Well, if I needed confirmation about Tom’s attitude towards preparedness and prepping, there it was. I agreed completely with his suggestions and told Tom those changes are all fine with me. I also decided that since I already have a propane stove and oven, that maybe a propane refrigerator would be a good idea, too. I asked Tom if he could arrange that, and he told me he would be happy to get me a propane refrigerator when he got the other appliances. I really appreciated his thoughts about power and heat. I guess we’ve been too busy thinking about the now and haven’t been paying attention to the what ifs. Tom is keeping us on target.
We spent a while longer going over the details of his recommendations. Suddenly, Tom looked at his watch and said “Gotta run, I have another client to go see today. I’ll swing back by this afternoon to see how Tim and Jose are doing.”
“Sounds good” I answered. “I’m headed to town to run some errands, but I’ll be back later on.”
After Tom left, I sat on the porch finishing my tea and thinking about what he said. Was it just a coincidence that we were both feeling uneasy? A shared psychic event? I don’t believe in coincidences, and I don’t put a lot of stock in extrasensory perception or any of that psychic mumbo jumbo. I would think if the folks on the psychic hotline were really psychic, they would call you to give you solutions, rather than you calling them to tell them problems! It must be that Tom and I are both really in tune with what we think is going on in the world – either that, or our tin foil hats are getting too tight! Still, it is kind of odd that we both had those feelings at the same time. I sat there thinking for a few minutes, and then, snapping out of it, picked up my teacup and went into the house.
I grabbed the winter coats for the cleaners and headed into town. After I dropped the coats off, I swung by the feed store and put in my winter order for animal feed. Instead of my usual order for 400 pounds of chicken feed, I decided at the last minute to double it to get 800 pounds. I also ordered twelve tons of hay for the goats, cows, and horses to be delivered the same time as the feed. I knew I had some grain for the cows, but decided to order a bunch more of that, too. While I was at it, I also decided to increase my stock of supplements for the horses, goats, and cows. I set up delivery for two weeks from now.
As I handed over my credit card to pay for my order, the clerk asked me if I was doubling my herd or something, and I laughed. I told her I plan to get a few more goats, and I don’t want hungry chickens, I guess. She smiled, and reminded me the delivery driver would call before he came out to the farm.
As I left the feed store, I wondered what came over me in there, to order so much more than usual. Again, I felt that unsettling feeling, and was surprised when I thought to myself, will it be enough?
Next stop was the grocery store. I don’t go often, as I prefer to buy my groceries in bulk, but with the garden winding down for the year, I wanted to pick up some fresh salad makings. I was pretty surprised to see that even though it was Saturday, the shelves were not as full as they usually were. I decided that while I was there, I’d pick up a few extra things. I’d get a few extra jars of salad dressing, some extra spices… and a half hour later I finished paying for a full cart. Prices had gone up since the last time I was in the store, too. I’m fortunate that I don’t need to watch every penny, but how about those folks who are on a fixed or low income – how are they coping with these price hikes?
I decided to forego the big box store since Tom was taking care of solar and just head for home. As I pulled up to the house, I saw that both Chris and Jon were there with Stacy and Gabby.
I told them what Tom planned to do with solar and the wood stoves, and they were all excited and approving. Gabby looked a bit concerned. “I’ve never used a wood stove for heat or cooking, but I guess I will learn if I need to!” I tried to reassure her, telling her it was not difficult, and I'd be happy to teach her if the need ever arose.
Gabby added, “Tom is making the changes in the kitchen to accommodate the big refrigerator I bought, and he is also extending the counter a little longer so I'll have plenty of room for my baking!” I was happy to see Gabby all excited. She always seemed to be a bit shy around me, and to see her excited was a treat.
“You ought to see the size of the cabinets he is adding to store her baking pans and supplies,” Jon added. “I think she has more baking tools than the bakery does! When she’s ready to open her baking business, she’ll be all set!”
Gabby giggled and poked Jon. “I’m sure there are lots more things I’ll need then!” Jon rolled his eyes and laughed. Chris jumped in. “I’m glad that you married a woman that enjoys baking. She can keep us all in fresh breads and cakes, right?”
I could see that the boys were getting ready to start teasing each other, which usually led to them rolling around on the floor wrestling. I loved the camaraderie between the two of them. That was one of the great things about having two sons the same age who really enjoyed each others’ company!
“Why don’t we all go inside and settle down a little?” I suggested. “Tom will be back soon, and we need to get a shopping list together of stuff he will need to add for the house.” I no sooner finished saying that, when Tom pulled up in the driveway.
The kids and Tom were going over the details needed to finish both wings, and I went to the kitchen to start dinner. There is something very satisfying to me about cooking with food I grew and canned myself. Potatoes and onions from the root cellar, carrots canned from my garden, and beef from the side I bought last winter all came together in my grandmother’s cast iron Dutch oven.
“Tom, you’re staying for dinner, I hope?” I called into the living room. Tom looked surprised, but agreed to stay. Just then, Marcie and Frank drove up to the house. Frank settled down in the living room to talk to Tom and the boys, while the girls, Marcie, and I headed into the kitchen. Stacy and Gabby started getting items to set the table, while I started making a big batch of buttermilk biscuits to go with the stew. Marcie caught me up on all the work gossip I’d missed over the past week while I made the biscuits.
“Our wonderful Director was at it again, telling nurses they could take a bigger assignment if they didn’t waste so much time. I wonder if she ever really practiced nursing? She doesn’t act it, that’s for sure. I mean, I want her to be fiscally responsible, but I also expect she show some compassion to her staff and stick up for them once in a while. She sure did have a bunch of the nurses worked up the other day, it’s a wonder they didn’t quit. Of course with the economy the way it is, there are probably still nurses out there looking for work, so a few of her nurses quitting wouldn’t matter to her a bit. Did you hear that the hospital laid off half of the maintenance and gardening staff yesterday? They also let go three receptionists from the business office and two coders. Looks like they are really having to pull their belts tight! I wonder how long it will be before nurses start getting pink slips?”
I was shocked. I had no idea that things were getting so tight at work. I asked Marcie if she felt that our jobs were secure, and she replied that the director of nursing told everyone the licensed staff was all safe – for the minute. I just shook my head.
Soon, dinner was ready, and we all gathered around my grandparents’ antique dining room table. We held hands around the table while Chris said grace before the meal. The meal wasn’t fancy, but it was hearty and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Conversation around the table was light while we ate, focusing mostly on the construction and how close it is to being finished. I felt very content with my friends and family near.
After dinner, we took coffee and tea to the living room. I started telling Tom about the layoffs at the hospital, and that started a big discussion regarding the state of the economy right now. I was surprised when Frank added that there have been some administrative cut-backs at the sheriff’s office this week as well. Luckily, both boys seemed to feel pretty secure in their work environments. Jon noted that guitar sales were down overall, but they still had a couple of con
tracts for custom guitars for a buyer in Nashville. Chris said that parts of the business seemed to be improving a bit, especially in the hunting and camping lines of his store. I wondered if that is because people are getting ready for a bug-out situation, but I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to get into an open discussion of prepping at that time. Both boys named a few stores near their work places that had closed recently. Marcie mentioned that gas went up again, and passed on that she heard there were a couple of layoffs at her granddaughter’s day care. She also mentioned that they were canceling meal service at the day care and Mandy would have to start bringing her lunch every day. Gabby added that she had to run to the grocery store yesterday for work, and she noticed the shelves were almost bare. Chris joked that people were getting ready for the Zombie Apocalypse, and we all laughed. I did tell everyone that the farm would be a good place to go to hide from the Zombies, and they were all welcome! I saw the surprised look on Tom’s face, and told him of course he was welcome too.
“Thank you,” he said, surprisingly serious. “I worry about my house, and how I would manage if something happened. The yard is big, but I don’t have the wells like you and I have way too many neighbors.”
“Well, there are no neighbors here for at least a mile down one end of the road, and three or four miles the other way. I think this would be a really good place to be if something happened,” I answered.
Jon started laughing. “Yeah, because Chris and I built all those Zombie traps when we were kids, right?” I just shook my head. Jon is such a nut!
After everyone left, though, I started thinking about the layoffs at the hospital and other indicators that the economy was not as good in town as we would like. That feeling of foreboding hit me again. I think it is going to give me an ulcer.
Chapter 3
Sunday morning was another beautiful, sunny, crisp autumn day. I had every intention of going to church, but it was just so nice out, I decided to take Ranger for a ride instead. I packed some water and snacks and headed out to ride the north side of the farm. The entire farm was fenced around the boundaries, with additional fencing around various pastures and fields. Towards the extreme north end of the property I found where the fence was knocked down and ATV tracks cut gaping circles through the grass. I also found evidence of campfires and several piles of trash. This was not good. I made a mental note to have the fences fixed and possibly reinforced. The last thing I needed was for some kids to be playing on my land and get hurt. I spent the rest of Sunday afternoon putting up the rest of the pumpkins and got the freezers ready for the side of beef to be delivered on Monday.
Tom was at the house first thing Monday with the solar installers. I reminded him about adding the barn, workshop, and well to the solar system, and the installers said they would take care of it. I showed Tom and the installers the place in the basement where I wanted the batteries and inverters to go and then left them to do their work. I spent the rest of the day and all of Tuesday butchering the side of beef, wrapping everything, and getting it all into the two large freezers in my basement. I was exhausted when I went to bed Tuesday night, but also very satisfied at the amount of work I had gotten completed.
Tuesday night, I had a really strange dream. While I never really figured out what was happening, I knew there was something terribly wrong. In my dream, some of my friends and their families were at my house, along with the kids, Tom, and his crew. Everyone was armed, and we were loading magazines fast and furiously. Someone kept saying “We need more ammo, we need more ammo.” It must have been storming in my dream, because I could hear thunder in the background and saw flashes of lightening. Tom was yelling that the fences were down and we needed higher fences. There were ATVs driving circles around the house, with people on them yelling things I could not understand. Through it all, the dogs were barking, and I could hear the chickens and goats outside. There were kids crying they were hungry, and I could see my kitchen cabinets were all open and empty. I woke up thinking I needed to go to Costco. I was awake for a couple of minutes before I realized it was just a dream. The dream was so real, though, I kept looking around to see where everyone went. I tried to go back to sleep, but after looking at the ceiling for almost an hour, I realized sleep was elusive, and I got up for the day.
Even though I was now fully awake, I still had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to go to Costco today. These psycho feelings were starting to bug me a little, but I went down to the basement to see what I might need from Costco. You need everything, a little voice in my head told me. Great. First I have unexplained feelings, then a nightmare, and now I am having conversations with the voices in my head. At least the voices didn’t tell me it was time to clean the guns! Whatever happened to the unflappable rock-steady Denise I used to be?
I got dressed, did my morning chores, and hitched my enclosed trailer to the Jeep. If I was going to Costco, I would be bringing home more paper products, and the trailer would be a help. Costco was surprisingly busy for a weekday. I decided to listen to the little voice and loaded several carts full of flour, sugar, salt, rice, beans, pastas, canned meats, corn meal, baking goods, lard, oil, spices, canned juices, coffee, tea, cocoa, popcorn, breakfast cereal, and even snack food. I also had one flat loaded down with toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels. After I paid and loaded it all into the trailer, I still had room, so I went back. I got more staples, and then added candy, nuts, gum, batteries, laundry soap, toothpaste, shampoo, dish soap, disposable plates, cups, plastic silverware, tin foil, plastic wrap, bleach, over-the-counter medicines, feminine products, baby formula, vitamins, and cases of diapers. This time the trailer and Jeep were both full. As I pulled away from Costco, I felt a strong sense of relief. After a few minutes, though, I started to feel silly spending so much based on just a dream and a funny feeling. Oh, well, I rationalized, I had the money to spend, and it is all stuff that I use, so nothing was wasted. I was really happy, though, when I drove into the garage that there was nobody else around to see all the stuff I got, and I didn’t have to feel foolish in front of anyone.
It took me almost an hour to carry everything in and dump it all on the floor in the storage area in the basement. I figured I could put it all away later tonight or tomorrow. As I looked at the piles of supplies, I realized that now I needed to go to the hardware store and get more buckets to store the things like rice and flour. I already had a ton of Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, but I filled the last bucket a while ago and hadn’t gotten any more. Well, I needed to go to the hardware store for fencing anyway, and I’d better do it today – while I still can, said the little voice in my head. Now where did that come from?
Still, the feeling of doing things today “while I still could” pressed me into heading out, again with my trailer attached, to the hardware store. I was surprised to see that the hardware store was pretty busy, too. I first went to the bucket aisle, and bought all of the food-safe five-gallon buckets that were left on the shelves. Unfortunately, they only had a handful of gamma lids for the buckets. I bought all they had and all of the tab-sealing lids as well. I then went to the fencing aisle and filled up a flat cart with rolls of eight-foot stock fencing, rolls of barbed wire fencing, and several hundred metal fence poles. Wiring to hold the fences and a number of bags of quickcrete to set the poles filled up a second flat. I paid, and luckily, one of the sales clerks helped me load everything into my trailer. Just like at Costco, I realized I still had room, so I headed over to the local Home Depot store and got electric fence wiring and all the controls that go with it, four deep-cycle batteries to run the electric fencing, several large rolls of heavy plastic, a number of extra large boxes of nails and screws in various sizes, a couple of rolls of razor wire, and a new sledge hammer. I parked my flats and cart near the garden center where I saw they had a sale on end-of-season seeds. I have a great garden at home and save seeds from it every year for the following year, but I have a hard time resisting packaged seeds, especially when they are advertise
d as heirloom (non-hybrid) seeds. I must have grabbed about fifty packs of veggie, herbs, and some fruit seeds before my logical brain was able to overrule the endorphins in my shopping brain and say enough! My latest purchases from Home Depot about filled the rest of the trailer and the Jeep, so I headed home to find Tom waiting for me on my front porch, thumbing through his work binder.
Tom is two years older than me, about 6’ 2” tall, with brownish hair lightly streaked with grey, and blue eyes surrounded by laugh lines. I’ve known him since high school. Before I left for college and the Army, we sort of dated a bit, and Tom even took me to my Senior Prom. When I left for college, Tom left for the Army, where he served for three years. The Army was not his cup of tea, though, so he got out and rejoined civilian life. He had not been out very long when he met Linda, his late wife. Tom and Linda were married for almost 23 years until she died of breast cancer. They did not have any kids. After her death, Tom really threw himself into his contracting work, expanding his business until he was able to take on bigger and bigger jobs. He had a reputation in the community as a hard worker and an honest man. That’s pretty rare these days. We stayed friends over the years, and I think both of us losing our spouses helped bond our friendship. I felt really blessed to have him as such a dear friend.
Usually, Tom was pretty upbeat and happy, but today he looked very serious. “I hope you don’t mind me stopping by, but I really need to talk to you. Can I help you unload your stuff before we talk?”
Premonitions (Book 1): The Farm Page 4