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Part 33
April slowly gave way to May.
In what was left of April, Group members put in individual gardens in raised beds that had been previously prepared on work weekends in the years before things fell apart. There was large areas that were set aside for Group use in addition to the smaller beds that individuals prepared on their own.
Jim had said "this may cut down on some Bravo Sierra. If someone doesn't like green beans, potatoes or one of the staple crops we will grow in mass, they will have the opportunity to grow other stuff simply for themselves."
They had always stayed away from a true "communal" type approach to everything. No one was going to let their friend starve, but personal initiative and work was always rewarded. If an individual group member grew a boatload of broccoli in one of his personal raised beds, he was free to use it all himself or herself, share it with the others or trade some of it to other group members. By far most people were willing to share their surplus with the others and this brought reciprocity in other areas. The Group had long since weeded out most of the selfish "it's all about me" types. After the deaths of Todd and Donnie their seemed to be very little squabbling or back biting. The fight with Gomez had solidified everyone's understanding that they all had to work and stand together.
There was several large garden areas also that were used for the bigger crops of things like potatoes, green beans, wheat, pinto beans and occasionally corn. Corn was such a hard one to grow, even with commercial fertilizers. It required a heavy supply of fertilizer and water to get a decent crop from it. Wherein the other big crops were relatively light feeders, corn took a lot from the soil. Jim had for years been rotating their goats through the garden pastures where they would clean up residual garden wastes after the harvests, keep weeds down and leave manure where it was needed. On the larger areas this didn't have a big immediate impact and took years to have a big effect on the soil. The last couple of months of winter Jim had been keeping rye grass growing in these areas and rotating a few of the cows through there, so their was more manure this year.
Corn wouldn't be planted this year, but Jim knew from experience saving seed that they would have to grow at least some corn next year to preserve and grow their seed stock. Ditto with carrots, they were sown this year and 3/4 of them had to be left in the ground to go to seed the following year. Living like this you couldn't afford to eat ALL that you grew, some had to be kept for seed and some plants took 2 years. This made food storage all the more important.
Most of the Group were doing o.k. with their new living cir***stances. More than a few weren't used to the amount of work that went into living this way. Factor in that and then also the security tasks both at the retreat and with the Hansen OP for the cows and their wasn't any free time. No one sat around and played Yahtzee to pass the time.
A lot of the day to day homesteading tasks fell to the kids and women folk. This included feeding the rabbits, putting the goats to pasture, taking care of the chickens, shoveling a lot of manure into the garden, working in the garden area, picking fruit from the orchards and canning and preserving.
Jim had told Kathy his wife years before "we want to teach these folks as much of this stuff ahead of time as we can. Everything thinks canning is easy when all they are making is 4 jelly jars worth of stuff for gifts to others. When it's time to put up 200 jars of beans, it's an entirely different deal."
Chad had showed a complete turn around since the accidental discharge during the Gomez raid. Once his ankle healed up he took upon himself a rigid exercise program and started eating better.
One day he gathered all the kids together in the living room of the team house with a box in his hand.
"You all make sure your parents say this is o.k. and make sure you brush your teeth really well later. You don't end up with a funky mouth like Steve's.." He laughed as he opened a box containing dozens of candy bars, gum and hard candy.
All the adults in the room leaned just a little bit forward looking at the goodies.
Chad noticed this and said "and whatever is left the adults can have." He laughed.
"Where did all this come from?" Bill asked.
"I've been hoarding it. Since I'm losing weight now I don't want to keep it around. I figured it would make the kids happy." Chad said.
Jim patted Chad on the back and said "I gotta tell you, I haven't seen you this focused in years."
"Let's go out back for a second" Chad said and they picked up their rifles and headed out the door.
As they got outside Chad said to Jim "after Nancy first got sick years ago. I got really depressed. I went to the doctor and he put me on an anti depressant. Later when Nancy died I kept taking them. My doctor recommended that I not quit "cold turkey." My supply ran out not long after everything feel apart. I think it took a while for the fog to lift but I'm seeing things clearer now than I have in years."
"I know that time period was hard on you. We prayed for you a lot during that time. I'm glad things are coming together for you and your feeling better. Sometimes good stuff does come out of disasters huh?" Jim replied.
A few days later a Methodist minister that led a church just a half mile from the retreat was spotted out by the first gate near the county road. He stood and waved a white cloth for a couple of seconds and them carefully climbed over the gate. The gate had been chained to the telephone pole posts in four spots. The seismic sets had first detected him outside the gate and he was spotted on the two security cameras that gave full view of that area.
The OP called everyone to alert. The minister who's name was Mr. Gibson walked slowly down the 1/4 driveway from the country road.
"OK this looks like a guy I know, but there is no telling. Full security, watch the flanks, I'll need over watch. Stall him for a few minutes if he uses the intercom so I can see his reaction." Jim said as he slid the plate carrier on and grabbed his rifle.
Jim had met Mr. Gibson years before purely by chance. Gibson had been hunting almost a half mile away from Jim's property one afternoon. Jim was out hunting that afternoon also. Jim liked to stay out late into the evening and use night vision to hunt with well into the night. About 7pm Jim heard a big animal coming through the woods to his left, moving hurriedly. This was way too loud for a deer.
The green glow of the PVS14 tube revealed a short, slightly rotund man stumbling out of the heavy brush just to the south of the property line. He come out into the open near the fence line.
"Oh thank God!" the man said. He was huffing and puffing and short of breath.
Jim sat and observed him for a while before deciding what to do.
"Should have brought a compass, should have brought a compass!" the man said to himself.
Jim spoke out of the night "Are you lost?"
The man quickly twisted his head to the side but did not raise his shotgun or otherwise move his arms.
"Yes! Yes! Is someone there?" the man asked.
"Maybe." Jim said. "Or maybe it's God telling you to bring a compass next time."
The man stood silent for a second squinting into the dark woods. Jim had to laugh.
Jim came down and met the man and gave him some water.
"How long have you been out here?" Jim asked.
"Since about 4pm. I shot a doe but she ran off. I don't track very well." Gibson said.
"Well some are harder than others to track." Jim said.
"My name is Don Gibson, I pastor the Methodist church a couple miles that way." Gibson said.
Jim laughed "You mean that way" correcting the direction Gibson was pointing in. "Boy I'm starting to see a pattern here!"
Both men laughed. Jim took a leap of faith and since it would be easier to take him back to Jim's house versus back the way he came, Jim invited him for something to eat at Jim's house.
They spent the next couple of hours at Jim's house eating and debating theology. Jim had spent time with the man off and on. Often times Jim would bring food to Gibson's church pantry or give Gibson some money to give to a needy family. Mr. Gibson had repeatedly invited Jim's family over to their house but their never seemed to be enough time to get together.
Jim was looking forward to seeing Mr. Gibson, but more importantly he was hoping to get some news about the larger community.
April slowly gave way to May.
In what was left of April, Group members put in individual gardens in raised beds that had been previously prepared on work weekends in the years before things fell apart. There was large areas that were set aside for Group use in addition to the smaller beds that individuals prepared on their own.
Jim had said "this may cut down on some Bravo Sierra. If someone doesn't like green beans, potatoes or one of the staple crops we will grow in mass, they will have the opportunity to grow other stuff simply for themselves."
They had always stayed away from a true "communal" type approach to everything. No one was going to let their friend starve, but personal initiative and work was always rewarded. If an individual group member grew a boatload of broccoli in one of his personal raised beds, he was free to use it all himself or herself, share it with the others or trade some of it to other group members. By far most people were willing to share their surplus with the others and this brought reciprocity in other areas. The Group had long since weeded out most of the selfish "it's all about me" types. After the deaths of Todd and Donnie their seemed to be very little squabbling or back biting. The fight with Gomez had solidified everyone's understanding that they all had to work and stand together.
There was several large garden areas also that were used for the bigger crops of things like potatoes, green beans, wheat, pinto beans and occasionally corn. Corn was such a hard one to grow, even with commercial fertilizers. It required a heavy supply of fertilizer and water to get a decent crop from it. Wherein the other big crops were relatively light feeders, corn took a lot from the soil. Jim had for years been rotating their goats through the garden pastures where they would clean up residual garden wastes after the harvests, keep weeds down and leave manure where it was needed. On the larger areas this didn't have a big immediate impact and took years to have a big effect on the soil. The last couple of months of winter Jim had been keeping rye grass growing in these areas and rotating a few of the cows through there, so their was more manure this year.
Corn wouldn't be planted this year, but Jim knew from experience saving seed that they would have to grow at least some corn next year to preserve and grow their seed stock. Ditto with carrots, they were sown this year and 3/4 of them had to be left in the ground to go to seed the following year. Living like this you couldn't afford to eat ALL that you grew, some had to be kept for seed and some plants took 2 years. This made food storage all the more important.
Most of the Group were doing o.k. with their new living cir***stances. More than a few weren't used to the amount of work that went into living this way. Factor in that and then also the security tasks both at the retreat and with the Hansen OP for the cows and their wasn't any free time. No one sat around and played Yahtzee to pass the time.
A lot of the day to day homesteading tasks fell to the kids and women folk. This included feeding the rabbits, putting the goats to pasture, taking care of the chickens, shoveling a lot of manure into the garden, working in the garden area, picking fruit from the orchards and canning and preserving.
Jim had told Kathy his wife years before "we want to teach these folks as much of this stuff ahead of time as we can. Everything thinks canning is easy when all they are making is 4 jelly jars worth of stuff for gifts to others. When it's time to put up 200 jars of beans, it's an entirely different deal."
Chad had showed a complete turn around since the accidental discharge during the Gomez raid. Once his ankle healed up he took upon himself a rigid exercise program and started eating better.
One day he gathered all the kids together in the living room of the team house with a box in his hand.
"You all make sure your parents say this is o.k. and make sure you brush your teeth really well later. You don't end up with a funky mouth like Steve's.." He laughed as he opened a box containing dozens of candy bars, gum and hard candy.
All the adults in the room leaned just a little bit forward looking at the goodies.
Chad noticed this and said "and whatever is left the adults can have." He laughed.
"Where did all this come from?" Bill asked.
"I've been hoarding it. Since I'm losing weight now I don't want to keep it around. I figured it would make the kids happy." Chad said.
Jim patted Chad on the back and said "I gotta tell you, I haven't seen you this focused in years."
"Let's go out back for a second" Chad said and they picked up their rifles and headed out the door.
As they got outside Chad said to Jim "after Nancy first got sick years ago. I got really depressed. I went to the doctor and he put me on an anti depressant. Later when Nancy died I kept taking them. My doctor recommended that I not quit "cold turkey." My supply ran out not long after everything feel apart. I think it took a while for the fog to lift but I'm seeing things clearer now than I have in years."
"I know that time period was hard on you. We prayed for you a lot during that time. I'm glad things are coming together for you and your feeling better. Sometimes good stuff does come out of disasters huh?" Jim replied.
A few days later a Methodist minister that led a church just a half mile from the retreat was spotted out by the first gate near the county road. He stood and waved a white cloth for a couple of seconds and them carefully climbed over the gate. The gate had been chained to the telephone pole posts in four spots. The seismic sets had first detected him outside the gate and he was spotted on the two security cameras that gave full view of that area.
The OP called everyone to alert. The minister who's name was Mr. Gibson walked slowly down the 1/4 driveway from the country road.
"OK this looks like a guy I know, but there is no telling. Full security, watch the flanks, I'll need over watch. Stall him for a few minutes if he uses the intercom so I can see his reaction." Jim said as he slid the plate carrier on and grabbed his rifle.
Jim had met Mr. Gibson years before purely by chance. Gibson had been hunting almost a half mile away from Jim's property one afternoon. Jim was out hunting that afternoon also. Jim liked to stay out late into the evening and use night vision to hunt with well into the night. About 7pm Jim heard a big animal coming through the woods to his left, moving hurriedly. This was way too loud for a deer.
The green glow of the PVS14 tube revealed a short, slightly rotund man stumbling out of the heavy brush just to the south of the property line. He come out into the open near the fence line.
"Oh thank God!" the man said. He was huffing and puffing and short of breath.
Jim sat and observed him for a while before deciding what to do.
"Should have brought a compass, should have brought a compass!" the man said to himself.
Jim spoke out of the night "Are you lost?"
The man quickly twisted his head to the side but did not raise his shotgun or otherwise move his arms.
"Yes! Yes! Is someone there?" the man asked.
"Maybe." Jim said. "Or maybe it's God telling you to bring a compass next time."
The man stood silent for a second squinting into the dark woods. Jim had to laugh.
Jim came down and met the man and gave him some water.
"How long have you been out here?" Jim asked.
"Since about 4pm. I shot a doe but she ran off. I don't track very well." Gibson said.
"Well some are harder than others to track." Jim said.
"My name is Don Gibson, I pastor the Methodist church a couple miles that way." Gibson said.
Jim laughed "You mean that way" correcting the direction Gibson was pointing in. "Boy I'm starting to see a pattern here!"
Both men laughed. Jim took a leap of faith and since it would be easier to take him back to Jim's house versus back the way he came, Jim invited him for something to eat at Jim's house.
They spent the next couple of hours at Jim's house eating and debating theology. Jim had spent time with the man off and on. Often times Jim would bring food to Gibson's church pantry or give Gibson some money to give to a needy family. Mr. Gibson had repeatedly invited Jim's family over to their house but their never seemed to be enough time to get together.
Jim was looking forward to seeing Mr. Gibson, but more importantly he was hoping to get some news about the larger community.
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