanted to get shelves in the pantry built next, but Dan talked her into waiting. He had room for two freezers in the pantry, an upright, and a chest freezer. Dan wanted the freezers in before shelves were built.
Dan went and bought the freezers, Jamie’s crew helped set them in place and they built the shelves. That weekend, Holly and Dan went and purchased bulk staples to fill the shelves in the pantry and part of the basement.
That evening after everyone had gone home, Dan put on his headlamp and got out the Smoke Pencil Air Leak Detector he’d purchased and went into the basement. He pulled back the movable shelf and opened the door. Igniting the smoke pencil, he went down the steps into the void and occasionally watching the smoke, carefully went down stone stairs into what looked like a cave. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and noticed the smoke was being drawn into the back of the room. He walked forward, carefully stepping and watching the smoke. As he got close to the curved wall, he noticed the smoke was being drawn into a crack in the wall. Puzzled, because during the day, he had gotten air being pushed into the basement. Then the thought came to him. Maybe the warmer air of the basement was being pulled toward the cooler outside air. The crack wasn’t very wide and could be filled with hydraulic cement. He just needed to use the smoke pencil and find all the cracks and fill them. He switched his headlight to beam and shined it around the room, trying to estimate just how large it was. It was relatively free of floor protrusions and rock and would make a decent storage room. Walking back to the stairs, he saw a dark mass to the right of the stair and recognized it as three wooden barrels stacked to the side. The bung plug on the side of the top barrel was visible so Dan took out his Leatherman and pried it out. Sniffing the hole, Dan jumped back; it was definitely alcohol. He never remembered his grandpa distilling alcohol. Dan replaced the stopper and went back upstairs. He’d do further investigation of the room later. He closed the door back up and put everything back in place. Going back to the RV, Dan got out his computer and went through the Sam’s website and made a list of products he could order. He could order online and pick everything up at the Cape Girardeau store on Saturday. He made his list and set it aside for Holly to look over to see if she had any suggestions. He also needed to pick up more pots and stuff for the house.
Jamie’s crew were practically finished. They just needed to do the floors. The kitchen floors were to be tiled, but in the rest of the house they kept the heart pine floors. Three guys were finishing up the kitchen floor, while the rest were sanding the floors upstairs and applying polyurethane when the floors were sanded. Dan may be able to move in in the next week.
When Holly came that day, Dan had her sit down at the computer and browse through the Sam’s Club web site and see if she thought he needed to add anything to his grocery list. He showed her his list and He told her he wanted to buy six months’ worth of each item.
“Why do you want to buy that much?” Holly asked.
“I don’t want to have to go out shopping that much.” Dan said.
“When are you going to Cape Girardeau?”
“WE are going on Saturday.” Dan replied.
“I’M going with you?” Holly asked, surprised.
“Of course! I need a woman’s perspective.” Dan replied.
Holly stood up, placed both hands on Dan’s face and drew him into her as she planted an incredibly moist and enthusiastic kiss on his lips that was hot enough to melt steel. Dan struggled to breathe, tried desperately to get air in his lungs because she had managed to knock every last whisper from him with her kiss. He was finally able to start breathing again. ”Damn! Where did that come from?” Dan thought.
“What was that about?” Dan asked.
Holly grinned. “It’s just that you are getting smarter every day.”
Dan started to say something, but he heard a big truck drive in. Dan went outside and one of Joe Martin’s men was delivering the portable storage building they were going to put the power system’s batteries and inverters in. Joe came driving in and parked behind the truck. He ground-guided the truck into position about 20 yards from the house and the bed on the truck tilted and they winched the building off the truck bed. They needed the building turned a little more and attempted to turn it using pallet jacks. Dan got the tractor, which still had the pallet forks installed and brought it over. Picking up one end of the building, he slid the building where Joe wanted it.
“Dan, I have a truckload of batteries coming. Can we use your tractor to unload them?” Joe asked.
“Sure, no problem.” Dan replied.
Dan went back into the RV and pulled a paper and a drawing out of a drawer. He sat down and copied a list of measurements on the paper to the to-scale drawing of the house layout and got a 25-foot tape measure out and set them next to Holly.
“What’s This? Holly asked.
“We’re going down to Poplar Bluff tomorrow and going furniture shopping. Those room measurements are what we have to work with.” Dan replied. “You’re going to act as my designer.”
Holly smiled and said to him, “Okay.”
Dan went back outside and opened a storage compartment in the RV and began taking out the lightweight polyester walls of the Vacation'r Screen Room that attached to the awning and began attaching it. They were going to have two or three days of light rain and Dan liked to sit outside in the fresh air. He rolled up the sides to let the breeze through and set up the table and chairs. He got the string of canopy lights, strung them, and turned them on. A couple of bulbs needed to be replaced, so Dan got the spares out of the compartment and replaced the bad bulbs.
Holly came outside.
“What are you doing?” She asked.
“Setting up our gourmet dining area. I’m making cheeseburgers this evening. Do you care to join me?” Dan asked.
“I’d love to!” Holly said. “What else are you going to have?”
“Probably some baked beans and chips with iced tea.”
“No Cokes? I’ve got to have Coke with my cheeseburger.”
“I’ll get some then.”
“I’ll run down to the Food Rite and pick some up.” Holly said. “Let me check to see what else you don’t have.”
“I was going to use frozen patties. You want to pick up fresh hamburger and I can make the patties?” Dan asked, taking out his wallet. He withdrew his debit card and handed it to her.
“That sounds good,” Holly said, taking the card from Dan. Dan didn’t see her grinning as she picked up her purse and headed out the door.
Dan walked over to the house and watched through the front door as one of the workers painted himself out the door.
“Is that the first or second coat?” Dan asked.
“It’s the second coat. As long as you don’t raise goats in here, you won’t have to refinish these floors for a long, long time,” the man said.
Dan went over to the power shed where Joe and another guy were wiring up the batteries in the battery bank. Two other guys had trenched over to the house and were running conduit and wire to the house. Grounding rods had been driven in the ground next to the power building and the house.
“The panels will start charging the batteries tomorrow. We’ve poured a generator slab in the back of the building, and you’ve got a couple of choices. We can hook it up permanently or you can just roll it over and hook it up when needed. I doubt you will ever need it though. The vortex generators will charge when the panels can’t.”
“Why don’t I just keep the generator in the shop, and I can pull it out if needed,” Dan asked.
“That’s what I would do. Joe said. “This system was designed for hands-free operation. Like I said, the vortex generator will charge with the slightest breeze and will even charge at night. We’re placing the generators above the trees, and they will catch breezes and wind coming off the lake. We’re setting those up tomorrow.”
Dan left the power building and picked up a harvest basket and went to pick cucumbers. There were enough to fill a two-gallon crock. He was going to make a crock of fermented garlic-dill pickles. After picking some dill heads, he headed to the pump to wash everything off.
Holly walked into the Food Rite was getting a small grocery cart when her phone rang. It was Dan.
“Hey, pick me up a couple of jalapeno peppers,” Dan said.
“Sure, no problem,” Holly replied.
“Bye,” Dan said.
Holly continued to the produce area and bagged two jalapeno peppers and picked up a head of lettuce. She selected a bag of plain ripple potato chips and a bag of BBQ ripple chips. She added two 12-packs of Cokes and headed to checkout. Holly spotted Siobhan Sullivan at one of the registers and got in her line. When she began putting her groceries on the conveyor belt, Siobhan said, “Hey Holly, how are you doing?”
“I’m fine Siobhan.”
“I’ll bet you are! Who was that hunk I saw you with the other day?” Siobhan asked.
“He’s a friend of mine,” Holly replied.
“Well, if you decide to not be so friendly with him, let me know. I'd sure give him the full court press,” Siobhan said, grinning.
“We’re getting friendlier so draw your claws back in,” Holly said, smirking.
When she got back to the Cove, Dan was scrubbing the cucumbers with the vegetable brush he kept hanging from the pump, shaking the water off, he’d place them in a clean, empty basket. He took them to the house kitchen, and filled a pitcher of water and set it out to come to room temperature. The tile was okay to walk on and they would apply the sealer in a couple of days. Dan went down into the basement to get a crock, lid, and weight, brought them up and washed everything thoroughly. He sliced up the garlic and jalapenos, trimmed off the blossom end of the cucumbers with a paring knife and began layering pickles in the crock. He stopped and poured three quarts of water into a pot and added the pickling salt, stirring the water until the salt dissolved. On each layer of cucumbers, he sprinkled sliced jalapenos, coriander and peppercorns and added heads of dill. He built layers until he ran out of cucumbers. After pouring the brine over the pickles until they were covered, he added the crock weight and pressed the crock lid down until the rubber gasket sealed the lid. He added water to the fermentation airlock, carried the crock back to the basement and placed the crock in the coolest area of the basement. Other than skimming the bloom off the water, he would have to touch them for a while. He’d have pickles in a week.
While Dan was dealing with the crock, Holly began adding spices to the ground beef and forming patties. When Dan came back from the basement, he dipped his finger in the ground beef and got out a bite.
“O-o-o-o-o,” Holly said. “You are barbaric!”
“What? Steak Tartare, just needs an egg. Add a little onion salt, please.”
Holly added the onion salt and placed the patties in the fridge.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 27, 2023 4:00:51 GMT -6
Chapter 8
Archer Harmon got off the plane at Quito, went directly to the ticket counter and arranged reservations to Memphis, Tennessee. He would stay in Memphis a day or two to get a vehicle lined up and supply himself. The clothes he had in Peru would suffice until late fall, and he had packed his pack so he could basically live out of it and his B4 bag until he got situated. He’d give Dan a call once he got back on the ground in Memphis and give him a heads up. He had a meeting with the realtor in four days to look at the property. He hoped Dan had room for him.
Dan and Holly started their furniture search at Hefner Furniture in Poplar Bluff. At first glance, Dan knew they carried quality pieces. They started in the master bedroom and Dan kept turning Holly’s suggestions down until she found something that Dan liked. They picked out furniture for the two bedrooms upstairs. The other bedroom downstairs Dan wanted to turn into his personal space. He’d had Jamie reinforce the floor joists in that room so they could handle the gun safes he was going to buy. He picked out a recliner for the den and let Holly pick out the rest of the furniture. He was going to Bass Pro in St. Louis to outfit his “cave.”
They ate an early supper at a diner before heading back to the Cove. While finishing his apple pie Dan looked across the table at Holly and said, “I’m going to have to take you out on a proper date sometime.”
“You say that, but you act like you’re scared of me.” Holly said.
“I’m not scared. Let’s just say once bit, twice shy.” Dan replied.
“Well, don’t go painting all women with the same brush.” Holly said. “I enjoy being around you and would like more.”
Dan watched her and went over in his mind the time they had been together. He thought they might make a pretty good couple.
“Okay then. There’s not much in Poplar Bluff. Would you be adverse to going up to St. Louis with me next weekend? We could go sightseeing and have a nice dinner. Of course, I would get us separate rooms at a hotel.”
“I’d like that.” We would go for the whole weekend?” Holly asked.
“Yes, we could come back Sunday evening.” Dan replied.
“Yes, I’d love to go with you.” Holly said.
Saturday, Dan and Holly went to Sam’s club in Cape Girardeau, got their pre-loaded flat carts and loaded them in the trailer.
“We’ve got plenty of room left. Let’s go in and cruise the aisles.” Dan said. “Did you print out a copy of the spreadsheet?”
“Yes, I’ve got it right here in my purse,” Holly replied.
Dan unfolded the spreadsheet and looked at the lowest quantity numbers. He had Holly get a grocery cart and he kept the flat cart.
Dan added a box of a dozen pairs of work gloves, a big pack of plastic disposable cups. Four more jugs of maple syrup, 25-pounds of iodized salt, molasses, more bottles of chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, gallons of bleach, restaurant sized rolls of food wrap and foil, and finished stacking the flat cart with cases of toilet paper, paper napkins, and paper towels. They checked the carts out and packed the items away in the trailer.
“This is enough for today.” Dan said. “ Let’s go by the Riverfront Market. I want to pick up some jams, jellies, and some homemade cheeses.”
“Okay.”
There were several stalls at the Riverfront market that sold homemade jams and jellies and one, (Thank God!) that sold apple butter. Dan could make a meal of buttermilk biscuits and apple butter. He bought several two-pound wheels of cheeses that were protected with wax. The booths that sold cheese always had a plate of sample slices for customers to taste. One booth even provided crackers and homemade smoked sausage slices to add to the cheese. Dan bought several smoked summer sausages. They left early enough to get back to the Cove to unload the trailer while it was still light. On the way back, Holly updated the spreadsheet with the quantities they had purchased that day.
“Where are you going to get the potatoes for the storage inventory?” Holly asked.
“I’ll buy potato flakes and freeze-dried potato cubes online.”
“Can’t you freeze dry your own potatoes?” Holly asked. “You could buy all the potatoes you wanted at the farmer’s markets.”
“I guess I could. I’ll check on a home freeze dryer.” Dan replied.
On Monday, the construction crew came out to build the boat ramp. They were coordinating with the dock company and were putting in the ramp before the dock. They put in some type of screen the held any silt back out from the construction. It was inspected by one of the Corps of Engineers inspectors. They would have to let the ramp sit in the forms for two weeks before it could be finished out. Pre-poured concrete slabs would be brought in and pushed out to extend the ramp into the lake, Dan wasn’t in any rush. He didn’t even have a boat yet and hadn’t even decided what he wanted to get.
Dan had no plans for Sunday, and he spent half of the day sipping coffee under his awning, listening to music and going over his food plan, and scanning websites. That is, until 2:00 PM when he heard the familiar sound of the Willys come into the parking area. Holly wasn’t alone. Who he figured was Holly’s mother got out of the passenger seat and they both began walking toward him. A scene from the Fight at The OK Corral popped into his mind. Dan got out of his chair to greet them, and Holly introduced her mother to Dan.
“I’m pleased to meet you Dan,” Esther said. “I hadn’t met you yet and since my daughter spends most of her time over here, I figured I needed to meet you and see what you were about.”
“She also has a gift for you, Dan,” Holly said.
Esther frowned at Holly. “Well, I go to a lot of yard sales and such and have accumulated a lot of iron cookware. I don’t think you can make a good meal without cast iron. It’s in the back of the truck.”
Dan walked over to the Willys with them and there were four boxes of everything from Dutch ovens to griddles, cornbread pans, loaf pans, and several fry pans. There was even a bacon press.
“I buy these things up because I know somebody would someday need them.” Esther said.
Dan carried the boxes over and sat them under the awning. “Can I offer you ladies some iced tea or something?” Dan asked.
“I’ll get it!” Holly said, going into the RV. Esther squinted and watched Holly go through the door.
“She seems right familiar where things are around here.” Esther said.
“Holly has been a great help to me getting settled here.” Dan said.
“I imagine,” Esther replied.
Holly came back out with a tray with two iced filled glasses and the pitcher of tea. She placed a glass in front of her mother and filled it with tea, refilled Dan’s glass, then filled her glass.
“Well, I appreciate the cookware Mrs. Barnes.” Dan said. “I could use it in the new kitchen.”
It was late when Archer landed in Memphis. It seemed everyone and his brother wanted to pass through Miami on the same day he did. He was tired and needed a shower, He grabbed a hotel shuttle to the Hyatt Centric on Beale Street and crashed. It was 10:30 AM before he woke, refreshed and slightly rejuvenated. It was a feeling he always got when coming from the backwaters of a 3rd world shithole. Arch stood at the 7th floor window in a hotel robe, looking out over the city. It was slightly foggy on the river and 72 degrees outside. With phone in hand, Archer ordered breakfast and a Redd’s Wicked Apple. He needed something to cool his pipes. His next call, while he waited for room service, was to Dan.
“Good morning Dan. I landed at Memphis last night.”
“That’s great! What are your plans?”
“I’ve got a few properties lined up around Wappapello to look at. I’m laying over in Memphis to get transportation and coming up to see you. I hope you have space for me to crash,” Archer said.
“Anytime buddy. The clean country air will do you good,” Dan said.
“Okay, I’ll give you a call once I’m on the road.”
“Good enough. Get yourself a GPS. You’ll probably need it around here.” Dan recommended.
“WILCO. Talk to you later,” Archer replied.
Room service arrived and Archer guzzled down the cold Redd’s and started eating his breakfast. He had a lot to do today.
Dan updated his food planning spreadsheet and went out to the garden to pick string beans. This should be the last beans he would get. Once the vines were stripped, he set the basket to the side and began pulling up the bean vines and throwing them into the wheelbarrow to cart to the compost pile. Dan heard the Willys rolling on the gravel and looked over his shoulder. Holly came over and picked up the basket of beans.
“Are you going to can these?”
“No, I think I’ll freeze this batch,” Dan replied.
“I’ll start washing and breaking these then.” Holly said.
Holly took the beans to the pump and washed them, then got another basket and put the cleaned beans in. Taking them to the house, she got a large pot, sat on the porch, and started stringing and breaking the bean pods. Dan finished up in the garden and went to help Holly.
”My friend Archer will be here this week.” Dan said, picking up a hand full of beans.
Dan laid them on the table in front of him, picked the first one up, pulled the ends and string off, broke it up and tossed the pieces in the pot.
“How long have you known him?”
“About 10 years. We took several classes together at college.”
“Yes, you told me. Is he married?” Holly asked.
“Sadly, no. He was once, but his wife wasn’t very impressed with the implied sanctity of that bit in the wedding vows where the bride and groom promise to love only one another,’ ... until death do us part.’ He started taking jobs, like I was doing, in remote parts of the world.”
“Were you running from a bad situation too?” Holly asked.
“Oh no! Although I guess I’m trying to stay out of bad situation now.” Dan said.
“Well, all you have to do is tell me and I won’t come around.”
“What?! No, I’m talking about the screwed-up things that are happening and will happen in this country. You being here is far from what I could call a bad situation. The more you’re around here, the better I like it.”
Holly got up, walked around the table, and sat on Dan’s lap. Putting her hands behind Dan’s neck, she kissed him on the lips. ”I love it when you get smarter every day,” Holly said, smiling.
Dan grinned. “I like getting rewards like that when I show how smart I am.”
“You’ll get those no matter what!” Holly said.
Archer found just what he wanted, a 2020 Suburban Z71 diesel 4WD. He would owe the state of Missouri around $2900 when he registered it, but it was nice. While they were prepping the vehicle, Archer went down the street to Best Buy and purchased a Garmin DriveSmart 86 GPS. He took it back over to the dealer and one of the mechanics mounted it for him. An hour later, Archer drove out of the dealership lot and headed back to the hotel. He got out his laptop and pulled up Google Earth and did a search for Wappapello Lake and found it. Picking up his phone he called Dan.
“Dan! Arch. I need coordinates to your place. I’ve secured transportation and will be heading your way tomorrow.”
“Hang on, let me turn the computer on.” Dan said.
“Dan brought up Google Earth and ran the mouse over to where the driveway connected to the main road. He read the coordinates to Arch and told him to turn onto the driveway and follow it to the house. Archer ended the call and made a note in his phone and typed the coordinates in. He also put them in the note section of Dan’s contact page. Going back down to his truck, Archer entered the coordinates in the GPS and named it “Dan”. Now he had shopping to do. Archer bought a 30-quart Pelican cooler, two metal water bottles, and a new water filter at REI. He had left his old filter in Peru with another guy. On the way back to the hotel, he stopped at a grocery store and bought snacks for the road and a 6-pack of grape soda in bottles. You couldn’t get grape soda in Peru. In his hotel room, Archer pumped water through the filter and filled the two bottles and took the cooler down the hall and filled the cooler with ice from the ice machine. He nestled the water bottles and grape soda in the ice and prepared to go get some dinner. He was careful what he ate because some foods gave him the back door trots after first coming back to the States from overseas.
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Post by gipsy on Jun 27, 2023 6:18:04 GMT -6
Fine update for sure. Thanks.
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