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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 8, 2017 23:39:34 GMT -6
Hmm, Papaof2, have you asked Bruce Armstrong about the kinds of licenses issued by the government in his state? The world is a crazy place to live.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 11, 2017 11:08:53 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 4
It was about a week later when Michael decided to drop in on Rose and see how she was getting along. It was less than a one hour hike down hill from his recently completed house, and as always he carried a pack of his emergency supplies. This time he also brought along a collection of his tools in case she needed help with any chores. When he got to her porch he eased the pack down next to the door and used the old brass knocker to rap on the door. After a minute he saw some movement of the curtains at the window nearest the door. Soon the door was opened only a crack with Rose peeking through.
“Michael? Uh – thank you for coming by. I really did not expect to see you, though. It is so sweet of you to actually come check on me, but I'm afraid I am not prepared for company.”
“Rose,” Michael was speaking very gently to Rose who was still hiding behind the door with only a tiny crack between the door and the door frame, “remember I have been through what you are going through. I understand. I am going out to your wood pile to chop some firewood for you. While I am doing that you need to get yourself ready, because we are going into town for lunch. You need to get out even if you are not sure you feel like seeing people right now. I won't force you to see a lot of people. It will just be a brief trip to town, and then you can come back home. When you are ready to go, you know where I will be.”
Before she could protest Michael had grabbed his tools and left the porch. He had no idea how much firewood she had already, but after the previous winter he had decided you could never have enough firewood. He thought about the way she had answered the door, and remembered too well the crushing ache of loosing his own wife. There were moments when he had felt like the whole world had come to a complete halt. There were days when he had to push himself all day long to just put one foot in front of another. The very few times when a friend or acquaintance came by to spend a few minutes with him had felt like he was being forced to take a breath from an oxygen tank. He disliked being pushed, but the results were undeniably refreshing. Rose being out so far from town made it even more important for someone to check on her from time to time. She needed contact with other people.
Rose drove them to town in her car since Michael no longer had one. Michael made a point of keeping the conversation light while she drove. He really had little choice, because Rose was not being overly talkative at the moment. When they got to the tavern Colleen was especially attentive to Rose, and even Liam stopped at their table to say hello. While they were eating Michael suggested that Rose should try to think about any supplies she might need while they were in town. She did think of a few things, so Michael agreed to meet her back at the tavern in an hour. On the drive back, Rose was showing signs of being more animated. It was clear the brief excursion was something she sorely needed. Michael decided he ought to come back in a few days to check on her again, rather than wait until their next meeting with Rebecca. He told her he needed to get back to his place and finish some chores before nightfall, but he would be back in three days to cut some more firewood for her. She tried to tell him that was not necessary since she had a big tank of LP gas for the stove and heaters, but he insisted he would be back. “If you don't think you need fire wood for backup to your gas and electric heat, then you need to think of something else I can do to help get you ready for the winter.” Michael was concerned that she had a backup source for heat in the winter ahead, even if she didn't feel up to thinking about possible complications right now. He was actually very worried about that, since her wood pile was virtually empty.
A few days later when he went to check on Rose she actually opened the door and invited him in. There were a few winter preparation tasks she asked him to help with, and she insisted he stay for supper also. It was dark by the time he got home, but he admitted to himself that having a chance to talk with another person was a good thing for him, too. He wanted to come back soon before she thought up too many more things to keep him busy on a visit. He was concerned that she had so little firewood, and he was determined to make sure she was well supplied. Up here the mere chance of something going wrong with her heating could have serious consequences with out a backup source of heat.
When Michael and Rose met with Rebecca, at the end of the next week there were piles of papers and documents to sign. Because of their isolation Rebecca was going to need to handle virtually all of the arrangements and transactions to come. It would be possible for her to come out when necessary for Rose to sign papers, but getting word to Michael about when she might need to get paper work signed would be almost as impractical as her walking the paper work directly to his place up on the mountain. Everything had to be coordinated and completed by a deadlines in order for Michael's plan to work in Rose's favor, but Rebecca was eager to make it happen. Rebecca thanked Michael again, profusely, for helping Rose and for helping her. “I suppose you know, Michael, that you have taught me about a number of tools and strategies that I will be able to offer to some of my other clients and maybe even some future clients. I will be able to use your ideas to help other families well beyond my work on John and Rose's estate.”
“I know from experience, Rebecca, how hard it is to think things through clearly right after losing a spouse. I hope you can use some of our ideas to help others avoid a crisis. The Van Hoosen land is a protective buffer for my small parcel, and if I can help Rose keep that land in her family and away from land predators, then I consider that a good thing for everyone concerned. I am glad you are learning a bit more about how families can be smart in advance to protect their land assets. It seems our culture has lead most of us to forget the inherent value of the land we are standing on.”
“I am so grateful that you two are looking out for me.” Rose told Rebecca and Michael. “John spoke often about how the land had been in his family for so long. He really anguished over selling that small plot to you, Michael. I am beginning to think it might have been providential that you decided to move up here when you did.”
Colleen saw that Rebecca was gathering and putting away the piles of paper work, so she approached the table. “This meeting seems to be starting out in a much better mood than when you first arrived a couple of weeks ago, Rebecca. I am relieved to see that. Are you three about ready for dinner?”
Rebecca spoke up. “Yes, Colleen, dinner would be great, and this time I am buying. As for your concerns about Rose, with Michael's help I think we are going to be taking very good care of Rose, now.”
When they had finish their meal Rebecca headed back to 'civilization', and Rose drove Michael back as far as her house. She invited Michael in for a cup of coffee or tea, but he declined saying it was after dark, and he still had to get home to check on his animals. Before leaving he promised to be checking on her again very soon. On his walk up the mountain he mulled over how easily that plan to save the family farm for Rose had come to him. It was like all the bits and pieces from many past dealings just fell into place without his even having to work up a solution. His lack of effort, however, did not diminish his satisfaction and sense of celebration in being able to rescue her from what might have been a devastating experience for her.
Michael was staying very busy getting his Haven ready for winter. Having not raised farm animals before, and he was anxious about taking care of their needs. He had to assure they all had food, water, and adequate protection from some pretty cold weather. The young kids were getting bigger now, but this animal husbandry was all new territory for him. He had read several books this summer and fall about caring for goats and chickens on a homestead, but there were so many variations in breeds and climates to consider. He knew there were simply many things to be handled where he would just have to do the best he could, and try to learn from his experiences. He hoped that in maybe in a couple of more years he would feel more like he knew what he was doing with his farming adventure. He was learning so much so late in his life. Some how he needed to pass along the knowledge he was gaining to others who are much younger and would come after him. It would be pointless if all he accomplished here was to prolong his own life through the turmoil that was looming.
Michael was also spending time furnishing his house. It had far more space than he needed for himself, but that too was all according to the plan. The table and benches had been his first efforts ever at furniture making. After that his efforts to design and build a bed did not take all that long. After his success with building a bed he got really adventurous and started to work on a rocking chair. When he had finished it wasn't what he could call pretty, but he was pleased that it actually would rock and didn't break when he sat in it. A rocking chair was not be the most urgent furniture need, but he had some very fond memories of his wife spending time in the evenings in her rocker reading to the children and decorating their daughter's tiny dresses with her needlework. A real home just needed a rocker.
Michael's bed had turned out very comfortable. He already indulged himself with a cheat on his 'can I make it myself'' rule and ordered a feather mattress through Pete at his store in town. It was had been so much more comfortable than a sleeping bag on the hardwood floor. Apparently Pete had mentioned it to his wife, Beth, because a month after Michael ordered one, Pete had thanked Michael for that idea. Beth had Pete order one, too, as a topper on their own bed and they really loved it. That got Michael to thinking that fabrics and textiles were going to be a challenge at the haven. He was probably going to need to add a few sheep to his live stock mix since he had chosen the breed of goats he bought primarily for their meat and dairy characteristics, along with their adaptability to somewhat colder climates. Ducks or geese might be great to have also, but they would be problematic, as there was no open water on his small acreage.
As fall deepened Michael was still making time to check on Rose about twice a week. Sometimes the weather caused a delay for a day or two, but he was diligent about his visits to assure her that she had a friend who could be counted on for help when she needed it. After a while she seemed to be in a much better mood when he came to visit and she was managing the day to day things. Michael remembered, however, his own experience of putting on a cheerful face when others were around to mask the ache inside. He kept up the visits, partly because of his concern for her, but also because he enjoyed the chance to chat with another person. Once he had gotten his harvesting and canning finished he had more flexibility in his time outside tending to the animals, and he did not feel so rushed during his visits.
The auction that had been scheduled had taken place 'without a hitch', as Michael described it. Rebecca got the paperwork processed quickly with the county and filed with the federal and state tax authorities. The probate judge on the case was very efficient in proving John's will without any delays, so Rose officially owned the house, the farm, and several narrow valleys surrounding the two or three mountains that Michael now owned. Rebecca had brought the final documents to Rose's house and Michael just happened to be there too, on one of his periodic visits. Michael reassured Rose, again, that he still considered all that land hers, and he would be sure to sell it back to her over the next few years so it did not draw unwanted attention. Rose did not mention to Michael that because of the timing of John's death most of their cash crops were never harvested this year. Next spring she would have to hire someone to help with the farming in order to bring in anywhere near the kind of revenue they had been getting. She had decided she would need to live on somewhat less income since she was alone, now. She was determined to buy all the land back from Michael, not because she wanted all the land, but because she could not imagine leaving Michael stuck with a lot of land he could not use and without his retirement money.
It was the end of November, just after Thanksgiving, when a storm system came through bringing with it about two feet of snow. That considerably delayed one of Michael's visits to Rose. By the time he could make the trek to Rose's house he was feeling unusually anxious to get there, so he could assure himself that she was okay. It had been almost three weeks since he checked on her, and that was by far the longest stretch he had gone without seeing her since early August. It was a new experience for him plodding through the snow in snow shoes. On his first attempt to make the trek, a few days before, he had been forced to turn back to his own house and wait a few days before trying again. The powder was just too deep and soft. Fortunately, since then the sun had slightly melted the top layer of snow a few days in a row, and it had refrozen when the sun went down. The top layer had become fairly firm and almost crusty in many places. He was still having to watch carefully for shady spots where the powder never melted on top. It was hard when he sank into two feet of powder without the top crust, and had to plow through it to better footing wearing those awkward snow shoes. It was worse when he crossed a low spot in the ground that had been filled in with drifting powder. After breaking through the surface crust it was quite a challenge to clamor out of a three or four foot deep well of snow wearing a pack and snow shoes. Today he was determined not to turn back. It had been far too long since he had seen Rose.
By the time he reached the flat fields at the edge of the forest he was grateful for the uniform terrain. Here he did not have to worry about hidden hollows or shade from the trees. As he made his way out into the field he could smell wood burning in her fireplace. It concerned him that Rose might be out of her LP Gas and was resorting to using her fireplace for heat. He tried to pick up his pace across the snow without punching through the crust. Not having a trail to follow and trying to pick the path with the least pitfalls, he had emerged from the forest fairly near the main road on the side of her house toward town. As he was coming across the field he saw a pick-up with oversized tires coming up her driveway toward the house from the main road. When it stopped near her porch, two figures climbed out and plodded awkwardly toward the house. They were obviously moving carefully looking all around as they approached her porch as if scoping out their surroundings. Even from where he was, about a hundred and fifty yards, away Michael could hear them pounding on Rose's front door. Michael was narrowing the distance to the house as quickly as he could in spite of the awkwardness of his snow shoes. The next thing he knew they had kicked in her door and he heard Rose scream.
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Post by 9idrr on Jan 11, 2017 20:57:06 GMT -6
Things really did to seem to be moving too smoothly. Thanks for posting more.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 11, 2017 22:45:32 GMT -6
I was starting to worry that my readers might be getting bored. Heh, heh, heh.
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Post by misterjimbo on Jan 11, 2017 23:51:59 GMT -6
This is looking good. Thanks.
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 12, 2017 0:19:37 GMT -6
You are aware that cliffhangers incite the Moar Monster? Expect to hear from that monster soon.
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Post by 9idrr on Jan 12, 2017 16:10:52 GMT -6
I was starting to worry that my readers might be getting bored. Heh, heh, heh. Hell, if that's all it takes to get you to write more... I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm bored. Come on folks, all together now, "I'm bored". Let's all sing the chorus to inspire him.
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Post by kaijafon on Jan 12, 2017 20:44:48 GMT -6
CRAP! I'm "bored"! totally and utterly bored.
hehehehehe!
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 13, 2017 0:12:14 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 5
Michael dropped his pack into the snow. Before going on he stooped and grabbed his pack axe and machete out of their sheaths on the backpack. He could hear one of the men shouting, but he could only barely hear frightened responses from Rose. When Michael got to the truck's tracks on the driveway, he released his snow shoes and ran along the packed down tracks to the porch. He quickly and almost silently skipped all of the steps leaping to the top of the porch. In two more steps he was inside the open door. Both men essentially had their backs to him. One man had a hand full of Rose's hair in one hand bending her neck down at an awkward tilt, while he held a pistol in her face with his other hand. The second man also had his back mostly toward Michael as he held the pistol in his hand down to his side watching his partner interrogate Rose. The man holding Rose by the hair was saying something to her in a loud and threatening tone, but Michael's brain did not even process the words. The instant Michael's brain registered the first man wrenching Rose's head by her hair and threatening her with a gun the adrenaline really kicked in hard. He was no longer consciously thinking. His subconscious was in complete control and racing to resolve the threat.
Unnoticed by the two men who were noisily focused on Rose, Michael stepped quietly closer and crossed his hands low in front of him. Michael's crossed arms both snapped up and out in a flash with the strength he had developed from a year of chopping down oak trees and manhandling half ton logs. That strength was enhanced and accelerated by his adrenaline rush. The business ends of his razor sharp logging tools struck one man hard in the side of his head behind his ear and cut the other deep, very deep, into the side of his neck. Both men were both frozen in place like two trees being felled that were just starting to tip. Rose, who had been held by her hair at a deliberately awkward angle, barely grasped that something had just happened when her hair was released and she fell to her knees. The two men she had been afraid would kill her at any moment were tumbling to the floor on either side of her and there was blood, a lot of blood. She looked up in shock to see Michael standing between the two fallen men with an axe and machete clutched in either of his gloved fists. When she began to whimper and shake uncontrollably, Michael dropped his tools and stooped down to her. He scooped her up off the floor and quickly carried her out of the front room and down the hallway.
Michael was still cradling Rose in his arms as he sat down in a rocker he had seen from the hallway in her sewing room. He began to rock and talk soothingly to calm her. “I am so sorry, Rose. You're safe now. That's all over now. They can't hurt you, Rose. I'm here now, Rose. I'll protect you now. You're going to be alright, Rose.” Her whimpers had turned to sobs, and Michael continued to rock and hold her as she was letting go of the emotional stress of the last few terrifying minutes. It took some time, but gradually her sobs died away as she clung to Michael's coat. Michael was focused on Rose right now, and that was what he needed to keep his own mind off the scene he had created in the front of the house.
After a few more minutes of rocking Michael spoke to her gently again. “Rose, I am going to take you to my house for tonight. I can keep you safe there. You need to not stay here alone. This has been a terrible experience, and you need to stay with me so I can take care of you. I am going to help you gather a few things you will need to stay overnight. My home is safe place, Rose. Just focus on that for now, and try not to worry about anything else.”
Michael helped her gather a few clothes and personal items together, being careful to not let her go into the front room. He rolled her things into a wool blanket he pulled out of her linen closet. He also found some old snowshoes she had remembered that John had put away in the mud room. Michael closed the front door and braced it shut it as well as he could with the latch broken. He doused the fire in the fireplace but had to leave the flue open because of the heat. That would be letting cold air down the chimney before long but that was in this instance a good thing. He got Rose bundled up for the cold weather and took her out the back door. Rose was still in a daze and was clinging to Michael's gloved hand. Heading across the field he picked up his back pack, tied her blanket roll on top of it, and slipped it onto his back. Once they got back to the trail he had made through the forest, she was mostly following behind him where he was packing down his previous path ahead of her. She wasn't talking at all, and Michael was only making occasional comments about the weather, the snow, and the path through the woods, hoping he could keep her from brooding too much. He soon realized he still needed distraction to keep from thinking about the scene he had left in the front room. He started telling to Rose about his place, which she had not yet seen. Michael realized the he was the only person who had ever seen it, and Rose would be the first person other than himself to set foot inside the home he had built.
Long before they got to his house, Rose was exhausted from her experience, the up hill climb into the mountains, and plodding through the deep snow. Michael held out a hand to her to help support her, but he could tell she genuinely needed rest. He was worried about letting her stop however, because the temperature was already dropping again, even with the mid-day sun in a cloudless sky. When her steps began to falter and she stumbled several times, he again scooped her up to carry her. She protested that he couldn't possible carry her, but he shushed her saying he was only giving her a chance to rest a little, and they needed to get to his house before the temperature dropped too far. She soon relented and let him carry on. Before long, with the rhythmic rocking pace he was taking, her exhaustion won out and she was asleep.
Rose was a small woman, fortunately, but with their combined weight the snow was sinking in deeper even with Michael's snow shoes retracing his previous trail. By the time they reached his house Michael's arms and legs were really feeling the burn. He carried her inside and eased her onto the bed. He gently removed her snow shoes and boots, then threw one of his blankets over her. He quickly stoked more wood into the fireplace and regathered the scattered glowing coals from the ashes. He also lit a fire in the cook-stove and emptied two quart jars of stew into a pot on a burner plate. He was nearing exhaustion, but with the temperature dropping, he needed to check on the animals. He wrote a big note on a piece of paper and pinned it to a blanket in the rocking chair he had set beside the bed. When he returned from tending the animals Rose was still asleep, so he set the pot of stew off the burner plate and sat down in the rocker beside her bed to read. Soon Michael, too, had dozed off.
It was almost evening before she stirred. When her eyes finally opened she was startled awake, being in a strange place after a frightening experience. Michael woke up when he heard her, gently calmed her, and helped her get her bearings. He brought her to the table where she sat down on one of the benches. Soon Michael had served them both some steaming hot bowls of stew with some fresh corn bread sticks. He could tell from her eyes that her mind was racing, but he only answered the questions she asked him. Gradually she started talking more, and told Michael how the power had gone out soon after his visit on Thanksgiving Day. The storm was just starting to blow in and she assumed that was the cause of the power going out. With the storm being somewhat early in the season she had not yet gotten her tank of LP Gas refilled this winter. The storm kept worsening, and she had been getting pretty low on gas before the storm. With the power out she could not reach her supplier to schedule a delivery. About ten days later her tank was empty.
At one point a road crew must have cleared some of the snow out at the main road, but the snow was too deep along the drive from her house to the road for her to head into town. Fortunately she had the firewood that Michael had insisted on cutting for her. She had managed to heat up her food in her fireplace using an old cast iron skillet and dutch oven. She had been getting eager or more honestly anxious for the power to come back. She kept hoping Michael would drop by, but she had realized it was impossible for him to get there with the weather and the snow being so deep.
Her anxiety had been building day by day with the power still off after two weeks. When those two men drove up at first she thought they might be able to help her. They had a truck with the chassis raised up and very large snow tires. As they got closer, though, she realized something was very wrong about them. When they broke in and grabbed her they were yelling and asking about how she well she was set up for the winter, how much food she had, how much fuel she had, and was she alone. They were waving their guns at her, threatening her, and saying things that were not making sense to her about conditions everywhere, and that they would be using her place for the rest of the winter until things were back to normal. She was absolutely terrified, then suddenly Michael was there.
Michael helped Rose settle in and relax for a few days. He got her to bundle up and go with him as he tended to the animals every day. He showed her how he had things set up for his farm, and the supplies he had stored for making it through the winter. He slept in a sleeping bag on the floor so she could sleep in the bed, but to appease her protests he started building another bed. After three days, he decided it was time to have a more serious conversation with her. They had not been back to her house yet, and Michael knew he should notify the Sheriff about what happened. He knew the bodies would not have decomposed with the freezing weather, but he wanted to avoid exposing Rose to the gruesome scene in her front room. They decided that since it was mostly down hill from his place to hers that having rested she could make the trek with him following the same path again to her house. From there they could take her farm pick-up on into town without her having to view the scene inside her house. The road might not be perfectly clear, but it had been clear enough for that other pickup to make it out from town.
They left early the next morning, and followed the same path down the mountain in the snow that they had struggled through on the way up the mountain. Rose paused right where Michael had started carrying her on the trek up to his house saying she needed to rest a minute. She saw how her tracks up the mountain had stopped there and Michael's had deepened. She was surprised how far from Michael's house that was but did not say anything to him about it while she rested. When they got closer to her house she paused again for a time to look out over the snow at the tracks to and from her house. The pick-up the men had driven was still parked in front of her porch. Michael interrupted her reverie to put his arm around her shoulder. “You are safe, Rose. That is in the past now.” They went straight to her garage and got in John's truck. Michael climbed into the driver's seat without any discussion as Rose seemed a bit disconnected again since seeing the intruders' truck.
As they drove toward town Rose was quiet for a while, then finally spoke. “Michael,” Rose's voice was measured and steady. “I never thanked you for what you did. Every time I start to think about it, I sort of mentally go away somewhere. I may have lived a sheltered life in some ways, but I know enough to understand what would have happened if you had not rescued me, again. Thank you, Michael. I owe you so much. I can't begin to tell you how much … If it weren't for you I ...”
“Let's not think too much about that, Rose, and you do not owe me anything. You are a good friend, and friends help each other; they don't owe each other. I am grateful that I somehow arrived at the right time. The fact that you are safe now is a bigger reward to me than anything else could be. I just want to be sure I can keep you safe from here on.”
As they approached the town Michael had a strange sense that something was wrong. There were a few cars that were parked along the street by some stores, but he suddenly realized that even though it was nearly noon, no one was driving on the main road or the side streets. He pulled in at the tavern and noticed one front window was boarded up. He hurried around to the passenger door before Rose could climb out and walked her into the tavern staying closer to her than he normally would. Even though it was almost noon, the tavern was dark inside, except for the light through the intact windows, and almost empty when they stepped in. Liam popped his head out of the back and spotted them, then Colleen came rushing up to hug Rose. Liam was standing close by and reached out to shake Michael's hand.
“Hello, Michael. I'm glad to see that both of you are okay.”
Michael gave Liam a puzzled look. Liam had a nasty knot on the side of his head. “Liam, I was about to say we both feel lucky to be okay, but maybe you need to fill in some gaps for us, before we talk about that. We have been pretty isolated for a few weeks. What is going on here in town?”
Liam turned to Colleen. “Darling, why don't you stay out here with our friends. I am going to get us all something to eat. I will be right back in just a minute.”
Colleen led them to a table near the kitchen door and lit a candle in a table lamp. Then she sat where she could watch the front door and the rest of the dining area. She started talking distractedly with a few references to 'all that has been going on' while Michael and Rose were growing more concerned about not having a clue what all had been going on. Finally Liam brought out a big tray filled with a stack of plates and serving bowls full of food. They all helped get their table set up as Liam kept glancing at the front door.
Michael started talking first. “Rose has been through a frightening experience, but thankfully she is safe and unharmed. We will tell you more about that in a little while, but first you need to catch us up to speed about what has happened around here in the last few weeks. Obviously the power is still out, but we have not heard anything beyond that.”
Liam started talking about the power outage a little over two weeks ago. The tavern had a backup generator, which they would run periodically and managed to get some news over the radio. Apparently the power outage was very wide spread, so it was hard to get much information about when it would be back on. Everyone assumed it was related to the winter storm in the region, but the news reports were staying very focused on the nearby effects of the power outage without offering an explanation for what caused it. In fact, a few people in town had began to wonder out loud why all of the news reports were neglecting more and more to report anything about national news. “The power never came back on. The gas station couldn't pump gas and everyone here either ran out of gas, or they were afraid to use what little they had left. None of the scheduled deliveries have shown up in almost two weeks. Eventually we started loosing the signals from the radio stations which had been operating on emergency back up power. Finally the news just stopped. ”
“That is when things started getting really scary. Several groups of hooligans who had apparently found extra fuel started showing up in town looking for food and not caring what it took to steal it. Jake and Mara were both killed by someone, and their grocery store was completely trashed and emptied.” At the news about Jake and Mara Michael's eyes hardened and the muscles in his forehead created deep furrows. Rose gasped and grabbed Michael's hand.
Liam continued as if he did not notice their reactions.“Some of those – thugs tried to do the same here at the Tavern, but fortunately there were too many patrons inside here at the time who had no patience for that sort of thing. Those two young men over there have agreed to help guard the tavern, until things settle down and get back to normal. In exchange we are providing them a little help from our remaining food supply. They are young honest fellas, but they have families and didn't have enough food stored back for something like this. We can't even get through to the sheriff. All the telephones and cell phones are out. Pete Burleson has a CB radio and was able to talk to someone who also had a HAM radio, but he hasn't found any place that is really functioning normally.”
Colleen interrupted, “Michael, you said Rose had a frightening experience. What happened? Are you two okay?”
Rose did not answer, and turned to Michael. Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “A few days ago two scavengers with guns kicked in Rose's front door and grabbed her. They were clearly intending to take over her house for themselves for the winter. Fortunately, I was coming to check on Rose and saw from a short distance away when they busted in. Rose has spent the last few nights at my house so she would be safe. We came back to town to contact the sheriff and report what happened.”
Colleen was suddenly pale. “Oh, my gosh! They had guns? Were either of you hurt? Michael, how in the world did you get Rose away from them if they had guns?”
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Post by ydderf on Jan 13, 2017 9:22:24 GMT -6
Thank you for not leaving us hang over the cliff for too long. My fingers were starting to cramp,grin. Perhaps Micheal needs to come in from the wilderness and help the villagers survive.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 13, 2017 18:27:46 GMT -6
You guys are going to have to cool it. Your encouragement is seducing me into proofing what I have already written and posting it too quickly, rather than spending my time writing the threads I have only sketched out so far.
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Post by 9idrr on Jan 13, 2017 22:02:07 GMT -6
You guys are going to have to cool it. Your encouragement is seducing me into proofing what I have already written and posting it too quickly, rather than spending my time writing the threads I have only sketched out so far.
But... but... but... I'm Booooooored! Seriously, sir, I'm most appreciative of what you've post so far, especially with your family situation.
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Post by blackpowderguy on Jan 14, 2017 14:24:03 GMT -6
A fine yarn to be sure. Waiting for moar.
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Post by 9idrr on Jan 14, 2017 14:54:45 GMT -6
I'm bored. I'm so bored. I'm really bored. Nah, I ain't bored, with all I have to do in real life, but if it works to get more story... This chapter, with it's loss of power, reminds me that I'm overdue to dump another old 5 gallon gas can into the truck so I can take it to town tomorrow or Monday when I get fuel. I'll be down to 1/3 of a tank in the truck and with gas bein' 40-50 cents cheaper, and I'm probably gonna do some food shopping and hittin' Dollar Tree, and maybe Dollar General anyway I can make sure to have fresh stuff for the generators. See, this story's helpin' me keep up with my supplies. Thanks, pbbrown0.
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 14, 2017 14:55:33 GMT -6
A fine yarn to be sure. Waiting for moar. Note to our distinguished author: I cautioned you about the Moar Monster - and now it's here ;-)
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Post by kaijafon on Jan 14, 2017 21:00:51 GMT -6
I had to turn my heaters on. now am wondering what I can use for snow shoes since I don't have any. and realizing that if the electric goes out, I shall freeze so got a bunch of blankets out and wood by the firepit
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Post by papaof2 on Jan 14, 2017 21:10:02 GMT -6
I had to turn my heaters on. now am wondering what I can use for snow shoes since I don't have any. and realizing that if the electric goes out, I shall freeze so got a bunch of blankets out and wood by the firepit My kerosene heater is in the basement. Multiple gallons of kerosene in the shed out back. Ask Mr. Spock if your transporter is working ;-) Can't send the gas logs in the fireplace: they're connected to the natural gas line (but the remote and the on/off solenoid run on batteries so no AC power needed - unlike many gas log installations).
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 14, 2017 23:26:42 GMT -6
I am going to post some more, but I am asking a favor. Please offer suggestions and critique along with your MOAR roar. Thank you all for your kind words. I truly appreciate your responses.
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 14, 2017 23:31:00 GMT -6
OUT OF THE STUMP Post # 7
Rose spoke up. “Colleen, Michael has been a real life saver for me since my first meeting here with Rebecca Sargent this past summer, but this time he literally saved my life. It was really horrible, but I would rather not go back through the details just yet. It was ...” Rose gave a little shudder and tried to dismiss the images flashing through her mind.
Michael wanted to steer the conversation away from a detailed discussion of the scene at Rose's house. He reached over and gently laid his other hand on top of Rose's hand where she was gripping his and spoke quietly. “It's going to be okay Rose. That is behind you, now. We are going to stay focused on what is ahead, now.” He turned back to Colleen and Liam. “Liam, I have not discussed this with anyone from around here, yet, so I am not going to tell anyone here I told you so. I will tell y'all now, however, that I have seen this coming. This is the reason I came to live here, and why I have built a Haven, designed for getting through this. Try to believe me when I tell you things are not going to get back to normal for a long time. We don't even have a reason being reported for the outage, and the power has been out over a very wide area for more than two weeks. The road ahead is going to be very hard on everyone. There is an unbelievably massive horde of people, not that far away in the cities, and you can bet that they are already getting desperately hungry. The key word there is desperate. If we wait around here for help and for things to get back to normal, we simply will not survive. With what you are telling me already happened here and what happened out at the Van Hoosen house – I need to get Rose back home as soon as I can, where I can keep her safe. I hope you and Colleen are willing to join us. I am inviting you to join us, Liam. I have made a place that will be safe, and I have enough food for the four of us and maybe one more couple. If we can gather more food, we could handle more than that. You and Colleen know the people in this town. I think I can help a few more folks to survive this if you know they are willing to adapt and work with us. If you are going to join us, we need to move quickly, and we need to identify those we can help and get them on board before it is too late.”
Rose reached over with her other hand and took Colleen's hand. “Colleen, I have known you since you were my student in grade school. I know this all sounds scary, and truthfully it is scary. I think you and Liam need to trust Michael, and trust what he is telling you. Michael seems to be the only one around here who had the foresight to get ready for this, and I believe he knows how to deal with what is coming next. He is right about his food supply at the moment, but we have all the land we need to grow more once we get through the winter. We don't have enough furniture, yet, but we have plenty of room and Michael knows how to make more furniture. I really want you and Liam to come home with us where you can stay safe too, Colleen.”
Colleen and Liam were looking back and forth at Rose, Michael, and then each other. Liam spoke to Michael. “I don't know exactly what kind of place you have set up, Michael, or what exactly you have in mind when you talk about our 'adapting and working with you', but It sounds to me like you are offering to rescue us. If you will forgive the pun, we are kind of in the dark about what all is going on right now. We just know this is not a good place to be. We might hold out a bit longer with our food here, but we are not prepared to defend it from more looters armed with guns. Don't get me wrong, I have had to use guns before, but that was a different time and a different place. I feel almost like you just handed me a blank piece of paper and asked me to sign up with your plan, no questions asked, with a promise that you will write out a good plan on that paper after I sign it.” He stopped and looked again at Colleen. “Colleen admires and trusts Rose a lot, so if Rose trusts you and she is with you, then we are too.” Then he reached out to shake Michael's hand.
“Thank you for your vote of trust, Liam. And thank you too, Rose. Let me start out explaining this much. We quite simply cannot support anyone and everyone. We need people who are willing to share the work load, and not get contentious over their trying to get a bigger share of something for themselves, if you get my drift. We probably need to start with not more than six couples and their children if they have any. That is the way I designed my house. With everyone helping we can make room for a few more later on, but like I said we do have a big issue at the moment with how long food supplies will last for that many. You and Colleen understand how much work is involved merely feeding a large group of people, but there we also have to work the farm so there will be enough food for everyone. Also, as Rose mentioned, we have space, but it will take work to make it more comfortable, since it is not yet furnished. There is only one bed finished so far, and I have been sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag since I brought Rose there. It isn't even divided up into family spaces yet.”
Rose asked a question as she interlaced her fingers with Michael's, “You are including you and me and then Liam and Colleen as two of those six couples, right, Michael? The floor plan looks like it is perfect for us to to divide into six separate family spaces in addition to the common areas.”
Michael gave her hand a little squeeze. “Yes Rose. At the moment four more couples is probably the limit of our space. I hope there are other safe places where other people can find adequate shelter for now, but that is all the space we have so far at the Haven. I keep repeating this because it frustrates me, but I honestly do not have enough food stored to support six families. With the food I have and what you and the others have we might be able to stretch through the winter. I was hoping for more time to get ready, but I can only do as much as I can do. I just hope we can find enough food to make it through the winter until we can grow more next spring.”
“Liam, Colleen, safety is going to be a serious issue and secrecy is a critical factor in our safety. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg where the danger from scavengers is concerned. I will not hesitate for an instant to defend the ones I care for, and I believe in being prepared for the unexpected. If any of the people you are thinking about do any hunting, Liam, they ought to bring their guns with them. However, I am not a soldier, and defending a fortress against an armed onslaught does not seem to be a viable strategy for my place. My focus is on the effort to shelter and feed everyone within our group. That means we simply must assure that this Haven doesn't look like a prime target to a large group of marauders. I need the two of you to carefully contact a few families you think we can best help and trust. Set up a private meeting in a location that we do not advertise, so we can explain all this to them ”
Liam and Colleen got up from the table to go speak first with Josh and Jacob, the two young men across the dinning hall helping to guard the tavern. Michael turned to Rose. “Rose, I sincerely appreciate your vote of confidence earlier, but the conversation we were having included some rather significant implications. We are going to be living and working together closely under some rather intense conditions. I think we need to clarify a few things so there are no mistaken assumptions or misunderstandings about our relationship. First, I must admit that I like you a lot, Rose, and you are certainly a very attractive young lady. I am, however, concerned that you lost your husband less than a year ago, and that put you in an emotionally vulnerable place. I happened to be your nearest neighbor who was trying to help you through a difficult period. Then you found yourself in a very frightening situation, and by chance I was also the one who helped you through that crisis. You had no sooner gotten out of that crisis, when you now find your self in another huge crisis, with me as an available rescuer once again.”
“Rose, if this were only about me, I would be only too eager to make a commitment to our relationship, and to taking care of you the best way I possibly can. But I do care about what is best for you, Rose, and I am just not sure you have had a chance yet to think through the possibilities or long term consequences of making a commitment to a much older man like me, who by mere chance was available to help during repeated crises in your life. I don't want to be taking advantage of you just because you had to grab the only life preserver available. I want you you take time to think through all your options.”
“Michael, for someone who is so smart you can be really stupid.” Rose was gently shaking her head. “First, you failed to mention that you have been a caring and steadfast friend to me all through the past several months, a far better friend than anyone else including some I have known for years. Your understanding and concern for my well being while I was grieving told me a great deal about the kind of person you are. Second, your list of the times you rescued me neglected to mention several other less dramatic ways in which you came to my rescue That many instances in the relatively short time we have known each other can hardly be considered random chance. Third, those times you rescued me were not merely blind reactions on your part to the circumstances. Those crises were each very different, and you made intentional choices to take on risks in order to help me. Your extraordinary choices made it abundantly clear to me what kind of man you really are. Fourth, some people may see you as old, but only if they are checking the the calendar – not if they are paying any attention to the way you are living. You will probably outlive many men much younger than you are. Fifth, considering my age the very fact that you would say I am a very attractive young lady says volumes about how you really feel about me in spite of your determined efforts to keep your feelings in check. I can't be that much younger than you, Michael, but thank you for the obviously biased and flattering compliment. Sixth, if you were less than eager to make a commitment I would consider your willingness inadequate. Finally, I have considered my options, and this is far more discussion than we really need on this subject. Unless you are merely too afraid to ask, and I think you decisively proved earlier this week that you are no coward, I think it is time for you to man up and take the risk, Michael. Ask the question!”
“Will you marry me, Rose?”
“In a heartbeat, Michael.”
Michael picked up Rose in a spinning hug, kissing her as they spun around. Suddenly there was cheering from the other four people in the tavern. They all crowded around with their congratulations and celebration of the decision they had overheard. The two young men, Josh and Jacob, thanked Michael and Rose for including them in the invitation and promised they would be back with their families soon after dark. Liam and Colleen excused themselves noting they needed to make a few more contacts before the meeting. Michael sat down with Rose to consider, in spite of their obvious distraction, some concerns about taking care of a group at the Haven.
“Rose, until this week I had not spoken to anyone up here about my intentions. Everyone I talked to back home either thought I was just plain nuts, or in a very few cases they were convinced I was going about this all wrong. I finally quit talking to people about it and just dove in head first by myself. The thing is – as much as I second guess myself, I am sure of the approach I am taking it the right one, at least for us. Everyone has to choose their own path, and this path is probably not the right one for most people. For me it is the only path on which I feel sure I can take care of you, Rose, and a few others. I wish I could help a lot more people, because there are so many that – but I simply don't have the means to do that. Our culture tries to hold up a Utopian ideal of everyone deserving an equal share of being taken care of, and the whole world being wonderful. The problem is the very name Utopia means there is no such thing. I was hoping to be able to help more people, but we came to the crossroads before I was ready for it.” Michael was clearly frustrated and worried about telling Liam and Colleen he had to draw the line on the number being invited.
“Michael, do you realize how few people are prepared or able to even take care of their own family, yet you are kicking yourself because you are only going to be able to help a half a dozen families? Without you I could not survive taking care of just me alone. You just told – you invited Liam and Colleen to join you because they could not survive what is coming without your help. Then you told them to go find four more families, who you may not even know, that are not going to make it on their own, and you would do everything in your power to make sure they would be able to survive in spite of their own shortcomings. You are fretting about not doing enough? Name me one more person who can honestly say, 'I walked away from everything I could have done for myself and all the advice of my friends, and I worked my tail off so six whole families I did not even know would have a decent chance to survive this disaster.' Go ahead, Michael. Name just one.”
Michael shook his head in amazement. How could he have been so lucky to find a woman who could build him up and make him feel good about himself by explaining to him how stupid he was being?
About eight o'clock some younger families began trickling in the back door of the tavern. (At least Michael looked on them as younger couples.) Pete Gates, who owned the hardware store, was the last to arrive with his wife, Beth, and their teenage son, Jeff. All together there were twelve adults, two babies and five older children ranging from toddlers up to Jeff as the oldest. Michael took a deep breath realizing there would be almost twenty people he would be trying to protect from the debacle that was beginning. Rather than meeting in the main dining room, where the lights could be seen through the front windows, Liam had them crowd into the storage area adjacent to the kitchen where there were no windows. Michael first laid out his rather grim expectations for what was ahead. The violence and chaos they had witnessed already in town was only the leading edge of things to come. He explained what he had built and what he was prepared to offer. He also laid out what it would take to make this work for a group this size under these circumstances. Michael also gave them some priorities and constraints to consider in choosing what to bring with them. One thing Michael emphasized that had not yet occurred to most of them was his insistence that if they were going to come to his home, there would be no stealing allowed in gathering things before or after they arrived at his home by anyone in their group.
The confused and confounded looks he received told Michael he was getting either an exceptional group of people, or an exceptionally naive group of people. “Let me explain. There seems to be a growing mindset of entitlement in our society. Everyone is supposedly entitled to at least the minimum essentials. With the breakdown in support structures and availability of things that up until now have been abundant, there will be many who rationalize, especially when law enforcement is too overwhelmed to impose constraints, that if they really need something to survive, they have a right to take it. What I am saying is that if someone else seems to have more than they need, and you are in desperate need of just a little to even survive, you are still not entitled to take what belongs to someone else. Look what happened with Jake and Mara. Look at what almost happened to Rose. If you cannot completely reject that kind of thinking, you need to find your way along a different path without the help of this group.”
He transitioned from that to the need for secrecy as opposed to powerful defensive posturing. He explained, in an edited version, what he and Rose had experienced and referred again to the events here in town to make it clear that defensive measures were essential. He also explained that defending against an assault by large numbers of marauders was beyond the scope of their capabilities. Eventually more and more people would be fleeing the cities when conditions continued to deteriorate and people ran out of food. That was why they needed to maintain secrecy about the location as well as what they were doing together.
Finally he laid out his plan and approach to a self sustaining farm. He explained how he had started to build a Haven anticipating this kind of crisis, and summarized what he had accomplished by himself so far. He explained what it would take to support this whole group in the way of hard work, cooperation, wise choices, trust, and mutual respect. Of course there were others in town that might benefit from the Haven, but if everyone were invited there would not be enough food or shelter for anyone to survive. Hopefully, other people would be able to find another group where their pooled resources might afford food, shelter, and safety for them.
When Michael finished Jacob, one of the two young men who had been helping at the Tavern, raised some questions. “If you have as much food as you say, shouldn't we find a few more people here in town we could help? I know a lot of the city folks left town to go back to more familiar places in the cities, but not all of them left. Besides there are more town folks than just us who are going to need help, too. If we ration the food we might be able to cover a few more people until things get better. How can we decide who not to help?” This was the question Michael had been dreading, and he stood silently looking around the group.
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Post by ydderf on Jan 15, 2017 18:21:12 GMT -6
Jacob is very liberal in his thinking. He needs to figure out that everything at Haven is Michael's and it is not a democracy they are setting up. It is to my thinking going to be an oligarchy certainly not a socialist society. Michael has already said it will be tough to get their small group through to spring. Probably time for someone else to explai9n the facts to Jacob.
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Post by kaijafon on Jan 16, 2017 0:31:33 GMT -6
sounds like Jacob is NOT of the mindset needed and must be not invited
thank you for the moar
I actually had a dream about this story the other night
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 16, 2017 8:26:29 GMT -6
There are two quotes from John Wayne that apply equally here:
“I'd like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living.”
and
"We don't shoot horses when they become ornery. We train 'em."
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 16, 2017 18:37:18 GMT -6
FYI: I tweaked the last paragraph of the previous installment to better reflect a nuance in Jacob's perspective that I realized I had not expressed well.
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Post by ydderf on Jan 17, 2017 10:32:56 GMT -6
There is a question here that is re-occurring in PAW fiction. Who do I help and at what expense. Do I help my brother or cousin at the expense of my children,do I help my cousin the doctor or my brother the lay about. I pray to never be put in the position to have to make those types of decisions.
We live in a society where drillers helper{roughneck}is perceived to be more valuable then a teacher or a nurse - judging by the size of the paycheck. I would guess in the PAW family would mean church friends as well as or before cousins. In my life neighbours friends and church friends play a far bigger role then blood relations. I'm typical of a nuclear family in that I have no blood relatives living physically close. Even my children and grands live a long ways away. As a result I have become a "grandpa" to many local children. I live the saying "it takes a village to raise a child".
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jan 17, 2017 11:59:44 GMT -6
Who is your brother and sister? Who are your children; your parents? My late wife was adopted as an infant. The nuns at the Catholic hospital had her labeled as an "Angel Baby" before the adoption was completed. My sister has a genealogy hobby and had traced our ancestors back to the earliest settlers of Bermuda, Jamestown, and Plymouth; Dutch east India settlers in the Hudson Valley, and the pre-European inhabitants of the Western Appalachian Mountains. Ironically my ancestors include both American Indians and French settlers who were captured by Indian raiding parties and then rescued by my Dutch ancestors in the nick of time to prevent them being burned alive by the Indians. Some of my English ancestors literally drove my Dutch/French ancestors out of their land in the New World. If you go back far enough, we are all so interrelated it is hard to separate relatives from enemies.
To me my family is whoever God brings across my path with whom He expects me to share a part of my life.
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