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#42
Silas didn't waste any time cornering Mark the second he stepped out of his pickup. "I come to sell," he announced loudly, "you done fooled around and didn't get back here in time for dinner, we et it all. Sorry."
Helga looked at Clora and pointed to two bowls under a dish towel, and Clora nodded her thanks.
"I been trying to get that woman to leave her man and come with me," Silas was just as loud, although they were in close proximity to each other. "I shore do fancy a woman that can cook like that. Yup, I shore do."
Clora sat down next to Silas and said gently, "we need Helga, we couldn't get along without her. Please don't lure her away".
Silas squinted at Clora like maybe she was putting him on, he twisted his mouth, stared at her real hard and then relaxed and said, "you are plumb serious, ain't ya."
"Yes I am," and Clora skillfully guided Silas around to the topic of selling. "Tell me about the water on your place, is there enough for the house, animals and washing?" The way Silas smelled, water could have been a problem.
"Oh yes," Silas assured her gravely. "I gots a secret one of them artesian springs; best water in the county by far. It feeds the lower house where I been livin, there's a well at the upper house and a hand dug shallow well in the barn."
"You have two houses?" Clora was starting to get real interested.
"Yes Ma'am," Silas was proud of the fact. "Me and Ma built our girl and her uppity husband a real fine house, then they up and moved away without sayin a word. I'm gonna go look her up and see how she's a'doin, beings that she's my only kid. I'm gonna wave some money under her nose and see iffen she'll talk to me then."
"That doesn't sound like she was very grateful," Clora was troubled. "Are you sure that's a good idea for you to look her up?"
"I'll let my money do all the talking for me," Silas cackled, "that is, as soon as I git it."
"Silas, may we walk up the road and have a look at your place? I would like to see the upper house and the outbuildings before we start talking money." Clora smiled and Silas couldn't refuse her request.
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Pac, thank you so much for sharing with us. I hope you and the Mr. are having some good days.
Poor Silas, he won't know what hit him.
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Thank you Pac, I'm with Freefirde, Silas will find himself with the deal done and he won't know how.
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#42b
The upper house was a small two bedroom with the sheetrock moldy and falling off the ceiling. Squirrels, mice and rats had taken over and Clora was so disappointed it was hard to speak.
"Silas, how long has your daughter been gone?" Clora tried to ferret out the information.
"Oh, probably 8 maybe 10 years or so. Don't rightly recollect any more. I stay to myself in the lower house, don't get out much, so one day is purty much like another."
Clora could only nod, afraid to speak. She had Luke in her shawl, Helga had Lizzie and Gail was carrying John. They backed out of the vermin and mold infested house as rapidly as possible.
Mark, Karl, Warren and Wayne were having much the same disappointing inspection of the barn and outbuildings. Silas had mentioned he would take a 150 thousand for the 300 acre farm, and it was very apparent that the land was worth more with out the ramshackle buildings.
On the way back to the camp, Silas invited them in to inspect his 'lower' house and barn, but the way it smelled from the road way, Clora passed.
Wayne came bouncing up beside her. "Clora, are you and Mark gonna take that place?" he stage whispered, "cause if you aren't, I sure do want it."
Clora stopped walking to look hard at Wayne. The she caught Mark's eye. He looked so resigned, head hanging disappointed that the unholy mess would probably be their's to clean up.
"We don't want it Wayne, it's too much work and not big enough." The only sound was the whoosh of relief from Mark, as his head came up and he started to grin. Clora smiled at her husband, "It needs a lot of elbow grease Wayne, but if your interested, go talk to Silas. I get the feeling he doesn't care who he sells too, as long as the deed gets done."
Wayne gave them a salute and went galloping back up the road to the smelly cabin.
"That old man's, he muches smells like an old goat, ud I no sees any goats theres," Helga tartly announced. "I am muches happy you does nots vants it. Bad place fors the bebes."
"Bad place for anyone," Mark agreed.
Clora looked around when they got to the camp, "Mark come walk with me for a minute, I have some Ideas."
"OK, but not too far, I'm feeling tired, maybe we could go sit in the pickup and if we lock the door we might get 5 minutes worth of privacy," he joked.
Once inside, Clora turned to Mark and said quietly, "we need to use the children's education money to make a better offer on the Henderson farm."
Mark got this wild flash of joy on his face before he collected himself and cleared his throat. "No we can't use that, I don't have a job and can't replace the money." he said in his very best grown up voice, despite his intense longing for the neat and orderly farm.
"Mark, we are two months away from the start of winter and we can't survive like this. A farm where we can live and raise our food has got to be the best use of that money." Clora was calm and insistent. "Aside from the fact that we are going to loose that money if the banks close, sick children, from being out in the elements don't have the ability to study."
Mark was trying hard to be uber responsible and hold fast to keeping the education money sacred, but when Clora tapped him on the hand, he looked up to see Mame and Homer driving in.
"God is sending us an opportunity," Clora softly smiled, "we need to listen to His Will."
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Thank you for the chapters. I am interested to see where you go with this! Please take care.
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Thank you very much :) and Mark thanks you to lol.
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Whoa! Didn't see that coming, I know I got a good case of whiplash from that one...lol
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I'm so exited for these fictional characters, it's crazy!
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#42c
When Helga saw the older couple turn in the drive way, she hollered for Adoree to come take Lizzie and she started fresh coffee and little dollops of thin cookie mix on the camp griddle. While Gail and Adoree fed the hungry babies bottles of milk warmed by the fire, Helga did her best to put out a welcoming afternoon tea.
Homer got out of his pickup and looked around. "I thought you were joking when you said a dozen kids," he extended his hand to Mark for a shake. Mame went straight to Clora and peeked in the shawl at the sleeping Luke. "He's so small," she whispered, "this can't be a good life for him, camping out in a barn."
John finished his bottle and wanted more. If John wanted more, so did Liz, and they joined forces in protesting the lack of food.
"Oh my goodness, I guess I didn't hear your husband say you had three babies," Mame was astounded. "Well that seals it, we," and she spoke up loud enough so Homer and Mark could hear, "are going to offer you a lowered price, and I just lowered it more on account of these three precious youngsters."
Homer must have had a gas pain, because he got an awful look on his face and before he could head off Mame, she loudly quoted a sum far lower than he intended to name.
Homer couldn't believe what Mame was doing. They had carefully discussed lowering the price by a hundred thousand, and here she dropped it below 450 before the negotiations ever started.
Panic stricken, Homer cleared his throat intending to override Mame's hasty announcement and suddenly Helga was right there with a mug of coffee and some of her 'spatter dabs' as she called the thin, sweets; interrupting his train of thought. Homer's good manners had him accepting the coffee and a couple of the warm cookies and suddenly the moment to chastise Mame and rescind the ridiculous offer got passed over.
Clora didn't know what to say, her eyes darting from Mark to Homer to Mame. Mame, with her back to Homer, gave Clora a slow, deliberate wink and smiled like she hadn't upset her husband's apple cart.
Mark was practically speechless. They could swing the amount Mame quoted, but it was easy to see Homer wasn't pleased.
"I don't know what to say, your place is worth way more than the price you stated; it has to be the finest farm I've ever seen."
"And that's why we want it to go to a family that will care and treasure it, like we have done all these years." Mame was insistent. "I think this is the most wonderful family that I have ever seen, if I could, I'd adopt every single one of you in a heart beat." Mame kept on talking, not giving Homer a chance to put in a gripe or objection.
It took almost an hour, but between Mame's talking and Helga's cookies, the two crafty old women got the deed done. Homer extended his hand to Mark, "450," he said and they shook on it.
Smiling, Mame bundled up Homer, after she pried Sam off his lap, and they waved and tooted as they headed for home. "We'll get the paperwork ready," she called out, "give us a couple of days and we'll be over to have you sign."
Mark was stunned and his mouth was working and no words were coming out. "Looks theres Sam, the Papa he hass the same troubles as you, no vords," Karl teased the small boy in Mark's lap. Sam reached up and patted Mark's cheek. He understood.
Helga made a basket full of the small cookies. "Children's comes to the table, ve haff a celebration," she called out, and nobody needed to be called twice.
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Thank you Pac, very good! :)
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Glad to see them get the good farm. As several here have said, they don't have the time or resources to be trying to rebuild a run down junkpile. They needed a place that was ready to go - before winter - and now they have it. Sure wish I had that kind of luck. :D
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See, cookies will do it every time. Though between us, I'm beginning to think there's something funny in them cookies.
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yay!!!! a good solid farm!! :) thanks so much!
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A good solid farm with everything there and everything in its place! Yay! A place where Mark can relax for awhile, not work so hard, and can enjoy everything being orderly.
Thanks, Pac, for the new chapters! (You and your mister are still in my prayers....)
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Thanks for the chapers Pac, Glad to see that things are starting to look up for the family.
Praying for Mr. pac and you.
Wayne
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Thanks
A simple (well not so simple) kitchen remodel or put a "summer kitchen right off the main one with a arch opening one into the other and the wood stove / old time (good stuff) can go there.
Aye. Sounds good.
And wayne gets the land from the other guy and they have a nice three farm enclave growing.
Good good good.
Thanks PAC
God Bless you n your MR.
Dosadi
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#43
Sitting on the hay bale as the rest of the day flowed around him, Mark had trouble believing he was so close to a dream. He had such a dazed look on his face, that Clora shooed the children away and let her poor husband have a moment's peace. That Mark was content to sit there and not be up doing something, sharpened Clora's awareness of a problem.
Mark had casually picked up a clump of hair from his makeshift pillow earlier in the morning and discarded it outside the tent. He might not be making the connection, but Clora was. She was sure Mark had radiation poisoning, and how much and how bad it would be; only time would tell.
Immediately she asked Milo, Teddy and Benny about their health, if they felt more tired than usual, or a fatigue that sleep didn't seen to correct, or if they were loosing hair. All three boys were good in that respect.
Then she went to Warren, as he and Gail sat talking in the dusk. "Warren, Gail, I'm sorry to interrupt but I have a couple of serious questions," Clora felt awful for the asking. "Warren, have you had more fatigue than usual, a tiredness that won't go away? How about loosing hair, maybe in clumps?"
"Whoa," Warren leaned back with alarm on his face, "no..why," and then it hit him why Clora would be asking. "Oh Dear God NO!" he whispered forcefully and turned to stare at Mark, sitting close to the fire. Mark, with his eyes closed, didn't notice.
"Do you think...?"
"Yes, I do."
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No
Absolutely not.
Please please let mark survive
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Pac thanks for the chapter, depending on the dose of radiation Mark receved and how soon he receves treatment will have a big effect as to how sick he will become and weather he will surive or not. I hope that his father gets him the treatment he needs.
PS please kick CLIFF out of the story soon.
Wayne
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NOooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not Cliff, the big jump off cliff.
OH NOOooooooooo
Already weak enough, and now this.
Oh Please let it get better.
****
Thank you for moar, and I'm begging MOAR please, I can't take it.
Dosadi
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They need to get Mark in for treatment right away.
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Mark needs to change his name to JOB!!!!!!
What about all that money they had buried. Surely that is still there. Mark, Wayne and Ben had buried some. Surely all that cant be used up.
WAB
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Have I told you lately how much I love this story? Well, I do!!!! However, Mark has had more than his share of upsets, so he better not get too sick from this. ;)
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I see that the readers are trying to influence the story line. As much as I would like to as well I will refrain. It would be nice if the cliffs slowed down, but it does keep me looking about 2 or 3 times per day. All the best to you and the Mr.
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#43b
"I'm sick,...aren't I?" Mark let Clora lead him to their tent.
"Yes, but not with a fatal dose I don't believe. It's taken three weeks for it to show up, and I don't remember you being sick to your stomach, just overworked and appetite weary. How about nosebleeds or bleeding anywhere else?"
"Nose is tender and when I rub it, there's a tinge of red. The 'anywhere' else I can't tell in the outhouse, it's too dark to see."
"We're going to put you on a blood cell and platelet building regime and Wayne's going for the Doctor. Most of the Doctor's are gone, sent up North and to the coast to take care of the Tsunami victims. Helga has him looking for something called 'Prussian Blue', and she remembers the big reactor blowup that they all had to work around." Clora comforted her husband and put her blanket over him, as the radiation sickness mimicked flu like symptoms, and Mark was shivering.
"Ve need wheats," Helga declared. "To sprouts and to mashes up for the juices. helps to makes the new bloods. Mr. Vaynes, he needs to gets the raisins for the irons, and the keeds, they can gets the Dandelion greens rights now."
Warren took off in search of wheat, while Gail stayed to help care for the newborns. Ben and Twila came home and stopped by to see what they could do, they had been stopped by Wayne on his way to town, and told of the situation.
"In the stores," Helga questioned, "does you have any of the really beeg bones from the beefs? Ve needs lots off thems to makes the marrow broths."
"Some, but not many; we're almost out of meat and there aren't any trucks running to re-supply. I'll go bring home what we have, do you need anything else?" Ben and Twila were anxious to do what they could to help.
"Raisins," Helga was thinking hard, "a little iron pot to does the cooking in, gives more iron from the cooker. Vitamins, the cottons to clean the sores and vinegars to keels the cherms. Ja, should does it," she wiped her forehead. "Karls, does yous thinks of anyting elses?" Helga called over to her husband, coming in with another armload of wood. Ben and Twila headed back to town.
Karl shook his head no, giving Clora and Helga a sad smile. "Prayers," he mumbled, "muches of thems."
Mary, Adoree and Milo came in with the first batch of dandelion leaves, and Clora went to get washing water.
The next week was taken up with Mark's care, and when Mame and Homer came with the paper's, they were shocked with how sick Mark was. With superhuman effort, Mark roused himself to sign on the dotted line and write a check from the 'special' account for the farm.
"We're going to do as Jack and Edna did. We have taken what we want and left the rest for your use. You may move in, anytime you wish. We are heading straight to Yellowstone to go through the Park before the weather turns bad." Mame had it all planned out, and now that they had the money, she was anxious to get going.
Clora watched them drive away. "Am I missing something?" she asked Helga and Gail. "We just had an invasion, an earthquake, a Tsunami and the threats of a dire depression, and their driving off on a vacation like life was normal? I surely don't understand."
Helga shrugged her philosophical 'who knows' shrug and went back to supervising the slowly simmering beef broth.
"Beats me," Gail flipped John up on her shoulder for a burping session. "I would have thought they would have stuck like a burr to the farm. Instead, off they go in a cloud of diesel smoke and a 'see ya later in a monstrosity bigger than Jack and Edna bought."
Warren and Karl had nothing more to add, each secretly glad the Henderson's didn't back out at the last minute and decide to keep their land.
The plan was to move into the Henderson farm Sunday afternoon, when Wayne, Ben and Twila could help. Mark and the babies were the first to be moved, and Clora stayed at the new place while the helpers went back for the rest of the outfit. Clora fixed a cup of tea for herself and Mark while they had a few moments alone together.
"I can't believe what they left behind, did you peek into the pantry?" and Clora went to open the storage door. It was brim full of all kinds of home canned and commercial foods. "With what we brought, we're in as good shape as when we lived at Applewood. There are berries, apples and carrots, onions and potatoes in the garden; along with a dozen or more tomato plants and as many cucumber plants. We are so blessed and with you slowly getting better, that is a double blessing."
Mark was improving and Helga took all the credit. "I detest that boiled raisin juice," he told Clora, "I am starting to gag when I drink it."
"Yes, well..., she's about to get started on the egg nog, egg custard method of health improvement now that we have hens. I still can't get over how many things the Henderson's left for us. I wonder if they took anything with them at all?"
Mark finished his Chamomile tea and needed to go back to bed. As they moved slowly into the master suite, Mark smiled and motioned to all three babies asleep at one time. "That's what heaven sounds like," he whispered, and Clora agreed.
It was like ten Christmas's rolled into one, when the kids got to 'Big Spring' farm. They were up and down stairs, out to the barn, back in again, every time one of them discovered something new and interesting, the whole group had to go see.
Helga walked in the kitchen with it's six burner gas stove, gleaming counters, huge dining room and pantry and had to sit down.
"Oh mys, oh mys," she kept repeating, "this iss so muches grand, muches unbelievable."
Even Bob and the cow felt like royalty as they were put in the barn with water and feed. Three cow-calf pairs were out in the big pasture to the East of the house and they paid no attention to the hubbub and commotion. Inky and Lady sniffed around every bush, tree, foundation and fence post until Inky had to lay down and rest. He had put in a herculean effort to mark his territory, and it made him tired but happy.
Warren and Gail were the last in the kitchen door, looking like they had something important to say.
"I believe we are going to spend the night in Gail's house," Warren said smoothly. "Gail will be back at 8 in the morning to help with the baby chores." They stood around and made small talk, reassuring themselves that Clora could handle the early morning feeding and then they hustled away with indecent haste.
Helga started snickering as soon as the door closed behind them, and when Karl said something that Clora couldn't quite hear, Helga blushed. "Little dumpling," he shook his finger while he was smiling, "you pleases to gets our suppers cooking while I milks the cow."
The children had a pass on the chores that night, they were still exploring the house and other buildings as fast as they could go from one to the other. They were hollering, shouting and laughing with their good fortune, it was a happy clan that sat to the supper table and said grace that Sunday night.
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Thanks for the new chapter, great stuff as always
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thank goodness for something going right, more or less.
My SIL just finished up 30 days of radiation treatment for her cancer. (Pretty sure it is all gone, so thank you Jesus)
I found it upset me more than a lot of things. I guess because she is married to my baby brother (even if he is in his 40's). I hate to see the kid suffer and he was hurting more than her wanting to do something and being helpless.
I'm thinking God is opening a new door for his family. A really good one if it pans out, and better yet it puts him within a few hours drive of family so I will get to see him and his more.
Nice ingathering of my clan.
Now to figure out Clora's wood stove. I'm thinking a summer kitchen type set up initially, but I'd sure want a wood stove in the main house for heat. Just can't rely on propane or electric.
Thanks for the MOAR Mrs. PAC.
Ya did an old man a favor. :-)
Dosadi
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Great new chapters, Pac.
Thank you so much.
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Ahhhh. Thank you muches.
And I wasn't trying to influence, just expressing my feelings- I admit to a "book crush" on mark, and would have said the same thing out loud while scrambling to turn the page were this a print book...
Thank you ms pac
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Thank you for the MOAR!!!!! So glad they are settling in and Mark is getting better. What they need right now is a....
hahahaha! joking!!! :D
<ducks as several readers throw things at her through their computers>
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Same here just loving the the story.
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Add me to the list of people loving this story and dancing that Mark is getting better!!
Thanks muches, Pac!!
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Thank you Pac for the new chapter, glad to see Mark recovering and everyone in the family settling in.
Wayne
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#44
The following week, the clan joyously and carefully gleaned from the gardens, fields, bushes and trees of the farm. Being good stewards of the overflowing bounty they had been blessed with, they canned peaches, picked raspberries, and a berry they were not familiar with.
A tree with early apples was harvested and made into applesauce. Milo brought home news of a hedgerow of wild blackberries and that was worth a early morning trip of picking.
There were old apple trees, wild plums, elderberries, currents and gooseberries stashed around in different fence corners and nothing was wasted. It was long hard days worth of work and they sang their way through the heat, bugs and tired, aching muscles to eat and gratefully sleep at days end.
The children were the ones to find the reason for the Farm's name. There was indeed a 'big spring' out in the center of the back pasture surrounded by a riotous protective hedge of blackberries. The older boys took hand clippers and loppers and cut a tunnel into the center of the vines to find that Silas wasn't the only one with an artesian spring.
Milo, Teddy and Benny had been following a deer track, and the animals had been smart enough to know where to find water. A trough made of old, deteriorating lumber was evidence the spring had been used to supply water to the house or barn years ago. Soon they found evidence of two or three old foundations placed in the pastures where people had lived and worked the land in bygone years.
All information was carefully reported to Clora and she wrote it down, as they hoped to discover who had come before them to live on the land. A connection to the seasons of hardship, bounty and cycles of life.
Homer Henderson had inherited the farm from his father and uncle, and they in turn from their grandfather; so four generations were accounted for. It made Clora happy and connected to the farm in a way she couldn't explain.
Sunday, they went to church with Ben and Twila and Wayne; the small country house of worship welcoming the newcomers. As usual the size of Mark and Clora's family caused much comment, and the triplets were especially noticed. They stayed for the fellowship coffee afterwords and got to meet many of their neighbors.
Clora carefully explained her husband was home sick, but as soon as he was able, he would join the family in coming to church. The pastor asked if he could make a call during the week, Clora and the children were invited to Wed. night Bible study and the small congregation opened the church doors and their hearts and gathered the Linderman clan in.
The Doxology wasn't sung the way Clora preferred, but that was small notice the way they had been welcomed into the community of believers. Helga and Karl sat quietly in the back row, a little more reserved as the church was much different from the one they were used to. There was however another couple from Middle Russia, and as soon as they heard each other's accents, a new friendship was formed. As per their customs, the two women sat on one side of the church and the men the other. After the service, Helga and Olga jabbered in their native tongues and it was music to them.
As Karl drove them home in Mark's pickup, he and Helga traded glances at the peace that was glowing from Clora's face. They traveled slowly as all the older children were in the back of the canopy, the only way to move them all at once. Helga got out at the farm and was rewarded with the delicious scent of her cooking Sunday meal, the oven doing the work while she was away.
Mark had used the 'left home alone opportunity' to investigate the shop and barn, satisfying himself that the kids were policing themselves when it came to using the tools Homer had left behind. He was sitting in the sunshine of the kitchen patio, the dogs on either side of him, half asleep in the warm air when the rest of the clan rolled in from church.
Wayne, Ben and Twila had been invited for Sunday dinner, and for the first time in ages, they were all together around the table for grace. Helga had two good sized roasts and two chickens, potatoes, carrots and onions, applesauce, green beans and two pans of blackberry cobbler to feed the 20 appetites that needed filling up. It was Thanksgiving in August.
There was much talking, laughing and good comradeship. There was help to clear the dirty dishes and wash the evidence of how fortunate they were to have food.
In a lull of conversation, there was a piercing whistle from outside. As habit ruled, the men felt for their weapons and went to defend the house. It was Toby, Meg and their family, much the worse for wear. They had lost the use of their car when it ran out of gas at the bottom of the hill. Toby had been royally roughed up and had one arm in a sling. Meg was carrying Eric, and Mandy and Claire were taking turns lugging TJ. They had been robbed and burned out in a looting spree initiated by those brothers of social equality, the Halls.
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OK You have me hooked again. After I read Rural Revolution Blog I came here as the second stop on the WWW. I just love your story! All the twists and turns as well as all the cliff's. Thank you dear lady!
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Thank you PAC
OK, now the 'halls" are hurting family. Bad decision boys, very very bad.
Glad they got a new community and safe haven.
Thanks Muches agains.
Dosadi
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Where in the world will they put 6 more? Well, guess when love reigns, there is room for everyone.
Love the description of 'church'. We need more of that all-encompassing friendship and generosity of spirit in the world.
Great chapter. Thank you. And how are you settling into your new digs dear lady?
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Thanks! I love your ability to reach back and tie in the loose threads.
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Great chapter and to think the Halls are gonna get theres helps lol. Did the buried money get used up?