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Post by papaof2 on Dec 27, 2013 14:08:16 GMT -6
Chapter 53 - Monday evening
"Grandpa, can we get another small pistol? I'm a good shot with the .22 rifle, but it doesn't work very good up close, like with the dogs that Lexi shot."
"I don't know about another .25, but there's the .32 that my wife used. Since your hands are a little bigger than the those of the other girls, you might be able to use it. It's in the safe in the basement. Grab that flashlight and we'll go get it."
"OK."
~~~
"Abby, I want you to watch me open the safe and remember the combination."
"Are you sure, Grandpa? I don't know how to use the bigger guns in there."
"Because you give responsible answers like that one, I think it's appropriate for you to know the combination in case other people need those weapons. I think you will be a good judge of situations and people when the weapons might be needed."
"If you're sure..."
"I am. I'll lock the safe back, then I want you to try to open it."
"Spin the dial right to 13, then left past 13 to 39, then right to 6. Then turn the handle left and pull. The door is heavy!"
"Yes, it's heavy because I'm using a large fireproof safe with special brackets to hold the weapons."
"What's in the white and silver tubes?"
"Something you can't talk about with the other girls - at least not for a while."
"Huh?"
"Those tubes contain gold and silver coins. If things get so bad that paper money is no longer accepted, we'll use those as our money if we can't barter for something."
" Does Aunt Kate know about them?"
"Yes, and she's probably told Jack. I'm telling you because I think it's important for someone other than the adults to know about the weapons and the precious metals."
"I'm not sure I can keep a secret like this."
"I'm sure. Meanwhile, check this pistol and see if it's loaded."
"I can just get my hand around it. The magazine release and the safety are in the same place as the .25. It's a little harder to pull back the slide but I can do it. It's empty."
"There's a belt with this holster, but it's too big for you. Do you have a belt?"
"There's one on a hook on my side of the closet in our room."
"We'll take the pistol, the holster and the 4 mag carriers upstairs and put them on your belt. Can you lock the safe?"
"Push the door shut. Turn the handle to the right. Spin the dial a couple of times."
"Very good, smart girl. I didn't tell you any of those things."
"I just watched when you closed it - and it's kinda obvious when you see how it's opened."
"Obvious to one of my smart girls, maybe, but not everyone sees that. Get that box of ammo that has '.32' on it. Now back upstairs. Maybe we can get you some range time tomorrow."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"You're welcome, Peanut - or is that Peanut Butter?"
"You're being silly again."
"No, just teasing one of my favorite grandkids."
~~~
"Abby, your belt will fit through the loops on the holster and the mag carriers. If you wear the gun on one side and the mags on the other side, it will balance the load."
"Should I load the magazines and the pistol? I haven't shot it yet."
"Good question, but this pistol is close enough to the .25 you have shot that I'll let you go ahead and load up in case it's needed. Remember to put it on when you go outside. Just be aware that there's a little more recoil because you're shooting a bigger bullet. If you're holding it in both hands you might not notice the difference."
"OK."
~~~
"Where'd you get the pistol, Abby?"
"Terry, it belonged to Grandpa's wife. When I asked for a pistol today, he had me try it to see if it fit my hand. He said I might get some range time tomorrow, but I could load and carry it because it's a lot like the .25."
"Can I see if it fits my hand?"
"Let me clear it. OK, it's empty."
"Grandpa was right - it may fit your hand but it's too big for mine."
"Then it's too big for my hand too."
"Terry, Lexi. I'm very pleased when my smart girls understand that there are things they can't yet do - like get a bigger firearm - but that they'll have the opportunity to move up as they grow."
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 30, 2013 22:17:12 GMT -6
The muse of inspiration is playing games with me. I've almost completed another chapter - most of it done in about an hour - but it's almost a week out in the timeline :-( At least I should have plenty of time to polish this one before it's posted ;-)
Back to the real work of filling in the outline for the next-in-sequence events...
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 3, 2014 15:45:53 GMT -6
Chapter 54 - Tuesday morning
" Does everyone remember that I'll have some students here today for the wood stove cooking class?"
"Yes, Aunt Kate."
"That's good, Terry, because I have some things for each of you to do. Before the students get here, there's firewood and kindling to be moved to the stove outside. As usual, Terry gets a half bucket of kindling. Abby and Lexi get a full box of firewood. When we need more of either, I'll send the students to get it. We'll need soap and water in the kitchen for washing bowls, pans and other things after they're used. Terry can bring up a container of liquid soap from the basement - it's on the third row of shelves on the left. I'll take a five gallon jug and a big funnel to the pump; Abby and Lexi can pump it full and I'll carry it back to the kitchen. Again, the students will do the pumping if they need more water."
"That's a lot of work!"
"That's only part of it. Here's a list of things I want Abby to get from the pantry. If a student didn't bring all the ingredients needed, I'll provide them at extra cost. Since Abby can write, I want her to keep a record of who gets what. To make things easier, I've made some numbered tags. Each student will be wearing a tag so you can just put down the student number and the item they used, such as 'number one - 1 cup sugar'."
"How will they pay for a cup of sugar?"
"Abby, I'd prefer to be paid back in kind - that means a cup of sugar for a cup of sugar - but I made a list of trading equivalents."
"I see. A cup of sugar can be replaced by a cup of sugar or a half cup of salt or four eggs."
"If Abby's doing that, what can we do to help?"
"If we need something from the springhouse or the basement, I'll send one of you to get it. The people visiting here don't need to know what we have stored."
"Like they don't need to know how many guns or bullets we have."
"Exactly, Terry. Knowing that we have a well-stocked pantry isn't a big deal, as most everyone out this far has a good pantry because it was a long way to the store in town and the roads are sometimes blocked for days at a time if there's a lot of snow."
"Is this all we hafta get?"
"Almost all, Lexi. When the students get here, you may have to bring in some milk from the springhouse. That reminds me, I need to tell the students that their recipes will turn out differently if they use our goat's milk because of its higher butterfat content."
"Butterfat?"
"Abby, that's the stuff that makes the goat's milk so rich and creamy."
"I didn't know what it was called, but it sure is good!"
"I think I've heard that from you before, Abby. And speaking of milk, have you done your chores yet?"
"Not yet. I'll milk while Terry and Lexi feed the goats. Then we can take the milk to the springhouse. You'll use the oldest good milk first?"
"Yes, smart girl. Be sure to put the fresh milk at the back of the shelf."
"OK."
"Mike, can you find our gloves? We'll have to muck out all three stalls after I finish milking the goats."
"I'd rather say 'No', but I know where they are. I'll feed the horses while you milk and you can come help me when you finish the milking."
"OK."
"All of you come here for a hug."
"What for, Aunt Kate?"
"Because I love the way you all pitch in to get the needed work done. You've become a real family."
"I'm not sure I wanna be family with Abby."
"Why not, Mike?"
"I hear that brothers and sisters fight a lot more than friends do. I'd rather be friends and not fight."
"Not all brothers and sisters fight, Mike. Jack and his sisters got along very well when they were kids."
~~~
"While you get ready to teach, I'll take the buggy and get some of the people who need to work on plans for the dog drive, the warehouse recon and the hydro plant restart. Since Bill and I are involved in all three projects to some extent and most of the others are involved in at least two of them, it's probably simpler to have everyone meet here."
" Do you want the cinnamon rolls left over from Trade Day for snacks? They're still soft enough to eat."
"Considering the time I'll probably get back, Terry, it would be better to plan on serving lunch for perhaps 15 people. Have both warm and cool beverages. I'll be gone at least an hour, but some of those with their own transportation may be here sooner than that. Do whatever Kate needs you to do first, then you can start on lunch. Hold the cinnamon rolls until we see how late the meetings run. You might be serving them as a late afternoon snack."
"OK."
~~~
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Post by notchman on Jan 3, 2014 17:33:01 GMT -6
Excellent chapter, as always.
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Post by kaijafon on Jan 3, 2014 23:16:55 GMT -6
I'll take the cinnamon rolls!! lol! I tried to make some the other day....ugh...don't want to talk about how they turned out...
thanks!!!
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Post by ydderf on Jan 5, 2014 15:04:41 GMT -6
I just found this story and can now leave my chair. I'm up to date in one long siting I now can stretch while I wait with bated breath for the next chapter. Thank you so much for sharing your work with me/us it is excellent exciting writing.
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Post by biggkidd on Jan 12, 2014 9:19:11 GMT -6
I keep checking back each day, I think this story is fantastic. It hits close to home the sisters remind me of my two girls 8 and 13. I'm trying to get my oldest to read it I think she would love it. Can't wait for more.
Larry
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 20, 2014 19:25:43 GMT -6
Need to vent a little.
Still finding my inspiration working a day or more out in the story's timeline, so don't have anything to publish. It could be that I'm not as creative as usual because of the annoyance of losing a modern converience (central heat) and the time spent just trying to stay warm.
The three-year-old, high-tech, very high efficiency furnace quit after making it through some single digit days. The HVAC tech determined it was the controller board: loaded with electronics, not in stock, and 3 to 5 business days to get a replacement. The 5 days came and went and no board. Time estimate moved to ten business days (that's usually two weeks in real time, plus there's a holiday this week). Had I known it would be that long, I might have dipped into a previous life as a hardware/software designer - I probably could have created a basic controller by now.
With the combination of a 23,000 BTU kerosene heater in the kitchen plus 30,000 BTU gas logs in the family room fireplace plus a couple of small electric space heaters, I've kept part of the house comfortable so far. Now the forecast is three days with lows in the upper teens to low 20's and highs in the 30's - time to close off most of the house and try to heat the spaces with pipes. Currently have about 10 gallons of kerosene - should be enough if they get the furnace fixed this week...
Had I wanted to live in a small cabin, I'd have moved there instead of this house the last time we moved. I don't want to be camping out in 2/3 of one floor. I'm tired of taking the kerosene heater outside to fill it and light it and let it burn two minutes to get it to operating temperature or to turn it off (although doing both consistently makes a world of difference in how much kerosene smell there is in the house). I just want to be able to set the thermostat on 68 during the day and have the setback kick in at night and let it keep me comfortable.
End of vent.
One bright note in all this - I did get a 10 year parts and labor warranty as part of the furnace installation. I think the warranty has paid for itself ;-)
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Post by notchman on Jan 20, 2014 19:29:17 GMT -6
papa, don't worry about us. You take care of your family and we will all still be here, impatient as ever but ever grateful for your great story and writing talents.
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Post by kaijafon on Jan 20, 2014 23:16:22 GMT -6
I hope you get it all fixed super soon!!! As one who does have to "close off" most the house, I understand why you don't like to. take care, keep warm and we will "see" you when you can!
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 23, 2014 13:26:52 GMT -6
Hooray! Ten days after the first HVAC tech visit, the furnace is once again spreading warmth and joy - no more time spent dealing with the kerosene heater :-)
In talking with Chad (the service tech), this isn't an isolated incident - he's replaced the controller boards in three other same/similar model high-efficiency furnaces this month. There's a set of conditions which occur in extended below-freezing weather and can cause condensation that runs down the inside of the furnace - often on the controller board. Electronics + water = failure almost every time. Sounds like poor design or inadequate testing to me...
Again I'm glad for the 10 year parts & service warranty.
Now to restart my life, after having it on hold for two weeks ;-)
Where did I leave off in that chapter I was woking on...
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Post by notchman on Jan 23, 2014 13:55:36 GMT -6
Any way to cover the controller board with some plastic to divert the water from hitting it? Seems like a p!ss p@@r design if you ask me.
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 23, 2014 18:10:25 GMT -6
I don't know how well they'd accept an umbrella over the board or some "rain gutter" on either side of it, but that is an idea. Of course, the manufacturer could have protected the board to begin with - nah, that makes too much sense...
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Post by notchman on Jan 23, 2014 19:07:55 GMT -6
And probably would have cost them $0.12 per unit, waaaaayyy too expensive (/sarcasm off)
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 27, 2014 14:39:17 GMT -6
Chapter 55 - Tuesday early afternoon
"There's water, sun tea and goat's milk in the pitchers on the counter in the kitchen and some fresh-baked cinnamon rolls as well. Doc Wilson would like to coordinate with the ROTC medic so one of them can be available to the beaters and the other to the shooters when you are out in the field."
"I think you lucked out when you got those girls interested in baking, Bill."
"I did, Joe. It's a good thing that I opted to plant hard and soft wheat in addition to my usual corn the past few years - otherwise we'd never have had enough flour to be running a bakery."
"How long does unmilled wheat last?"
"Hal, the best answer I've found so far is 'slightly less than forever' if packed adequately. I heard that they've even found edible wheat in some of the Egyptian tombs."
"The answer may be obvious to the locals, Sergeant Mason, but why wasn't the dog drive done earlier?"
"We did one in November, Arnold, and killed about forty animals. The crew we could field then was small and physically limited because of the losses and many were still weak from the fever. We were optimistic that we had killed enough of the dogs that the ones which got away would starve or freeze to death during the winter. The winter was a milder than usual, so more survived than we expected. We now have a large enough feral dog population for it to be a hazard to people and livestock. This time I hope we can field a large enough force to eliminate most of the dogs. The layout of the valley means that we can't do it all in one day - and that means we won't get all the animals - so we'll need to do this again at least a couple of times before winter. I will ask that each of you make notes about where you find the most animals and where their nesting areas are. If we can concentrate on those areas next time, we should get the maximum return on our efforts."
"Where do we start?"
"Arnold, I'd like your group to come up with the plans for each day, starting with the North quadrant. On the table, there are topo maps, clear plastic overlays and wipe-off markers to use for planning people placement and movement. Any questions you have about terrain or occupied versus empty houses can be fielded by one of the locals - there's someone here from each quadrant."
"Wish you had been an instructor for ROTC, Sergeant. I think I may have learned more useful things about the practical aspects of mission planning in five minutes here than I did in five days of classroom instruction."
"Thank you, Arnold. It all came from experience - and from being determined to get my guys back home."
"Will we have enough people to do a sweep line with people five yards apart?"
"That depends on where you are, Hal. Joe, you describe the north side. Then Alex can describe the east side, Carl the west side and Sam the south side."
"You live here on the west side, Bill. Why me and not you?"
"I'll be involved in another meeting in a few minutes, Carl. You'll be able to provide continuity from the others better than I could if called back here. Joe has the floor."
"I'd suggest starting at the junction of County Road 18 and Miller's Creek Road each day. It's not the geographical center of the valley, but the creek beds, ridges and stone fences that radiate out from there make good dividers for controlling the animals. For the North quadrant, you could have a line of people go across Derek Pascal's pasture to the creek bed..."
"Excuse us, Joe. Jack and I need Virginia, Hal, and Alyssa to work with Harold Dennison on planning the restart of the hydro plant. If you need any of us, we'll be in the living room."
~~~
"Harold, I'll summarize our previous conversation for the others. Basically, running a single generator and switching power around the area is workable. There is work to be done in checking the lake and the intakes for the turbine wheels of the generators. Sam Green has a wood gas generator that can be adapted to the party boat at the Holmstead Retreat, so there will be a powered boat for checking the lake. There is SCUBA gear available for checking the underwater portions of the dam, if we have some qualified divers..."
"Hal and I are experienced divers."
"Thanks, Jack. Back to power restoration. The distribution lines from the hydro plant and the individual house drops all need to be checked before power is applied. The checking can be done most quickly on horseback, as you can get close to any downed trees or other problems. There is a bucket truck at the dam that can be used for line repair and line or pole replacement work if there is diesel available. Harold thinks there may be at least some diesel in the 500 gallon tank by the service garage at the dam. The people in each area can help with pole and line replacement - Harold told me that he can teach stringing line in a day or so. When we have surveyed the entire area and made plans, we can announce when and where we will need help after the church service on Sunday and have signs up at Trade Day. I have plenty of chalkboards and chalk for making signs."
"How long could we expect the generators to keep running?"
"Alyssa, Harold estimates twenty years if we only have one generator running at a time and rotate generators every month or so. There are minor overhaul kits that give about another ten years to the life of a generator. Even allowing for a non-repairable failure of one generator, we might get another thirty years out of them with the overhaul kits. That gives us a possible fifty years of limited power. Fifty years gives time for a lot of other areas to recover, including manufacturing - replacement generators might be available then. We may have occasions to run multiple generators, such as if we find there is enough crude available at the little refinery south of us to justify getting power to it to produce diesel, kerosene and gasoline. The bio-diesel plant can run with only one generator online. There are plenty of chemicals stored for making bio-diesel; the only limitation is how much soybeans or rapeseed will be available in the future - there's a trade-off between producing food for people and livestock and producing raw materials for bio-diesel. The seed cake left after making bio-diesel can be used to feed animals, but that's not the same as having equal acreage growing stock-feed-specific crops."
"How long have you been thinking about this?"
"Most of the winter, Jack. I made notes as things came to mind, then refined them when other resources, such as Harold, became available. Since Jack and Harold have hands-on experience with hydro plants, I'll leave this discussion in their hands and go check on the dog drive planning. If you need me, I'll either be there or pushing some little girls on the tire swing out back - they also deserve some reward for the work they did in getting lunch ready for all of us."
~~~
"Sergeant Mason, we have an action plan for recon of the warehouse. I'd like to have you review it before we present it to the group. Today seems like a good time, as most of the people who would be involved are here. I did hear from Chuck Li. The Chinese troops basically have the clothes on their backs and they're willing to go on the recon mission as well as the collection. Those that aren't fluent in English have asked for classes. Will Chu said he would help but wondered if having the troops immersed in the one room school would help them learn faster?"
"OK, Arnold. Most everyone seems to be involved with a cinnamon roll and the fresh milk is also a big hit. Give me a few minutes to read this and I'll get back to you. Why don't you find Carl Black and have him pass along your ideas to Alice? She might have some ideas of her own."
"I'll do that - as soon as I get another cinnamon roll."
~~~
"Just a few words before you leave. I'd like a written copy of your plans, when they're completed. Arnold has a preliminary plan for recon of the warehouse and we have volunteers from the Chinese troops to help with the recon and the collection. As most of them have only the clothes on their backs, I think it's appropriate for them to be rewarded for the work they do. If I can get a show of hands on accepting them as part of the recon group, we can get that operation going on Thursday. That appears to be unanimous. If the dog drive plans are complete by Saturday, I'll have signs up at Trade Day about which day we'll be where and notes for the pastors to make announcements about it. Sorry we ran out of cinnamon rolls, but Kate and the girls will have rolls and other things for barter or sale at their table on Sunday."
"I'll be there!"
"Me, too!"
"Have you considered making butter out of some of the milk?"
"If the girls didn't drink so much of it, we might have enough to make butter."
~~~
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 27, 2014 14:42:48 GMT -6
Chapter 56 - Tuesday late afternoon
"Grandpa, can I go practice with my new pistol?"
"Yes, Abby. You've all been helping with the cleanup from the cooking lessons and the meetings we had here today. I think that you're far enough along that the others can finish up while we're at the range. Thirty minutes shooting might be OK."
"That's not very long."
"Remember last Saturday? You girls did all your practicing in 30 minute segments."
"But we were busy with the baking..."
"I also wanted to limit the stress on your hands. Remember my comment about the 'little hammer'?"
"Un huh. 'On every shot, it's like a little hammer comes back and hits my hand.'"
"I'll also limit your shooting time today for that reason."
"But I gotta be as good with this pistol as Terry and Lexi are with theirs."
"But they didn't reach that level of accuracy in one afternoon, did they?"
"I guess not."
"You don't have to get that good in one session either. You will get better each time you practice. If you get the bag of hearing and vision protection; I'll get the targets. While you shoot, I'll reload magazines for you."
"OK."
~~~
"Abby, answer a question for me while I reload these magazines. I once asked the propane dealer down in Marion who his best customer was and he said the trailer park you were living in with Crystal. When I asked why, he said that the trailers were old, not well insulated and poorly maintained which meant that most of them went through two or three tanks of propane every winter. Since there were no propane deliveries during the winter and the trailer you were in didn't have a wood stove, how did you keep the trailer warm?"
"We moved a lot. Whenever the gas ran out, Rob would look for a trailer that still had gas. Sometimes he had to help the people that were living there move to another trailer - at least that's how he said he got the reddish-brown stains on his coat one time."
"I see. All your magazines are loaded. I'll reload them one more time and we'll stop for today."
"Is that all?"
"One box of practice ammo is all you need to shoot right now."
"OK."
~~~
"Time to go, Abby."
"But I only lit six of ten matches this last time."
"And how did you do with the rifle the first time you tried lighting matches?"
"One of three."
"So you're doing much better today than you did then?"
"Yes, but..."
"No more buts. You've shot 50 rounds this session and it's time for you to stop hitting your hand with the little hammer. Help me pick up the brass and we'll go back to the house."
"OK. If I hafta."
"You 'hafta'."
"I'm glad you take care of us all the time, even limiting the fun things we do so we don't get hurt."
"I kinda like you."
"There's another word for 'kinda like' that only has four letters."
"I don't think I know a word that fits that description."
"You're teasing me again."
"I am?"
"I love you too, Grandpa."
"I know, Peanut. The teasing wouldn't be as half much fun if we didn't care about each other."
~~~
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Post by biggkidd on Jan 27, 2014 16:52:49 GMT -6
Great thank you love the story.
Larry
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Post by freebirde on Jan 27, 2014 19:16:14 GMT -6
Finally got my "Family" fixs. Well worth the wait.
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Post by kaijafon on Jan 28, 2014 4:03:10 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 5, 2014 13:28:15 GMT -6
Chapter 57 - Tuesday evening
"Story time, kids."
"You wanna read tonight, Mike?"
"Abby, I'll try if Mr. Mason will help me with any words I don't know."
"Of course I'll help, Mike."
"Which chapter?"
"Where the dollar bill bookmark is."
"OK."
~~~
"You did well, Mike."
"He did OK on the kids' voices but he can't get deep enough for Pa."
"I think that will take a while, Abby - maybe five or six years."
"I'll still be listening then."
"If you haven't brushed and flossed, go do so, then to bed. Another group of cooking students will be here tomorrow and I think that all of you have assignments."
"Come kiss us good night, Grandpa?"
"As soon as you girls are brushed, flossed and in bed."
~~~
" Dad, I know you always try to encourage new leaders in the groups you work with, but never as soon as you did with the dog drive and the hydro plant restart groups today. Is there something I should know?"
"You already know it, Kate, you just may not have attached adequate importance to it. Without power, no more commercial medication is being produced, whether prescription or OTC. Without fuel and drivers, it couldn't be delivered if it were being produced. I have perhaps three years of metoprolol to control my afib and blood pressure. I need to ensure that we have people who can pick up the load when I'm relegated to mostly sitting and watching, as my grandfather did before there were medications to control these things."
"What about the herbalist?"
" Doc has talked with Elaine Dixon and she has the PDR on herbal remedies. She can make something to reduce blood pressure, but so far has not found any of the plants she'd need to make something that can treat afib. She'll go though all the collected kitchen garden seeds at Sam Green's place later this week, but I'm not especially optimistic. Some of the plants are rare and many will only grow in a greenhouse where we are. Elaine also has a couple of ways to produce insulin, but that will be for future needs - it's several months too late for Wally Green."
"I heard you say you're gonna run out of medicine!! I don't want you to die, Grandpa!! You're the best family we've ever had!!"
"Abby, I don't plan to die any time soon. I think your Momma and your Grandma Betty were probably better than me; I'm just someone you can touch. The three of you can dry those tears and give me a smile. I may be limited in how much I can do when the medication runs out, but I'll still be here - I'll just need more help from my smart girls then."
"I'll help!"
"Me too!"
"Me three!"
"You don't have to get up and walk to our bedroom. You can kiss us goodnight here."
"It's OK, Abby. It'll be perhaps three years before we need to start worrying about whether I should walk to your bedroom and tuck you in. Until then, things will be just the same as they have been. Scoot to bed."
"We'll get there faster if we walk."
"I think we've had this conversation before..."
~~~
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Post by philipinoregon on Feb 6, 2014 0:35:28 GMT -6
Papaof2, sorry for your issues with central heating... We are below zero, again, but this time, I am using a good portable Propane Heater... $ was not there for our First Freeze of the Winter.... So it was Only Electric in my house. I have shut down most of the house, & am living in a very small area, right off the Kitchen & Bathroom! I have a Military issue mylar survival quilt (heavier than single thickness E-Wraps you see ...) that is blocking the open doorway to the living room, and reflecting heat Back to the Kitchen... Since I am single, I can do things like that... My cat does not mind at all!
Enjoying your story, and where it is going, thanks much, and stay warm!!!!
philip
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 6, 2014 10:45:33 GMT -6
Pluses and minuses of an older house: more doors (wood, 5 panel) to close off space, less insulation and single pane windows (been working on those items). There is a limit to how much you can close off: don't want any pipes to freeze :-(
Stay warm and maybe get a different pet; "3 dog night" isn't a band name, it's a description of how cold it is and how much help you need to stay warm :-)
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 9, 2014 16:04:17 GMT -6
Chapter 58 - Wednesday morning
"Breakfast is ready, girls."
"It's too early, Grandpa."
"Terry, do you remember that there will be students here for the cooking lessons today?"
"And we gotta do firewood and stuff."
"Just enough 'stuff' for them to get started and if things are needed from the basement, Abby. Get dressed and one of you can ring the bell on the back porch to ensure that Jack, Gene and Mike are awake."
"I'll do it."
"OK, Abby. Do you need help with the antibiotic cream?"
"No, Grandpa. Except for a few places, it's almost all healed up. I'll put the stuff on Terry and Lexi will put it on me."
"I'm very pleased that my girls are helping each other."
"That's what family does, Grandpa."
"It certainly is, Lexi."
~~~
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
"Time to get up, Mike."
"It's too early, Dad."
"Not if you want breakfast. Remember that there will be cooking lessons today and you might get some of the less-than-perfect examples if you help."
"As long as there's something chocolate..."
~~~
"Hello the house!"
"Hello, Sara. I didn't expect you for another hour."
"I know I'm early, Kate, but I brought the list of things to make a kitchen kosher and the things you need to cook kosher. I thought you might have time to look it over before the others arrived."
"Sara, I can't meet the requirements on this list to keep a kosher kitchen. Even if the sink wasn't porcelain, I couldn't ensure the other requirements with a steady stream of students coming through. You should come to Trade Day next Sunday and see if the baking pans and other things you need to equip your kitchen are available. People generally don't bring large or heavy things like cookware unless they have a buyer waiting. You can make signs listing what you need - we have some chalkboards you can use - and post them at the entrances to the parking lot and near the outhouses, since almost everyone passes by those locations."
"Considering what I've heard about the crowd around your table at Trade Day, I probably should put a sign there."
"I can't argue with that - we were very busy last week."
"What should I do with the things I bake today? Isaac will not want to have non-kosher food in the house."
"You can use part of it to pay me for today's lessons and I can trade the rest of it for you Sunday. Make a list of things you need and we'll barter for them. You should consider setting up a table with samples of Isaac's leatherwork to see what people would be interested in."
"How would you value shoes against tomatoes or a skillet?"
"Start with the prices from before the fever and adjust for how much you need the item. If an item - such as a skillet - is no longer being made, it may be worth more to you than something still being produced - such as the tomatoes. Remember that you could grow your own tomatoes, but with a limited growing season. Early or late tomatoes will only be available from a greenhouse and their value may be greater because of their scarcity. Similar things apply to Isaac's leather products; boots, shoes, work gloves and harness are needed all year, but fur-lined boots and gloves are only needed in cold weather so they will have greater value in January than in July."
"I never thought of you as a merchant, Kate, but you seem to understand supply and demand very well."
"I do OK, Sara. If you want some serious bartering done, you should ask Abby to do it and offer to pay her in peanut butter."
"Would she consider the chocolate and hazelnut spread instead of peanut butter?"
"I'm sure she would. Dad told me that Abby and Terry were asking if he had any candy a few days ago. He showed them how to make 'Ants on a Log' - something I remember from my childhood. At this point, anything chocolate would be a real treat - although Dad would probably have them spreading it on fruit slices to get them to eat more fruit."
"How did Abby get to be so good at bartering?"
"That's a confidence from one of the difficult times in her short life and I won't share it without her approval."
"But she's just a kid, Kate. Shouldn't you be in control of what she does and doesn't share?"
"No. She tried hard to take care of herself and Terry for a couple of years before she got here. There's a lot of maturity in that little girl and I'll not belittle her efforts by making decisions for her. I may make suggestions where I can, but she'll have the final decision in most areas."
"That seems like something you'd say about a fourteen year old; she's obviously nowhere near that age."
"I think it's safe to say she's a very mature almost-nine-year-old. Considering some of the things that have happened to the two of them, they're incredibly loving and caring people. As far as I'm concerned, they're family."
"Now you have me very curious. Would it be OK to ask the girls about their past?"
"You can ask, but don't be surprised if they give you very short or non-informative answers. That's probably all you'll get until you've earned their trust - which could take a while."
~~~
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Post by mourningamerica on Feb 10, 2014 0:33:17 GMT -6
I joined this site for one reason--to express my sincere appreciation, awe, and humility to papaof2 for this story. Rarely do I "gush", but I must make an exception in this case. This is, quite simply, the finest "feel good PAW" story I have ever read.
I esteem the works of "TOM", "Jerry", "Fleataxi", and others. I routinely hang out at another [massive] board which is filled with very good fiction. However, nothing I have read in this genre compares to the "uplift/inspiration/joy/encouragement" which this story engenders. The girls and their foster father, with a worthy supporting cast, are memorable; their exploits exciting; their growth superb; their lessons of life divine. Yes, I admit, "I am gushing". This piece deserves a MUCH LARGER AUDIENCE. It should be released as an Amazon ebook--at the very least.
I return frequently to learn more of the lives of my favorite fictitious family...and also Papaof2's real life, and challenges. In time, If I cannot buy it whole, I will simply transfer it by means of repeated "cuts and pastes" to Word format. I have already read the portions to date more than once. I shall do so again.
Papafor2, you have given the world a precious gift of hope and love in a fictional dystopia. You teach morals, mentoring, modeling, how to praise, how to correct with patience, and so many other wholesome and salutary traits and virtues. God bless you for sharing your art with us.
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Post by papaof2 on Feb 10, 2014 13:35:39 GMT -6
mourningamerica -
Thank you.
This started as a short story with a different kind of "heroes" and has since taken on a life of its own - quite literally in a few chapters that became much more than I had in the outline. That still happens on occasion: the most recent chapter was originally outlined as a simple intro to the rest of the day and just grew from that.
There are some characters that aren't in the original outline but simply developed out of circumstances. I have a chapter involving one of those characters that's about a week out in the timeline, but it went directly from outline to ready-to-edit in a couple of hours, instead of the much-more-common multiple days to get a chapter completed. I'm sure there will still be chapters that take multiple days :-)
Considering the positive comments on the story, I've thought about making it into a Kindle book - primarily for exposure, as the 35 cent royalty on a 99 cent book isn't likely to move me into a higher tax bracket ;-)
Needing a title that fits the PAW genre, what about this? After the Bio-War Book 1 - An Accidental Family
At this point, I don't know if there will be other books, although following the family and community for a few years might provide material for several books: Alice and the one-room school (plus any romance she might find along the way); Kate and Jack dealing with farming, raising horses, married life (possibly additional children?); integrating the Chinese soldiers into the community; requests from other areas for help with pacification, feral dog elimination, electrical generating plant startup; getting train service running (initially local, then perhaps to/from Texas) for passengers and freight. I better write that down - my mind may not be quite as sharp after dealing with the aftermath of the 8 hours of freezing rain which are predicted for the wee hours of Wednesday morning...
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