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Post by udwe on Jul 7, 2022 19:21:49 GMT -6
Been gone a few days visiting family, great addition!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 8, 2022 7:42:23 GMT -6
Chapter 78
The Parker brothers with a few extra people and dump trucks started clearing and were amazing to watch. They made clearing the property and getting the stumps out look easy. Jim could handle a CAT D8 dozer like a skilled surgeon handles a scalpel. Some of the extra equipment they brought was a compact tractor with a landscape rake which came behind the bulldozer when Jim had finished an area and smooth the dirt and rake up loose roots and debris. When they had finished, Clay complemented them on such a professional job.
The well driller showed up the next day and told Clay the he could put the well anywhere he wanted. The aquifer in this area was deep and the sweetest water to be found. Clay looked at his layout sketch of the property and pointed him to an area and the driller had the drill rig set up in 30 minutes.
Jo pulled the Winnebago into the drive late that afternoon. It felt good to be back home. The man and wife she had hired to cut the grass and keep the inside and outside cleaned had done a good job. Jo went to the back door and unlocked it. The house smelled fresh, Mary had kept it up, coming over once a week. The kitchen was clean and the living room was dust free. Jo had talked to Mary at least every two weeks and had set it up to automatically pay Mary and John through direct deposit. She was happy and relieved they both had kept their end of the deal.
Jo went back outside and unhooked the Jeep and drove to the Walmart Supercenter a mile away to stock up on a few groceries. She would buy more later but she wanted milk, bacon, eggs, bread and coffee for breakfast the next morning and would order a pizza for tonight. When she got home, she ordered the pizza and reordered the satellite TV. While waiting for the pizza, she inspected the house and found it spotless. Mary must have recently hung the towels and made the beds because everything smelled like Bounce sheets. Pleased, Jo went downstairs and called Jessica and Erica. They were both arriving next week to get their business on the road. Erica was a wizard on a computer and when they were in Loveland, she had designed a website for “3-G Gunsmiths” and knew how to boost hits on the site and knew how to get out advertising.. There was a beep on the phone with a message saying her pizza was minutes away so she cut on the porch light and within two minutes her pizza arrived.
The next morning Clay pulled up to the property just as the driller arrived. He was down to 158 feet and expected to hit the aquifer within the next thirty feet. Hank drove up and walked over.
“How is it going?”
“Brady said a few more feet.” Clay replied.
“Hopefully you get a gusher. It will save you a pump.”
“That’s what I’m hoping but I’ll settle with just good water.”
“Are you squared away with your shelter?
“It’s ready to be delivered. When the well and septic is done, they will start rolling here. Jim said he would use their excavator to dig the hole and remove the extra dirt. He’ll clean it up as soon as the installation crew gets here per their needs.”
“Sounds like you’ve got everything in order.”
“Yeah, thanks to you. I really appreciate your help and advice.”
“What about the solar?” Hank asked.
“They’ve got the electrical sheet from my plans and will be out as they put in the shelter to connect a wiring harness before it’s covered up.”
“Well, if you need anything, yell. I’ve got some work to do.”
“Okay Hank, thanks.”
Just as Hank started to leave, there was a funny rumbling noise and water started shooting out from the drilling site. Brady and his helper were pulling drill rod as fast as they could and finally had it all out. They started inserting the 4” casing into the well and connecting it. Finally, they bolted on the valve cap and shut the valve, cutting off the water flow.
“Well, looks like you got yourself a good well.” A soaking Brady said. “Depending on your house, you might not even need a pump. It’s pumping 40 gallons a minute now. If you’re building a two story, I’d put in a submersible.”
“Yeah, I’m building a 2-story.”
“I’ll bring out a pump and install it.” Brady said. “Any electrician can hook it up to a circuit.”
“Okay, thanks Brady.”
When Hank left, Clay got on the phone and called the plumbing company to put in the septic tank and leach drains.
Jo woke up and sighed. It felt good to be back home and sleeping in her own bed. She got up, showered, dressed and fixed some breakfast. After eating and cleaning up, she went over to the shop and unlocked the shutters and opened the windows to air things out. She needed to call the HVAC guy and have him come out and check the system before she turned it on. Looking around, there was a little dust but not much. One thing she knew, she had to get the tools unloaded. Jessica and Erica had the same tool kits from school so Jo was going to tractor supply to get the large mechanic’s rolling cabinets for each of them. Of course they would eventually be using each other’s tools, but it helped in accountability. She started at the front of the shop and dusted off the gun racks, shelves and display cases. By lunch, she had finished the simple cleaning and her stomach was growling so she decided to kill a few birds with one stone. She checked out the trailer parked under the old tractor shed and the tires were good. She hooked it up and went to the BBQ Station, had lunch, went to Tractor Supply and pick up two tool cabinets then went to Walmart to do some more intensive grocery shopping.
Hank joined Diane picking strawberries from the strawberry tower.
“No that’s enough baby, you’ve had plenty. You’re going to make yourself sick.” Diane said.
Maddie got a mad look on her face and stomped off down the aisle. Xena followed her.
“What are you going to do with these?” Hank asked.
“I’ll freeze these. There’s only about three pints.”
Diane combined the contents of the two gathering baskets into one. Hank grabbed Maddie up and set her in her little red wagon and pulled her as they walked back to the house.
They were hulling and slicing strawberries in half when Kacie drove up. She got out of her truck and carried a heavy box inside the house and set it on the island.
“What’s that?” Diane asked.
“I thought you might be interested in this. I found three different sets of these. If worse came to worse, we can use these.”
Diane opened the box and pulled out an oval wooden handle and six cast iron bases.”
“What is this?”
“It’s a Griswold Removable Handle Sad Iron set. You lay the plates on top of the stove to get them hot, set the handle into a heated plate, screw this screw and you can iron your clothes.”
Diane pursed her lips. “I don’t do a lot of ironing now. I used to do our jeans but since I found the pants stretchers at Lehman’s, I haven’t since. But there are some things I could use it to touch up wrinkles.”
Hank started to say something but kept his mouth shut. Clean, pressed clothes would make a person feel better, which was never a minus.
“Hank, do you think you could clean these plates up for me?” Diane asked.
Hank picked up one of the boat-shaped plates and examined it. “Sure. I can sand blast them off and polish the bottoms, but I thought that took the value away from them.”
“For a collector, yes.” Kacie said. “But the value is to the user.”
“Okay, yeah, I could do that.”
“I’ve got a set for Jaelyn and me too.” Kacie said.
“Well, why don’t bring them over and I can clean them up while I do these?”
Kacie grinned. “Then help me get the others out of the truck!”
Hank went out with Kacie and they carried the other two boxes in and set them on the island.
“How did you know I’d offer to clean them up?” Hank asked.
“Because you’re easy. You do things like that for others all the time.” Diane said.
“Someday I’ve going to throw a wrench into your beliefs.”
“You’re such a sweety.” Diane said, kissing him on the cheek.
“Do you want some strawberries?” Diane offered.
“No, I’m good. I still have some in the freezer.”
“Well, take a pint to Jaelyn. I know Gene loves them.”
“That I will do.”
They finished putting up the strawberries and Diane went into the laundry room, bringing back a wicker laundry basket.
“Cn you watch Maddie while I get the laundry off the line?”
“Why don’t I bring her out and help you. Xena will babysit her.”
“Okay, it is nice out.”
Hank helped Maddie down the stairs, which was partially a fight. She was becoming very independent and didn’t want help to keep her from falling. She just held onto Xena’s collar. They made it out to the clothesline and Hank retrieved the folding table and set it up. Diane got all the dishtowels and cloths first and they folded them and placed them in the laundry basket. Then came the jeans. Hank would loosen the stretchers and pull them out, hand the pants to Diane and she would hand-smooth and fold them. Underwear was next then lastly were the shirts. She laid them on the table, hand-smoothed and folded them. They looked like they had come out of a commercial laundry.
“See, that’s why I don’t have to iron so much.”
“If you could just make a decent sandwich, you would be the perfect wife.” Hank said grinning.
Diane pinched him and said, “For that, you can make lunch.”
Hank folded the table back up and put it away and carried the basket while Diane herded Maddie in.
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Post by gipsy on Jul 8, 2022 8:08:51 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by CountryGuy on Jul 8, 2022 10:35:22 GMT -6
Another great piece. Hmmm seems like might soon be time for Maddie to have a little brother or sister and so Xena has her own herd to watch over... Or maybe all 3 ladies to be pregnant and growing their clan??
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 8, 2022 20:37:31 GMT -6
Chapter 79
Jo unloaded her clothes and perishable foods first from the Winnebago, then the tools. Giving the RV a thorough cleaning inside, she went by the car wash and brush washed it, then to the gas company to refill the propane tanks, then to the Murphy station at Walmart, added PRI-G and filled the tank. She took her list from inside the RV pantry, inventoried and went inside Walmart and restocked the non-perishable items. When she came back out, she took the time to put everything in its place and went home. At home, she backed the Chieftain into the RV barn until the fiberglass, spring-loaded rod and flag shook and she stopped. Behind the parked RV was a vehicle/storage trailer that held a 1973 VW Thing. Jo ran her hand over the covered front of the Thing then pulled the cover off. Getting in, she turned the key and it started right up. John had cranked it once a week and kept it on a battery maintainer. Replacing the cover, Jo locked the doors and went to the mailbox. A letter from the ATF caught her eye. Inside were her Class I, II and III licenses. Good, that meant that Erica and Jessica would be leaving to come here soon. They were going to wait until they had received their licenses before that left their homes, Jessica in Kansas and Erica in Iowa. Grinning, she jumped in her Jeep and ran back up to Walmart and got five black, 8x10 frames. Hurrying back home, she opened the shop back up, framed the licenses and hung them on the wall. She’d get out her certificates from CST and AGI, framed and hung them. Jo turned and went over to the bench where she laid them; two early production K98 Mausers with markings indicating they were made at the Erma factory. She’d found them in pawn shops she frequented in Colorado when she was at CST. The stocks were crap but that didn’t matter. She intended to re-barrel, re-stock and re-chamber one for .270 Winchester and the other for the 6.5 Creedmoor. Jo picked them up and put them in the project cabinet. She’d wait until the other two girls got there before she brought the other guns up from the gun safe in the basement of the house and fill the racks in the shop again. Her next step would be to restock the reloading supplies and see what was the latest in reloading machines. She had a lot of boxes of reloading paraphernalia that she could bring up from the basement and stock the shelves and racks. Jo had ordered pistol and rifle powder and it should be arriving in a few days. Jo took off her shirt and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Getting a set of hand trucks, she headed to the basement in the house. It was time to get to work.
Clay watched as the tractor backfilled the septic tank and leach field. Two guys raked the soil and broadcast a grass seed mixture and straw. Clay had gone to Walmart and picked up a faucet manifold, two hundred feet of garden hoses, two hose reel carts, two “Y” connectors and two sprinklers. The crew was leaving the connector trench from the house open until they began putting together the EPS ((expanded polystyrene) sections to form the insulating concrete forms for the basement walls. They’d come back and run the drain pipe and seal it in then.
Clay got the reeled hoses and connected the manifold to the outside hydrant then ran the hoses and connected the sprinklers. Setting the timer on his phone, he turned the water on and watched the sprinklers for a minute then make adjustments on the sprinkler’s positions. Next, he drove in a few stakes and strung yellow CAUTION plastic around the seeded area. Looking around, the place looked bare at first glance, the old buildings and house were gone but he could see in his mind where the new buildings and garden would go. A thought entered his mind and he went to his Jeep. Logging his tablet into his phone’s personal hotspot, he did a search. Not finding what he was really looking for, he called Hank.
“Hank, are you home?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Do you mind if I stop by?”
“Of course not! Punch in 1754. That’s your gate code until we need to change it.”
“Okay, 1754. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Clay looked at the timer again and cranked the Jeep and pulled around the circle and headed for Hank’s. He punched the code into the pad and the gate slid open. Hank met him, two beers in hand, and they walked to their outdoor entertainment area.
“Hank, where did you get you greenhouse? I can’t find what I want on my internet searches.”
“A greenhouse company came down from Kansas City. I’ll give you the information before you leave. I had already built my planting beds before I decided to use a greenhouse structure and they had to pour the floor around the beds. You’ll be able to do it right the first time. They’ll send a rep down to survey your needs. As for the wood furnace, I’d put in the in-floor heating before they pour the concrete. It’s a lot nicer that way. Talk to the rep and he’ll help you with that. I’ll give you the information on the outdoor furnace.”
“I’ll give them a call in the morning then and get the furnace ordered. They are coming Thursday to start the foundations on the shop and garage building.”
“You’re going to be busy. You need to call Tony Baker with Mid-Missouri Solar over in West Branson. He’s got some rental power stations you could put in and pull your travel trailer over here. Tourist prices at the RV park couldn’t be much different than the rental on the solar generator.”
“That’s a good idea. Save on fuel driving back and forth each day too.”
“Well, I need to get going.” Clay said.
“Let me get you that information.”
Jo had the alarm company come out and upgrade the system to include night and day video, triggered locks and panic button. She also called the fire suppression system people in Rolla to come down and check the system out. Jo had the racks and shelves loaded with all the merchandise she had stored in the basement and got her first shipment of ammo, powder and primers. The ammo was loaded on the steel shelves in the store area and the primers and powder in fireproof cabinets.
The first of the girls to roll in was surprisingly, Erica. She had the most distance to travel. She showed up in her Jeep Cherokee towing a small U-Haul trailer.
They both squealed as she jumped out of the Cherokee.
“God! I’m glad to finally get here!” Erica said as Jo hugged her.
“Well come one in to the shop and get something cold to drink.”
The blast of cold air hit them as they went in. Jo pulled out two ice-cold Mountain Dews out of the vintage drink box, wiped the water with towel hanging on the side and popped the caps in the opener, the caps falling into the box.
“My God! I haven’t seen one of these since I was a kid!” Erica exclaimed as she opened the lid and peered into the box as the cold water swirled around the bottles.
“Grandpa kept this thing going. It became sort of a gathering place for his friends, They would sit in those four chairs around that table over there and cool down in the late afternoon. Sometimes he would slip a 6-pack in the cooler at lunch so it would be ready when his friends came around.”
Jo stared at the table a little bit and sighed. “They are all gone now.” Jo said, her eyes watering. “We’ll have to build up our customer base.”
“I thought about advertising all the way down here and have a lot of ideas. We need to see what services Bass Pro in Branson offers and build from there, especially on custom-built guns. I’ve seen the prices they quote and we can do it cheaper, still make a profit and have as good or better quality.”
Jo took a drink of her Mountain Dew. “You know, I think we should take some guns around to all the gunsmiths within a hundred miles and get some quotes on work that we want done. We can ask for a list of prices for the work they do and come up with competing prices.”
“Good idea, but let’s wait until Jess gets here. Three heads are better than one.” Erica replied.
Hank had to thin his seasoned log pile down and set up the splitter at the woodshed. He would cut a log into firewood-length pieces, throw it in the trailer then take the trailer to the woodshed and split it up. The temperature was in the 80s but the woodshed area was shaded by tall oaks and there was a slight breeze blowing. Hank removed his shirt and began splitting the wood and stacking it. Max laid in the shade and switched between sleeping and watching him. About two hours later, Diane came out to the patio (as she had started calling it) with a pitcher of iced Gatorade and got his attention. Hank shut down the splitter and walked over to the hydrant. He washed the sweat off his face, neck and arms and walked to the patio, grabbing the towel he kept there and dried off. Diane handed him a glass of Gatorade, the condensation running down the sides. Hank took a deep drink and sighed. Diane picked up the remote and turned on the ceiling fan.
“That feels good. Thanks for the drink. Where’s Maddie?”
“Down for her nap. She play herself out in the kiddie pool. How much more do you have left?”
”All of it, but I’m only going to do one more log today. I need to pull corn tomorrow. We’ve got about 60 ears to harvest.”
“Good, I want to put half up in jars and freeze the rest.”
“Remember, this is heirloom corn. The ears are only about six inches.”
“That’s fine. I’ll cut the ears in half for freezing and cut the corn off the cobs for canning.”
“Are you going to need any help?”
“No, it’s easy enough. If I need you I’ll call you up.”
“I’ll be pulling the stalks and run them through the chipper to add to the compost pile.”
“What are you going to plant back?”
“Collards.”
While helping Erica unload her Cherokee, Jo’s phone rang.
“Jo? It’s Jess.”
“Hi Jess! When are you getting here?”
“I’ll be there by tomorrow before noon. I JUST got my licenses from ATF today. I’ve got everything loaded and I’m leaving early, early in the morning. It’s a seven and a half hour drive.”
“Okay be careful.”
“I will, I just hate driving with the sun in my face.”
“Just take your time and be careful. We’ll all go out and sample the local cuisine when you get here.”
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Post by gipsy on Jul 8, 2022 20:51:53 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. This might upset a few chauvinists.
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Post by sniper69 on Jul 9, 2022 5:55:11 GMT -6
Thank you for another great chapter to this excellent story. I do have a quick question, does Erica drive a Jeep Cherokee or a Tahoe? I ask because of the two lines below in the story. Nothing major, it didn't affect reading it - just had me scratch the chin and reread the chapter again. "The first of the girls to roll in was surprisingly, Erica. She had the most distance to travel. She showed up in her Jeep Cherokee towing a small U-Haul trailer." "While helping Erica unload her Tahoe, Jo’s phone rang."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 9, 2022 8:00:33 GMT -6
Thank you for another great chapter to this excellent story. I do have a quick question, does Erica drive a Jeep Cherokee or a Tahoe? I ask because of the two lines below in the story. Nothing major, it didn't affect reading it - just had me scratch the chin and reread the chapter again. "The first of the girls to roll in was surprisingly, Erica. She had the most distance to travel. She showed up in her Jeep Cherokee towing a small U-Haul trailer." "While helping Erica unload her Tahoe, Jo’s phone rang." I got my Indians confused, It was around 0230 in the morning; Winnebago Chieftain, Jeep Cherokee....Elizabeth Warren. It's all so confusing that time of morning!
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Post by CountryGuy on Jul 9, 2022 8:18:07 GMT -6
[/quote] Elizabeth Warren. It's all so confusing that time of morning! [/quote] BaaaHaaaa!!! The original fake Indian princess..
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 9, 2022 8:30:07 GMT -6
Retreat to the Ozarks Characters
Hank Tyson – Main Character Jarvis Hickum - landowner Diane Campbell Tyson – Game Warden/Wife Mark Cason – Ozark Log Homes Madison Elena Tyson - Hank & Diane’s Daughter Tony Baker – Solar guy Xena – female Rhodesian Ridgeback Gerald Hollings - Lawyer Max – male Rhodesian Ridgeback Earl Atkinson – Deputy Sheriff Sean McCaffrey - Chicago migrant Jaelyn Davis Atkinson - Earl' wife Clay Harris – neighbor. Donnie Atkinson - Son of Earl Gene Cannon - Vet/Artist Mary Atkinson - Daughter of Earl Jo Mills - Gunsmith Erica Smith -Gunsmith Jessica Cannon - Gunsmith
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Post by gipsy on Jul 9, 2022 11:11:46 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 9, 2022 15:35:29 GMT -6
Chapter 80
Jessica pulled in at 9:45. Jo and Erica came out of the shop and they did a three-way hug.
“You got here earlier than you said you would!” Jo said.
“After talking to you, I couldn’t sleep or sit still. I filled my auxiliary tanks with fuel and my cooler with Mountain Dew and ice and hit the road. I stopped once to pee. Now, I’m starving to death!”
“Let us lock up and we’ll get a start on the local cuisine. I know of a great diner we can get breakfast.”
Jo locked up the shop and set the alarm and they all piled into Jo’s Jeep. They cackled like a flock of Starlings all the way to the diner.
Clay went over to West Branson and personally talked to Tony Baker about renting a solar generator.
“Clay, sounds like you’re getting things put up fast. I don’t see a need for you to rent a remote system. We can get started on your installation and have it up in three days. During that time, I will loan you a portable system to run your travel trailer until the main system is up and running.”
“I don’t have anywhere to put the battery bank right now.”
“Do like Hank did. Use a separate shed. Since we did Hank’s, I contracted a guy to build us cedar sheds just for that. He can stain them whatever color you want to match your log home and then puts wood treatment on also. Who’s building your home?”
“Ozark Log Homes.” Clay replied.
“Yeah, I know Mark. I’ll get the information and we can get the shed stained and over to you and we can get the system up.”
“That’s a relief. I wanted to get moved over there and get out of the RV park. I’ve got water and septic, I just needed electricity.”
“I imagine the rental fees at that park are expensive. They treat everyone there like a tourist.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“Clay, you get back to that RV park and check out. By the time you get to your property, I’ll have a couple of guys there waiting on you. They’ll have you power within 15 minutes. We can have you plugged in to the main system by Friday.”
“Thanks Tony. I really appreciate this.”
“Hey, all the blocks fell in to place at the right time. I will talk to you later.”
Clay walked out, excited to finally be moving onto the property. He headed back to the RV park and prepared to hook up the trailer but went to the rental office to clear up the bill first. He backed the Jeep up to the Jayco Jay Flight travel trailer and hooked up, got the lines unhooked and connected the wiring harness to the Jeep. Pulling out of the park, he felt a new sense of freedom.
Just as Tony said, two guys were waiting for him to see where he would park the trailer. He parked in an area where he would be out of the way and be able to connect the water line. The men saw where the building would be done and selected an area for the power system trailer. They folded the solar panels out, flipped a couple of switches, plugged the travel trailer in and VOILÀ! He had power. Clay connected the water line, gathered up his dirty clothes and headed for Cassville to do some laundry.
Hank pulled the last of the ears from the cornstalks. Carrying the last willow basket up to the patio where Diane was shucking and silking the corn, he sat down and helped her. Together, they carried the tub of shucked corn into the house for Diane to start preparing to can and freeze. Hank went back outside, gathered up the corn shucks and carried them to the compost bin. He went into the greenhouse and pulled all the stalks out of the beds, shook the dirt off the roots and took them to the compost bin also. Hooking the wood chipper to the tractor, Hank pulled up next to the compost bin so the discharge chute was pointed into the bin, set the PTO and ran the shucks and stalks through the chipper. It wouldn’t completely grind them up, and they would be tossed back into the bin a few times when sifting the compost, but eventually they would break down.
After their late breakfast, the girls went back and helped Jessica unload her vehicle and trailer. Jess didn’t want to dawdle around in her room so they began moving the guns from the gun safe and back into the shop. Once the guns were in the racks they looked around. It was starting to look like a gun shop. Jo showed Jess through the building. They went through a door off the back hall and Jo explained, “This is the bluing room. We have ovens, degreasing tanks, cold and hot blue and even Parkerizing. We need to look into the other coatings available also. There’s even a paint booth.”
There was a big storage room and three empty rooms that would give them the option to expand.
“I need to mow the range. John had only been mowing it every couple of months and it’s looking raggedy.” Jo said.
“If you have a weed eater, I can run that.” Jess said.
“Erica, if you’ll stay here at the shop, you could work on the advertising.” Jo said.
“Yes, and I can get the website uploaded.” Erica replied.
They all began their first full day of work at the “3-G Gun Shop.”
Clay pulled out the last T-shirt and folded it. Carefully stacking the clean clothes back in the laundry bag, he carried it out to his Jeep and headed back home. “Home.” That had a nice ring to it. It was hot and all he had was running shorts and nowhere to carry his wallet if he went out. There was an outdoor shop about an hour away so he decided to do a shopping trip. He wanted to have some cool clothes other than white t-shirts and running shorts.
After putting his laundry away, he got in his Jeep and typed the address into the GPS. It came up with “BASS PRO SHOPS.” He hoped they had more than fishing gear.
Unlike sometimes in Chicago, the GPS led him right to the store. Store, that was an understatement. He walked the front of the big log faced building and grabbed a shopping cart. Not knowing where everything was, he just picked a direction and started. Finally finding the men’s clothing section, Clay picked out four pairs of 8-pocket hiker shorts, two vented button-down short-sleeve shirts, a half pocket T’s of different colors, two pairs of khaki pants, a pair of GORE-TEX Chukka hiking boots, a pair of cabin moccasins, crew, quarter and no-show socks and even a boot scrubber to clean off his shoes before he went into the trailer. Clay wandered around some more and picked up a headlamp and a big card of batteries, then wandered into the gun section. Interesting. He probably should think about a gun. Hank did say there were bears and mountain lions. He would have to research that more. Clay followed the arrows to the checkout, paid for his items and loaded them in the Jeep. He stopped to have a late lunch before leaving the area and headed home.
Diane put the last pint in the canner and put the lid on, tightened the dogs and turned up the heat. Hank came back from putting the last of the corn in the freezer.
“Thirty more minutes and I’ll be done here.”
Hank looked at his watch. I’ll help you clean up, the we can cool of on the patio for a while then I’ll take you and Tick into the big city for dinner.”
Diane giggled when Hank called Maddie “Tick,”
“Don’t call her that!”
“Well, she hangs on to Xena like a tick.”
“She’s just using her like some kids have a ‘Tickle Blanket.’ Xena gives her security and comfort.”
Over the next two weeks 3-G Gun Shop was slowly building their customer base. Many of them remembered her grandfather in there and her working the sales counter.
“Yeah girl, last I remember, you weren’t much taller than a goose gun. You shore have growed up! Man, I really miss coming in some afternoons and jawing with Grady. “Them’s the good old days.”
“Well Mr. Harvey, if you have a feeling to, you come right on in. The table is still there, the chairs need sittin’ in, the drinks are still cold, and on Friday afternoons there just might be something a little stronger in the cooler. If you are in a good mood I might be able to sweet talk you into buyin’ a gun.”
Mr. Harvey grinned. “Well I don’t know ‘bout that but if all three of ya’ll wuz to gang up on me, I may not make it outta here.”
Erica had the website up and had a list of guns on hand and a list of basic prices for services and classes. They had oodles of pamphlets and sales brochures that the major arms makers had sent them. Erica had even managed to get V.I.P. status established with Palmetto State Armory for quick shipment of parts for custom gun builds. Advertising space was bought in the local and nearby towns papers and customers began trickling in to buy from them rather than having to go all the way over to Branson, Springfield or up to Joplin. Jo had even bought a CNC machine like they had at school that they put into one of the empty rooms along with her Grady’s rifling machine and turned the room into a machine shop. The added to their product inventory as interest in certain items was noticed. The would even give private classes in reloading if the customer bought a reloader. The girls were grinning each day when the summary of the day’s sales was printed out.
When the patrol car pulled into the parking lot, no one gave it much notice. Law enforcement had started frequenting the shop lately. The Deputy came in with a holster in his hand and walked up to the counter. Jo was manning the counter at the time.
“May I help you?”
“Yes, the snap on my retention strap is broken. I was wondering….” The Deputy stopped and frowned. “Jo, is that you?”
Erica walked around the counter. “I can fix this for you.” Then took the holster out of Deputy James’ hand and went to the work bench.
Jo smiled. “Of course it’s me Robert James! How are you?”
“I’m… I’m good. I’m sorry. I didn’t recog…you look different. Where did you go?”
“Went out to Colorado to a gunsmithing school. I came back to open up Grandpa’s old shop.”
Bud looked around. Looks about the same but I see new stuff too.”
“Yes, we’re adding things as we go along.”
“Here ya go!” Erica said, laying the holster on the counter.”
“What do I owe you?
“You’re a law dog. No charge, but if I get a speeding ticket….”
Bud grinned. “I’ll see what I can do. Thanks.”
“You come back now, ya hear?”
Jo watched Bud walk out and turned to a box of cleaning patches and took them out front to stock the rack.
“You know him?” Erica asked.
“From a long time ago!” Jo snapped.
Erica’s eyebrows went up. “Ooookaaay.” Erica said and slipped into the back.
Tony and his crew came in like a herd of locusts. The 8x12 cedar building was delivered on a tilt bed and they went to work connecting everything up.
“I assumed you wanted a setup like Hank and added the wind generator also.” Tony said.
“How does it work? Are the panels and the generator charging at the same time?” Clay asked.
Tony pulled out the maintenance manual for the generator and mast.
“Okay, here is a drawing of the mast. At the bottom is a storage battery box and a motor that raises the mast above the trees. On the first section of the mast are small PV panels that keep the batteries at the base charged. They will also charge if the blades are turning. This is a low light sensor. When the sun goes down then the PV panels can no long charge. This light sensor will trip the motor, raising the mast to above tree level. If there is even a little wind, it will continue charging the battery bank. It also has a sensor to detect high winds that could damage the generator. In that case it will brake the armature and lower the mast. After a while it will reset and try to continue charging. When we put the control panel in the house, you will have the ability to stop the mast from rising until the storm or weather condition has passed.”
That’s neat.”
“As soon as we get the panel box installed, we’ll hook your trailer up and you’ll be on the bank.”
“Okay great.”
Clay, to get out of their way, went back to the Jayco, rolled the awning out and sat in his chair. He need to talk to Hank about guns. He hit the speed dial for Hank and he immediately answered.
“Hank, Clay. I need to talk to you about guns. You have a minute?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ve been splitting wood and am taking a break. Come on down.”
Clay jumped in his Jeep and pulled up beside Hank’s truck three minutes later. Hank was sitting on the patio drinking water.
“Have a seat!” Hank said. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I’m good. I need your advice on what guns I should have on hand.”
“Well, for home defense, either a pistol or shotgun are my favorites, sometimes both. You should have something for getting the bigger animals and small animals. Then, you might want something for tactical defense, a military style rifle with lots of ammo.”
“You know, sometimes you remind me of some of those people on that show….what was it…..oh yeah, ‘Doomsday Prepper’.”
“Well, I wouldn’t take it quite that far, but I try to be prepared for most anything. Unless you haven’t been noticing, things aren’t right in the world.”
“You’re telling me? I could make my own movie, ‘Escape from Chicago’ What scenario are you preparing for?”
“We try to cover the bases, but I’m most concerned about the Government. If it goes sideways, the everything starts falling apart at the seams.”
Clay started to ask another question but Hank continued.
“Gene, our neighbor down the road, I don’t know if you’ve met him yet, Gene and I traveled the world in the military, been to some glamorous places and some real third world shitholes. I myself, found on average, when the income of the population is low, the corruption is high in the government. Here in America it is different, but only a little. Here, they dress up the corruption and put lipstick on it to hide it from the average Joe, but it is definitely there. Someday the crap is going to hit the fan. It’s not a matter of if, but when.”
“So what are you going to do, just hold up here in the hills and let everything fall apart?” Clay asked.
“No, I’ve spent some money helping out the Sheriff’s Department and The Police Department in Cassville. I don’t have the funds to cover everything. I’ll do as much as I can but family and friends come first. But the more we can do for the county, the faster it will recover from a catastrophic event."
“What do you think is going to happen?"
“It doesn’t really matter. Financial collapse, nuclear war, EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse), hell, look what they did during the pandemic, or I should say ‘plandemic.’ It doesn’t make any difference because the results will all be the same. Most people don’t have a frigging clue what can happen in a disaster and it has been right in front of their faces this whole time. The disasters the Main Stream Media will even report on, people think the same thing, that it can’t happen to them, that it can’t happen in my town. Sadly, a lot of people are going to die because their attention was diverted by the crooked media and the government coverups. They’ll be waiting for the government to help them but there won’t be any help. Take care of your immediate family and friends and you’ll survive.”
“Listen, in 1859 a huge geomagnetic storm they finally got around to calling the Carrington Event struck the Earth. It cause fires in telegraph key boxes. A geomagnetic storm of that magnitude occurring today would cause widespread electrical disruptions, blackouts, and damage due to extended outages of the electrical power grid. Also, it can kill vehicle electronics. I have a full set of vehicle computers and components for each of my vehicles stored in Faraday cages in our shelter in case that happens. Could it happen? Yes it could. Will it happen? I don’t know but I’m not going to be caught with my underwear around my knees if things go sideways.”
The men were silent.
“And that’s not taking into account what men can do. Weaponized virus, nuclear war, economic policies and terrorism. Things could go to hell in an instant.”
“We have a lot more talking to do.” Clay said, “but you’re busy and I need to be taking notes.”
“Okay Clay, Anytime.”
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Post by gipsy on Jul 9, 2022 17:06:39 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by imahic on Jul 9, 2022 21:06:03 GMT -6
Been away for a few days and was good to catch up. Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 10, 2022 7:59:33 GMT -6
Chapter 81
“What are you working on?” Jo asked.
Erica looked up from the bench and put the micrometer down. “The Mayor has a Glock 36 that he wanted tuned to get a lighter trigger pull. I tested it and it was at 4.8. I took him down to the range and let him shoot mine first because I have it tuned to 3 pounds. He squealed like a pig and wants his the same way. When I’m done though, I’m going to take him down and make him shoot 50 rounds through it so he gets used to the lighter trigger or he’ll end up shooting his damn toe off.”
Jo chuckled. “Good idea.”
Jessica walked in from the back. “We got anything coming up?”
“Harold is bringing in six S&Ws they didn’t turn in for auction because he said they didn’t shoot right. We need to mic them out and see what the problems are. If you’ll take three, I’ll do three.”
“Deal!”
Deputy Harold Wilks was the spitting image of the Jackie Gleason character Sheriff Buford T. Justice in the movie “Smokey and the Bandit.” He mostly held an administrative job at the Sheriff’s Department. Today, his job was to get the pistols repaired. Harold opened the door and the little bell tinkled as he walked through, carrying a box of padded pistol cases.
“Here you go Jo.”
Jo took one of the cases out of the box and opened it up.
“Smith and Wesson Model 66.” She looked at the tag on the trigger guard and all it said was “Defective.”
“Okay Harold. We’ll get these repaired and back to you.”
“I appreciate it Jo. We need to get these off the books.”
“Harold, maybe there’s some way we can take these off your hands without all the paperwork and bother of shipping them. Could you find out for me what can be done?”
“I sure will. I would save me a lot of red tape.”
Jessica came in and took three of the cases and went to her workbench position.
Jo took the other three and went to hers.
Clay went into Tractor Supply to buy a shovel, mattock and see what wall tool holders they had. As he went by the Community Bulletin Board, he saw a flyer about a gun store opening in Cassville. He wrote down the address and got his tools. Getting back in the Jeep, he punched in the address on the GPS and followed the directions, soon realizing he was just outside the city limits. Going in, he definitely knew he was in a gun shop. Walking up to the counter, a woman stepped away from the long workbench and came up to the counter. “Jessica” was embroidered above her left shirt pocket.
“Hi, can I help you?”
“Yes, I’d like to buy some guns.”
Jess’s eyebrows slightly lifted.
“What are you looking for?”
“Well I need something for bear and mountain lions, squirrels, deer and home defense.”
Jess squinted at Clay. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“No ma’am. I’m building a house up in the hills pretty much out in the middle of nowhere.”
“Okay. Let’s start small. Do you want new or used?” Jess said.
“Let’s go new.”
“Okay then.” Jess walked around behind long U-shaped counter and took down a Henry Classic .22 rifle.
“Wait! What is that one with the octagon barrel?”
Jess put the Classic back and took down the Frontier model.
This is the Henry Frontier model. It comes in the .22 Short, Long and Long rifle, .22 magnum and the .17 HMR.
“I think the one the one that shoots shorts, long and long rifle bullets would be more practical for me.”
“I agree.”
“What about pistols?”
“Do you have a concealed carry permit?” Jess asked.
“No, I don’t. Do I need one of those to buy a pistol?”
“No sir, you can go to the Sheriff’s office and fill out the paperwork to get a permit to buy the pistol. You’ll have to wait for them to run a background check.”
“What about a concealed carry permit?”
“Well, you’ll have to take a class on weapons handling and knowledge, you’ll have to demonstrate your ability to shoot the weapon safely, then you’ll need a background check, then you pay for the permit.”
“That seems like an awful lot of trouble.”
“Yes sir, but once you get a permit, all you have to do when you buy any more guns is to show your CCW, and fill at the ATF Form 4473 and you are done. No extra background checks.”
“Do you give the classes?”
“Yes sir.”
“Well sign me up and I’ll take this rifle for now.”
“Do you need ammo?”
“Yeah, I’ll need to practice. How many bullets are in a box?”
“There are fifty in a box, 500 in a brick. The brick contains ten boxes.”
“Let me have a brick of shorts, longs and long rifles then.”
Jessica bought out the original box for the rifle while Clay filled out the paperwork. She checked the paperwork, bagged his ammo and took his credit card. Jess watched him as he walked out the door with his purchases.
“Wow, what a rube!” Erica said.
Jess watched as Clay got in the Jeep Wrangler. “I don’t know, I think he knows more than he’s letting on or he’s a quick learner.”
Clay held his grin until he was heading down the road. No harm in pulling the woman’s leg, and she looked like she might have some nice legs. He had been a member of Hickory Hills Rod & Gun Club for the last five years and had shot all calibers of guns two or three times a month. It was a great stress reliever. One thing for sure, he wouldn’t be buying a .50 caliber Desert Eagle. He could feel that woman Jessica probably thought he was a dumbass, but he wanted to keep people guessing.
He stopped at the hardware/building supply and got a hammer, an assortment of different sizes of wood screws and nails and headed home.
The workers were putting on the metal roof for the garage. Clay liked the looks of the garage and the shop. He felt a little like a real frontiersman with the log structures around. Tony’s electrician would be coming tomorrow to hook up the underground powerlines to the garage and shop. While Clay was looking around, Mark called and said a crew would be out Monday to begin digging the basement out.
Saturday afternoon, the Piney Creek residents got together for a cookout. Of course, Clay was invited, he being the newest member of the loose confederation. Clay offered to bring the beer and wine and he queried Diane on what the women liked to drink. At 1:00 PM people started gathering. Clay pulled in and unloaded a couple of stall waterers filled with bags of ice, two cases of beer and a case of assorted wines.
“Well! Our latest homesteader has learned to improvise.” Hank said.
“What? Clay asked.
“The stall waterers. Those are for watering horses in the stalls.”
“Oh, I thought they looked like party tubs, and they were made out of rubber, so I picked them up.”
“Good example of repurposing.” Gene added.
Clay was introduced to everyone, except the kids. They were near the patio playing cornhole with Maddie and Xena running back and forth, trying to retrieve the bean bags. Donnie and Mary had turned it into kind of a keep-away game instead of tossing the bags through the holes.
“So, how is the construction going, Clay?” Gene asked.
“On schedule, I guess. They’ve finished the shop building and the garage. A crew will be in Monday to start digging the basement out.”
“Clay put in a shelter similar to what you have Gene.”
“Have you started stocking it yet? Earl asked.”
“Not yet. I don’t know yet what the address is to have the things shipped here.”
“Go to the post office and they’ll square you away. Make sure you put up a mailbox or the postman will be pissed when he doesn’t have anywhere to put the junk mail that he delivers.”
That brought chuckles from the other men. Clay made a mental not to pick up a mailbox, post and posthole diggers.
“Earl, how do I transfer a CCW from Illinois to here?”
“You already have permitless open carry reciprocity, but since you’re going to be a resident, you need to come down to the Sheriff’s department and they’ll run a background check. If you’re clean they will issue you a CCW when you hand them $50.”
“Fifty dollars! It was definitely more expensive in Illinois!”
“It depends on the Sheriff of each county. Some will charge the price of a new permit instead of a renewal. They need the tax dollars, you know.”
Clay grinned. “Yeah, death and taxes.”
Hank went over and spread the coals around and began laying the steaks on the grate and calling for doneness orders. The women stirred and began bringing the sides out of the house.
Fifteen miles away, as the crow flies, Joe was moving the coals to the side of the pizza oven as Jess waited with the stone and peel, ready to put the pizza in.
“I can’t believe you have a wood-fired pizza oven!” Jess exclaimed.
“Oh yes, Grandpa love his pizza. I had to limit him to twice a month or he would have been big as a house. He built all this. I would make them and he would sit over there at the picnic table and eat pizza and drink beer. He got run inside one time because of a late afternoon storm and the next day had this shelter built and added the stone grill.”
Jo sadly gazed at the picnic table as they waited for the pizza to cook.
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Post by gipsy on Jul 10, 2022 16:09:38 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on Jul 10, 2022 21:03:42 GMT -6
Yep! Thanks!
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Jul 11, 2022 16:52:44 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 12, 2022 9:17:48 GMT -6
Chapter 82
Clay sat in his chair under the awning watching the excavator remove the dirt for the basement. The Parker Brothers had been subcontracted for the job and as before, they were very efficient. Clark Parker was as skillful with the Caterpillar 336E Excavator as Jim was with a bulldozer. They didn’t even remove the lines that Mark’s men to mark the edges of the basement walls. When they had about two thirds of the basement dug, Clark dug out ramp and Jim took the Bobcat down into the hole and began cleaning up and leveling the floor, dumping the dirt where Clark could get it. By mid-afternoon they were just finishing up, just about the time Mark and some of his crew drove up with trucks towing trailers with the insulated concrete wall forms.
“Hey Mark. I didn’t think you were starting the walls until Thursday.”
“We’re not. I’ve got concrete truck coming to pour foundation. Jim is digging it now.”
Clay turned and looked to see Jim had changed to a smaller, narrower bucket and was digging a trench around the perimeter walls with three other guys using shovels to clean up loose dirt, two others were checking the level. As quick as they about twenty feet done, Mark’s crew came in and set in the insulated foundation forms. They reminded Clay of worker ants.
Clay and Mark walked over and sat down under the awning.
“Clay, they are fitting the last of logs on the build in the yard now. They will number the logs and start stacking them in the correct order on the trailers. Even though we add quick-cure to the concrete, we need to wait six days before we start stacking logs, but it will go relatively quick after that. The masons will be out to put the rock façade on and we’ll do the floor the day before we lay logs.” Mark said.
“It’s really going faster than I thought it would. I need to start thinking about furniture.”
“Talk to Diane Tyson. She did a great job with her house. She can probably tell you where to get the best pieces and prices.”
The workers were just completing putting in the foundation forms when the concrete truck arrived. They poured and vibrated the concrete and were finishing just as the sun was going down. The men used the lights from the trucks in order to be able to see to finish cleaning their trowels.
“”We’ll see you Thursday Clay.”
“Okay Mark. Stay safe.”
The night quiet returned as the last truck left. Clay went inside the trailer and microwaved a couple of frozen chimichangas. Taking them, a bottle of hot sauce and a Dos Equis out to his “patio,” Clay ate his dinner.
“What did you find in the S&Ws?” Jo asked
“Two worn sears and a couple of weak springs.” Jess said.
“I’ve got three bad sears. We’ve got stock but it’s going to have to be ground down a bit. I’ll do that and you set up the CNC. We can have these done by tomorrow.”
Erica stayed busy all day at the counter. She sold a couple of rifles, some ammunition and cleaning equipment. Others came in to browse and get familiar with what they had on hand. The girls liked that because when someone realized they needed something, 3-G Gun Shop was somewhere in their minds. They handed out plenty of soft drinks too. It was a novelty for the customer to get a soft drink from the antique drink box; that stuck in their mind also. The great customer service and the good looking women insured they would have return customers.
“Jo, I’ve been making a list of things customers have asked for and we don’t carry to include 45-70 ammo,” Erica said.
“What type 45-70 was he looking for?”
“Soft point.”
“Order the stuff, but only order a dozen boxes of 45-70. Order four boxes of soft point, two of the 250 Grain MONOFLEX, and six boxes of 405 grain cowboy loads. The cowboy loads are pretty accurate if they are practicing with a rifle but if they are using a revolver, they have a hell of a cleaning job ahead of them.” Jo said.
“Hey, we could offer them a super-duper cleaning service.” Erica said.
“Well, let’s just try to sell them the cleaner ammo if they have a revolver. If they already shoot cowboy then they know what they are in for.”
Gene was gluing blank stock together when his phone rang. He had his hands full and let it go to voicemail until he finished the clamping the wood together. Picking his phone he listened to Jaelyn telling him to call her. Gene hit her speed dial and she immediately picked up.
“Gene! The Ranger sold for $5,000!”
“Wow! I’ll send a check to Wounded Warriors then. How is your day?”
“Same, same. Inventory, cleaning, packaging.”
“What do you want for dinner?
We need to use those avocados, what about Blackened Chicken Salad with Avocado?”
“Sounds good. I’ll have it ready when you get home.” Gene said.
“Thanks Hon, Bye”
Hank took a walking tour with Max to the mineral blocks and the food plots he had established in through the forest. The mineral blocks would need replacing in a couple of weeks or so. He checked his pool and no more beavers had come back. Down near Water Hollow he found a small stream that had been dammed by beavers but he left it alone. He could trap them this winter of Diane wanted the furs, and of course he like the tails also, especially the way Diane cooked them. Hank and Max climbed back up to the top of the ridge and walked the mile and a quarter back to the house.
Clay got up early, did his pushups and situps, grabbed a shower and headed into Cassville for breakfast before going to his CCW class. He was going to blow it off because he was going to be able to get it easy way, but he had nothing else to do and he didn’t feel like just sitting around. Besides, the scenery wasn’t bad around that gun shop. The class started at 8:00 so he had time to get a good breakfast.
Clay pulled up next to the Sunrise Diner and the waitress immediately filled his coffee cup and took his order. Clay pulled up the news app on the phone and read what passed for news. He only read the articles pertinent to his interest, which there weren’t many.
After finishing his breakfast, Clay went to the gun shop. He drove in just as one of the women was unlocking the door. He waited in his Jeep Wrangler until 5 minutes before 8:00 and went in.
“Are you here for the CCW class?” Jo asked.
“Yes ma’am.
“Your instructor will be here in a second. I’ll show you to the classroom.”
Jo led Clay back to one of the rooms they had set up as a classroom and told him to pick a seat. Jessica came in a few seconds and handed him a packed and fill out a couple of forms.
“Well, let’s get started.” Jess said.
“Where is everyone?”
“You’re it. We teach the class even if there is only one student.” Jess replied.
Jess began the class and went on for the next 50 minutes, when she gave him a break. He was offered and accepted soda out of the drink cooler…grape, his favorite.
The rest of the class went on until lunch, he had a one hour break, then went on until 5:00 PM. They then walked down to the range and using a pistol provided to Clay, he demonstrated his ability to safely fire a weapon. Jess had him fire six rounds at the 7 meter target, change magazines, then fire at the 15 meter target. Clay rapidly emptied the ten round magazine into the center of the target in a small, tight group.
Jess remained quiet as they walked back to the shop. She filled out the certification certificate, handed it to Clay, and explained his next steps in obtaining a CCW.
“Thank you for your time and instruction but I’m picking up my CCW tomorrow. I was able to kind of transfer my permit from Illinois.”
“”You lied to me! You said you didn’t have a CCW! You’ve been wasting my time.”
“Well, I didn’t really lie. Yes, I had a CCW but not one I considered valid. I’ve felt like I was carrying illegally, and as a businesswoman, you got paid for your time so your time was not wasted. I want to thank you for your time and excellent instruction. It really jogged my memory on a few things. Building a house has kept my mind occupied for the last few weeks and it was refreshing to think about other things.”
Jess starred at Clay’s back as he walked out the door. Turning out the lights and setting the security system, she headed for the house.
On the way back to the property, Clay called the plumber and told him they would be starting on the basement walls the next day. The plumber was happy when he found out about the insulated walls. It made it a lot easier to cut through the form walls to bring the drain pipe through. He got home, took a shower, made a roast beef sandwich, and had some chips with his beer. Tomorrow would start another phase in his transition to country living.
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Post by gipsy on Jul 12, 2022 9:58:37 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by bluefox2 on Jul 12, 2022 18:57:54 GMT -6
Ya know, Ya really shouldn't tick off the girls who run the local gun shop. Just sayin
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Post by gipsy on Jul 12, 2022 21:22:50 GMT -6
He might be teasing her a bit.
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Post by biggkidd on Jul 13, 2022 11:31:40 GMT -6
Another chapter or three and they'll be out on a date or having a meal together anyway.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jul 13, 2022 20:56:46 GMT -6
Chapter 83
Clay called Mark Canon to see if he had any recommendations on an interior designer.
Mark chuckled. “This may sound like nepotism but my sister has done several of the houses we’ve completed.”
“Well, that’s it then. Do you think she’d have time for me?”
“Hang on, she’s in the next office.”
“This is Carol.”
“Carol, my name is Clay Harris. Mark is building my house and I need some help with the interior. I’m single and I would like to have it done with more taste than Elvis paintings on black velvet.”
“Carol giggled. “Well, I think I could help you. What style are you looking for?”
“Probably something between Rustic, Modern Country and Feng shui”
“Wow! You know, I think I know just what you are thinking about. I can get a room layout from Mark and put some things together. I’ll give you a call when I have something put together. Oh! And my name is Carol Martin.”
“Okay Carol. I appreciate this. I will talk to you later.”
“Okay Clay, I’ll get back to you as quick as I can.”
Diane finished picking the Brussels Sprouts and carried the basket out to the woodshed where Maddie was playing while Hank took a break from splitting wood. Maddie was chasing Xena around the wood yard and Xena was happily keeping out of her reach.
“You get enough?” Hank asked.
“Just enough for dinner, and all from one stalk. I’ll need to get the rest within the next two or three days or they’ll get too big and bitter. These are just the right size. Maddie, come on honey. Daddy wants to get back to work.”
Hank finished one more log and pushed the splitter back under the woodshed. His goal was two logs a day and he was staying ahead. That way, if something came up, he wouldn’t be playing catch-up. As he was finishing up, the fuel truck arrived at the gate and Diane buzzed him in then called Hank on the radio. Hank went over and took the fake stone covering the fill pipe and set it aside. Hank went and got the PRI-D and the folding measuring stick and check how many gallons he would need. He added the correct amount of PRI-D and was waiting as the fuel truck backed up.
“How much do you need this month Hank?”
“I’m going to need 375 gallons Will.”
Will pulled the hose over and put it in the fill pipe and set the number of gallons on the pump.
As Will was pumping, Clay rode up, parked and walked down to them.
“I wanted to ask you a question but seeing this, I’ve got two.” Clay grinned.
“What’s up?”
“I want to get a compact tractor and a utility trailer to haul deadfall. You were right, there is a lot of it down in the woods.”
“I got my equipment at Heritage Tractor up in Lebanon but they since opened a place outside of Springfield. They should have what you want. If you want an all-terrain trailer go to Abram’s Trailers in Republic.” Hank said.
“What’s the difference in an all-terrain and a regular utility trailer?”
“The all-terrain has a swivel tongue, usually with a pintle eye. As you move over uneven ground the tongue swivels and doesn’t warp your tongue when pulling a heavy load.”
“Sounds like what I need.”
“What’s your second question?”
“Where did you get the underground fuel tank?”
Hank pointed at Will. “Ask the man.”
“What size do you need? Will asked. “We got 5, 10, and 20 thousand gallon double-walled fiberglass tanks.”
“I guess 5,000 gallons will do.”
“After I finish up here, you can take me down and show me where you want it.”
“Clay, you can gather deadfall on your land but the land around you is national forest. You’ll need to go down to the Ranger Station and get a permit. Doesn’t cost you anything. They like people getting the deadfall out.”
About that time the pump stopped and Will walked the hose, making sure all the fuel was drained out. Reeling in the hose, Will wrote out the receipt and handed it to Hank.
“Ya ready?” Will asked Clay.
Clay trotted back to his Jeep and turned around, Will following him out to the highway. Hank put the PRI-D and the measuring stick back in the shop and went to the house.
After Will left, Clay checked his notebook and headed for Kacie's
Jaelyn looked at the monitor when the driveway alarm buzzed. "It’s Clay Harris.”
“Let him in.”
As Clay got to the door he heard the door unlock. Opening the door, he saw Gene’s wife behind the counter.
“What can we do for you today Clay?”
“Well, with all the stuff you have here, I thought you might have some decorative wall hanging things here. I have no taste in things like that and have hired an interior decorator. I really don’t know what I am talking about but if you have anything like that and can set them aside, I’ll have her come down and pick some out.”
“Sure Clay, we’d be happy to. Who is your decorator?”
“Mark Cason’s sister, Carol Martin.”
“Oh yes, We’ve sold a few things to Carol. Not a problem. Just have her come by and we’ll show her what we have.”
“Thanks ladies. Well, I won’t keep you. Have a good day.”
“You too Clay.”
Jo heard the bell and looked up. Dennis Nixon and his father came in, Mr. Nixon, supporting himself with a cane, walked over to the table and took a seat. Jo came around from behind the counter and walked to the drink box.
“You still like Mountain Dew Mr. Nixon?”
“Yes I do but the doctor told me to keep away from sugar.”
Burl Nixon was one of the few old friends of her father that was still alive.
“Well Mr. Nixon, I have here a Mountain Dew Zero. It has no sugar in it and it’s got your name one it.”
“Okay, much obliged. You sure have growed up some.”
“Nature has a way of doing that.” Jo said as she set the bottle in front of Mr. Nixon.
“Dennis, what can I get you?”
“Nothing to drink for me. I need to get some 30-30 shells.”
“What tip?”
“Do you have those Hornady 160 Grain Flex Tip expanding rounds?”
“Sure do! How many boxes do you want?”
“Two will be enough.”
Jo rang up the purchase. “That will be $70.75.”
“Man, ammunition isn’t getting any cheaper, but it is more expensive at Walmart.”
“I try to buy in bulk to keep the prices as low as I can but not many people ask for these particular rounds. You know, save the cases. When you have shot up a box, bring them in and I can reload them for you, as long as the brass isn’t dented. I can reload them for just a little more than half the price you’re paying now.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Are you sure you won’t have a drink?”
“Well, do you have 7-Up?”
“Sure do, and in the glass bottle too.”
Jo pulled the bottle out of the cooler, wiped it down and opened it for Dennis.”
“Much obliged.”
The three sat there and talked until Deputy James walked in. Dennis and Mr. Nixon were just leaving so Bud held the door for them.
“Morning Bud, what can I do for you?”
Bud took off his hat. “Jo I uh… well, I wanted to know if you’d like to go out to dinner sometime.”
Jo looked at him for a moment. “Okay.”
Bud almost jumped. “Would Friday night be convenient?”
“That would be fine Bud.”
“7:00?”
Jo nodded.
“Okay then, I’ll see you at 7:00.”
Bud headed out the door and to his SUV. Erica and Jess came running out of the bluing room.
“YOU JUST ACCEPTED A DATE!” Erica squealed.
“Hush.” Jo said, turning to the cash register and putting the money for the drinks in the drawer.
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Post by gipsy on Jul 13, 2022 21:45:36 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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