Another long one. These people stay so busy that just reading about them makes me tired ;-)
Chapter 6 - Sunday, 13 June
Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep! Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!
"What's that noise?"
"My alarm clock."
"Alarm clock? Jack?"
"Yes, Sally?"
"Turn off the alarm! I have two years of lost time to catch up on!"
"Sorry, but I need to get the wood stoves going up here and then wake some little girls who will very soon want breakfast."
"There is tha…"
"I'm hungry!"
"Guess we don't need to wake all of them. Good morning, Lisa."
"Good morning, Mister Jack. I'm not in your lap but is this close enough to 'just us' to ask about calling you 'new Daddy'?"
"Yes. You still must ask your mother and you can't tell Alice until she has asked me correctly."
"Can I, Momma?"
"Yes, but you must wait until Alice has asked."
"Then go wake her up so she can ask!"
"No questions about you being in bed with me, Sally?"
"We do the 'birds and bees' talk early and we include real world events. It's not a shock to them and they know that some things aren't shared with other people. Besides, they're ready to claim you as 'Daddy' and they'll be even happier if you want me to stay with you."
"As long as they're not upset by it."
"They'll all be fine with it. We may get some 'when and how many' questions about babies."
"The two of us should discuss that before they ask."
"I'm hungry!"
"Good morning, Alice."
"Good morning, Mister Jack. Is this close enough to 'just us' to ask about calling you 'new Daddy'?"
"Yes. You must also ask your mother."
"Can I, Momma?"
"Yes, but you must wait until I tell all of you at the same time."
"If I hafta."
"You 'hafta'. You were right, Jack. We have some hungry girls."
"Then I should start the fires I laid in the wood stove in the living room and the wood cookstove."
"You can bake biscuits in that oven?"
"Yes. First though, you must let go of me so I can get up."
"If I hafta."
"You 'hafta'."
"Go light your other fires. I'm still warm from the fire you lit in me."
---
"You're cooking, Mister Jack?"
"Yes, Sarah. We'll try cooking with the wood cookstove and see how much I remember of what my grandmother taught me. I did put the wood in last night so I just need to light it and the wood in the other stove to warm up more of the house."
"OK. Why are you putting water in the cookstove?"
"It has a ten gallon water heater attachment. While we're cooking, we can heat water for washing dishes or people. I think your mother might like to get a shower as she let all of you get a bath or shower first."
"If you heat the water while you're cooking, it won't seem as long 'cause you're not just waiting for the water to get hot."
"Very good, Sarah. Being able to start multiple things that can run with little or no attention means you can get more done in a day."
"You're talking 'grownup' to me again."
"You're smiling about it."
"Un huh!"
"And that hug was for?"
"Knowing when I want to be little and when I want to be grownup."
"I may not always get that right."
"You do it better than anybody else!"
---
"Mister Jack, we didn't get a ' BLEEP!BLEEP!' during the night!"
"We didn't, Lisa. It's still raining but not as hard as yesterday so the water isn't rising toward the house. It's not obviously dropping yet, but it's not rising. I'll consider 'not rising' good news about the water level. The bad news is that the trench I dug to carry some of the water away has also carried limbs and other debris that are now blocking part of the road. I'll be out on the tractor to move what I can with the front loader but I expect to find some things that will require chainsaw work. A large construction grade front loader with a grapple on the bucket would be ideal but I don't have one. I'd also like to have at least the CB available to get traffic info from Pete. When I go to the barn to get the tractor, I'll open one of the solar power pallets and get several of AGM batteries to power the CB and ham radio plus a small inverter to provide power for the printer and put all the things I want at the house on an empty pallet that I'll bring to the garage to have it at hand when I have time to put those things together."
"Batteries, Jack? Where will you put them so acid doesn't get on the floor or table they're sitting on?"
"These are sealed AGM batteries, Sally. They don't leak even if you turn them upside down."
"That's good! How will you charge the batteries?"
"I'll have two options. I have a couple of 100 watt folding solar panels that I can set out when - maybe that's if - we get sun again and I'll bring in a battery charger that can be powered when a generator is running. I won't be using the printer or the radios much and the laptop idles at about 15 watts if I use the 12 volt DC-DC converter to run it. That means a lot of run time from the batteries I'll bring in."
"Can we play computer games?"
"Sorry, Marie. This computer is for getting information to take care of all of you such as weather forecasts and the operating room schedule at the hospital for Alice. No games on it."
"Bummer."
"Speaking of weather forecasts, I should use my phone to check what weather.com thinks the next few days have in store for us. Hmmm."
"What do they say, Jack?"
"Decreasing rain but still some wind. Occasional severe thunderstorms. All of you will be staying here for the next three or four days. I doubt that we can get anyone to fix your house any sooner than that. Today's hourly forecast has two hours with a 20% or less chance of rain. You and I should work on communications when the rain is slowed or stopped. We should get the cell booster antennas up on the roof, plus a CB antenna attached to the house and a multi-band wire ham antenna up between the house and the barn."
"We can do that in two hours?"
"Yes. First we get the cell booster antennas out of the attic and run the coax out under the eaves. Then I take each antenna up a ladder and mount it on the roof and then connect the coax. Another ten minutes to do a little tweaking of the antenna aiming and that will be done. The CB antenna can go on a mast that's bolted to the house. The ham antenna just needs a solid tie point with a pulley at each of its ends and I have some large eyebolts that will work for the tie points."
"When do we start?"
"As soon as the breakfast dishes are cleared. If you girls don't remember who is doing what, the chore chart is on the fridge. Today is Sunday."
"Me and Lisa clear the table."
"I wash and Marie dries. What are you and Momma doing?"
"She puts away what you can't reach. I go collect parts and tools to do the needed outside work when she is finished in here, as the rain is much lighter than in the previous couple of days. Listen."
"It's that soft?"
"Let me open the shutters."
"The rain just got harder?"
"No, Alice. The rain is the same as before I opened the shutters. It's just that the shutters block a lot of the sound."
"They sure do!"
"Mister Jack, if this rain isn't as hard as yesterday, how bad was it?"
"Sarah, can you see Bobby's truck?"
"Un huh."
"When the rain was at its worst. you wouldn't have been able to see the truck."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Jack, that's the last plate. Do you have a rain suit that will fit me? There's no reason for you to spend twice as long in the rain."
"Check the one on the washing machine. I think it might fit."
"It fits. Girls, we'll be outside for a while. You may read or color or play with your toys."
"Yes, Momma."
---
"Where'd you get this wire? It's bigger than my thumb."
"That's the cable to the battery for the 8000 watt inverter. I have an introductory book on solar and wind power systems in this box, I think. 'Gas Generator Operation'. 'Diesel Generator Operation'. 'Propane Generator Operation'. 'Waterwheel Generator Construction and Operation' - I want to look at this one. 'Solar and Wind Power Systems Construction and Operation' - this one is for you."
"That's your picture on the back of both of these!"
"I think I mentioned being an author."
"So you did."
---
"At 70lbs each, these batteries are at the high end of what one person can easily move which is why I have two of these clamp-on battery lifters. Both of us on this side to lift the battery and set it on the empty pallet. Five more of these and we should be OK for three or four days of minimum use before the batteries need recharging."
"Definitely not something I want to lift by myself."
"The rest of the things aren't nearly so heavy. Box of coax for the antennas. Box with the ham antenna. The CB antenna is a vertical design that's in two ten foot bundles so we'll carry that by hand. Box of wiring and an MPPT charge controller. Box of circuit breakers and fuses. The battery charger. Panel for mounting the charge controller, breakers, fuses and the 300 watt pure sine wave inverter that can power the printer. Everything else runs on 12 volts from the batteries. The printer box on top and the 100 watt folding solar panels on top of it."
"Nice stack, but how do you keep it from falling over?"
"The pallet wrap I saved when I unwrapped the water storage pallet. I can't get it as tight by hand as the wrapping machines can, but it's not traveling hundreds of miles, either. This will be adequate."
"And the plastic totes on top?"
"Battery and wiring containers to keep curious young fingers out of the wiring. Batteries in two of them. One as the mounting box for the electrical panel. The smallest one as the distribution box for power to the laptop, cell phone chargers and the flashlight battery chargers, if needed."
"Isn't electrical stuff usually in metal boxes?"
"Permanent things usually are. This is temporary until I can get the solar panels and wind generators mounted on the barn's roof. There's a pallet of permanent electrical hardware that I won't touch until we need it. I can use the 30 amp breaker and wiring to the barn to provide 30 amp service to the house, using the 8000 watt inverter which will be powered by the solar and wind system once it's installed. Not the level of power most houses in the city have but it should handle everything in the house - with some notes about 'don't run X when Y is in use'. And there will be an automatic shutdown when the battery bank is low. The discharge/charge cycle of a battery is a chemical process that has finite limits. The more deeply a battery is discharged, the fewer times you can recharge it and discharge it again. Look in the back of the book. About five or six pages from the back cover there's a chart of one specific battery and the difference in the number of discharge/charge cycles at different levels of discharge. Compare 20% discharge and 50% discharge."
"Nine years at 20% but only three years at 50%. Is that right?"
"That's from the manufacturer. They know how to get the most life from their product. I'll be keeping an eye on the charge level to try to keep it within the 20% discharge limit but the charge controller has a built-in shutoff circuit that can be adjusted for your needs. This one is set to automatically shut things down at 50% discharge. In addition, there is a constant flashing visual warning at 25% discharge and audible warnings at 30%, 35%, 40% and 45% discharge and each is increasingly louder. At 50% discharge, all loads are shed and the only indicator is a flashing red LED - if the battery is that low, the alarm shouldn't discharge it more."
"More of your logical design?"
"Yes. There were no commercial products that did what I wanted so I designed and built my own. When we have time, I'll bring up mjacksonenterprises.com and you can see all the books I've written and the not-available-commercially devices I've designed and built. The printed circuit board, the schematic and a parts list for each device are available for purchase by those who can build their own. Those who understand the value of the devices are usually capable of building them with just that much information."
"Is there anything you can't do?"
"Don't know, as I haven't tried everything. Skydiving, for example. It's just not logical to jump out of a perfectly good airplane."
"Yes, Mr. Spock. Can we get some work done now?"
"Yes. You wait here while I drive the tractor to the house. Then I'll come back on foot and we can walk the CB antenna over."
"Good enough."
---
"Girls, I can see the questions in your faces. Not now. When I finish with connecting everything, I'll use the whiteboard for some sketches and I'll try to explain things in a way that you can understand. There are things here that can hurt you and things that you could damage by incorrect handling. You may sit on the sofa and watch or you may go back down to the shelter. If you stay here, you are not to get off the green rug. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mister Jack."
"Un huh."
"Me too."
"Me."
"If you constantly ask 'What's that?' or 'What does that do?' I'll know that you either don't understand or you're not big enough to stay and watch and your mother will take you down to the shelter."
"But…"
"Ready to go to the shelter, Lisa?"
"I'll be quiet, Momma."
---
"The printer works! How?"
"Time for some vocabulary words and the whiteboard."
---
"Kinda like the flashlights but you have wires from the battery to whatever you want to use instead of just the metal in the flashlight."
"Very good, Sarah. The big batteries are a different type than the batteries in the flashlights but both types can be charged over and over so you can keep using them as long as you have a way to charge them."
"You have solar panels that make electricity when the sun shines on them and a battery charger like Daddy used on the cars he worked on to charge your batteries."
"Correct, Marie. The charger I use is 'smarter' than the ones usually used on car batteries but the idea is the same."
"How can a charger be 'smart'?"
"Instead of just charging a battery until it reaches some specific voltage, a 'smart' charger can monitor the battery's temperature, how much and how fast the battery's voltage is changing and how much and how fast the charge current is changing. All those things mean that the 'smart' charger gets the battery fully charged as quickly as is safe for the battery but never overcharges it because that can damage the battery."
"It knows what the battery is doing?"
"Yes, Alice. The 'smart' charger uses a tiny computer to measure all those things and decide how best to charge the battery and to know when it is completely charged."
"I guess it is 'smart'."
"So are all my girls because they ask good questions."
"One more thing, girls."
"Yes, Momma?"
"You may call Mister Jack 'new Daddy'."
"YES!!"
"Did they run over you on their way to my lap, Sally?"
"No, Jack, but it was a close thing."
"When they're 'hugged out', we should get the other antennas up before the rain starts."
"Five more minutes and I'll tell them 'time's up'."
---
"This radio is bigger and has more knobs and stuff but they look a lot alike. What's the difference?"
"The CB is for local use and anyone can talk on it. The ham radio requires a license to talk on it and it can talk to the world."
"Who we gonna talk to local?"
"Your Uncle Pete has a CB radio in his Sheriff's cruiser. Let's see in he's available and if he can tell us about damage from the storm, where power is out and if any roads are closed."
'PD from Jack.'
'PD.'
'Status of power and roads?'
'Thompson has 45% of their meters out. McClellan has 95%. Thompson has help coming from other locations. McClellan doesn't because they've never gone to help any other co-op. Thompson expects 75% to 80% in service in 72 hours but the rest will take longer because of the number of trees down and the amount of flooding. No estimate from McClellan. All the County roads have at least one lane open. State highways are mostly clear but a few have only one lane open. You can get anywhere but it may be slow. The cell tower at Northern Tool now has the same hours as the store as it's being fed off the NT generator. Joe said something about five years of new, unlimited, top-of-the-line Galaxy phones for him and his wife in exchange for powering the cell tower until commercial power is restored. One of the propane delivery guys was there to get some tarps to cover roof damage. When Joe mentioned that his tank was empty the guy said he'd be back in 30 minutes. He was, with a second 1,000 gallon tank, interconnecting pipe and a delivery truck to fill both tanks. He also planned to stop at Tractor Supply and check on their status.'
'Cell phones are a major part of local communications now and people want them to work. I think the locals understand the value of the Northern Tool and Tractor Supply stores more than any city dweller would.'
'Agreed.'
'We just got this working and the girls wanted a demonstration of running everything on batteries.'
'Hi, girls.'
'Hi, Uncle Pete!'
'You're using solar?'
'Battery charger powered by a generator now. Solar when or if we see the sun again.'
'Understood. The Sheriff will be by to see you today or tomorrow. He said to tell you it was mostly positive. You can bury Bobby or feed him to someone's pigs. The County DA saw the video and ruled it 'justifiable homicide in defense of children'. When the DMV office is open again, they'll mail Sarah the title on the truck because she's next of kin. Bobby still owed $7,000 on that 2005 truck but his credit rating was so bad the lender required life insurance on the loan so it'll be paid for when all the paperwork is processed. Tell me when you get ready to do the engine swap. That's something I gotta see!'
'Unless there's an engine in one of the buildings, that's something I'll be ordering online. If there's a US dealer, it'll come by truck. If there's no US dealer, it'll come by ship from China and then by truck from whatever port they use. Expect a month or two before it gets here.'
'Good enough. See you later.'
---
"You're gonna make Bobby's truck so I can drive it?"
"No, Sarah, I'm 'gonna' replace the damaged engine with a much smaller one to make the truck useful as a low speed farm vehicle. We'll use it as people would have used a horse and wagon 200 years ago. Just having power to move things that are too big for a wheelbarrow. When you're physically big enough and your mother says you may, I'll teach you to drive it. You might be bringing me new fence posts or wire when I'm repairing the fence or you might be moving feed if I decide to keep animals…"
"We're gonna move here?"
"What gave you that idea?"
"Lisa and Alice said Momma was in your bed this morning. Y'all gonna make more babies?"
"Sally and I will be talking about that."
"We are gonna move here!"
"I didn't say that. You don't say anything about it to the others unless your mother tells you it's part of your future."
"You haven't asked her yet?"
"No."
"Whatcha waiting for?"
"The right time."
"Right time for what, Jack?"
"For me to ask you to share the rest of my life."
"YES!!"
"Me too!"
"What's everybody yelling about?"
"Marie, Mister Jack just asked Momma to marry him and she said yes!"
"Me too!"
"Me!"
"So we can call you 'Daddy' instead of 'new Daddy'?"
"After we're married."
"How long do we gotta wait?"
"Whatever the State's requirement is. Usually no more than three days. Sally, where's the County Courthouse?"
"About eight miles beyond the IGA. And there's no waiting period for those over 21."
"Then we should feed these kids and get them dressed to travel."
"Tomorrow, Jack. Today is Sunday and the County offices are closed."
"You're right. I did tell them to check the chore chart for Sunday. While I cook breakfast, why don't you and Sarah watch the DVD about my truck? It's in the green jewel case."
"Goody!"
"Sure you don't need help in here?"
"I have three helpers. We'll be fine."
"OK. C'mon, Sarah. I don't think you'll be big enough to see over the dash for a couple of years but I know you're curious."
"Un huh!"
---
"Pancakes, Daddy?"
"Pancakes with faces, Marie. We need some extra company to help us celebrate."
"I guess we do."
"Hello the house!"
"Jack, that sounds like Walter."
"I'll go check."
"Come on in, Sheriff. Breakfast is on the table."
"Sounds good, Jack. I haven't had breakfast with the grandkids in a while."
"Grandpa Walter!!"
"Sit by me!"
"Me!"
"No, me!"
"Me!"
"I think they've missed it also. Girls!"
"Yes, new Daddy?"
"Alice and Lisa beside him today. Marie and Sarah across the table from him. You switch places next time."
"Yes, new Daddy."
"You OK, Sheriff?"
"Jack, I'm having deja vu because you sound so much like Jimmy did when you're directing the girls. You're so good with them!"
"Then you'll be pleased to know that Jack asked me to marry him about 30 minutes ago."
"Congratulations, Sally! Welcome to the family, Jack! When's the wedding?"
"Tomorrow at the Courthouse."
"What time?"
"We don't know yet but we can text you when we do."
"I think Leanne and I have some things that need taking care of at the Courthouse tomorrow. The License Office doesn't open until 9AM so we'll be there then."
"The girls want me to adopt them."
"I know who to contact. He will be there with the paperwork when the wedding ends."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because he owes me several favors. Never thought I'd have a reason to call those in but this seems like the perfect time."
"Then thank you from all of us."
"You're all welcome, but I do have a request of Jack."
"Yes, Sheriff?"
"Pete told me about your shotgun prowess. Do you shoot anything with a longer range?"
"Come back to my gun safe."
"Big safe!"
"There's a lot in it. This .308 with a 10X scope. The .338 with a 15X scope. And my favorite, a Barrett .50 with a 20X scope."
"How far with the .50?"
"Two confirmed at 1300 yards."
"At 3/4 of a mile? Would you consider being a Reserve Deputy for Thompson County and also being available to the Highway Patrol and a couple of city police departments if needed?"
"I should check with my almost wife."
"You do that. The Sheriff's Office hasn't needed a sniper in more than five years but several of the other agencies need one almost yearly. None of them have anyone that good."
"I will need a proper range so I can practice at distance."
"There's an old quarry that's closed and used informally for rifle practice. I think its longest line of sight is 1100 yards."
"That'll work unless I decide that I need to practice at longer distances."
"Then back to the kitchen so Sally can be a witness."
"OK."
"Sally, he's volunteering me as a Reserve Deputy. You OK with that?"
"I wondered how long he'd wait before asking you after you kicked Bobby's butt. I'm OK with it."
"Sally, need you to listen in and then sign as a witness."
"OK, Walter."
"Jack, repeat after me. 'I, Mikhail Jackson…'"
---
"Here's your badge. When we run the generator at the County Jail again, I'll have Betty Conrad run off your ID. You'll need to sign that and get it laminated when it's convenient for you to go by the jail or the Courthouse."
"Or when I get the laminator set up in my office here."
"That also works. Pete or I will drop off two County radios - one for the house and one for your truck. The County garage can install the lights, siren and vehicle radio for you but I think you might prefer doing that yourself."
"I can pick the lights and siren up wherever but I will do the install. My truck isn't like anything those mechanics have dealt with before."
"That's what I thought."
"Sit and eat before things get any colder."
"I'll do that."
"Daddy, does that badge mean you're a Deputy like Uncle Pete?"
"Yes, Sarah. I'm also a Deputy now."
"Will you be carrying a gun on your belt and one on your ankle like he does?"
"The one on my belt all the time. More than that as circumstances require."
"Teach me to shoot? There might somebody mean like Uncle Bobby at the door another time!"
"Me too!"
"Me!"
"And me!"
"I plan to, but first there will be some classroom lessons that you must learn before you ever get to handle even a BB gun."
"No shooting the first day?"
"Not the first day. Probably not the first week. Depending on how serious you are about learning and memorizing the rules, maybe not the first month."
"You're serious!"
"Dead serious because you must know and follow the rules before you're allowed to have death in your hand."
"Oh. We will, won't we?"
"Yes, Sarah. If you hold a gun, you could have death in your hand."
"I need to listen a lot better than I did about the bag shower!"
"Very good, Sarah. I think this girl might be growing up a bit."
"'Cause you talk 'grownup' to me and make me think. I love you too, new Daddy."
"You OK, Sheriff?"
"Jack, I'm Walter. Only use 'Sheriff' in official matters. I never could convince Jimmy that the girls needed to learn firearms safety and basic shooting before they were teenagers. You already have a training plan for them!"
"My father and grandfather thought kids should be shooting as soon as they showed the proper level of responsibility. I shot my first .22 when I was six. They took me hunting with them when I was seven. I had a key to my Dad's gun safe when I was ten. I plan to teach them as much as each girl shows responsibility for."
"We won't all do the same thing at the same time?"
"Marie, the only thing you'll do at the same time is learn the rules. Each of you is a different person and the training will be tailored to each of you as appropriate. There is no 'I did better than you did' because that attitude will mean you don't get to do anything more. Alice won't be ready to handle some weapons as soon as Lisa is because she needs to catch up in size to be able to hold them. That's not because Lisa is better. It's because Lisa is taller and her arms are longer. There will be other things that determine who does what and when. There is no set schedule of rifle this month, shotgun that month and then pistol another month. There will be a progression of learning and physical growth needed for each of you."
"Sarah's the biggest. She'll be ahead of all of us!"
"She's also the oldest which often means she's the most responsible. Do you remember me saying 'responsible' and 'responsibility'?"
"A bunch of times."
"Lisa, do you think that might mean Sarah will be ready to do some things before you are?"
"She's the only one Momma lets cook things by herself 'cause she's real careful of what's hot. Is that your 'responsible', Daddy?"
"Yes, Lisa. The 'real careful' is Sarah being responsible for her own safety and the safety of the rest of you when she's cooking."
"So she'll get to do some gun things before the rest of us?"
"Probably. She must show 'real careful' with every firearm before she shoots it."
"You gotta remember a lot to be real careful."
"Then maybe we need to help you with your 'remembering'?"
"Un huh."
---
"Jack, here's the $600 for the inverter generator. Thank you. We had cash at the house but Leanne didn't think to take that much with her. Also thank you for steering her to that specific gen as it's run two nights on a half tank of gas with the fridge, the CPAP and a small lamp on it. Leanne insisted that there be light for her to check on me every hour or so. That woman has an amazing internal alarm clock."
"That's the 'mother instinct' that has them hearing a baby's cry over the noise of a thunderstorm."
"Whatever it is, I sleep better with her there. Thanks for breakfast and for making all these kids the happiest I've seen them in two years. Don't worry about the limbs on the road. As long as one lane is open on secondary roads, we're just making a list for the County DOT and they'll be out to clear them in traffic priority order. Expect a week or two before they to get to this section of road."
"I planned to use the front loader and a chainsaw for what I could move."
"There's more than eight feet of lane clear so put that at the bottom of your list."
"Will do, Boss."
"You sound like Pete! He always gets the job done but he's usually looking at the funny side."
"Might as well find the funny when you can. Life's too hard if you never laugh."
"I hate it when the resident smartass is right!"
"You hired me."
"So I did. Thanks for loving my grandkids."
"I rather like them."
"I can tell. See both of you tomorrow. OK if I tell Pete?"
"Sally?"
"Yes. He should know the kids' status."
---
"You were planning to print some things?"
"Yes, Sally. Some info about medical insurance, doctors and hospitals for Alice. Some info about available properties that adjoin this parcel and other parcels that adjoin those properties. Details on the 'rural development' loan George Dean offered me to use to purchase that property."
"That sounds like a much better use of your time than clearing the road. It's an inkjet printer so all the pages will be printed one side only?"
"No. It's a Brother MFC J480DW with USB and network connectivity that can do duplex printing on letter and legal paper. I brought in trays with both paper sizes because some real estate documents are legal size."
"How slow is it?"
"Actually very good speed for an under-$100 print, scan, copy and fax device. Twelve pages a minute for black. Half that for color. Uses 20 watts when printing; 3.5 watts waiting; 1.2 watts in sleep mode."
"No laser printer?"
"There's a Brother wireless duplex laser printer with my other office equipment but I can't justify its 495 watts for printing all of this when running on batteries. There might be selected documents that should be more permanent but we'll read through the pages I print with this before burning 25 times the power for laser printing."
"Even with the big generator running?"
"If that gen was running for other needs, the power for the laser printer would be a minor part of the total power used. But it's not in the current configuration."
"You've run the fridge when either gen was in use?"
"Yes. This fridge should stay cold for at least six or eight hours if the doors get limited openings and I've checked the thermometer on the middle shelf each time a door was opened. I'll guess that we'll need to run a gen later today to cool the fridge back to 37 degrees."
"How high are you letting it go?"
"Forty-one. Still safe, just at the high end of the recommended safe range. We're not letting chilled food sit out and reach room temperature so everything will be fine."
"Daddy, when you gonna teach us about guns?"
"Lisa, we can start now. I'll start with the rules. You must memorize all four of them before we have any other lessons. If you learn one rule a day, we can start class on Thursday or Friday."
"Memorize?"
"Yes, Sarah. These rules must be something that you always have in mind when you have access to a firearm. I'll write the first rule on the whiteboard."
ALL GUNS ARE LOADED.
"How do you know that?"
"Alice, how do you know that a gun isn't loaded?"
"I see them sliding and flipping stuff on TV shows so you gotta know what to look for?"
"Correct. You must look before you'll know whether a gun is loaded. If you can't tell without looking, what's the safe thing to say?"
"That it's loaded?"
"Correct, Sarah. If you consider every gun loaded you won't point one at anyone or pull the trigger without thinking so you'll be safe with it. What's the first rule?"
"ALL GUNS ARE LOADED!"
"Correct, but you don't need to be that loud. I wrote it in all capital letters to make it easier for Lisa and Alice to read. If I ask you tomorrow what the first rule is, will you remember?"
"I'll keep looking today and saying it in my head."
"Very good, Lisa. 'Saying it in your head' is one way of memorizing things. Tomorrow, the first rule on the whiteboard will be covered by a strip of paper and I'll ask each of you separately what it is. If all of you remember it, I'll give you the second rule. The next day I'll ask about rules one and two and give you the third rule and so forth."
"So we hafta be able to tell you all of them without looking by Friday?"
"Yes, Marie. I think my smart daughters can memorize one rule a day."
"If I'm your daughter, I can do anything!"
"Me too!"
"Me!"
"And me!"
"Nothing like giving them incentive, Jack."
"They claimed me as 'Daddy'. I should claim each of them as 'daughter'."
"And things like that are why you sound like a Daddy. What if one of them doesn't remember?"
"All of them work on that rule until all of them remember it. They can ask each other what it is. They can make up a song or a rhyme. These kids are smart and creative. They may not get four rules in four days because some of the other rules are more than four words. But I'm sure all of them will know the first rule tomorrow."
"Guaranteeing them a success to build on?"
"That works for kids and adults."
"So it does."
---
"Jack, these properties are all along the creek. Is that important?"
"It means each property has some running water. One of the books I brought in was on water power."
"Electricity without fuel or the sun?"
"Plus grinding grain, pumping water and a number of other things. Some of the most basic waterwheels can be built with simple tools. We tend to think of water flow in gallons per minute, but a simple pump that only moves ten gallons an hour moves 240 gallons each day and more than 7,000 gallons each month. That's a lot of water if you can direct it where it's needed. How many cattle would that water?"
"Quite a few if you're not milking them. You're talking about things that don't need outside power. Why?"
"The electric grid is fragile. Based on Pete's report, some parts here are more fragile than others. Fuel-based generators need fuel and their engines need regular maintenance and eventually must be rebuilt or replaced. The 25KW gen here has a typical engine life of 5,000 to 6,000 hours. It's already at 2300 hours so almost half its rated life. Things that can be done using water power will extend the life of the generator. When I get the solar panels and wind generators mounted on the barn, we'll have limited 24 hour power. This is a good location to have both as it usually has sun or wind and sometimes both. Based on the interactive calculator at
www.solarelectricityhandbook.com/solar-irradiance.aspx the 2,000 watts of solar panels I have should provide more than 6,000 watt hours of power every sunny day. The wind generators should provide an excellent backup for the solar panels as Oklahoma generates about a fourth of its electric power from the big wind turbines. They're in the western part of the state but the wind here should be adequate for the two 750 watt generators."
"The wind generators will eventually wear out. Do solar panels 'wear out'?"
"The primary wear item on the wind generators is the bearings and I have multiple spares for all of those. Solar panels don't 'wear out' but their output can decrease over time. My panels have a warranty of '80% power after 20 years'. Short of physical damage from hail or a limb falling on them, they should be OK for a very long time. We've already discussed how battery life depends on how they're treated. If we can plan for the big loads - like the clothes washer - being in use while it's sunny and the solar panels can handle the load or while it's windy and the wind generators can handle the load, the batteries won't experience another cycle of discharge and recharge."
"So not remembering at 9PM that the kids need clean clothes for school the next day?"
"Need to remember that much earlier in the day - unless there's a lot of wind."
"So the chore calendar should have things for us and not just the girls?"
"Correct. Things that regularly require power should be done when that power is available. I am researching the commercial AC situation but it may be a month or more before that's resolved. Meanwhile, we can have solar and wind power providing electricity for important things such as the cell phone booster, the fridge, a laptop for doing research and charging cell phones."
"When do we start?"
"I need to do some measuring on the barn roof. There are dimensions on the real estate documents but they're all too neat to be exact. Everything is in feet. I'm sure that some of the barn's dimensions are actually in feet plus some odd inches. I need the exact numbers to know how many solar panels can be mounted where and exactly where the wind generators can be mounted."
"Makes sense. The wind is down now so I won't fuss about you being on the barn roof. If it's warm enough, the girls would love to spend some time outside."
"I have the security harness for roof work. Just need to secure it and get the rope over on the south side where I'll be working. The thermometer on the porch claims that the temperature is 76. Is that warm enough for the girls?"
"Warm enough for them to ask to be naked."
"Whatever they're happy with. Clothing is required when they're doing outside chores but not otherwise unless we have visitors who don't know them. Until I've done more checking of the area around the buildings, they're to stay in the grassy area between the house and the barn. It's still wet but not muddy. I did rake under the tree with the tire swings so that's OK other than being a bit muddy. They are not to go near the trench or any part the new pond. That has a 'no lap time for three days' punishment."
"I'll tell them."
"Girls, Jack and I will be outside doing some measuring so we can put up solar panels and wind generators later. Do you want to play outside?"
"YES!"
"Naked?"
"Yes, Sarah. But only for playing. If we have visitors who don't know you, then it's back inside for clothes. Always clothes when you're doing chores."
"Just like at home."
"Sarah, remember that this is home."
"Forever?"
"Until you're old enough to choose to live somewhere else."
"Forever!"
"Stay on the grass between the house and the barn and you may be on the tire swings. You will get mud on your shoes at the swings and mud on you if you fall out of the swing. Remember that the tires usually leave you dirty enough to require an adult to wash the places you can't see. Do NOT go near the trench or the new pond. Punishment for that will be three days with no lap time."
"I'll be on the swings even if I get dirty."
"Me too!"
---
"So you can get most of the solar panels on the barn roof?"
"All but four if I also mount the wind generators on that part of the roof. That is the optimum location as there's a small finished room in the barn that can serve as the power room and the existing breaker panel is in that room which simplifies feeding power to the house."
"How will you manage that when you run the big generator?"
"I planned to bury some low voltage lines between the barn and the house to have a phone out here and an intercom plus remote control of some lights. I'll include some extra wires to operate transfer switches out here when the generator is providing power. The solar panels and wind generators will still be connected to the batteries to keep them charged but the AC wiring from the inverters will be disconnected. Think of it as having an auto-start standby generator except that the system out here will provide power within a minute or so after the generator is turned off."
"What about the other four solar panels?"
"They can be spares if a panel is damaged by a storm or I might mount one or two of them on the house and create a very small fallback system or maybe a learning system for the girls to explore. In a few years, they will be doing at least part of the maintenance."
"I wondered how long before your 'being prepared for something else' kicked in."
"Not usually very long. I should also allow for the tornadoes that sometimes strike out here and have a full set of solar panels, wind generators, batteries and controllers stored under cover. I'll make a calendar note to look into that in a couple of days. Meanwhile, I have been over to the trench twice to check the water level."
"And?"
"It's dropping slowly. Remember that there's a lot of water out there in my new pond and that the end of the pond could easily run some distance up the creek. Last time I looked, the water was about four inches below the top of the trench on the house side. It might drop faster if I cleared the blockage at the road just enough to let more of the water run across to the other ditch. That's something I might be able to do without having more than the bucket in the moving water. I'll think on that and get back to it after I get the solar panels on the roof of the barn."
"And how will you get them up there?"
"The pallet forks on the front loader bucket will just reach. The mounts aren't bad as each length of Uni-strut can be handled separately. When I get to the solar panels, I'll need your help to hold them in place while I tighten the mounting bolts."
---
"How many more panels, Jack?"
"Six. We'd be finished with these now if I had started with them. I started with the wind generators because they are heavier and more awkward to place. The solar panels get heavy after a while but they're less than half the weight of the wind generators."
"I guess you planned it well. I don't think I could get one of the wind generators up that high now."
"That's also why we did the upper row of solar panels first. You don't lift your hands above your shoulders for any of these panels."
"Not sure I could lift my hands above my shoulders if they were empty."
"Just two more panels. Then I'll make the various connections up here and the rest of the wiring work is easy. We'll move batteries and run the other wiring tomorrow as that's all inside work. I can use the pallet jack to move the pallets of batteries, wiring and electronics to the power room and the heavy lifting will be getting the racks in place for the batteries, getting the batteries on the shelves of the racks and bolting the charge controller and inverter mounting panels to the walls."
"How many batteries?"
"The bottom two shelves of the two racks. Each of those shelves has nine batteries and the adjacent shelves are wired in parallel so one string is 18 batteries at 90AH each for 1620 amp hours or 19440 watt hours. The two strings are wired in parallel so 3240 amp hours or 38880 watt hours. Just remember that I want to limit the use to 20% which is 648 amp hours or 7776 watt hours and there are alerts at higher levels of discharge plus a shutdown at 50% discharge."
"So what can we run for how long with the 20% limit?"
"The french door fridge is only a year or so old and that model averages 75 watts/hour over 24 hours or 1800WH a day. Most of the light bulbs appear to be LED so maybe an average of six watts per bulb and not a major user of power if they're only on when needed. The well pump manual says 1000 watts running but 2500 watts to start it. Unless there's continuous water use such as a shower, filling a tub or running the washer, the pump only runs long enough to refill the pressure tank. I'll guess something less than five minutes an hour for 12 hours? 1000 watts on for five minutes an hour for 12 hours would 1000 watts for one hour or 1000WH. Add 20% for the extra power at startup and that's 1200WH. Add that to the fridge and we're at 3000WH or well over one third of the 20%. Filling multiple water storage containers when the gen is running means we won't use the well pump much when we're using alternate energy. There will be 'demand' switches in a few places to run the pump when the gen is off. Just enough inconvenience that people will use the water in the storage containers before reaching for the switch that turns on the pump."
"Any penalties for the kids leaving lights on when a room isn't in use?"
"We'll start with gold stars for the days they don't leave a light on and black X's for each light left on. Special rewards for multiple gold stars. Special punishment for multiple black X's. If another girl reminds them about a light, she gets extra credit. If the reminded girl turns off the light without complaint, that X will be marked through. If she complains about being reminded, the X gets circled and will be counted as two X's. A circled X will override a gold star in the count for the week."
"What's your followup punishment?"
"No lap time during the day. I won't cancel the bedtime story except for a major infraction."
"Such as?"
"Such as whatever we work out, Sally. They are your kids."
"They are but you seem to read them like books! All of them almost glowing from having 'Daddy time' with you. I can see any of them being teary-eyed and ready to do anything after a day of no lap time."
"I think we should stop for the day. The girls look ready to eat almost anything and it's much later than we usually have lunch. If the rain holds off, we should go get the first load of whatever you want from your house and bring it here after we eat. If you have more than will fit in the bed of my truck, I can hook a wagon to the tractor and we can move things in the wagon. You can drive my truck and the girls can ride with you, although they may want to have a 'hay ride' when they see the wagon. Having the truck ensures there will be dry transport back here for all of you. I'll have a rain suit and several tarps in the wagon in case the rain starts before we get back. If it's raining hard, the wagon will go in the barn when we get back and I'll immediately be out with the tractor to move some of the brush on the road to improve drainage."
"Let's put the ladders away and go feed the girls. I didn't tell them, but I packed peanut butter, grape jelly and Nutella for making sandwiches. Except for your 'celebration breakfast' this morning, they've actually been eating a decent diet while we've been here so their delayed lunch can be treats they don't often get."
---
"Momma. I'm…"
"Hungry? Starved? Wasting away to nothing?"
"Daddy! We're hungry!"
"No, Sarah, your lunch is later than usual. Knowing your mother, I doubt that you've ever been hungry but I suspect she has."
"Huh?"
"How many times has she not eaten when you were eating and she said something like 'I ate while I was cooking' or 'There's something I must do now. I'll eat later'?"
"A bunch of times, 'specially just before the Welfare check got there."
"Why wasn't she eating?"
"'Cause she wanted us to have enough to eat?"
"That's my smart girl!"
"You're talking 'grownup' to me again."
"It seems to make you smile."
"Un huh!"
---
"Thank you for fixing lunch, Momma."
"You're welcome, Sarah. And the hug is for?"
"All the times you fixed lunch and didn't eat with us."
"How do you know?"
"Daddy told me. He talks 'grownup' to me a lot."
"It does make you smile."
"Un huh!"
"Turn around for me."
"OK."
"You have your usual black ring from the tire swing."
"You're gonna be scrubbing my butt?"
"And your shoulders and legs and…"
"Most of me."
"Yes, Sarah. Most of you and most of Marie."
"Jack?"
"Yes, Sally?"
"Need the generator running and the water heater on so I can get these kids clean enough for them to be allowed to sit at the table."
"You do understand the time it takes to heat a tank of water?"
"More than they're willing to wait for before lunch?"
"Yes. The fastest way to get hot water is to start the big gen to have unlimited power for the pump and then use the little propane on-demand water heater on the sink in the half bath in the barn. It will provide immediate and unlimited hot water. If we temper that with some cold water and use the sun shower bags, you can stand one girl in a #2 washtub and be washing her with first bag while I fill the next bag for rinsing."
"We should have a tankless water heater for the house?"
"If we can get the smaller tankless unit that uses a water turbine or a couple of D cell batteries to light the burner. Then we only need propane and water connections to the tankless heater and not propane and water connections plus continuous electricity. That does ensure that the water coming out of the heater is at least slightly warm and that it can deliver heated water for as long as you need it."
"With six people and one not that far from being a teenager, can we do that today?"
"If there's a store that is open today."
"Oh, yeah. It's Sunday. Isn't Tractor Supply open all week?"
"We can see if Pete is available on the CB. He'll either know has the heaters or know who to ask about them. But remember that we'll be going by Tractor Supply tomorrow."
"So we will. Go do whatever is needed to make showers in a washtub possible and I'll have them there in five minutes,"
---
"Momma, you're rubbing a hole in my head!"
"Marie, I'm washing the mud out of your hair. Did you fall off the swing?"
"No, I fell through it."
"Through it?"
"I was really high and I slid out so I fell through it."
"And landed on your head?"
"On my back but my head hit the ground too."
"Jack!"
"Yes, Sally?"
"You have any first aid training?"
"Did a Paramedic course about four years ago. Who's hurt?"
"Marie was high enough in the tire swing that she slid out of it and hit the ground. She says she landed on her back but her head also hit. Now that the mud is off, I see some bruising."
"Marie?"
"Yes, Daddy?"
"I need to touch you where the dark marks are to see if it's more than a little bruise. Some of those may hurt when I touch them. I need you to stay still because it will hurt more if you jerk away. I'll be gentle but it may still hurt some. Can you be still if it hurts and just say 'Ow' if it hurts a little bit and 'Ouch' if it hurts a lot?"
"I'll try."
"That's my girl. First a big towel to get you mostly dry. Now to check the dark places. I'll start on top of your head and work down."
"Ow!"
"There's a lump on the back of your head so you hit it pretty hard. Sally, make notes."
"Got it."
"Marie, raise this arm."
"OK."
"Little bruise on your elbow but the rest is OK. Let's see about under your arm..."
"Tickles!"
"You keep your arm up while I check your ribs front and back."
"Ow!"
"Marie, I need to know how this rib acts compared to the ones on either side of it. I'll go down three ribs and press a little harder on all of them. This one. You wrinkled your nose a little but you didn't say 'Ow' so not bad. Up one…"
"Ow!"
"Up one more…"
"Ouch!
"One more…"
"OUCH!"
"That's all for this side. I think your ribs are bruised on this side but they should be X-rayed. Turn and raise your other arm."
"OK."
"Little bruise on this elbow. Under this arm…"
"Tickles!"
"I'll check these ribs the same way. I'm all the way down and no 'Ow' or 'Ouch' so I think this side is OK. If you landed on your back, you probably landed on your butt so hold my hand and raise this leg in front of you. Other leg. Since you didn't run to your mother immediately, I don't think anything is broken but the ribs on the left side should be X-rayed to make me feel better. After your sisters are washed and you eat lunch, we'll get you to the nearest facility with an X-ray machine."
"Do X-rays hurt?"
"No, Marie. They don't hurt. But the places they want you to lie or stand while they make the X-ray are always cold."
"I can be in your lap?"
"Before and after. By yourself while it happens because of how the X-ray machine works. If we have time while we wait, I'll explain that to you. If not, I'll explain after. I think my daughter can manage by herself for a couple of minutes. Can you?"
"I can, Daddy."
"Jack, the nearest ER is County General and it's about 40 miles the other way from anywhere we've been going."
"Then that's our destination after lunch. I'm surprised that Marie wasn't whining about 'It hurts'."
"She has very high pain tolerance as I discovered when washing one of her feet about a year ago and the 'dirt' on her little toe was a big bruise where she had broken it when she was outside without shoes. She didn't tell me because she didn't want to be in trouble for not wearing shoes. I told her the pain from her toe was all the punishment she would get and she should tell me any time she's hurt. I called Walter and he and Leanne took us to County General for an X-ray. The doctor said it was a simple break that only needed taping and they sent her home with some pain meds and a list of 'Don'ts' for the next couple of weeks."
---
"Daddy, is Marie OK? She did a lot of 'Ow' when you were checking her."
"Sarah, I think she injured a rib or two on her left side when she fell out of the tire swing. One rib is tender enough to concern me so we'll take her to the ER to have a doctor there check her and get an X-ray of those ribs and maybe of her head because of the lump from where she hit her head."
"We'll be eating cabbage soup and mayonnaise sandwiches the rest of the month?"
"Why would you think that, Sarah?"
"'Cause the ER costs a lot and the money goes there instead of for groceries."
"That won't happen this time."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm taking care of my daughter and I will pay the bill. I have a little more money for that than your mother does."
---
"Lisa, let me get the jelly off your chest and then all of you go brush your teeth and get dressed…"
"We gotta wear clothes?"
"Any time you're not at home."
"But this isn't… Momma's gonna marry Daddy tomorrow so it's home now!"
"Yes. This is home. Seems the household goods move has been delayed, Jack."
"Sally, I think this might be more important."
"So do I."
---
"Can we go home now? We've been waitin' forever!"
"No, Marie. And it hasn't been forever although I'm sure two hours seems that way when you're seven and you're hurting."
"But why are we still waitin'?"
"Do you remember the wreck we passed on the way here?"
"Where the big truck squished the little red car?"
"Correct. Do you also remember the ambulances screaming past us a few minuites later?"
"They were loud!"
"They were."
"And they were zooming down the road!"
"That too, Sarah. Why do you think they were going so fast?"
"The people in the squished car go hurt bad?"
"Correct. So who gets attention first at the ER?"
"Whoever is hurt the most?"
"Yes, Marie. They came by ambulance and were rolled in on a gurney. You walked in…"
"So they get fixed first."
"Correct again, smart girl."
"Can I sit in your lap, Daddy?"
"Alice?"
"Help me down, Daddy. Marie needs your lap more."
---
"Patient's name?"
"Marie Jenkins."
"Age?"
"Seven."
"Last four digits of her Social?"
"Two three seven one."
"Do you have insurance?"
"No."
"We require a $2000 deposit for non-life-threatening ER service if you don't have insurance."
"Jack?"
"Do you take Amex?"
"Yes."
"Then use my card."
"Gold Amex?"
"Yes. My picture is on the back."
"Yes sir, Dr. Jackson."
'Jack, you don't think…'
'That she thinks "Dr." means "MD"? Probably. I see no reason to correct her assumption.'
"It's approved. I'll walk you to bay three. The resident, Dr. Vinson will be with you shortly."
"I'm Dr. Vinson. What's this pretty girl's problem?"
"Marie, your dress."
"Do the zipper, Daddy?"
"You're done."
"Odd bruising."
"I think the girls were competing to see how high they could get the tire swings and Marie was high enough to slide out. She landed on her back and she bumped her head. I'm concerned about the lump on her head here and the soreness on ribs five and six on this side. Marie, Dr. Vinson will want to touch your bruises to see how bad they are. Remember to say how much it hurts and not jerk away."
"Yes, Daddy."
"She's seven and this calm about being in the ER?"
"The girls had some scary things happen during the storm…"
"Uncle Bobby tried to burn the house down!"
"Sarah, use your inside voice."
"Yes, Daddy. But that was scary until you shot him."
"It was scary but it's over now. Sarah, in my lap. Lisa and Alice beside me."
"Yes, Daddy."
"You shot someone? I have to report that."
"No, you don't. I've already submitted the report."
"You're a Deputy? The receptionist said you were a doctor."
"I am a doctor. I'm also a Reserve Deputy. A lot of people who live out wear more than one hat. I think you're new to the county or you might have recognized Marie's last name and that these are the Sheriff's grandchildren."
"Oh, Jenkins. Yes, I recognize the name. I agree on the X-rays. I'll get those scheduled immediately."
"Pulling rank, Jack?"
"Getting my daughter care sooner."
"You do sound like a Daddy."
---
"Dr. Jackson, the X-rays show rib six has a green twig break and it and five are bruised. I think her head is fine because she's had no concussion symptoms in the hours since her fall, but I'd like to keep her here for at least three hours to be certain of that."
"I'm hungry!"
"Just a minute, Marie. Dr. Vinson, instead of admitting Marie, will you trust me to watch her while we eat and bring her back in an hour or so for you to check her again?"
"Dr. Jackson, I think she's in excellent hands so that will be fine. I'll note it on her chart and say that you'll be back in two hours."
"We'll see you then."
"Zip me up, Daddy?"
"After I steal a neck kiss."
"Tickles!"
"I think you're ticklish everywhere you have skin."
---
"Jack, we're eating here because?"
"Because this Chuck E. Cheese is more than 40 miles from the house and we're not likely to be here in the near future. And because they need to be kids immersed in kid fun for a little while. And because they will burn a lot of energy playing games which means they'll run down at a reasonable hour even after the day's excitement."
"Any of those would be reason enough. Together, I can't think of any argument against eating here - except the cost."
"Do you remember commenting about the books with my picture on the back?"
"Yes."
"I get $4.00 for each ebook or paperback sold. I average about five sales a month on each of ten technical titles. We can drive here to eat and let the girls play games several times a month on that income."
"I'll have to learn how to be rich."
"I wouldn't say rich, as I'm not in the same league as Warren Buffett but I think it's OK to say I'm comfortable."
"Extremely comfortable from my point of view."
"Are you marrying me for my money?"
"Among other things. It's probably number 20 on my list of 20 reasons to marry you."
"What might those reasons be?"
"The first four are Alice, Lisa, Marie and Sarah. Then there's me and the reasons after that are of minor importance."
Bee-deep!
"What's that?"
"The calendar alarm to remind me it's time for Dr. Vinson to check Marie."
"Finish your slice of pizza while I collect the girls."
---
"Marie, how many fingers am I holding up?"
"Two on that hand and one with a bandage on the other hand."
"So far today, you're the only patient who's noticed the bandaged finger on my other hand. I was a little careless when slicing an apple and I sliced my finger. I think you're fine so I'll sign your release."
"We can go home now?"
"Yes."
"Do we get new bedtime stories tonight, Daddy?"
"Yes, Marie. Unless someone would rather have one of the books I've read to you before. Those are still available."
---
"They're all in the bunks?"
"All but Marie. She's in the recliner turned toward that dark corner so I can listen for any change in her breathing."
"You're concerned about a concussion?"
"This long after the event I shouldn't be but I'll be sleeping in the other recliner so I can hear any changes. Just consider it 'belt and suspenders' parenting."
"If Marie knew the term, she'd call it 'hovering'. I think I'll call it unconditional love. I do expect to share your bed tomorrow night."
"Would Walter and Leanne like to have the girls for a day or two?"
"I'll call and ask before we leave the house in the morning. Goodnight, Jack."
"Goodnight, Sally."
---
It's been an hour and I'm still awake? Guess I am in helicopter mode. While I wait for sleep to find me, I'll read the property list for details of each parcel. Nice that there's a plat for each property. That is where the mill and its pond were 100 years ago. It's still a good site for a larger water power installation of some sort. The pictures along the creek's route show about ten feet of cleared area on one side. That's far enough out to run sealed metal conduit - or much cheaper schedule 80 plastic pipe - for wiring from a somewhat distant generator or two or three. Using a water-driven higher voltage generator would be ideal as the wind generator controllers can handle up to 150 volts input and each controller is rated for 2000 watts. Need to see if anyone has ever measured the average amount of water flowing in the creek each season. Maybe the County Extension Service? I'm yawning so make notes and turn out the lights except for the nightlight.
---