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Post by 9idrr on Oct 4, 2017 20:39:22 GMT -6
Papa, I was so excited to see more of this story! Well done. Maybe you need to tickle your muse :-) ETA-is the Mother Hen character just a coincidence? Shoot, Kathy, I'm just gonna keep on thinkin' that the character was in your honor. And papaof2, Great and Wonderful Wizard of Words, thanks for workin' through the pain to give us more.
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 4, 2017 21:36:59 GMT -6
Chapter 33 - News From the West
"You'll be at the radios until bedtime?"
"Yes, Love. I want to do a little tweaking of the map if I can find the status of some specific stations and I'd like to connect with Mack for an update on Sarah's house - plus any other useful bits I might pick up."
"You're quite good at finding 'useful bits'."
---
"Alex, Kasey."
"Yes, Mom?"
"Your Gramps will have me out for some refresher training on firearms late tomorrow. Do you want to learn?"
"Yes."
"Me, too."
"Then start by memorizing this list of four things."
"Memorizing is boring."
"You might want to be a little more enthusiastic about the 'boring' parts because you won't be going for a walk in the woods unless you're armed."
"Then we better learn these."
"All guns are loaded?"
"Can you tell without looking, Alex?"
"Momma, I see people doing things to check guns when they pick them up so I guess not."
"Then all guns are loaded - at least until you check them?"
"Yes, Momma. Next one, Kasey?"
---
'Scott 121 from Scott 201.'
'121.'
'Can you get word to Wanda Jeffers that Darren's been delayed and will arrive Tuesday instead of Monday? He will have the rehab prescription and the specs for the prosthetic leg.'
'I can tell her tonight. When you get your CB working, Doug is "Dust Farmer" and Wanda is "Mrs. Dust".'
'I guess his equipment does "raise" a lot of dust. 201 out.'
'121 out.'
---
"You're smiling as you're writing, Paul. Good news?"
"From Mack. The on-foot house to house checks indicate that Sarah's house is OK. There are a couple of trees down but they only damaged the flower garden and did some cosmetic damage to Dave's truck."
"What about utilities?"
"The crew walking through is turning off gas and water meters but not breaching locked houses to turn off the main breaker. Sue Galliard, the neighbor next door, has a key so she went in and turned that off immediately after the storm passed. She and her husband have been living in their motorhome because they have 'everything' there with propane for fridge and cooking and solar panels on the roof for power. I get the feeling they have 'everything' because it's stashed in the basement and they won't leave the house unattended."
"Some kindred souls then - prepared but not obvious about it."
"My thoughts exactly, Love."
"Sarah has spoken with the girls about firearms training and started them on memorizing the four rules."
"I can assume that 'memorize' met with resistance?"
"Yes. But that resistance was overcome with 'You must be armed to walk in the woods'. I heard you calling Wanda on the CB?"
"Darren Thatcher's trip is delayed so he'll be here Tuesday."
"Not unexpected when using military transport. Traveling on a 'space available' basis often means waiting. You lost the smile when you turned to the next page. Something I should know?"
"From Mother Hen. People shooting at the repair crews in two locations. The guys hanging from the ironwork and the choppers. Ferguson will drop off details and some pictures tomorrow. I told them I'd check it when I had time as we work to eat here. That's OK as they've moved those crews to other locations for a week."
"Something else that delays power restoration."
"Yes, Love. And it could be a major problem because being unable to replace one tower in a highline section will leave many people and businesses without power. I'm not sure if they're looking for counter snipers or a quick way to eliminate the threat. I'll know more when I get the info from Ferguson."
"You'll come to bed soon? It's almost midnight and your alarm is set for 5AM."
"I lost track of the time. Did I forget to wind the eight day wall clo… Guess so as it's showing 6:25. I'll wind the clock then turn off everything and get myself ready for bed."
---
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 8, 2017 13:04:37 GMT -6
Chapter 34 - Monday Morning
Beep!Beep Beep!Beep!
"That's an annoying sound after less than 5 hours sleep - and I need to be on the tractor when we have daylight."
"Mr. Williams, if you weren't so concerned about keeping up with the situation and taking care of everyone here, you would have gotten to bed sooner. Maybe a nap after lunch?"
"Mrs. Williams, a nap sounds like an excellent idea. I might get 30 minutes sleep before Amos gets here."
"Better to get 30 minutes than no nap at all. I'll remind you of the time sooner tonight."
"Please do. I have a list of things to mention at breakfast, all of which may affect us in some manner."
"I saw school and coyote at the top of the list. You'll also be talking about those with Amos?"
"Yes, Love. He can find out more about what the County is planning for school - if anything - so we'll know how long we'll be teaching. I expect that to be this school year. On the bright side, we're not in a location where rioting and looting are the order of the day."
"It's that bad already?"
"Yes. Most cities of any size have a dusk to dawn curfew and many of them have a 'Looters will be shot on sight' policy in effect. There's very little food coming in because of limited fuel for trucking so those who always bought for the day or mostly ate out are going hungry."
"Any soup kitchens being set up?"
"A few but even the aid agencies can't buy what isn't available and electronic money is non-existent in areas without power - no ATM's, no credit or debit cards with cash back at the grocery store, no electronic transactions on your cell phone because the battery has died and/or there's no internet available."
"Lots of people suddenly without food or money makes for a volatile situation."
"Yes, Love, and it will only get worse. We're somewhat insulated from that because so many people who live out have at least a couple weeks of food on hand but we're in the second week and those supplies are rapidly disappearing. I think we'll see theft from gardens and unoccupied houses going up very soon. Remember that the 12 gauge over the back door is loaded with rock salt for deterrent power. If you need more force than that, the one on the wall over the table is loaded with 00 buckshot - 5 rounds in each one."
"Got it. Eggs, bacon, grits and biscuits for breakfast?"
"Sounds good, Love, and that will be fresh eggs if our youngest family members are awake."
"I haven't heard anything from the other rooms so I'll go check on Sarah and the girls."
---
knock. knock.
"Go away! It's too early!"
"No, Alex, it's been long enough that the cows need milking again."
"C'mon, Kasey. I'll milk one if you milk the other one and it won't take as long."
"Nana, will we hafta do this if it snows?"
"Of course, Kasey. It's there's just a little snow, you can walk through it. If there's a lot of snow, the snow shovels will be hanging by the door."
"Shovel snow? That's harder than the milking!"
"Think what nice muscles you'll have to show off next summer."
"Where would I show them off?"
"There's a swimming area roped off in one of our ponds - or you might have a picnic at the lake."
"Yeah, we need to do that. We kinda had a picnic at the Trauma Center park but that's not the same as a real picnic where you're just having fun and not waiting for someone to get out of surgery."
"Perhaps you should work on that for next Sunday?"
"You'll help, Nana?"
"Yes, Alex. You both need to be up and dressed for chores. Your Gramps and I will get breakfast together while you're working."
"You'll bake biscuits?"
"Yes. And the pear preserves will be on the table."
"Yes! Dessert for breakfast!"
---
"Yummy!"
"Alex, I think you always say that about biscuits with pear preserves."
"I do, Gramps, because it always is!"
"Dad, can you do anything about the coyotes so they don't go after anyone else?"
"I'll talk with Amos about putting together an animal drive to clear out most of them. We have enough hunters to do the shooting but we’ll need to organize the beaters…"
"Beaters?"
"Kasey, that will be people with big sticks who'll be beating the ground, bushes and trees to scare the coyotes - and probably some other animals - in the direction of the shooters. We'll probably have the beaters in pairs with at least one of them armed in case an animal turns on them."
"Can we help?"
"Alex, you and Kasey can be the second member of a beater pair. Your partner must be armed."
"Will Matt be there?"
"Probably, Kasey and so will Bobby. If you're paired with them, remember that this is potentially dangerous work and keep your mind and eyes on the animals."
"You keep saying 'animals'. I thought you were after the coyotes."
"Alex, we're primarily after the coyotes but I've seen a couple of stray dogs that haven't been here before. I'd guess that some people can't feed their dogs and they've turned them loose out here to find their own food. A single hungry dog will go after chickens, ducks and rabbits. A pack of hungry dogs will go after sheep, goats, cattle and possibly people. We see strays as potentially dangerous animals that the owners didn't have the courage to put down. If you can't feed an animal, just shoot it. It's an easier death than starving."
"It was bad when Pepper was hit by the truck but he didn't suffer. He flew through the air and hit the sidewalk and didn't move. I wouldn't want to kill my dog but I wouldn't want him to starve. That would be a hard choice."
"The shooters will be making those hard choices on every former pet they see. We'll get the word out about when the drive will be so people out here can be sure their pets are safe inside a house or barn."
"Dad, have you heard anything new about our house?"
"Sarah, I talked with Mack last night. The on-foot crew has gone through turning off gas and water…"
"What about the electric?"
"Your neighbor Sue used the key you left with her to do that after the storm passed. She and her husband are living in their motorhome because it has propane for the fridge and stove and solar power for electricity."
"That's good but we'll need a new fridge and a new freezer because of all the food that will have spoiled by now."
"You'll be able to move those appliances. You have a couple of trees down. One in the flower bed; the other doing cosmetic damage to Dave's truck."
"What about the house?"
"No damage."
"That's wonderful! When can we go home?"
"Alex, do they have the electricity back on?"
"You said they were living in the motorhome so there's no power?"
"Not yet. The most optimistic estimate is now 5 weeks."
"But we can go then?"
"Remember the map of the 'dark area'?"
"We drive through the middle of that."
"Where would you buy gasoline?"
"At any gas… They can't pump the gas unless they have a generator and we don't know if there are stations with generators that are close enough to get to one tank of gas! How do we get home?"
"You make this home until the power is restored to most of the country and we can use the phone or the internet to check for stations that are able to pump gas."
"We'll be here a long time?"
"Maybe until April of next year but it could be longer."
---
"The horses are the work crew?"
"Alex, I'd d\say that was Debbie and Denise and probably Kelly."
"Kelly will be with Nana today?"
"Alex, your Nana will be taking Dave in to see the judge about chaperoned visits with you two and your mother when you want to do that. I'll be on the tractor for a while turning and then tilling more ground for the garden - we do have three more people living with us for a while. Kelly will be with you today so you'll need to adjust what you're working on to ensure that she can safely help you."
"But I promised I'd help Bobby with…"
"Alex, Bobby has a little sister. I think he'll understand you taking care of your 'little sister'."
"I think you're right, Gramps. Nana, is there stuff in the garden we can pick?"
"Yes, Alex. I'll walk you and Kelly through the garden and point out how to tell what's ripe and the two of you will have a busy morning. I think there might be enough to justify setting up the drying racks and maybe also doing some canning."
"I think we'll stay busy."
"You will."
---
"Mike, Mrs. Williams is taking Dave Gentry to see Judge Wilson today. I'd like for you to go with her as backup."
"You're not going?"
"I'll be on the tractor for a while. We have three more people to feed and they'll likely be here until April or later."
"That long?"
"There are hundreds of miles of highline down so power restoration to most of the 'dark area' will be slow. No power means no fuel means no food means near catastrophe for many people."
"Understood. Handgun?"
"Yes. Be aware that there is rioting and looting in the larger cities. You might not encounter anything along the way, but consider yourself 'riding shotgun' on the Wells Fargo stagecoach with this 12 gauge. Five rounds in it, six more on the sleeve on the stock, box of 00 buckshot in the glove box."
"You do expect trouble!"
"I'm aware that there have always been people who'd rather take than work and we've had one experience with that when pulling the trailers of animals. I want you to be very aware. If there's a problem, your CB handle is 'Archangel'. That one doesn't have a western flavor but I think we have enough Bible-literate people to recognize it as 'Michael'."
"You just doubled my awareness level."
---
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Post by kaijafon on Oct 8, 2017 15:53:39 GMT -6
Thank you!!
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 8, 2017 16:46:25 GMT -6
If K is adequately addicted, perhaps I should stop here (or maybe one more chapter with a cliffhanger) and start selling 3 chapter novellas at $0.99 each ;-)
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Post by 9idrr on Oct 8, 2017 20:03:20 GMT -6
How much is that in this funny lookin' money I got from that Nigerian potentate?
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Post by kaijafon on Oct 8, 2017 20:29:25 GMT -6
If K is adequately addicted, perhaps I should stop here (or maybe one more chapter with a cliffhanger) and start selling 3 chapter novellas at $0.99 each ;-) I just received an email from a very rich Nigerian who has assured me that my beauty, wit, and charm has him deeply in love with me and he wants to lavish me with his riches. I will request all your novellas as a token of his love and proof that he is being true!
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 9, 2017 20:42:38 GMT -6
I didn't get to sleep until 5AM and that was in the recliner with a heating pad on my neck - I think my new glasses are not correct but I'll fight that battle later. I woke at 9AM, had breakfast, took morning medication, did the morning eye drops and went to bed around 11. Woke around 3:30 to the words "plumber's helper" - the toilet in the master bath was clogged and the bowl almost full. To the basement for the "plumber's helper" (proper name is force cup, but that sounds like something used in ceremonies in Star Wars). Minute or so later the bowl is empty and it flushes normally. Don't know what the clog was and not interested in investigating ;-)
That's all a lead-in to me having an unusually productive evening, cranking out 1700 words for this chapter in 2 hours and having a decent start on the next chapter. This much productivity is rare so don't expect the next chapter tomorrow.
Chapter 35 - Dave's Judgement
"Morning, Carla."
"Morning, Your Honor."
"You have things I should know about Dave Gentry?"
"Yes. I want you to listen to what I, Sarah and the girls said about Paul's interview with Dave. It's over an hour."
"Then I'll call a recess and go listen. There's coffee in Terry's office. Sorry there are no donuts but she did bake extra biscuits and there's honey plus blackberry preserves from their bushes."
"Wilbur, coffee will be a rare treat in the not too distant future."
"We're good for quite a while, especially with the very small number of people coming to the house for 'court'. I'm glad Terry lives close enough to come by bicycle or horse, depending on the weather."
"The County doesn't have fuel for mowing ditches so I'll guess they don't have money to pay you or Terry."
"I'm in an elected position and I'm old-fashioned enough to consider myself a public servant. Judges make decent money and Sharon and I have lived conservatively for years. We've always put things back for 'a rainy day', much as our parents and grandparents did. I can pay Terry for the days she serves as my clerk and I can provide coffee for the people who're trying to keep things together. I heard what your granddaughter did for Kelly and what you did for Sally. I think Alex is very much like you and we're fortunate that they are stranded here for a while. Have a seat in one of the comfortable chairs or go out back and enjoy the swing while I listen."
---
"Mr. Williams, the new garden space is bigger than your original garden."
"Rob, we have three additional people and two of them are teenagers…"
"Even girls eat a lot then."
"Correct. I'm sizing this as my best guess on what five people will need until April or later."
"You don't think things will be back together sooner?"
"No. There have been some reports of people shooting at the workers and helicopters doing the rebuilding of the highline towers. I don't have any details but power doesn't get from point A to point B unless the lines are complete. Electricity can't jump a 300 yard gap."
"Can the military do anything?"
"Only within the limits of their available fuel. The ideal situation would be to move in gunships and vehicles with FLIR plus feet on the ground as needed but with most of the refineries and pipelines down because there's no power, the military has limited movement capabilities."
"What about the rumors the military is at a higher readiness level?"
"That's true, but primarily for the missle and satellite weapons. There is some concern that the pressure the US is putting on Russia and China for reparations money because they're partly responsible for the extent of the damage could lead to World War III. I think China will eventually fold because we're their biggest customer for manufactured goods and their economy will crash if we don't resume buying from them. Since they make at least some of the large transformers and switchgear, getting needed things to us is in their best interest. I don't think Russia will attack because they've had some dealings with our not-very-patient President and come out on the short end each time."
"He has been mentioned as one of the toughest people the other countries have dealt with in decades."
"He is. He would call for massive retaliation at the first sign of a Russian missle or bomber and I think they know that."
"A strong enough front to prevent an attack?"
"Correct. That doesn't keep the individuals or small cells from causing problems but, after the incidents along the power restoration routes, there is a 'Shoot to kill' order for any confrontation with a Muslim-related person or group."
"I'm sure there was some media backlash on that."
"Until the media started interviewing people in the 'dark area' and trying to twist the truth into a 'hate group' mentality. Several of the reporters and commentators were beaten by angry people saying 'You idiot! We've been without food, water or gasoline for more than a week and they were shooting at the linemen! They deserve to be shot on sight!'. This was in the Texas panhandle where all the locals were armed and ready to shoot, shovel and shut up. The media was escorted out of the area by locals riding shotgun to shoot the media people if they stopped before reaching California."
"And law enforcement in any other part of the 'dark area' would not have noticed their convoy."
"Correct. Some of those media people are now keeping tabs on the state of repairs and updating that daily. The convoy back to California traveled at night so the reporters and camera people would experience just how big the 'dark area' was and how many people might never again watch their network."
"That must have been scary for some of them - ratings are everything."
"Truthful news and useful updates have improved the ratings of the networks that chose to listen. Lots of 'poor little me' liberal whining from the others."
"Getting what they deserved."
"Yes. Now I need to mount the tiller and break this up properly. Probably another couple of hours."
"I topped off the tank on the tractor and checked the oil while we were talking. It's good to go."
"Thanks, Rob."
"Thank you for having work for us. Mom is very happy that I can trade hours for food, especially the meat."
"I need well fed people to do the work."
"And you're taking care of the community."
"That's in my best interest. I can't do all the work alone or see and hear what's happening two miles away."
"But the CB network can."
---
"Terry, tell Carla to bring Dave in."
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Mrs. Williams, His Honor would like to see you and Mr. Gentry."
"Thank, Terry. Come with me, Dave."
"You need me, Mrs. Williams?"
"No, Mike. Wilbur is always armed."
"Mr. Gentry, research done by others has convinced me that your actions were in response to an unusually severe but not unknown side effect of medication that was prescribed for you. On that basis, and from the evidence in Paul's interview with you and your family's reaction to that interview, the assault, battery and attempted murder charges will be held in abeyance until the case can be heard by a higher court. You will remain under the supervision of Paul and Carla Williams who will have arrest and detainment authority over you. Your family may have chaperoned visits with you as they request them. I will want a report from the chaperone about each visit as those reports will be the basis for any decision about unchaperoned visits."
"I understand, Your Honor."
"He's all yours, Carla. Terry has the refund of the bail money. You should let Mike carry that. And here are your and Paul's appointments as Reserve Deputies so you will have proper legal authority over Dave if needed and your badges."
"I will let Mike do the heavy lifting. Thank you, Wilbur."
---
"Alex, I see you watching Bobby. You wanna be with him, dontcha?"
"Kelly, he and I had planned to work together on some things today but that was before we knew my new 'little sister' would be here. Since Nana wasn't gonna be here all morning, she found some things that you and I could do together. I'm sure she'll have you helping with the drying and maybe canning when she gets back. I can work with Bobby then."
"You are my 'big sister' 'cause you love me lots to be with me instead of your boyfriend!"
"He's not my boyfriend. We're just friends."
"Maybe you and he don't see it yet, but you look at him like Denise looks at Allen and they've been dating for a long time."
"You're very smart to only be nine."
"I watch people a lot and I listen to what they say, not just what they say to me. Kasey is all gaga about Matt."
"You're right about that."
---
What's that goat bleating about? Grab my rifle out of the scabbard on the tractor and go see.
Damn! How'd those coyotes get past the fence? That doesn't matter now, just stopping them.
Bang!
One down; one running for the fence.
Bang!
He's also down. I'll check the fence in the direction he was headed.
There's a small tree down on the fence. There wasn't much wind yesterday but it was gusty for a few minutes. Guess that's what got this tree. Now to check the goat.
"Easy, Willa. I'm here to take care of you. Here's a handful of your favorite grain mix."
That food nearly always gets their attention. There's a nasty bite wound on her left haunch but there doesn't seem to be much damage as she's walking OK. Need the animal first aid kit.
"Dad, I have the animal backpack. What do you need?"
"To wash my hands, then her wound, then antibiotic ointment, needle, suture thread and some help holding her still."
"We got the 'holding still' part, Mr. Williams. Where do you want us and how does she need to be held?"
"Thanks, guys and girls. Bobby here, Matt here, Rose here and Kasey here. Expect Willa to struggle as I sew her up as I don't have any lidocaine or other local anesthetic."
"The bleating tells me she doesn't like being held down."
"Correct, Rose, and she'll like being sewn up even less. When we finish here, there are two more things to be done…"
"Bury the coyotes."
"Yes, Bobby, and cut the tree that provides them a ramp over the fence."
"Chainsaw or axe?"
"Chainsaw initially. Then we see whether the wood is useful as firewood or if the tree came down because it's rotten and we just use it to fill a gully."
---
"You have push seeders?"
"Yes, Allen. This one I purchased. That one belonged to my grandfather and the other one belonged to Mrs. Williams' grandfather. All of them are adjustable for a wide range of seed sizes and spacings. I've cleaned and lubricated each of them yearly and they are ready for today's planting, which we'll get to after lunch. I don't know about all of you but I could use a break."
---
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Post by headlesshorseman on Oct 10, 2017 8:52:32 GMT -6
A push seeder and a cyclone seeder are two of the best time saving conveniences a large scale gardener can have.
Thank you for the new chapter.
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 10, 2017 18:37:29 GMT -6
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Post by kaijafon on Oct 10, 2017 19:03:44 GMT -6
Thanks so much!
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 11, 2017 16:32:03 GMT -6
Chapter 36 - Lunch talk
"Welcome back, Love. You got Dave to your house OK?"
"He's still a bit in shock over having the charges held in abeyance but very thankful that someone could find what caused his actions. You and I are now officially Reserve Deputies with arrest and detain powers. These are the badges and from the looks of them the Reserve Deputy program has come and gone several times - this badge looks like it's from 1990 and this one from 1960."
"I'm older, so I'll take 1960. No problems along the way?"
"More houses that look deserted. I don't know where the people would go, other than maybe expecting to find help at the churches in town or the Sheriff's Office."
"Not much to be found as the small charitable organizations don't have deep stocks of anything and there aren't any who can spare enough to feed those in the 'will not work' group. As I said before, I'll feed anyone who's willing to work. Even a four year old can learn to put out feed for the chickens. "
"Yes, you cold, hard man."
"Then that four year old gets to learn the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping others when the eggs are brought in to be eaten."
"Yes, child care guru Williams."
"What's up with you, Love?"
"You've been working so hard this morning to take care of your family that you don't recognize when you're being teased! Sit! Sarah will have lunch ready shortly. If you go to sleep in the recliner, I'll save a plate for you and wake you in 30 minutes."
"Yes, Nurse Williams."
"That's better."
---
"Dad's asleep?"
"He was up past midnight doing research on the radio then awake at 5 to start his day. He needs at least a 30 minute nap. We can save him a plate and he can eat when he wakes or I wake him. His internal clock is pretty good when he's napping so he'll probably be awake in about 30 minutes."
"As long as he eats lunch before he starts anything else - he's been on the tractor all morning!"
"Preparing what's been 'lawn' to make it 'garden' takes a while. I'm guessing that he'll have the crew working on fencing tomorrow. Their afternoon today will be spent learning about push seeders and planting a number of things that are cold hardy and late season. Some will be root crops that can be left in the ground for a while - almost a natural root cellar. Amos will be here later as he wants the crew's inputs on possible trails for mounted deputies to use for patrolling the County. He and Paul have talked about Deputies using the full power handheld CBs as 'mobile radio' and having the various solar powered CB base stations relay to someone with a County radio - to Paul and me in this section, as we got our Reserve Deputy assignments and badges today."
"Finally. An armed assignment where you and your organization are identified."
"That's a first for the both of us."
"Does his ID card have 'Marshal Dillon' on it?"
"No, but I might make him one that does."
---
"I'll wake Gramps."
"Alex, don't touch him. Stand near his feet and call his name. He's been in 'combat' mode since he shot the first coyote and touching him might cause him to wake up swinging."
"Yes, Nana. Gramps. Gramps, lunch. Gramps!"
"What?"
"Lunch is ready."
"Thanks, Alex. Your Nana cautioned you to stand there and call me?"
"Un huh. You didn't look happy when you were sleeping so I did what she said."
"I wasn't happy then. I was having a bad dream and that's not a good time to touch any soldier. You've been hurt enough and I sure don't want to add to that."
"I like your hugs!"
"Because you don't have to ask for them or because I'm an easy touch for a pretty girl?"
"'Cause you're giving them."
"That's a politician's answer if I ever heard one."
"Gramps!"
"Let's go eat."
---
"Mr. Williams, I have a question about the garden."
"Yes, Bobby?"
"You mentioned a 'late garden'. You'll be planting again after today's plantings are harvested?"
"Within limits. You plant what grows where you are and at the time you are planting. You may not have the things you like best because you're planting what will grow at that time of year - but you've probably heard this from your Mom and certainly in 4H. Late season crops could include plants with edible leaves or roots like lettuce, spinach, carrots, and radishes. Other cool season vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower and peas. Different areas of the country have different 'late season' start dates because Fall comes at different times and some things grow better than others. This is a very large country and has greatly varying agriculture over that area."
"I think we got a list of things and estimated planting/harvest dates in some of the 4H stuff."
"That information is now more important than it was when you were handed that piece of paper. It could be a lifesaver for some people."
"Mom said she wished our garden was bigger. Could I borrow the tiller?"
"First you ask her how much bigger she wants the garden and where she wants it. I can think of a couple of places, depending on what she wants to plant. Any of the rest of you who don't have a tractor ask at home about increasing the size of your garden or gardens. We could make that work a crew project with me teaching some of you to plow using the tractor and the rest of you at least learning to use the tiller."
"That'd be great!"
"That would also ensure that my favorite work crew would be well fed and available if I need them."
"Where would we get the seeds?"
"We have heirloom seed for many things. I'll provide seed for this year with the restriction that you will let a portion of the garden go to seed so we will all have seed next year."
"That's hardly a restriction when it seems so logical."
"Kasey, it's easier to see that with a full stomach than when there's snow on the ground and you're on short rations. You might then wonder why you didn't can or dry those things so you would have more during the winter."
"But we'll be better off if we expand the gardens than if we don't."
"Correct, Bobby. Every box or jar or can that you put back before winter means another day that you won't be hungry."
"We won't have groceries in the store again?"
"Not in the near fuutre, Alex. Current expectations are for 90 per cent of the power to be restored by April…"
"That long?"
"Rose, even that is an educated guess as the country hasn't ever had an event that did this much damage over an area this large. As power is restored, refineries and pipelines can be restarted - but some will have been damaged by the uncontrolled shutdown and won't be able to deliver their normal output. With power and fuel, large scale farming and food processing can restart. Even there, some things will take longer. Most of you have been exposed to some animal care. Think about how many dairy cows will go dry because they're not being milked. Some of those will have problems because the 'not being milked' is sudden and not planned with diet changes before the event. Then think about how long it takes to restart that process."
"It could be a long time before we have commercial nilk production again."
"It very well could be, Sue."
"And even longer for cheese."
"Correct, Debbie. Cottage cheese can be produced quickly but the aged cheeses will require that aging."
---
"Before you head back out to work, I'll bring up a topic some may like and some may not: school."
"Yuck!"
"Mrs. Williams and I home schooled our kids and we still have those materials. The history books won't have 9/11 in them but the math, English, biology and chemistry haven't changed. Ask your parents if they want you to attend the classes here. Expect the classes to run between three and five hours a day as we're aware that there are more chores that need a human as long as there is no power. Some classes will be in a classromm environment but some will be outside - there will be some practical learning and some hands-on application of what you learn in the classroom. You can bring a lunch or we can make arrangements with your parents for us to provide lunch. Tell others that you know either face to face or by CB. We can handle perhaps 20 students and I don't think there are more than that in traveling distance by foot, bicycle or horse."
"What grades?"
"All grades, Bobby. Sally and Kelly need an opportunity to learn as much as you do."
"I'll ask Mom tonight."
"Me, too."
"And me."
"I know three who might be interested."
"I know two."
"Mr. Williams, I think your '20 students' might be a pessimistic number."
"That's possible, Mrs. Williams. We should have a better count by the end of the week. Rob, you're in charge for the afternoon as I'll be meeting with the Sheriff when he gets here. Plan on me bringing the horse riders and the dirt bke riders in part of that time as the Sheriff wants to know about trails through the woods a Deputy could use if patrolling on harseback."
"The 'County Mounty' will be a reality?"
"Yes, Matt, although I don't know how Sheriff Thatcher will respond to that name. We can ask."
"Mr. Williams, most adults would have been on our case about 'County Mounty' but you just laughed."
"Allen, maybe I have forgotten how to be silly or have fun?"
"You haven't."
---
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Post by headlesshorseman on Oct 13, 2017 21:10:21 GMT -6
Thanks for the new chapter.
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 14, 2017 14:33:49 GMT -6
Sorry for any strange characters that might be in this post or the next one. I'm using a new (to me) laptop and the keyboard has some changes (home, end, insert, delete, page up, page down) from the previous keyboards I've been using.
The Dell E6430 is about 5-6 years newer than the D620 I've been using and has much better battery life (possibly up to 4 hours when writing). I lucked up on this particular unit as it has the backlit keyboard which means I can work in any convenient space and not need light on the keyboard (no, I'm not a touch typist and the slightly different keyboard would have destroyed that, anyway). The new (cheap at $100 delivered) laptop came without hard drive or power supply but I have those (currently a small - by my standards - 60GB Solid State Drive - adequate for writing but gets full quickly when I'm doing research and saving everything that might be relevant to a story. As is my preference, it's running Windows XP.
For those looking for the next chapter, sorry for the false alarm. Maybe in a couple of days.
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Post by udwe on Oct 16, 2017 7:21:47 GMT -6
Hurry!
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 21, 2017 14:55:02 GMT -6
Last finished chapter. Do have notes for more but my muse seems to be working and sleeping different hours than I am.
Chapter 37 - Amos in the Afternoon
I hear what must be a military vehicle and it has stopped out front. I should open the door and see who's there.
"Mr. Williams, sir. Permission to enter?"
"Yes, Sergeant. Where's Lieutenant Ferguson?"
"He's at the hospital checking on Sally Thompson. He said it was 'community relations' but I think he's missing his kids - twin daughters about this girl's age."
"Then he'll probably enjoy being with a smart, brash and sometimes troublemaker kid. You have something for me?"
"Yes sir. Briefcase the Major said was 'Eyes Only'."
"Thank you, Sergeant. Could I offer you a glass of iced tea?"
"You have ice?"
"We have enough solar power to run a fridge so we have a little ice. and I think the girls baked brownies last night. Let me check what's available."
"Yes sir."
"Glass of tea and a brownie. Enjoy."
"I will, sir!"
---
"And your delivered information is?"
"Pictures and documents from the locations with shooters harassing the highline workers and choppers. I recognize that cliff face."
"We rappelled down it one vacation."
"That we did, Love. The rock looks sturdy but it tends to shear off in layers. A few properly placed charges - maybe even some LAWs - could bring down the first five feet or more. That would make most of the potential hides inaccessible."
"Using the first couple of LAWs would be a surprise but wouldn't the people using them be in range of the shooters?"
"Yes, if they stay still. No, if they have motorized transport. An APC would stop most rounds at that distance."
"That would be a viable solution and only require fuel for one ground vehicle which is probably the solution with the least fuel cost - and it still has a high probability of success."
"That it does. I'll write up several possible scenarios for that type of strike at this location and then move to the next loc…"
BEEP! BEEP!
"Camera three shows Amos is back."
"Sounds like he's changed vehicles or gotten a better horn."
"Different vehicle. Zoom of the camera shows it's an F-250 diesel."
"Guess they're getting more diesel than gasoline for the County."
Knock. Knock.
"Hi, Amos. Where'd you get the diesel pickup?"
"That emblem is missing from this side of the truck so how did you know?"
"The camera on the other side."
"What camera?"
"One of the cameras that you can't see."
"I should have expected that from you. Can we talk Deputies on horses?"
"Sure. I'm sure the locals will appreciate having a mounted patrol instead of no patrol. One of the crew asked if we'd have a real 'County Mounty' now."
"I heard that enough back when everyone had a CB that I should have expected someone to start using it as soon as the idea was mentioned."
"Better warn your riders."
"I'll do that. Meanwhile, can you get your crew in?"
"Certainly. Give me five minutes."
---
"Rob, where are the horse riders and the dirt bike riders?"
"They're all working on seeding the new garden area. Most have never used a push planter before and the 'new' of an accurate device with zero electronics hasn't quite worn off."
"That's good. I'll interrupt them while the planter is still 'new' and they might be willing to use it again tomorrow."
"Good idea."
---
"Crew, for those of you that don't know him, this is Sheriff Thatcher. Sheriff, this is Debbie and Denise Edwards who are our horse riders, Matt Dixon and Bobby Thompson who are our dirt bike riders."
"Ladies and gentlemen, pleased to meet you. For the session, you're the teachers and I'm the student. I need to know enough about the trails to see if it's possible for a Deputy on horseback to cover some or all of a typical patrol. I'm aware that you may know of people and places that don't want contact with law enforcement and, if you can point those places out, we'll avoid them if they don't cause trouble. I'm aware of at least two stills in the area but I know that most of what they make is for personal consumption. I can even make a decent guess where those stills are located. I'm not interested in bothering those people - they're usually good about getting word to us when there's a problem in the area."
"You're more like a Wild West Marshal that only went after horse thieves, cattle rustlers and killers."
"You're correct, Bobby. We're living in times that are similar to the Wild West circumstances and we all need to adapt to the things that work best for our survival. With no commercial medications being delivered, the pharmacies are running dry. Having someone who can produce good quality 180 proof alcohol is a necessity for an herbalist to be able to produce some of the tinctures that are alcohol based."
"So you would be going after horse thieves and cattle rustlers!"
"Yes, Denise. Horse thieves for stealing transportation and possibly an animal needed for farm production and cattle rustlers for stealing food which might be seen as attempted murder if someone will starve without those cattle."
"I didn't think about it being that serious but it is! With no trucks running, we only have the foods we produce."
"Correct, Debbie. I don't think anyone has fuel for speeding, drag racing or drifting now so we won't be watching for those things. We'll be watching for crimes against food and fuel supplies - fuel would include firewood, the loss of which could result in one or more deaths - and means of transportation."
"We really are back in the Wild West."
"Now that you know where I'm coming from, tell how to best use the roads and the trails to patrol on horseback."
"This trail is a fast way from…"
---
"You need a splint for your writing hand, Amos?"
"More likely I'll need it in the morning, Paul. I haven't written 20 pages of anything in years. These kids had an encyclopedia's worth of information about getting from Point A to Point B. And they know where all the base CB's are and where the terrain is up and works for radio communication or down and works against it. This was the most informative sessions I've had in years."
"Think the future might be in good hands?"
"Without question. I need to get copies of these for my deputies and I'd like to have a copy of the map."
"Copies of the letter size pages are easy. How many do you need?"
"Three… no, make that five of each. I may be looking to add some deputies after we time the first few patrols."
"OK. These pages in the feeder and the copy count to six and press 'Start'."
"Six?"
"Our copy, for when you call us about needing medical care somewhere in the County. I'll also make pictures of the maps, edit them to limit the gray scale range and then print them on this old but still functional E size ink jet plotter."
"Won't that take a while?"
"There's iced tea in that pitcher and the covered plate is freshly baked brownies."
"I can wait a while."
"While we wait, I'll be working on the firearms lessons with Sarah and the girls."
"Sarah?"
"Review. She hasn't shot anything in several years."
"Sharpening up old skills is always good. It's all new to the grandkids?"
"The hands-on part will be. Dave has guns and occasionally goes hunting, so having firearms in the house isn't new but neither of them has ever had any firearms education beyond 'All guns are loaded' and 'Don't touch'."
"Better than starting with 'Guns kill people'."
"Much better."
---
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 24, 2017 23:14:51 GMT -6
Chapter 38 -
"Paul, I heard 'Trade Day' while you were talking with Amos. Something he'll support?"
"Yes. Love. Partly because he hopes to find enough full power CB handi-talkies to equip all his mounted Deputies and partly because he agrees that it's a good idea to get people started on bartering."
"Barter is a skill that few people in the US have. That's quite a contrast to some parts of the world that we've been in, where any price on a sign is merely the starting point for bargaining."
"With some months to go before there will be enough power restored for banks to function and credit cards to be usable, I think people will learn quickly. I heard Alex trying to convince Rose to do some of the dirtier work because she was experienced and the others could learn by watching her."
"How did that turn out?"
"Rose didn't agree but she did say that Alex was learning fast. I'd say that we have an apprentice clerk for our barter table if we set one up."
"I saw from the shelves in the powerhouse that you haven't yet given away all the small solar panels and controllers. Those will be on the table?"
"Yes, Love. There are several sizes of small panels so I'll have one of each size on the table and some paperwork on how much power you can get from each, along with battery recommendations for various uses. I'll include a small worksheet on the back of the info sheet so people can take the sheet home and work out what they need for a solar system that will power what they think they must have."
"Any demonstrations?"
"Yes. Two 100 watt panels, a 10 amp PWM charge controller, a 10 amp MPPT charge controller, two 35AH batteries, a small inverter to power a laptop and some 12 volt to USB power adapters to provide charging for cell phones - which are currently most useful as alarm clocks and cameras."
"Charging kids' games, Mr. Williams?"
"As time and sun permit, Mrs. Williams. That's the thing that will get the most advertising about the value of having a small solar system. Kid A will tell kids B, C, D, E and F. It will spread from there as each of those kids tells a number of other kids."
"Where will you get enough panels?"
"We have eleven 50 watt panels and nine 100 watt panels. I don't expect many people at the first Trade Day to be able to carry a panel home, unless they came in a wagon or pushing a wheelbarrow. There probably won't be many who can manage my price with what they may have brought the first day. Our first time as vendors at Trade Day is primarily to get people talking and thinking about alternate enegy sources and other ways of doing things when the power is off. I'll have some sturdy books out that are tied to the table by steel cables and they'll be marked 'Reference Only! Not for sale, trade or loan.'"
"I remember this book and the original was a five by eight paperback. This version was run off on the laser printer?"
"Correct, as that means bigger sheets and more readable type. The pages are all laminated and in a three ring binder with a ring lock. Pages can't easily be torn out and the rings can only be opened with this key or some tools that would be obvious to anyone watching."
"You are providing resources but they are shared resources."
"Yes, Love. Shared because we have limited supplies of paper and toner so we can't provide a copy for everyone. And some would use any available paper to start their next fire. They can go to the woods and strip off some birch bark to use in starting a fire - that tidbit is also in one of the books."
"We'll be taking things from the garden?"
"Some of the things we're confident we'll have enough of. The peppers have done very well the past two years and we've barely made a dent in their numbers. I think we could afford to trade at least one of the four bushels of jalapenos."
"That was a miscalculation on my part, Paul. I was looking at three varieties and ordered the one I remembered as being cold hardy but I was off a line when I read the typical production so I ordered twice as many plants as needed. However, peppers do keep almost indefinitely when dried and Duffy is always ready to acquire more spices."
"Love, could you get with Sarah and the girls for a firearms lesson? I'll be working on these plans for another couple of hours. Cover the four rules, several representative firearms, various targets so you can talk about their usage - you know what's needed."
"The 10/22 for a small repeating rifle, a .22 revolver, a .380 automatic and a 20 gauge pump shotgun. Nothing hand-breaking or shoulder-bruising in that group.but they're all good examples of what's available in firearms. We can introduce them to larger calibers when they become accurate with these."
"Excellent choices, Love. You sound as though you might have done this before."
"Done it before, my left ear! I did it for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4H, some EMTs after one was chased by a coyote and the freshmen on the high school's ROTC rifle team three years running. I'll also get out the plastic replicas for the 'watch where you point it' exercise."
"The ROTC team did take first place in the state competition the three years after you did that teaching. Tell me 10 minutes before you start the 'watch' segment and I'll be watching the cameras so I can yell 'Bang!' over the intercom when one of them is careless."
"I'll turn up the intercom volume in that room."
"We need to talk about home schooling. Maybe have some signs about that at Trade Day to get discussion started?"
"We would be there to answer questions for those who don't yet have a CB. Start with a 'Will your kids be in school this fall?' sign or two with my name at the bottom. We can update that as needed for future Trade Days."
"I'll make some samples and get your approval before running them off on the ink jet plotter."
"Poster size?"
"Posterboard is 22 inches by 28 inches. The plotter has a 36 inch paper roll mounted so I could go to 36 by 48. You probably have some standard posterboard for backing so I'll make it 22 by 28 unless you're confident you have larger backing."
"Make one big one I can tape to the back of the truck's bed cover. The others can be 22 by 28."
"Will do."
---
'National Guard from Paul Williams.'
'Guard here. What do you need, sir?'
'I've finished the documents the Major sent out earlier today. If you could send someone to pick them up?'
'Someone on her way now. Corporal Jensen will be on a dirt bike as they are the most fuel efficient vehicles we have for moving one person.'
'Thank you. Williams out.'
'Guard out.'
"You finished all that before supper, Mt. Williams. What will you do with your free time?"
"Go back to drawing up a layout for Trade Day. For now, we can say it will be on Saturday. That might be Sunday when regular Sunday services start being held at the churches again. I should ask Reverend Carver what his plans are for future services. There is still a closed off section of stovepipe through the church roof above where the wood stove was standing. We're OK for now but will need heat by October."
"Heating that much space with a wood stove?"
"A wood stove that produces 152,000BTU can heat 3,000 square feet - more evenly with a blower than without it so I'll need to see what I can put together for a 12 volt blower that isn't so noisy it drowns out the Reverend."
"When he gets going on certain topics, I don't think anything smaller than a train's horn could drown him out - even without power for the PA system. Will you be powering that?"
"Powering its temporary replacement. This tiny box is a 50 watt per channel class D stereo amplifier which uses a TPA3116 chip that runs on 12 volts. I'll need to make up some adapters to get the mics connected but I think I'll be able to carry the amp and the cables in one hand and the lithium batteries in the other hand. Technology is wonderful when you have power for it."
"And you have every battery you can find sitting on charge somewhere."
"Not all of them, Love. About half are now fully charged and sitting on a shelf."
"You just made my point."
---
"Paul, has Amos made contact with James Caldwell?"
"Yes, Love. He asked James to come to their house and talk to Darren. James has a CB so Amos can call him when Darren arrives tomorrow."
"That's good. Darren is coming by air?"
"To the state capital. He'll be riding shotgun in a supply truck from there to here and whatever vehicle is available from the Guard location to Amos' house."
---
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Post by kaijafon on Oct 26, 2017 17:38:18 GMT -6
Thanks so much!!!
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Post by motherhen on Oct 26, 2017 19:19:21 GMT -6
Thanks for the new chapters!!! I'm looking forward to the homeschooling parts, teaching a group of different ages will be interesting for students used to age segregated classes. Children learn so well from other children, especially with reading and writing.
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 29, 2017 0:30:58 GMT -6
motherhen, I hope to get that far. I spent 6 hours Friday getting my writing laptop back functional. Removing the Avast anti-virus corrupted the hard drive so I had to reinstall the operating system without wiping the disk and losing everything on it. I spent about 4 hours Saturday trying to recover the boot hard drive on the tower PC I use for graphics storage (separate drive and backed up to an external hard drive). Still not there with getting the drive to a bootable state. I'll get all the data off the drive Sunday/Monday and I'll then start the rebuild-from-scratch process.
Chapter 38 may be the last chapter for a while.
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Post by darkwolf on Oct 29, 2017 1:09:34 GMT -6
Is this just a re-post of your last chapter?
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 29, 2017 1:34:13 GMT -6
Is this just a re-post of your last chapter? Sorry about that. My "last chapter posted" note didn't get updated when 38 was posted.
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Post by motherhen on Oct 29, 2017 22:50:36 GMT -6
motherhen, I hope to get that far. I spent 6 hours Friday getting my writing laptop back functional. Removing the Avast anti-virus corrupted the hard drive so I had to reinstall the operating system without wiping the disk and losing everything on it. I spent about 4 hours Saturday trying to recover the boot hard drive on the tower PC I use for graphics storage (separate drive and backed up to an external hard drive). Still not there with getting the drive to a bootable state. I'll get all the data off the drive Sunday/Monday and I'll then start the rebuild-from-scratch process. Chapter 38 may be the last chapter for a while. I hope that you resolve your technical difficulties. I look forward to another chapter!
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 31, 2017 19:54:49 GMT -6
Still working my way through a series of doctors to find the source of my facial pain. Had a CT scan and the ENT doc says he sees some 'age related tempromandibular joint degeneration'. I think that's a euphemism for "been talking and chewing food too long" - or in the three letter designation from my primary care physician, I'm suffering from O.L.D. I guess it's positive that the ENT didn't say that they had X-rayed my head and found nothing.
I have a referral to a physical therapist who's presented papers on this topic at international symposiums. He should be able to come up with a program of physical manipulation, heat, cold, mechanical aids, etc that will provide long term relief. The other option is surgery but that can have some unpleasant side effects (no instant fixes). I'll know more when I see the therapist.
Chapter 39 -
"Love, I heard small caliber weapons but not the shotgun."
"Paul, I decided they might still be a little too sore for the kick of even a 20 gauge and we certainly do not want to open any stitches so we'll do that another day. Sarah remembers all that we taught her and she helped the girls some. Here are their targets with the .22 rifle at 25 yards."
"Excellent for first-time shooters!"
"Really, Gramps?"
"Yes, Alex. Really and truly. I don't think your mother did this well her first time."
"I didn't, Dad. My first .22 targets are still thumbtacked to the inside of the closet door in my old room. Alex and Kasey both did better than I did the first time."
"Sarah, your age the first time you shot that .22 might have some bearing on that. I think it was your ninth birth…"
"She was nine?"
"Yes, Kasey. The single shot .22 was her big birthday present that year. This is the country. We have wild animals and snakes that can be a hazard to people, pets and livestock. Kids out here learn early to protect themselves and others."
"Even memorizing the rules?"
"Even that. Memorization was a requirement to be allowed to put the .22 on her wish list."
"So you're treating us just like you treated her?"
"Except that you're starting a little later. If you lived closer or stayed longer on your infrequent visits, we might have been able to do this for each of you when you were younger."
"A nine year old can have a rifle?"
"If that nine year old has seen up close what the rifle can do to a coyote, do you think he or she might be a responsible shooter?"
"After you get over the 'Yuck' of seeing what it did. Having a weapon is part of living out here and something you need to know how to do - like gathering eggs or milking cows."
"Correct. No hysteria about guns for the people who have a working farm or grow up on one. A gun is a tool as much as an ax or a chainsaw or a tractor is. You use it when needed."
"Nobody says 'Guns kill people'?"
"Nobody who grew up here. Maybe some of the former city people who call themselves 'farmers'. The ones who moved out this far to get enough land to not see their neighbors but have most of the land rented out to real farmers and who think a 'big' garden is 20 feet long and three rows wide might say that."
---
"Paul, will you be able to do anything about the coyotes?"
"Something will be done, Love, just not with me in charge. Amos talked with Lieutenant Ferguson, who is very concerned that what happened to Sally might happen again, and the Guard will provide armed people to help with an animal drive. They can also provide at least some mobile communications. If we encounter any of the large dogs that may be doing the bigger kills, I'd be very happy to have more firepower than we usually carry."
"Could we get them to use grenades or a flamethrower on some of the dens?"
"Depends on what equipment they have. Ian mentioned having some items in depth but not a wide variety. Some of the fire starter shotgun rounds might work just as well and would provide better control of the destruction."
"True."
---
"Dad, you mentioned earlier in the week that the coyotes might be back here today. They get over being scared that fast?"
"Sarah, I don't know about their level of 'scared' but they do get hungry again pretty quickly. I don't know how much the one Bobby killed will deter others on property that's a quarter mile or more away. I did caution the work crew this morning and they'll alert us if they see anything. At the rate Kasey and Alex are coming along, I might have them shooting coyotes from the roofs in a few more days."
"Prone on the roof still gives you a better view than being on the ground and you're less visible to the animals. They might do well at that."
"The Sheriff is working on involving the Guard in an animal drive to thin out the coyotes and other unwanted animals. I'll pass along the details when I get them."
"OK. What are these maps?"
"Those are drafts of possible locations and layouts for our future Trade Day. I've mentioned it before and now Amos is seriously interested - probably because he's looking for some full power CB handi-talkies for his deputies and some of the County officials are also interested. I'll guess the officials because some of them have put more time and money into 'keeping up with the Joneses' than in keeping up their gardens. Amos mentioned that there was interest in any available food. Your mother is interested because it's a place to put up signs about having school here for up to perhaps 20 kids. Any parents who see the signs could talk to her there. We're planning to have Trade Day on Saturday and possibly also have it on Sunday or maybe only on Sunday when Reverend Carver starts back with regular Sunday services at the Methodist Church."
"What grades in the school?"
"All grades. Think one room schoolhouse but we'll be having it in one room of this house."
"Just Mom teaching?"
"She's already told me I'll be on call for some specific topics. She'll probably pull in other people as needed."
"About what I would expect from her. Will the school day be long enough for lunch?"
"That's a topic for discussion with the parents. If so, the kids could bring lunches or the parents could work out an arrangement for us to provide lunch."
"Either of those will work."
---
"Paul, did I hear the word 'volcano' when you were listening to the radio last night?"
"You did, Love. Several of the smaller 'Ring of Fire' volcanoes in the Pacific have either erupted or gotten very active. There have been some cancelled flights in the western states because of the ash drifting in but the existence of scheduled flights tells me they have reliable power and good supplies of fuel in that part of the country."
"What about the San Andreas?"
"No reports of any activity there. No promises that it will stay that way. No promises on Yellowstone either but it appears to be stable."
"We will be thankful for small blessings."
"Yes, we will. Have you given more thought to the curriculum of 'Miss Carla's School'?"
"I guess that is what the locals will call it. Could we prevent that by putting 'The Williams Academy' on the signs?"
"That would aim any parent complaints at me. I may have been a combat instructor but I don't plan to be the name behind an educational establishment for children - that's harder and much more dangerous."
"You goof!"
"You're using one of your mother's terms of endearment for your father. Is that good or bad?"
"Mostly good, since you remembered the source. And yes, I have been working on the curricula - plural because of the wide grade range. I also plan to assign the older kids specific tasks with the younger ones as that will be good for both groups. The three R's of Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmetic will be basic to all grades, as will some history and science. Science will also cover weather forecasting from visual observation and simple instruments such as thermometer, barometer and anemometer as we no longer have short or long range forecasts available via broadcast radio or the internet."
"I like applied science. You'll have the younger ones charting the day-to-day weather conditions and the older ones doing some traditional forecasting?"
"And both groups doing comparisons of predicted versus actual. The younger ones can do stroke charts of how many days the forecast was correct and as they get older that will include how many days as a percentage, how many degrees off - first as a number then as a percentage - and some more advanced math for the older ones."
"You'll be using the same materials but be looking for deeper analysis and more math as the kids get older."
"Correct. That means the older kids can help the younger kids because they're working from the same basic numbers. Some of the younger kids just might find the 'advanced' math 'fun' and we can move them up as they can manage the more difficult work."
"My sneaky wife strikes again! That sounds very much like what you did with Sarah and the others."
"It's exactly what I did with them and we had fifth grade kids doing first year algebra because it was 'fun'."
"Mrs. Williams, I think local education is in good hands."
"Thank you, Mr. Williams. Speaking of hands, how about lending a hand with supper?"
"I'll lend both of them as soon as I wash them."
---
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Post by 9idrr on Oct 31, 2017 20:29:02 GMT -6
Sure hope the therapist can find some relief for you, and the sooner the better. Thanks for what you've posted so far.
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