The Long Winter

[fastback08]

Chapter 34

A meeting was called on the radio and everyone met at Marty's. There were a few things to discuss and it was decided that they would split up to get more things done, swapping the security of a group for expediency.

“Ron, I need you and Al, to take the toolcat with the lifting forks and go back to the Wal-mart with the flatbed. There are several pallets of guns and ammo near the door going to the back loading dock. They are covered with a tarp and a few empty boxes, after that is done, we need to start moving all of Al's inventory to the pole barn. Later, all of us will go and find materials to build a larger shelter for all of it. Martha, you and June need to be finished planting the green house today. We have let that slide too long. When I get through with my errand this morning, we will start looking for canning supplies and then I am going to town to post a notice for another meeting. We have not had a single nibble on our offer to help folks learn to can. I will check with Mr. Johnson and see if there are any follow ups on the oil crop growers.”

“Marty, if we are done here, can I see you for a minute,” said Al.

“Sure thing, Al. Do you want to step out on the porch?”

“No, this concerns everyone and I only want to say it once. First of all, I want to thank you all for taking me in, I am not going to lie about it, being by myself so long was wearing on me. Secondly, I have given a lot of thought to what Marty asked me yesterday, and I cannot stand the idea of someone else going through the loneliness I went through. If the young lady is amicable, I would welcome her to come out and stay in the house with me. It seems it would be beneficial to all of us,” Al said.

“That's good news, Al. I will make that my first stop this morning. Now if there are no more questions and if everyone is through with their breakfast, let's get this show on the road.”

[223shootersc]

thanks for the new page

[sssarawolf]

Thank you

[kaijafon]

Thank you!!!

[Mr Bill]

Thanks for the update.

[Sammy55]

Loving this story! Thanks for the update!

[fastback08]

Chapter 35

Marty found himself on Barbara Tilman's porch for the second time in two days. This time there was a calmness that he hadn't felt the first time. He knocked on the door and waited as he heard footsteps approaching the door.

“Good morning, Marty,” said Barbara, “I didn't expect you this early.”

“Good morning to you Mrs. Tilman,” said Marty, I have something I would like to discuss with you, if you have a few minutes.”

“Come on in and I will make some coffee and you can tell me what's on your mind,” Barbara offered.”

Suddenly, Marty felt a little uncomfortable, being in the house alone with another woman. He was brought up to respect women and he didn't want anyone that might be watching to get the wrong idea about Barbara Tilman or himself.

“Mrs. Tilman, I am going to make this quick, There is a man living next to our farm. He lost his family to the sickness and he is very lonely. He and I both think, it would be a perfect fit, for you to move in with him and in exchange for some housekeeping duties and other chores, you would have a good place to live, with plenty of food, and we should have electricity there by the weekend.”

“What exactly are these other chores? What kind of woman do you think I am? Do you think I am so desperate that I would just shack up with the first man that makes an offer?”

Marty turned bright red as he realized what his offer sounded like. “No, No, Not that at all. Let me clarify. Mr. Smith is an older gentleman. He lost his wife to the sickness and he just wants some company. He is offering a place to live and all your necessities will be taken care of. There are absolutely no strings attached. He is a man that has know loneliness and is hoping to help spare you from that. I am sorry if I didn't make myself clear,” Marty said almost apologetically.

“Well, it wouldn't hurt to meet him and check out the offer, but no funny business. I have been in a bad relationship most of my life, an physically abusive father and then a controlling abusive husband. I don't want to get into that situation again,” Barbara said with finality.

“I understand completely,” said Marty. “Would you like to go meet him now?”

“Now is as good a time as any,” said Barbara, “Let me grab a couple of things and we can go.”

Ron and Al, were just getting back to the farm with the things from Wal-mart. Al, took the toolcat and with the forklift attachment, he unloaded the pallets of ammo and guns and some other things he and Ron had found, and stacked everything in the barn. With Ron's help, everything was quickly weather proofed with tarps and concealed with bales of hay.

“Hope we never need all that,” said Ron, “but at least we know it won't be used against us.”

“Better to have it and not need it,” said Al. “Looks like Marty coming down the road, I guess we should go meet him.”

Marty drove up and he and Barbara jumped out of the old truck. “Mr. Smith, this is Barbara Tilman. She is here to check out your offer and maybe get to know you a little.”

[223shootersc]

thanks for the new chapter

[fastback08]

Chapter 36

Al and Barbara, went into the house while Ron briefed Marty on the days activities. “Ron, would you mind running up to Mr. Johnson's and tell him to spread the word about a meeting this Thursday at the church. We need to get everyone on board in this community. These people still have it in their minds that the government is going to come rushing in and fix everything. There is effectively no government left to help, and the sooner these people realize that, the sooner we can start getting ready for the lean times to come.”

Marty told Al and Barbara he was going over to his house and to let him know when Barbara was ready to go home. Marty walked around to the greenhouse and saw June and Martha up to their elbows in bedding mix starting seed and watering the few plants that had already come up. “Good job,” said Marty, starting both ladies.

“You could let a body know you are behind them,” admonished June. “ A lady my age can't always control her bladder when she is startled.”

“You always were the jumpy one,” said Martha, even as a little girl. Are you about ready for a little lunch? We were just about to take a break.”

“That's the best offer I've had all day,” said Marty, “Tonight, I would like for us all to get together and listen to the radio and try to find out just what is going on in the rest of the world. As important as it is for us to get things restarted here, we need to keep up with may be happening elsewhere.”

“Marty, what if there is no rest of the world, what if the government has just given up,” asked Martha?

“Well, if that is indeed the case, then we continue on the best can. We need to try to find some more young people and try to get them educated to the ways of self sufficiency, rather than how to download the latest app,” said Marty, “If they don't learn how to feed and shelter themselves, the world will soon die out.”

“Where did the world go so wrong, Marty, “asked June? “There was a time when young people grew up learning from their elders, and respecting tradition and now all they think about is themselves.”

“June,” began Marty, “This is only my opinion, but I think a lot of it started when parents became so self involved, they would sit their kids in front of a television and let the TV parent them. Now I am not saying TV is the culprit, it's what we let TV become. We had, in television, a potential to teach kids and adults all over the world. There could have been educational programming available to almost everyone, but it seemed like people would rather be entertained than educated,” Marty continued, “Some states, like this one, set up statewide networks, to beam educational programming into every home in the state, but the ratings for educational programs were always the lowest, so, they started injecting entertainment into the programming and found that people, for the most part, liked that better. Today educational TV is no better than regular TV. They have a liberal agenda, and they delight in trying to spread it to everyone.”

“I never thought of it that Marty, I guess you are right,” said June.

“I've got to get going,” said Marty. “I need to see what Barbara and Al have decided.”

Over at Mr. Smith's, things could not be going better. Barbara decided that Al, was the nicest man she had ever met. To Al, Barbara was like a daughter. They had decided they would share the house and the chores. Al told Barbara there would go shopping for furnishings for the house, and if there was anything she needed, they would pick that up as well. They also decided to bury Tony on a small hill in the back pasture. That needed to be done today, even as unseasonably cool as it had been, the body wouldn't last much longer.

[sssarawolf]

Thank you, good going.

[stjwelding]

Thanks for the chapter fastback08
Wayne

[Vtshooter]

Thank you for the new chapter.

[fastback08]

Chapter 37

“I have some good news and I have some bad news,” Marty told the assembled group at the meeting. “First the bad news. The government has all they can do to keep the borders secure. Those that have made a living off entitlements, had better find a new job and quick. The good news is, we as a community have always been resilient and I think if we all pull together and help one another, we can get through this.”

There was a smattering of applause as they recognized Marty's attempt to rally the troops.

“I am concerned,” Marty continued, “ We have offered to help teach canning and food preserving to anyone that wanted to learn. Not one person has asked for help. Mr. Johnson, has asked if anyone would be willing to dedicate some of their fields for growing oil crops to make diesel. Not one person has answered the call. People, you need to realize, the government isn't coming to bail you out. When the food you have now is gone, there will be no more unless you are willing to put some aside for yourselves. The days of handouts and freeloading are over.”

The stunned crowd looked among themselves, and then a voice from the back of the hall said, “What about the grocery stores, they have plenty of food?”

“For how long,” Marty asked? “there is at most three days worth of food for a community this size. When was the last time any of you saw a delivery truck ? We are going to offer one more time, if there are no takers for our offer of help, don't come to us when you are starving. My wife Martha, her sister June, and my brother Ron, have decided we are going to make the best of the situation, and while we wish you well, we will not feed you if you are too damn lazy to help yourself.”

The stunned crowd sat in silence, as Marty and his family got up and walked out.

“Do you think you got through to them,” asked Martha?

“I don't know,” said Marty, “but I do know I meant what I said. We will not feed someone who is too lazy to help their self. We might need to beef up the security around the farm, hungry people will do things they wouldn't ordinarily do. Mr. Smith, if you will give me some instructions on the dozer tomorrow, I am going to start clearing the land, beyond our fence line. The owners are dead and we are going to put in sugar cane and start making some ethanol to go with our bio-diesel, not everyone has a diesel engined vehicle.”

“Marty, please cal me Al, and I would be glad to, as soon as I get you up and working, I am going to take a truck and we are going to start moving Barbara's things over here and maybe pick up some new furniture for the house.”

[223shootersc]

thanks for the new page, as always

[sssarawolf]

Thank you

[stjwelding]

fastback08 Thanks for the new chapter, looking forward to more
Wayne

[Sammy55]

Thanks for the great story! I always check to see if you've added any more. Your story has given me several ideas.........

[Vtshooter]

Thank you for the new chapter.

[fastback08]

Chapter 38

Friday morning arrived with three wagons at the gate. Ron, went down to see what they wanted. “We're here for the canning lessons,” one of the ladies announced.

“Let me get the gate open and y'all can follow me back up to the house,” said Ron. “Martha, you and June got company,” Ron announced.

“You ladies get down and come on in the house, June just put a fresh pot of coffee on and we can have a cup and get started,” welcomed Martha.

One of the men driving the wagons said they were going over to Johnson's place to see if they had what they needed to grow oil crops. “We'll be back for our women when we get done over there,” explained the man.

Marty saw that everything was going well, so he left to go over to Al's and get started on the dozer lesson. “Good morning Al, morning, Barbara,” said Marty, “Is it too early to get started?”

“It is a great time to get started.” replied Al, walking over to the Komatsu. “Marty, the first thing I do is check the oil level, then the fuel level and finally, it doesn't hurt to check the hydraulic fluid levels. While you're doing that, look over the seals on the hydraulic pistons and check for excessive oil. A small leak can be fixed pretty quick, a larger one is not always as easy.”

Marty checked all the fluid levels and was doing a walk around when Al reminded him, they still had to secure filters and oil for all his equipment. “I have a lot, but with no prospect for getting anymore, we need to check into some of the bulk plants and see about getting drums of grease and oil as well as any filters we can use.”

“I haven't forgotten, Al,” said Marty, it just seems like all of a sudden there is so much to do, we don't have enough hours in the day to get it done.”

After about a half hour, Marty felt confident enough to take the dozer to the back field and letting down the fence, he moved the dozer into the pasture behind his. He slowly lowered the blade and began pushing dirt, careful not to take too deep a bite, but deep enough to slowly begin leveling the large field. By the end of the day, the pasture no longer looked like a pasture, but more like a mostly level field ready to prep for planting.

He eased the big dozer back to his farm and stopped beside the diesel tank and began refilling the dozer's nearly empty tank. While the tank was filling, Marty looked over the levels and found everything to be as it should be. Shutting of the twelve volt fuel pump on the farm tank, he secured the nozzle and relocked the tank.

Inside the house, the ladies were wrapping up their day of canning lessons and each had comprised a page of notes complete with a list of all the equipment they needed to find. Martha had stressed, that jars and lids were at a premium, and if they chose to give any of their canned food away, demand a jar in exchange for the one they were letting go. Marty told the ladies there were some pressure canners at the Wal-mart, but if they really wanted a good one, they should try to find an All American Canner. Some canners required a gasket, and they would become every hard to find. One of the ladies said they would put out word to all their friends, that jars were needed and they even might be able to swap them for something they needed.

The men folk were pulling up out front and they were all going on about how easy Mr. Johnson had made it all seem. They were certain they would be able to help supply oil crops in exchange for diesel and maybe some fresh vegetables they would not be able to grow.

Al and Barbara pulled up just as the men and their ladies were leaving. Barbara had all she wanted from her old house and the trailer was loaded with furniture and bedding for their new one. “You guys need any help setting up the beds for tonight,” asked Ron?

“I am so tired, I could sleep standing up,” said Al, “but if you find yourself with a little extra time in the morning, we could sure use some help getting the trailer unloaded.”

[Vtshooter]

Thank you. Nice to find a new chapter in the morning!

[sssarawolf]

Thank you. wonderful.

[Nature_Lover]

Thank You for the great story. There's lots of good information here!

[fastback08]

Chapter 39

Marty, Ron, and Al, made short work of unloading the trailer and getting the furniture moved into the house. After assembling the beds, the ladies took over and began replacing curtains and giving the house a good spring cleaning. Marty told Martha, that he and Ron had a few errands to run and would be back in the afternoon. “If you need us, we will have the radio on,” said Marty as they left.

“Ron, we need to get some sort of security for our place as well as Al and Barbara's. I am thinking some night vision cameras that can be run wireless and operated from solar panels and batteries. We have been too lucky for too long,” said Marty.

“I've been thinking the same thing,” replied Ron. “I think wired camera will be OK for us to use at the house, but the wireless cameras will be a better choice for locations away from the main house. We should also look for cameras that will transmit audio.”

“There was a security supplies store over in Meridian, I think we should start there. If by chance they are open, I have six rolls of quarters and a bag full of paper dollars, if they are dumb enough to take them, I will sure let 'em,” laughed Marty.

The once busting city of Meridian was a virtual ghost town. There had not seen a single person or even one running automobile. “Keep a sharp eye out, Ron,”cautioned Marty, being as we are the only thing moving, we are going to draw a lot of attention.”

Marty located the shop they were looking for and noticed the plate glass door was broken out. “Better lock and load, Ron, it is evident someone has been here,” Marty said.

They parked on the sidewalk and both men exited out of the truck from the door closest to the entrance, being careful not to expose themselves to the street side any more than was necessary. Entering the building, Marty switched on his head lamp, finding this allowed him to keep both hands free, he and Ron both had switched from flashlights to head lamps. The front of the store had been ransacked, but as they entered the back room, they found a lot of merchandise that had not been unpacked. They began going through all of it and found almost everything they needed.

“Let's get this loaded and then I want to go by the motorcycle shop,” said Ron.

“If you want a motorcycle, we need to come back with a trailer, said Marty. “I wasn't planning on bulky items.”

“I want to get some motorcycle batteries,” said Ron, “the smaller batteries will be easier to conceal and will provide plenty of power for the cameras. We also need to see if we can find some smaller solar cells or even those solar sidewalk lights, we can always remove the lights and parallel the panels to keep the batteries charged.”

“When did you get so much smarter than me, Ron, I always thought I was the smarter brother,” joked Marty.

After rounding up all they needed to complete the camera installation, Marty and Ron started back to the farm. Marty noticed a glint in the rear view mirror and knew someone had a rifle scope trained on them. “Ron, don't look back, but we are being watched through a scope, I just saw the sun reflecting of the lens in the rear view mirror. Do you want to check it out, or should we just keep going?”

“Turn left at the next corner and let me jump out, then see if you can get behind them,” said Ron.

“They are on the second floor of the four story brown building just off the corner of 1st and Main.” Be careful and keep your radio handy,” said Marty.

Ron slipped out of the truck and entering the first multi story building he could find, he climbed to the top floor and searched for an opening to the roof. Finding a comfortable perch, he began scanning the second floor of the building Marty had pointed out. It didn't take but a minute and Ron saw the barrel of a rifle protruding from a raised window. The barrel was following Marty's truck as Marty wove around in a seemingly random pattern as if he were searching for a specific store.

Marty heard his radio break squelch twice, the prearranged signal the Ron was in position and had located his target. Marty drove directly to the building that he had spotted the glint in and stopped the truck. He climbed out, empty handed, and stepped into the middle of the street in plain view of the 2nd story window. He saw the barrel withdraw and them reemerge, only this time, it was pointing down directly at him.

“Hello in the building,” Marty called out, “we don't want any trouble. Care to come out and talk a minute?”

“I can hear you just fine,” came the reply. “State your business.”

“We are here trying to find a few things to help us out on the farm, if you want to come down and talk face to face, I will be glad to answer your questions, but, I am not going to stand out here and yell at someone I can't see, that has the bad manners to be pointing a rifle at me.”

It was a few tense minutes later when a reply came back, “OK, I am coming out, but no funny business, my wife and kids know how to shoot and they will be covering you.”

[kua]

Oh golly, Marty took a chance exposing himself like that. Now arises the question, does the man really have a wife and kids or for that matter, do they know how to shoot???

[sssarawolf]

Gads didn't he now, if they had been bad he would have been a goner.

[Dosadi]

Thank you

D

[fastback08]

Chapter 40

Time seemed to slow to a stop as Marty waited, he couldn't see the rifle barrel in the window so he took the opportunity to move closer to the window in order to take himself out of line for a direct shot. At this angle, the shooter would have to almost shoot straight down. He knew this would give Ron the best chance at stopping a shot.

A gaunt man in his mid to late twenties slowly walked through the door. Marty saw a pistol stuck in the man's waistband, but at least it wasn't pointed at Marty. “Names Marty,” Marty said said extending his hand. “We were here looking for some security cameras for our farm. Didn't mean to intrude on your territory.”

“Ain't mine,” said the younger man, “We are just passing through. I saw your truck and ordered the wife and kids into the closest building and we started going up to get a better view. I apologize about pointing a gun at you, but with a family you can't get to careful. By the way, my name is Rodney, Rodney Jones.”

“Rodney, glad to know you, how are you and your family making out,” asked Marty?

“I guess we are doing fine, if you don't count starving to death, and sore feet form walking,” he grinned.

“Rodney, I don't know which way you're headed, but My brother Ron and I have a farm not too far East of here. If you would like, you and your family can ride back with us, and after a meal, we will talk about what you are going to do. This is no place for a family. I can't promise anything more than a good meal and a safe place for y'all to spend the night.”

“Mister, you don't even know us, why would you stick your neck out like this?'

“I like to think I am a good judge of character, if had wanted to kill me, I wold already be dead. If you are a hard worker, and don't mind farming, there may be more opportunities than you could imagine,” said Marty. “I am going to drive back and pick up my brother, and then we will come back and see what you have decided. If you want to go with us, please have everything ready to go, I really don't want to be here when it gets dark.”

Marty walked back to his truck and turned towards Rodney before he got in, “Son, I know you don't know us and I understand you are trying to do the best you can for your family, I give you my word, you will be safe and your family will be safe.”

With that Marty climbed into the truck and started on the short trip to pick up Ron. When he pulled up in front of the building Ron was in, Ron was standing in the shadows of the doorway waiting. Marty stopped and let Ron in and said, “well, I may be screwing up, but there is a young man and his family and they are about starved down. I invited them to come with us and get a decent meal and a good night's sleep. I don't know if they will accept, but I felt like it was the Christian thing to do.'

“You know I would have done the same thing, maybe I can vet them a little on the way to the farm, if they decide to come with us,” said Ron.

“Might want to get on the radio and let Martha and June know we are on the way and we may be bring some strays. Might want to tell her to prepare a little extra, as these folks are probably pretty hungry,” offered Marty.

When Marty pulled up to the building, Rodney and his wife and two kids were standing outside. Marty had a pretty new looking backpack on and his wife had an over the shoulder bag. She looked to be in her mid twenties and was absolutely gorgeous, despite being about twenty pounds underweight. The two kids were about the age of the two at the farm, Marty reckoned, the Little boy had what appeared to be a Boy Scout pack on and the little girl had a bright pink Hello Kitty bag. Marty's first thought was what kind of dumb ass let's his kid carry a bright pink bag, when that are trying to hide.

“Y'all get in and let's get on the road,” said Marty, “ suppers waiting on us.”

The young lady introduced herself as Janet, and the kids were Sophie age 4 and Billy age 7.

“We got a couple just about your size at the farm,” said Marty. “Maybe you all can be friends. There are lots of toys to play with and even a computer, no Internet though.”

“Y'all have electricity,” asked Janet?

“Yep and running water and indoor plumbing,” bragged Ron.

[223shootersc]

thanks for the new page

[nancy98]

Thanks. Very good story.

One tiny issue though. Marty said "There was a security supplies store over in Meridian, I think we should start there. If by chance they are open, I have six rolls of quarters and a bag full of paper dollars, if they are dumb enough to take them, I will sure let 'em,”.

One, it's not Christian to cheat anyone and two, it would make for a lot of goodwill if Marty offered to pay with silver and advise the man/woman that paper wasn't a good choice.
I use the word cheat because Marty knows what paper is worth, the other man may not have thought about that.

That would change if the guy was trying to cheat him or charge a highly inflated, relative to the times, price.

Then maybe Marty is not the good guy we think he is.

[fastback08]

There is still a government in place. FRN's would likely still be accepted as the gov is still functioning albeit on a much smaller scale. Turns out it was a moot point, but caveat emptor works both ways. Marty wouldn't deliberately cheat anyone, but by the same token, he would'nt cheat himself either.

[Mr Bill]

Good addition for sure.

[fastback08]

Chapter 41

“Do you mind if I ask you a question, Mr. Marty,” asked Rodney? “Just how did you know where we were hiding, I wasn't going to let you know where we were, I was just watching you through the scope to see if you meant us any harm.”

“Rodney, when you were using the scope to follow us, I saw the sunlight glare off the lens of your scope in my rear view mirror. Most snipers have a kill flash or a sun shade on their scopes to prevent that. Once I saw which building you were in, it only took a minute to find your rifle barrel in the window. It was the only open window in the building. Ron had you in his sights the whole time we were talking. If you had tried anything, I would have had company on my trip to heaven or where ever.”

“How is it you have electricity when no one else does. There is no fuel for a generator,” asked Janet, enthralled with the idea of running water.

“Mostly solar panels, with a little wind backup and a generator as a last resort. Being on a farm, we had a little diesel on hand for the tractor and we have managed to scrounge a little here and there. Rodney, we have come to the conclusion, that it will be a long time, if ever, before things get back to normal. We are a small community and we are trying to make sure we are all fed and healthy. We don't have a doctor, but my wife, Martha, knows a good bit about medicinal plants and natural remedies,” Marty continued, “We have plenty of land to farm and we have a lot of power equipment. We have enough fuel to get a crop in and a harvest this fall, but a failure of our oil crops would mean no fuel for next year. We are trying to grow crops to make ethanol and bio diesel, but like I say, we are one failure from disaster. What we need is labor, people that know how or can be trained to farm. We have three ladies living on our little farm and they are overworked trying to keep the greenhouse producing, that leaves Ron, Al, our neighbor, and myself to keep the vegetable garden going. There are several other members of the community that are going to be trying to raise oil crops in exchange for some of the bio diesel if it comes to fruition, but the food is the main focus.”

As they were driving, Ron made a metal note of a business that sold mobile homes, or manufactured housing, as they were known now. That is just what June and I need, thought Ron. He hadn't told Marty and Martha about their plans to set up housekeeping.

Marty pulled into the driveway and Ron, jumped out and opened the gate. “We're here,” said Marty,
“It may not look like much, but it is heaven to us.” Martha was standing on the porch witing to greet the new arrivals, and Bobby and Sissy were waiting to see if there really were some other kids. Kids being kids, they quickly introduced theirselves and disappeared into the house to check out the toy box.
“Welcome to our home,” said Martha, “I am Marty's wife and this is my sister June.”

“It is so good to meet you,” Janet replied, “My name is Janet and this is my husband Rodney. I don't know how to thank you for a meal for my kids and a chance to clean them up.”

“Right this way,” said Martha, “and don't think twice about it, we are glad to be able to do it. If you need to use them we have a washer and dryer, we usually hang the clothes outside, but since it's almost dark, we can use the dryer. If you want to wash up before supper there are two bathrooms, one on each of the hall. You and your daughter ccan use one and Rodney and your son can use the other. There is plenty of hot water if you want to shower.”

Janet almost cried, she just couldn't believe anyone would help them like this with no strings attached.

“It's all right darling,” said Martha, “Everything is going to be OK.”

[sssarawolf]

Nice, thank you and yes lots of labor is needed in cases like this, just like in the old days. Lots of farm hands.

[223shootersc]

good page, thanks

[fastback08]

Chapter 42

Janet luxuriated in the hot shower as she tried to scrub the weeks of road grime off her. When she was satisfied she was as clean as she was going to get, she put Sophie in the tub and started trying to get her clean. She was shocked and perhaps a little embarrassed as the dirty water ran down the child's neck as she washed her hair. She decided then and there, they were going to put down roots and either survive or die, but they were through with the road. “Maybe we can find something close by here,” she mused.

In the other shower, Rodney was finishing up with Billy, and they were putting on some of the clean new clothes they had scavenged in Meridian. All four finished at about the same time and they headed down the hall to the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.

“It's not fancy,” said Martha, “but it is filling. You children are going to have to sit at the children's table we set and there should be enough room for all of us adults at the big table.”

The four kids sat at the folding card table and waited patiently while Marty said grace and then with the formalities out of the way, Billy and Sissy dove in with reckless abandon. “Mind your manners,” said Janet, “There is plenty to go around.”

“Besides,” said Marty, “if you eat that fast, you will fill up and not have room for desert.”

That did it, the pace slowed down and the children ate with a little more self control. “Mr. Jenkins,” Janet began, “Do you know of a homestead close by we might be able to settle?” “This life on the road is no good.”

Rodney gave her a look, and said,”Don't you think we need to talk about this?”

“We can talk all you want, but I am through with the road. It is hard on the children, and it is hard on us. We will find a place and settle together, or I will settle somewhere with kids, but I am not going back on the road,” Janet said with finality.

“When Mama ain't happy, nobodies happy,” said Marty trying to lighten the mood. “Rodney, I wanted to wait until morning to talk to you about this, but now seems like a better time. We have room for you here, if you want to stay. The farming life isn't for everyone, long hours, low pay, but there are rewards. We grow most of what we need to survive, and we have an abundance of clean water, and good dirt, bout the the only thing we don't have anymore is a doctor, but so far, we have been OK, knock on wood. Fact is, we need help and the kids here have no one their age to play with and have always believed that kids need to interact with other kids. I won't lie to you, we have had very little trouble, but we expect it to get worse as people start roaming further from the cities. One of our strong points, is no one knew where Pineville was before the sickness. We are out of the way. It won't be an easy life, you will have to work for what you eat, but we will all share in the bounty. You would be free to leave anytime you want, but I think once you see what we have to offer for you and especially for your family, you will stay. Think on it tonight and let us know in the morning.”

“I don't need to think on it,” said Janet, “I was raised on a farm and I loved it. By the way, I didn't mention it, but I am a nurse practitioner. I only recently graduated, but I do have the training. Between Martha, June, and myself, we should all stay healthy.”

“Well, if we are all agreeable, let's call it a done deal,” said Marty.

“One thing,” said Ron, “June and I have been talking a lot and we think we want to set up housekeeping on our own. We passed a mobile home dealer on the way from Meridian and I saw what I think would be the perfect sized home for June and me.”

“Well, I guess congratulations are in order,” said Martha, “Although I thought June was through jumping the broom.”

[Horn]

Thank you

[kaijafon]

Thank you for the update!!

[fastback08]

Chapter 43

Bright and early, Ron, Rodney, Al, and Marty were all on their way to the mobile home dealer. Marty assured Rodney, they had plenty of room for him and his family, if they wanted to place a mobile home there. “If you think the farm life suits you, you are welcome to set up your home on the farm. We will need to see about putting in another septic tank. There are already three wells on the place. We never wanted to take a chance on running out of water,” said Marty.

“You folks sure have been good to us,” Rodney replied, “I don't reckon I will ever be able to repay you.”

“Wait until after planting and harvest and see if you still feel that way,” Marty joked.

“The gate to the dealership was standing wide open, so they they pulled in and got to work searching for just the right trailer. Ron settled on a 14x80 single wide that only had two surprisingly large bedrooms. “Just the two of us,” said Ron, 'and I don't think we will be having any kids.”

Marty and Al laughed out loud. “Mr. Marty, do you think there would be enough room for one of the double wides, with the two kids we really need something larger than a single.”

“Plenty of room,” Marty assure him, “In fact there is one triple wide on the lot, if you like the looks of it. We will need to go and pick up a couple of loads of cement blocks and some plumbing parts and pieces. I think we have enough solar panels to outfit both trailers. We had several pallets of them left after we finished Al's place.”

They prepared the trailers for moving, checked all the tires and got the truck running the dealer used to move the trailers. Ron and Al, went back to the farm and got a flatbed and the toolcat and took off to find the cement blocks. Marty drove his truck and Rodney jumped into the cab of the trailer moving truck and they set out for the farm.

Ron and Al, bound the building supply store untouched so they unloaded the toolcat and started loading pallets of concrete blocks on the flat bed, making sure to distribute the load while leaving room for the toolcat. Soon, Al declared they had enough, so they started back to the farm. On the way they stopped and picked up two, one thousand gallon septic tanks and all the PVC they thought they would need to connect them.

Back at the farm, Rodney and Marty had disconnected the trailer and were going back to get the first of the three parts of Rodney and Janet's new home. It was a long day, but they finally had all of the trailers moved to the farm and two holes dug for the septic tanks. Tomorrow, they would dig the field lines to the leech field and get started leveling Ron and June's trailer and start putting Rodney's together.

[223shootersc]

thanks, for the new page

[Mr Bill]

Fine update for sure