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Post by iamnobody on Dec 19, 2023 12:15:25 GMT -6
I fail to understand how a good guy with a gun is bad,but a bad guy with a gun isn't. A sure sign things are mixed up in some peoples brains. Good will be called evil, and evil will be called good.
I see that all around me as I see bible prophesy unfolding everywhere.
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Post by feralferret on Dec 19, 2023 16:05:34 GMT -6
Thanks for another fine chapter, ncsfsgm.
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Post by ydderf on Dec 29, 2023 12:03:07 GMT -6
I'm caught up thanks for all your work
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 8, 2024 5:33:25 GMT -6
Chapter 44
Muscadines were in season and instead of going out and picking up redbugs and ticks, Dan bought a bushel of them from the farm market. He and Holly juiced and made Jelly out of it all, with the neighbors getting a couple of pints each. Crystal traded them a couple of free meals for enough jelly to offer to the breakfast crowd which became a big hit. Jim had found muscadine vines out by his garden plot along the tree line and had staked and wired the vines up. Under the guidance of the extension agent, he had pruned and fertilized the vines and now they had a bumper crop. Shaylynn, after talking with Holly, went and bought canning supplies and added a few utensils to the kitchen, namely a food mill to separate the pulp from the juice. Holly helped them out and they managed to can 48 pints of jelly. These were added to their food stores and for possible future barter items.
Seamus O'Donoghue folded the paper and laid it on the coffee table.
“Masie, I think it’s time to pull the trigger. The politicians are ruining this country, and it is all going to collapse around their ears. I want to be out of here within 90 days. Everything is ready for sale, and we should get started on our new home while we can. Crime has risen, taxes are off the chart and illegal immigration his killing the City.”
Masie laid down her crossword puzzle and looked at her husband. She didn’t know if he had ever been tested, but she thought he was a genus. In his 30s, he had ridden the tech market and made his first billion dollars. He drew back from the stock market, and they played for a while with other investments. Loving the finger lakes region, they purchased a vineyard, selling the grapes to the winery next door each year. Cayuga Lake, known for its lake, rainbow, and brown trout, pike, pickerel, lake salmon, and panfish was a fisherman’s paradise, and Seamus had turned into an avid fisherman. After their first summer of living in the vineyard by the lake, Seamus decided to expand and build something to serve the fishermen who streamed into the area year-round. He bought acreage near an established quaint hotel and by the time the plans were drawn up, he had what amounted to a mini-Cabela’s, complete with diner, and convenience store. You could buy just about everything you needed to get you through a few days of fishing. Seamus hired personnel to work in shifts, the place was so busy. He also hired Emma, Masie’s sister’s daughter, to manage everything. She was a no-holds-barred business manager who in turn hired security personnel who handled losses and a couple of attempted robberies. They had made a profit every year from the first day they opened. He had been offered five times what he had invested in it and the vineyard would sell quickly also.
But, with the political turmoil, and the rising crime statistics, Seamus and Masie were aware good things don’t last forever. He wanted to basically retire when he was 50 and Masie wanted to settle in warmer climes. So, they began taking a couple of weeks twice a year and traveling, visiting different locations where they could set up a similar operation. They had stumbled upon Wappapello Lake while visiting Branson, Missouri. Branson was a little too commercialized for them though and already had a Bass Pro Shop. The aviation company they had hired flew them up to Wappapello. They were curious and ended up going back to Branson, renting an RV and went to stay at Wappapello for a week. The more they looked around, the better they liked the location. They went to Annie’s one day and ended up talking to Asher. Seamus and Asher exchanged business cards and that evening Asher ran a background check on Seamus. Asher was impressed. The next time Masie and Seamus came into the restaurant, Asher and Seamus continued their conversation and Seamus divulged what they were doing there and some of their dreams.
Seamus, with a team of lawyers, went in with a solid business plan. They sold their vineyard and the Cayuga Lake complex and kept Emma on to manage the new property. Any other employees who wanted to relocate were helped with moving expenses. A general contractor was hired for the building and cabins began going up for the employees. Asher helped Seamus get the 24-acre piece of property next to Annie’s to build on. The property had been on the market for a while, but the seller would not sub-divide. Asher only needed an acre or two so with Asher greasing the skids, Seamus bought the property and sold Asher the property he needed. One of the things that really won Seamus and Masie over was the lack of crime. They talked to several of the community inhabitants, and they said they felt safer there than in any big city with thousand-man police forces. Crystal laughed it off and told them Wayne County had become the patron sight of shooting stuff, including criminals.
The day came when the foundation and floor were poured for the trading post. The concrete plant built a batch plant on sight to keep a constant pour. The log timbers for the 125,000 square feet store were being milled and assembled in Canada and would arrive in six weeks. Seamus and Masie bought land out on Moore’s Point and were having a modest house built there.
Emma’s sister, Sarah. Was brought in as the PR Manager. Seamus wanted to have a grand opening that would draw in people all the way from Branson. She had been working for a well-known PR Agency in New York City and moved to Wappapello.
Seamus knew he might not see a dime of profit from his endeavor, but he didn’t have any children and he gave millions to charity each year. He figured he could give back to the community there in Wayne County and secure a favorable customer base. It was all play money to him and if anyone was going to benefit he didn’t want his money going to wall street tycoons and monied entrepreneurs. He didn’t take out any loans on the building of the infrastructure but arranged with the bank for short-term loans for keeping the stockage.
Asher introduced Seamus and Jim because Seamus would also be selling guns. Seamus, not having had a gunsmithing section in the Cayuga Lake Trading Post, was interested in getting the ins and outs of setting up gunsmithing services in his store. Jim agreed to track down suitable employees at the several trade schools in the state to handle basic gunsmithing work until they found someone qualified to take over the managerial duties from Jim.
Seamus became familiar with fishing in the south for recommendations for equipment. One thing they didn’t have in Missouri was ice fishing, so that method went out the window. Winter fishing in Lake Wappapello in the winter was similar to fall fishing in the finger lakes, except the species were different. Wappapello had white bass, crappie, and bluegill, as well as largemouth bass and catfish year-round. It depended on how you fished for them as to whether you caught anything. Seamus took a couple of trips down to Bass Pro in Branson to see what they stocked before he settled on an inventory of what he wanted to stock.
As the Trading Post went up, inventory was being ordered and stored in leased trailers in the parking area of the store. The building wouldn’t take that long, bring of composite construction of log timbers for the front 1/3 of the store and steel construction for the rest. They should be able to open around the target date of Labor Day.
Jim and Shaylynn pulled their trucks into position and began setting up at the Range. As Katie unfolded and set up tables, Shaylynn began unpacking boxes and laying out merchandise. Both trailers began getting customers and they didn’t get a break until lunch. Seamus and Masie stopped by to visit. They had bought premier range memberships and Masie looked over Shaylynn’s selection of concealed carry handbags. Seamus looked over Jim’s selection of range and gun accessories.
“What do you sell the most of Jim?” Seamus asked.
“Well, initially, it was sights. After people began bringing out old guns to get them checked out and they found that most of their problems were their guns cleanliness, they began buying cleaning equipment.” Jim said.
“So, what do you think I should stock in the Trading Post?” Seamus asked.
“Ammo, bore cleaners, oils, specialty tools for cleaning, tool kits, field cleaning kits, and set up a rack of the latest gun magazines. Some of the people are getting into reloading also. With the Trading Post opening I’m going to taper down on reloading for people except for some of the rare specialty ammo people get for their relics.” Jim replied.
“That makes sense. I’ll carry some of that stuff for local hunters but mostly I’ll target the fishermen.” Seamus said.
“Well, stay away from the novelty things that a lot of places hang out for the tourists. If you ride the tide between the novelty stores and the marinas, you should do just fine.” Jim explained.
Seamus had been amazed at the number of people who were supplementing their electricity needs with wind, solar and hydro power. He had also used thin-film photovoltaic tiles for roofing, it would not fully supplant the commercial power he would need for operations. It was a shame the lake had been built for flood control purposes and not hydroelectric, but there was plenty of hydroelectric power in Missouri and historically, the area was seldom without power for very long. Seamus did invest in battery technology and had a backup bank that would last them on full power for three days.
Asher held off on expanding the restaurant until most of the Trading Post was completed. There was just too much construction traffic going on. There are not only construction vehicles coming and going, but also gawkers and bloggers taking pictures of the construction of the largest building built in the county in anyone’s memory.
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Post by gipsy on Jan 8, 2024 9:24:40 GMT -6
Nice update. Thanks.
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Post by feralferret on Jan 8, 2024 19:20:21 GMT -6
Thanks, ncsfsgm.
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Post by ydderf on Jan 21, 2024 12:23:59 GMT -6
Thank you
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jan 30, 2024 17:36:24 GMT -6
Chapter 45 After many talks with Asher and quite a few of the customers in Annie’s, Seamus had more of the property cleared and prepared for a 1-acre wide by 4-acre deep area for a flea market/barter mart where people would be able to drive stakes in the ground to support their tents. The flea market had been held in the parking lot of the marina but they couldn’t drive the stakes down. Seamus was having the area graveled and compacted. Market stall areas were marked out and numbered and people could come in and register for them at the trading post.
The Wappapello Trading Post opened on December 2nd and already had a Christmas sale going. A large PR campaign had been launched and people flocked in from miles around. Music was provided by local bands and burgers, dogs, and drinks were catered by Annie’s. Almost 1800 people signed up for store cards which gave them discounts on future purchases. Another 200 people signed up for Wappapello 1-year Range memberships.
With the citizens in the county taking care of each other, they all fared well. Crime was down in the state, but the overall economy of the nation was still sick. It would remain so throughout the next year until the next presidential election when a less liberal candidate was elected and more conservative people were elected to Congress, all with the common platform of enacting term limits to elected government office positions.
It took several years to undo the economic mess the politicians and liberals had done to the country but finally the United States again became an economic powerhouse it once was. Threats to the country were eliminated quickly and the end to large-scale terrorism was soon seen as a visible light at the end of the tunnel.
THE END
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Post by feralferret on Jan 30, 2024 17:56:20 GMT -6
Ncsfsgm, thank you for a wonderful story. I hate to see it end, but as the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end.". I'm looking forward to your next entertaining tale.
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Post by gipsy on Jan 30, 2024 21:15:47 GMT -6
Gadzooks. It's over. Thanks for a fine tale.
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Jan 30, 2024 22:02:14 GMT -6
Thanks so much for another great story. Looking forward to reading more of them.
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Post by cedarlake on Jan 31, 2024 14:12:46 GMT -6
Ncsfsgm, Thank you for a fine tale.
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