by R Kralik
Jason and Jesse finished putting up a fence for the cows. They used one side of the chain-link fence that was already there and drove t-posts into the ground to hold new fencing around the other three sides. The enclosure is 50' x 75' and Jason says the cows will need more than that, but it'll do for a while. The walk-in gate is only six feet wide, so we won't be able to get a vehicle through it. They rolled one of the round hay bales inside the fence and put one of the horse troughs in for water. There's a pine thicket they can get in for shelter and they seemed to enjoy being out of the barn.
That means we'll need another horse trough for laundry. Jason said there were a couple more at TSC and he'll get them before laundry day.
Dane and Soo brought home a big yellow backhoe and a bunch of concrete on the flatbed trailer of a bright green big rig today. He and Soo took the big rig from beside the gas pumps at the truck stop.
Jason, Soo, Mr. Hobbs, and Jesse helped him unload the backhoe beside the driveway. He parked the trailer in the field and Jason covered the bags of concrete with a tarp. Soo followed Dane and the big rig to the pull-off and they left it there.
They also brought home a small delivery truck, much like the wrecked one that Jason found. It's full of concrete. Dane says there's enough concrete to finish a third of the front fence line.
They left the Silverado in someone's enclosed garage and will go back for it tomorrow. They'll be driving the delivery truck to the distant Lowe's tomorrow. They’ll look for a big rig with an enclosed trailer to bring home anything that doesn't fit in the delivery truck.
Dane said it doesn't matter that there’s a lot of diesel fuel at the truck stop. He doesn't want to waste any of it and can loot a big rig closer to Lowe's if they find enough concrete that they need one to get it all. He wants Jason and Soo to go along and speed up loading time.
He wanted Jeremy and Jesse and go back for the Silverado, but Mick says he’ll take Deuce and Jesse, because today is the end of the "prison sentence" Hisa gave him to heal from his wounds. He tried to dance a little jig and show us that his leg is much better, but stopped pretty soon after he started. Hisa yelled "Aha! See, you leg not all the way good!"
That sounds fine with me because I'd rather have Jeremy stay home with Rebecca tomorrow. I'd really like Deuce to stay home too, but he wants to go and Mick plans to let him. Because of his size, it's hard to remember that he's only twelve years old. I reminded Mick of that fact, and told him he darn well better think about it.
Dane said there are several gas ovens and heaters inside Lowe's, and he'll get them as soon as he has the chance. Mick said he might take the Jeep and flatbed trailer there tomorrow. He’ll watch as Deuce and Jesse load them up. There's no arguing with Mick. He has done his time, and needs to feel productive again. I totally understand how he feels.
Pop and Mr. Hobbs will be planting lettuce, cabbage, English peas, and broccoli tomorrow. They're raring to go and plan to be out there at sunrise, getting those plants in the ground.
Pop said that two of the tomato plants in the greenhouse already have blooms on them, but we need to wait 'til after the last frost date to put them in the ground.
Marisa and Jason said that Rebecca is welcome to stay with them. She can stay in one of the spare bedrooms and Jeremy can sleep on the couch in the living room.
Rebecca was a little more talkative than Deuce at supper, but she only made small talk and clung to Jeremy throughout the meal.
I'm sorry that I wasn't more enthusiastic in my descriptions of the good stuff that happened today.
Getting the backhoe and concrete is a huge accomplishment for us, and I wish I had the energy to tell you Dane's story about how they got the big rig.
I'm emotionally beat and feeling depressed about what Jeremy and Rebecca had to go through, and that Deuce heard Jeremy and me talking about it. I'm scared to death of the HDI's close to us.
I'm gonna hit the sack and try to sleep, but I doubt it'll happen.
Bye for now.
Thursday, March 6
8:30 AM...
It's not cold this morning. The temperature gauge reads fifty-seven degrees out there.
I really dread summer. I know we need it for food production, but I hate the humidity and the heat. Maybe we won't break any "record highs" this summer.
I had breakfast duty this morning and I made blueberry muffins. I used the last of the blueberry muffin mix, so I guess we'll have to move on to other flavors. I may try mixing my chunky blueberry jam into plain muffin mix. I make way too much jam every year. It's my favorite thing to can, and we probably have every flavor of fruit jam you can think of.
Rebecca looked better at breakfast this morning and, as a result, Jeremy looked better as well. I don't know what they plan to do today, but I told everyone to leave them alone.
Deuce was anxious to be Mick's shadow. He seems to be snapping back pretty fast. I hope it's not too fast. From what I understand, he’s never had a strong male role model. Hanging out with Mick and the others will be good for him, especially now that the world has collapsed and cash no longer speaks volumes.
The men have taken care of the HDI bodies and made sure the grave was undisturbed at the Masterson place. Neither Jeremy nor Deuce went with them.
Mick, Jesse, and Deuce brought the Silverado home before breakfast. Mick was ready to get outa here as soon as his feet hit the floor this morning. I reminded him that Deuce can't drive at this time. He said he would keep him safe, and that I shouldn't worry. Yeah, right.
They plan to hook up the flatbed trailer and go to our Lowe's for a couple of gas ovens and heaters after lunch. Right now, Mick's walking around all over the place, checking to see what changed while he was an invalid.
Dane, Jason, and Soo have already pulled out to go to the Lowe's forty miles from here. They took cans of beef ravioli in case they aren't back for lunch. Somehow, they all three fit in the delivery truck. Dane said that Jason and Soo both have a "skinny ass" and could sit on the passenger seat together.
They have seven, five-gallon, cans of diesel fuel tied to the wall in the rear of the delivery truck. Dane said that they may not need a big rig and enclosed trailer, but if they do, he'll try to find one that still has a good bit of fuel in it and save what’s in the cans.
Pop and Mr. Hobbs are planting veggies. We're all excited. I can't wait to eat something fresh. Pop say's it'll take all morning to get the seedlings planted and watered in.
Hisa and Elaine have lunch duty today. I don't know what we're having but I'm sure it'll be good.
Nana says we need an accurate number of how many pounds of flour we have left. I had about 350 lbs before we did the restaurant haul, but mine is all-purpose and we need to keep it separate from the self-rising. I voted for using all the self-rising flour first and Nana thinks that's a good idea because it'll save us from using baking powder and salt until we have to.
I think I'll walk out to the garden and see how Pop and Mr. Hobbs are doing. See ya later.
3:30 PM...
Mick, Jesse, and Deuce came home with two gas ovens and two horse troughs this afternoon. They went by TSC to get the horse troughs before heading to Lowe's. They also brought home a nice surprise for Pop.
In a corner of the warehouse area at Lowe's, Mick found a huge box of garden seeds. The paperwork enclosed said that the seeds were to be "on the floor for retail sales by February 15th."
I’m guessing the seeds were shipped before Christmas so managers would be prepared to get them out for customers who plan their gardens early.
Pop is thrilled. There's all kinds of vegetable seeds and all kinds of flower seeds. Mick brought home the whole kit and caboodle. Pop told Amber and Michael they can plant flowers everywhere except the garden
They saw no HDI's while they were at Lowe's, but they took the scenic route and didn't go through town.
Mick’s leg and hip was aching when he got home, so he's in his favorite recliner with a couple of Advil on board.
&nbs
p; Jesse and Deuce were looking for something else to do, so Nana had them unload the horse troughs at the laundry area and put the gas ovens in the basement.
She has Carisa, Merry, and Valerie working on laundry right now. They're washing all the sheets and comforters, which will greatly reduce our work load on big laundry day. Nana told them that washing bed linens is now their Saturday job, and they should wash the comforters every three weeks and the curtains every six weeks. Sounds good to me.
There was a knock at the front door. Mick jumped out of the recliner, grabbed the Benelli, and went to see who was there.
He cracked the door and looked out, then opened it wide. I went to the door to take a look. There was a young man, probably in his thirties.
His name is Daniel Sturgis, and there are two little girls named Abby and Alicia with him. He said they're his daughters and the three of them are headed to his mother's house in Hamilton, but they ran out of food or water and wondered if we could spare any. He said he would do any work we asked of him to pay for it.
The three of them have been walking for four weeks from a relative's house in South Carolina. Daniel's wife, and mother to the girls, was bitten when an HDI surprised her while they were going through abandoned vehicles, looking for food. Daniel was forced to kill her when she went after the girls. He had to use a tire iron because he has no other weapon. If you’d seen the look on his face when he told us what happened, it would've broken your heart.
We spent an hour talking and getting to know more about them while they drank water and ate several pieces of Nana's homemade bread with strawberry jam.
They are sweet, humble, and pitiful. I asked if they'd like to stay here for a day or two. Daniel said it was nice of me to ask, but he wanted to keep going until dark because they want to get there as fast as they can because his elderly mother was all alone.
He told us that the real military was in North Alabama now, and that we'd probably see them soon 'cause they were visiting every address on a list they had from the government. GULP!
All three of them were skinny and dirty, and they looked exhausted but refused to come in or stay the night. Their shoes were worn out and their clothes weren't far from falling apart. Mick told them to stay on the porch for a minute while he and I talked. We went back inside and closed the door.
Several minutes later, we opened the door and stepped out to talk to them. We told them that we were going to help them, but we expect them to do something good for someone else when they’re able. I gave them a backpack with a couple days of food and water inside. Mick gave Daniel the key to the S10.
Daniel looked at the dirty truck with all its bullet holes and battle scars like it was a golden chariot that could take them to the Promised Land.
Mick told Daniel that, when he reaches his destination, he expects him to give the S10 to another needy family who's on their way home to loved ones.
Daniel was stunned. He didn't want to take any of it, but I told him that he could “pay it forward” by handing over the S10 to other deserving people in need. Kindness holds more value than most things in the world today.
Mick filled the truck with gas and our hearts felt incredible joy as we watched Daniel and his little girls head down the driveway in the bullet-riddled Chevy S10. Please, Lord, let that stupid S10 travel all over the USA, carrying good people home.
By the way, if you plan to abandon your vehicle forever, please leave the key with it. Most of us have no idea how to hot wire a vehicle. I'm amazed at the number of abandoned vehicles with no key in the ignition. Daniel and his girls could have already been safe at home if they’d found a vehicle with keys inside.
Dane, Jason and Soo aren't back yet. I hope everything's going okay and they make it back before dark.
Marisa and I have supper duty and we've decided to make spaghetti with meat sauce using ground beef that I canned last fall. It'll be yummy and filling. I don't know if we'll have anything for dessert. I think I'll leave that up to Marisa.
I don't have kitchen duty at all tomorrow. Yay!
I'm off to consult my fellow chef about our supper plans for tonight. It should come together pretty fast. See ya later.
10:30 PM...
Rain began falling during supper, which made Pop and Mr. Hobbs happy because they won't have to worry about watering the garden tomorrow.
Dane, Soo, and Jason were the only ones missing at supper time. We were all worried about them.
We were half-way through supper when we heard a truck horn down on the road. We figured it was our missing boys, and it was.
Soo and Jason came up the driveway in the delivery truck. They were moving slow, and the back looked like it was weighted down, so I figured they'd found more concrete.
Dane was at the foot of the driveway in a big rig with an enclosed trailer attached. He left it and walked up the hill.
They brought home a large amount of concrete. Dane says they probably have enough to go all the way across the front of the property, so he wants to start on the fence tomorrow.
He plans to park the enclosed trailer behind the Hobbs house and use it to store concrete. That sounded like a good idea to Mick because the concrete will stay on the truck until it's needed. Dane said there’s a few more things in the trailer that can be unloaded tomorrow morning.
As I suspected, the delivery truck is full of concrete. They'll unload it into the storage trailer tomorrow.
It was dark and rainy, so we decided to stay in the living room and talk about our plans.
They told us what else was locked away in the trailer.
There are three gas ovens and two gas heaters. I asked if we could have heat in the bedrooms next winter and Dane said we might be able to, but it takes a lot of propane for heating. We'll get the remaining gas heaters from our Lowe's just in case we decide to use them that way. Maybe we can trade one to the "Gypsy Traders."
There's also set of matching cabinets and a nice counter top for Marisa's house. Jason said he picked out the ones with the most expensive price tags. He brought home a brand new butcher block kitchen table and matching chairs. Marisa threw her arms around his neck and gave him a giant smooch.
Soo says he'll take the cabinets from the ckd's house because the ones in the Stang house are old and nasty. He picked up a good bit of porcelain tile, glue, and grout, so he can put down new flooring in a couple of rooms. Hisa threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her kiss was a little more subdued than Marisa and Jason's big ol' sloppy one.
On the way back, they saw a pool store. There are two new above-ground pools in the trailer. Yay! Someone was actually listening when I told them we needed to store a lot more water in case of drought this summer.
Mick said he can rig up a way to put one of the pools downhill from the current pool and catch any overflow, which is a good thing because we do have overflow.
The trailer is packed full and all the extras must come off before we load the rest of the concrete inside.
Mick told Dane that he wants to get several more trailers to use for storage. I told them both that I want a couple of trailers to use as "barns" for the cows and any other livestock we get.
I want those piglets from the gypsies, if they still have them when they come back around. We'll have to place the "trailer-barns" in deep shade because we don't want the blazing hot sun and heat we get in summer to make the barns miserable for the livestock. Mick said he'd cut out a couple of "windows" for air circulation.
Mick wants to get propane tanks before someone else has the idea to take them. Tomorrow, he'll take Deuce and the hoist truck to pick up propane tanks. They'll line them up in a bare spot inside the tree-line at the bottom of the hill and we can put them where we need them later. Mick wants to get as many as he can find that are at least half full before he starts grabbing those that have less.
Jeremy says there's still a lot of prepackaged, long term, survival food at the Masterson house. We need to get it up here and into the basement<
br />
Dane, Jason, and Jeremy will begin falling trees tomorrow morning. We have two chainsaws here, and there's another in the Hobbs garage. Dane wants to put the fence up in sections using six or eight logs per section.
Soo and Jesse are going to TSC with the flatbed trailer for rolls of barb wire. Depending on how much they get, they'll put two or three rows on top of the fence, and wrap whatever's left around the vertical logs. The barbs will be good as a defensive tool to slice up the hands of anyone trying to climb the fence.
I asked about getting more concrete for fencing the sides and back of the property and Dane said we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but he definitely wants a log fence around the entire compound.
Right before I headed to bed I had an epiphany, so I blurted it out.
I asked the men why we couldn't use the big trailers and place them end to end for fencing and storage at the same time. No one answered. They just stared at me and the room was silent. I saw their “wheels turning” as I headed in here to get ready for bed.
I don't know whether they thought it was a brilliant idea, or whether they were upset because they didn't think of it first.
Mick's still sitting in the living room, talking with Dane, Pop, and Jason. My eyes are ready to close and I'm headed for bed.
Nana and Rebecca have breakfast duty tomorrow morning. I can't wait to see how that goes.
Bye for now.
Friday, March 7
Nana and Rebecca made biscuits with gravy for breakfast. Nana said she enjoyed working with Rebecca. They opened a #10 can of sliced peaches 'cause Nana is cuttin' back on the number of biscuits she makes and needed something to fill any leftover spot in out tummies.
Running out of flour is going to be bad. We all know the day is coming and there's nothing we can do about it except ration what we have left.
Dane, Soo, and Jeremy are trying to find an empty trailer so they can play big-boy games and run a useless vehicle into the side to see how much damage it causes. I asked them who'd drive the vehicle and Soo told me "Mr. Concrete Block" would man the gas pedal. They plan to conduct their experiment at the pull-off so that any HDI’s within hearing distance aren’t drawn to the compound by the noise.